Johnny Thunders and his cohorts
of tranvestites, the New York Dolls, played furious and catchy rock'n'roll on
their debut album, New York Dolls (1973).
Their trash aesthetic descended from the Rolling Stones and the Velvet
Underground, but their frantic pace descended from the rockers of the 1950s
and from the surf bands of the early 1960s, while their anthemic melodies came
from the Who and the Animals. But what made them dangerous was the fire power
(all instruments were played like automatic weapons)
and the attitude (not exactly consistent with the prevailing mood of
re-alignment).
Thunders went on to form the Heartbreakers (1), who were, basically, an updated version of the New York Dolls for the
punk generation. The songs on L.A.M.F. (1977) were slogans, and the
album as a whole was a personal diary.
(Translated by Giorgio Curcetti)
Johnny Thunders is one of the most important figures of 1970s' rock'n'roll
reinassance which would lead to punk-rock.
Besides being a link between the Velvet Underground's decadent rock,
the outrageous rock of the Stooges, Marc Bolan's glam-rock and hardcore,
Thunders updated for a new age the
character of the desperate loner/loser, so typical of the American culture,
and which would have served as a moral prototype for the following decade.
Haunted, like many other rock heroes, by the very same
damned stance which he had built for himself, Thunders was forced to remain coherent with his isolation
until his death.
Revaluating the hard'n'dirty rock of the 1960s, the one still drenched in Merseybeat, and inaugurating rock music for homosexuals, Thunders contributed in a
fundamental manner to the emancipation of decadent rock from the
stereotypes of hystrionics for their own sake.
The New York Dolls were the transvestite band par excellence.
They formed in New York in 1971 (when
Johnny Thunders' Actress met the singer David Johansen) in New York most
dubious clubs.
The band mimicked and amplified the look and sound of the Rolling Stones,
with Johansen imitating Mick
Jagger's outrageous posturing. But their power was of another order of magnitude: Jerry Nolan's
rhythmical vehemence was the sonic equivalent of an epilectic fit, Arthur "Killer" Kane spewed out
glooming notes from his bass, Bo Diddley-style, and Syl Sylvain duelled to the sound of heavy metal
sword-like guitars with the stony sarcasm of Johnny Thunders' guitar. Their rhythm and blues was
dissected by neurotic charges � la Stooges and by a precise intent to destroy in the style of the MC5.
The songs attacked with elementary and pressing rhythms, augmented by anthemic choruses and by a
savage and ferocious playing spirit. Their first album, New York Dolls (Mercury, 1973), lines up a terrifying
set of supersonic riffs, of epilectic distortions, and shouted howls. One side all impetus and propulsion,
worked up and arresting (Thrash, with beat backing vocals, Bad Girl, the giddy rock and roll of Subway
Train, the tribal Private World, Jet Boy, with an electrifying solo and hand-clapping rhythms) and one side
all poison and perversion, tormented and screeching (the epilectic Personality Crisis, the martial Looking
for a Kiss, the poisonous ballad Vietnamese Baby) constitute on the whole the most depraved and
gripping depiction of the delinquential New York underground, are eight fired-up masterpieces which do
away with years of sonic rubbish and create a bridge between underground and punk. Truculent and
outrageous, the five transvestites bring back the sixties' gutar based sound, epidermic riffs and savage
distortions, tribal rhythms and epic choruses.
Forever urban outsiders, the New York Dolls could claim to have invented a debauched New York which
was a blueprint for the violent New York of punk.
Their animal magnetism spreaded in clubs and inspired a new generation of rebellious teenagers; but the
group split up after the mediocre Too Much Too Soon, which applies eccessive trust principally on the
covers.
The singer, David Johansen, typical figure of the debauched hooliganism of the Lower East Side, gave
with his album David Johansen (Blue Sky, 1978) maybe the last gem of a decadent kind of music, an
album which continues the suburban saga of his old band with Girls, Funky But Chic, Frenchette, Donna,
Cool Metro, played in a powerful bar-band style. After two more commercial albums, vindicated only by
the long anthem Flamingo Road, on In Style (1979), and by the heavy metal of My Obsession, on Here
Comes the Night (1981), Johansen converted himself to synth-pop with Sweet Revenge (Passport, 1984),
which shows off the parody rap King of Babylon and the warring anthem Heard the News, Johansen will
end up singing swing, calypso, rhythm and blues and cabaret under the nostalgia banner and the
pseudonym Buster Pointdexter (RCA, 1987), augmented by the arrangements of Joe Delia and a
surprising latin crooning.
In the meantime Thunders had formed the Heartbreakers, with Nolan on drums and the young Richard
Hell on bass (replaced by Billy Rath), with Walter Lure as a perfect lead guitarist-vocalist foil for Thunders,
who created successfully a breathless rock and roll record which, from urban violence, projects frenzy and
the wildest instincts. Although more directly autobiographical and more sentimental, the album L.A.M.F.
