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David Johansen | |
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.jpg) Johansen in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Buster Poindexter |
| Born | David Roger Johansen (1950-01-09)January 9, 1950 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 28, 2025(2025-02-28) (aged 75) Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1968–2020 |
| Formerly of |
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Spouses | |
David Roger Johansen[5] (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminalproto-punk band theNew York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonymBuster Poindexter and for playing theGhost of Christmas Past inScrooged (1988).
Johansen was born in the New York City borough ofStaten Island, to a librarian mother, Helen (Cullen), and an insurance sales representative father, Gunvold Johansen, who had previously sung opera.[6][7][8] His mother wasIrish American and his father wasNorwegian American.[5] He was one of five siblings.[5] Johansen attendedSt. Peter's Boys High School, but was expelled in 1964. He finished his high school education atPort Richmond High School.[8] After graduating, Johansen became involved with the scene atAndy Warhol'sFactory. He also worked withCharles Ludlam at Ludlam's Ridiculous Theater Company, where Johansen did sound and lights.[8]
Johansen began his career in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the Vagabond Missionaries, a local Staten Island band[9] and later in the early 1970s as the singer/songwriter in the proto-punk band the New York Dolls.[10] The New York Dolls were part of theMercer Arts Center's scene, appearing on the bill at a New Year's Eve 1972 gig withRuby and the Rednecks.[11] They released two albums,New York Dolls (1973) andToo Much Too Soon (1974).[9] The bulk of the material was written by Johansen and guitaristJohnny Thunders. The Dolls had a strongcult following and glowing reviews from critics such asLester Bangs,Robert Christgau andNick Kent, but overall garnered a divided critical reaction and did not initially find commercial success.[9] The New York Dolls appeared on theBBC TV's live music programmeThe Old Grey Whistle Test, where presenter"Whispering Bob" Harris notoriously derided the band on air as "mock rock".[12][13]
In 1975, Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan left the band. Johansen andSylvain Sylvain along with Peter Jordan,Chris Robison, andTony Machine continued playing as the New York Dolls until 1976 after which Johansen embarked on a solo career.[10] His first two solo albums, theDavid Johansen andIn Style, featured several enduring originals.[10] His self-titled album peaked at number 91 in Australia in August 1978.[14] Sylvain Sylvain frequently performed with him and his band covered many Dolls songs in concert. His live albumsLive It Up andThe David Johansen Group Live document Johansen's reputation as an exceptional concert performer. The studio releasesHere Comes the Night (which includes a signature number, "Heart of Gold") andSweet Revenge again showcased his strengths as a writer of new material and featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophone playerBig Jay McNeely. A number of the songs onHere Comes the Night were co-written with South African musicianBlondie Chaplin. In 1982 Johansen was the opening act forthe Who at severalU.S. East Coast concerts, includingShea Stadium inNew York City andCapital Centre nearWashington, D.C.[citation needed]
In the late 1980s, Johansen achieved moderate commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter,[10] accompanied by the Uptown Horns, performingjump blues,traditional pop,swing, andnovelty songs.[2][3] He also appeared as part of thehouse band on the television programSaturday Night Live. As Poindexter, he scored his firsthit song, "Hot Hot Hot",[9] which, in an interview onNational Public Radio'sFresh Air, he called "the bane of my life" due to its pervasive popularity.[15] "Hot Hot Hot" was initially written and recorded byMontserratianSoca artistArrow.[10] As Poindexter, Johansen often appeared with his band, the Banshees of Blue. Early Poindexter releases combined an eclectic selection of covers with Johansen's own compositions. Johansen went on to issueBuster's Happy Hour, an album of songs thematically linked by their subject matter: alcohol.[10] It was followed byBuster Poindexter's Spanish Rocket Ship, which focused onsalsa andmerengue music.[16]
Johansen acted in several films during the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2000,[17] had a brief role on theHBO drama seriesOz. He appeared in the television seriesThe Adventures of Pete & Pete in the episode "On Golden Pete", in which he played a park ranger. He appeared in theMuppet Television segment of an episode ofThe Jim Henson Hour. He also appeared inThe Equalizer playing a violent criminal named Garnet in the 1987 episode "Re-Entry". Among his more prominent roles are that of the wisecracking Ghost of Christmas Past inScrooged (1988), which starredBill Murray[10] as well as the part of "Looney" in the movieLet It Ride (1989), playing oppositeRichard Dreyfuss. He starred oppositeHulk Hogan andSherman Hemsley inMr. Nanny (1993) and co-starred withJohn C. McGinley in the movieCar 54, Where Are You? (1994), based on the television series. He can be seen in theJim White documentary filmSearching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus in which he sings a version ofGeeshie Wiley's "Last Kind Words" while in amotel room. He also had a supporting role withMick Jagger andEmilio Estevez in the movieFreejack (1992). He played Halston (a hiredhitman) in the anthology filmTales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), in the segment "The Cat from Hell". He was the guest music artist on theMiami Vice episode "The Dutch Oven" (1985), where he sang "King of Babylon".[18] Johansen most recently portrayed the bartender in the Bill MurrayNetflix specialA Very Murray Christmas. Johansen voiced the villainDing Dong Daddy in the originalTeen Titans animated series in the season 5 episode 9 episode "Revved Up".Johansen's legs appeared inJohn Lennon andYoko Ono's 1971 filmUp Your Legs Forever.[19] He voiced the Beartaur character in the 2021Centaurworld animatedNetflix television series.[citation needed]
