The show that made David Johansen want to be a musician
David Johansen undeniably stands out as one of the industry’s most unconventional and idiosyncratic figures. Emerging onto the scene in the late 1960s, Johansen continued to achieve success throughout the late 20th century. His tenure with the New York Dolls is often credited with helping to shape the punk genre as we know it today.
The New York Dolls produced two albums during their peak in the industry: New York Dolls in 1973 and Too Much Too Soon in 1974. The majority of the material was crafted by Johansen in collaboration with guitarist Johnny Thunders. Despite favourable critical reception, the band struggled to achieve commercial success, and so Johansen opted for a solo career in 1976.
With his distinctive performance style and eccentric persona, Johansen swiftly emerged as a cult icon of subversive art during the 1970s, epitomising the vibrant cultural landscape that thrived in America at the time. However, going back all those years to the very thing that ignited Johansen’s passion, it’s clear from his early years that music was destined to be his path.
Speaking Brooklyn Vegan, the musician explained: “As a kid, you know, you start hearing things that really speak to you. There were songs that I heard when I was a kid that I used to love to sing and stuff like that. I would say like, when I was about fourteen or so, I started with my friends making bands and stuff like that, singing. We used to go to shows, and when I was a kid I think they were at the Paramount.”
Continuing, he recalled: “I remember one show I went to when I was in my early teens that had a lot of great acts on it, and all of a sudden Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels comes out, and he just blew my mind, and I thought ‘Oh man, this is what I gotta do. This is it’. I would say that was an epiphany there. I already had an interest in music, but I didn’t have any idea that I was gonna continue doing it. I didn’t have any idea about anything, really. When he came out, though, he was just such a dynamic performer, and his band was so great I thought ‘Wow! This is so wonderful! This is the greatest thing that could ever be!’”
Elsewhere, the musician discussed how he evolved as an artist and what was important to him as a musical creator. He explained what appeals to him, saying, “As an artist what you wanna do is inspire so that’s good. As far as I’m concerned with what I do, there’s several things I do. Say I’m doing a New York Dolls show – you wanna hear New York Dolls songs. Say if you come to a David Johansen show – you wanna hear the David Johansen repertoire. You know, the ‘Funky But Chic’ and things like that.”
He also discussed his musical tastes, claiming that they have also evolved over the years and continue to inspire him and his music. As he put it: “Over the years, though, I’ve had lots of other interests in songs. I love so many different kinds of music. Just a lot of music. I’m constantly turned onto things that really speak to me.”