Johansen then turned toblues with his group, the Harry Smiths. The group was named as a tribute toHarry Everett Smith, who compiled theAnthology of American Folk Music, several songs of which were covered by the band.[citation needed] Johansen's second album with the Harry Smiths is titledShaker.[20]
In 2004, Johansen reunited with Sylvain Sylvain andArthur Kane of the New York Dolls. Owing to the success of the tour, in 2006 the New York Dolls releasedOne Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, their first album in nearly 30 years. It was criticRobert Christgau's choice for album of the year.[21] In 2009 the band releasedCause I Sez So and in 2011Dancing Backward in High Heels.[22]
Johansen hosted a weekly show,David Johansen's Mansion of Fun, onSirius Satellite Radio while continuing to write and perform. Featuring music "from the jungles of Africa to the Bayou of Louisiana and fromDuke Ellington toPhil Spector toBilly Joe Shaver, the show was all over the musical map", the show is free-form and eclectic. As of January 2020[update], the show aired on channel 710 (stream-only),The Loft.[citation needed]
In October 2007, Johansen participated in "The Staten Island Composers Project", featuring work by three musicians who call the island home: Johansen;Vernon Reid, founder of the '80s rock-metal pioneersLiving Colour, andGalt MacDermot, best known as the composer of the musicalHair. The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island commissioned the program and asked each artist to write 20 minutes of music conveying something of his connection to the island often referred to as New York City's forgotten borough. Johansen's opus, a cinematic and unabashedly romanticAdagio scored mostly for strings, is called "Mara Dreams the Moon Gate of Uncommon Beauty". Inspired by "The Moon Gate of Uncommon Beauty", a round portal between two rockscapes in the Chinese Scholar's Garden at theStaten Island Botanical Garden. In September 2009, he appeared onAnthony Bourdain: No Reservations, theTravel Channel television program, in which he touredStaten Island with the program's host.[citation needed]
In addition to his own albums, Johansen contributed songs to the soundtracks of the filmsTimes Square andThe Aviator ("Flowers in the City" and "Ain't Cha Glad" respectively) and guests onAbout Them Shoes, aCD by veteran blues manHubert Sumlin. Another non-album track of his, "Johnsonius", appears on the 1984 compilationA Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse and "The Rope (The Let Go Song)", a track originally recorded during the sessions for his eponymous first album and published on the B-side of the single, "Funky But Chic", a song that was performed by the original New York Dolls before their break up.[citation needed]
An artist noted for his musical unpredictability and versatility, Johansen was a consistent blues enthusiast since the earliest days of the Dolls, with covers of songs byBo Diddley andSonny Boy Williamson among their earliest numbers. The 2006 Dolls CDPrivate World : The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972/3 featured the Dolls performing songs byOtis Redding,Gary U.S. Bonds,Chuck Berry,The Shangri-Las, andMuddy Waters, in addition to versions of songs from their two Mercury albums. Also featured on the CD was a previously unreleased Dolls number, "Endless Party".[citation needed]
Johansen worked consistently with Sylvain Sylvain, drummer Tony Machine – formerly an agent who worked for Leber & Krebs, a member of the New York Dolls in 1975–1976 and a fixture in many David Johansen groups and throughout the Buster Poindexter period – and Brian Koonin, guitarist and banjo player with Buster Poindexter and the Harry Smiths as well as keyboard player with the New York Dolls for the first reunion engagement and theOne Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This CD and tour.[citation needed]
In September 2020, Johansen released a cover of "Sinking Ship" byGypsy.[23]
On July 7, 2020,Showtime Documentary Films announced that filmmakerMartin Scorsese would direct a new feature film on Johansen.[24] The Showtime documentary,Personality Crisis: One Night Only, was released on April 14, 2023.[25] Scorsese was joined in the making of the film by his frequent co-director David Tedeschi, and, with Johansen, Scorsese was interviewed about the film byMSNBC hostJoe Scarborough.[26]
Johansen wed actress and long-time girlfriendCyrinda Foxe in 1977 but divorced within a year in 1978. Johansen was married to photographerKate Simon from 1983 to 2011.[27] Johansen wed artist Mara Hennessey in 2013.[28]
Johansen was diagnosed with stage four cancer and abrain tumor in 2020, leading to him retiring from performing as a live musician.[29] He fell and broke his back in two places in November 2024 and required surgery. His step-daughter launched a fundraiser to help with his treatment on February 10, 2025.[30]
David Johansen died from cancer at his Staten Island home on February 28, 2025, at the age of 75.[27]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [31] | AUS [32] | ||
| David Johansen |
| — | 91 |
| In Style |
| 177 | — |
| Here Comes the Night |
| 180 | — |
| Sweet Revenge |
| — | — |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [31] | ||
| The David Johansen Group Live |
| — |
| Live It Up |
| 148 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Main. [33] | |||
| "Funky But Chic / The Rope (The Let Go Song)" | 1978 | — | David Johansen |
| "Swaheto Woman" | 1979 | — | In Style |
| "Melody / Wreckless Crazy" | — | ||
| "Here Comes the Night" | 1981 | — | Here Comes the Night |
| "Marquesa de Sade / She Loves Strangers" | — | ||
| "Personality Crisis" | 1982 | — | Live It Up |
| "Stranded in the Jungle" | — | ||
| "We Gotta Get Out of this Place / Don't Bring Me Down / It's My Life" | 28 | ||
| "Heard the News" | 1984 | — | Sweet Revenge |
| "King of Babylon" | 1985 | — |