(Track, 1977) which stands for Like A MotherFucker, doesn't renounce to the New York Dolls sadistic and
desperate attitude, and the impact of the songs is still dazzling: an avalanche of progressively beastly
sounds. The clou is represented by the melodic slogans sang chorally all at once at the end of their sonic
excursions: Born to Lose (the self-portrait) and Richard Hell's Chinese Rocks, menacing and boastful. The method
consists in an epilectic frenzy which opens up in epic choruses like the ones in Get Off the Phone, All by
Myself, One Track Mind. And the fillers are dizzy means for raging dances (Baby Talk, I Wanna Be
Loved), or cocky beat lullabies (I Love You), The vehemence of this record is the most direct testimonial of
the spirit which animated the New York clubs on the eve of the punk era. Those riffs and those elementary
choruses, thrown at a crazy speed on the general noise of the instruments, announced a deep revolution
in the way to conceive rock (concision, absence of virtuosisms, pounding drumming), The album came
out in an horrible version, the original masters would eventually brought out by Jungle (1984).
Unfortunately the Heartbreakers would never release another normal album and, after having recorded the
subdued So Alone (Real, 1978) to his name (which contains Great Big Kiss, Leave Me Alone, You Can't
Put Your Arms Around a Memory), Thunders disappeared, brought to his knees by heroin and lack of
recognition. In the following years his discography was enrichened by albums recorded live which
recycled ad infinitum old material. The E.P. IN Cold Blood (New Rose, 1983) contains two new classics,
Diary of a Lover and In Cold Blood. New Too Much Junkie Business (ROIR, 1983), half live hand half
recorded in studio, contains again Diary of a Lover and In Cold Blood, plus Too Much Junkie Business
and So Alone. The E.P. Diary of a Lover (PVC, 1984) duplicates Diary of a Lover and In Cold Blood and
adds Endless Party. Que Sera Sera (Jungle, 1985) duplicates Endless Party but at least adds Little Bit of
Whore. Hurt Me (New Rose, 1984) is an acoustic album, maybe Thunders' most sincere, ennobled over
all by the scream of pain of Hurt Me. Copy Cats (Restless, 1988) is a compilation of covers and Gang
War (Zodiac, 1990) an album recorded with the MC5 guitarist, Wayne Kramer. They are records where
Thunders vents his passion for the Rolling Stones, and that bring him back on a more human plane, with
no tricks or masks.The chaos concerning his discography will be solved thanks to the double anthology
album Born Too Loose (Jungle, 1999), which gathers all his classics.
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Johnny Thunders e` una delle figure piu` importanti del rinascimento
rock and roll degli anni '70 che portera` al punk-rock. Oltre a fungere
da cinghia di trasmissione fra il rock decadente dei
Velvet Underground,
il rock oltraggioso degli Stooges,
il glam-rock di Marc Bolan, e l'hardcore,
Thunders aggiorno` a una nuova era
la figura del loner/loser disperato che e` tipica della cultura Americana,
e che avrebbe funto da fondamenta morale per il decennio successivo.
Perseguitato, come tanti altri eroi del rock,
dalla stessa figura di maledetto che si era costruito, Thunders fu costretto
a rimanere coerente fino alla morte con il suo isolamento.
Rivalutando il rock duro e sporco degli anni '60, quelli ancora intrisi di
beat, e lanciando il rock per omosessuali, Thunders
contribuiti` in modo determinante all'emancipazione del rock decadente
dagli stereotipi dell'istrionismo fine a se stesso.
I New York Dolls furono il complesso di travestiti per eccellenza.
Si formarono a New York nel 1971 (quando gli Actress di Johnny Thunders
incontrarono il cantante David Johansen) nei club piu` equivoci di New York.
Il gruppo copiava e accentuava il look e il sound dei
Rolling Stones,
con Johansen a imitare le pose oltraggiose di Mick Jagger.
Ma la potenza di fuoco era di un altro ordine di grandezza:
la veemenza ritmica di Jerry Nolan era l'equivalente sonoro di una crisi
epilettica, Arthur "Killer" Kane vomitava suoni cupi dal basso nello stile
di Bo Diddley, e Syl Sylvain (Mizrahi) duellava a suon di sciabolate
heavy-metal con il sarcasmo pietroso della chitarra di Johnny Thunders.
Il loro rhythm and blues era dilaniato da scariche di nevrosi alla
Stooges e da un preciso intento al massacro
in stile MC5.
I pezzi aggredivano con cadenza elementare ed incalzante, forti di
ritornelli da anthem corali e da uno spirito esecutivo selvaggio e feroce.
Il primo album, New York Dolls (Mercury, 1973),
allinea un repertorio terrificante di riff
supersonici, di distorsioni epilettiche, di urla sgolate.
Una facciata tutta impeto e propulsione, scalmanata e trascinante
(Thrash, con i coretti beat, Bad Girl, il rock and roll
vertiginoso di Subway Train, la tribale Private World,
Jet Boy, con un elettrizzante assolo a ritmo di clapping)
e una facciata tutta veleno e perversione, tormentata e lancinante
(l'epilettica Personality Crisis,
la marziale Looking For A Kiss, la ballad velenosa Vietnamese Baby)
costituiscono nell'insieme
il piu` depravato ed avvincente affresco
del sottobosco delinquenziale newyorkese, sono otto capolavori infuocati che
spazzano via anni di rifiuti sonori e fanno da ponte fra underground e punk.
Truci e oltraggiosi, i quattro travestiti riportano alla ribalta il sound
chitarristico dei Sixties, i riff epidermici e le distorsioni selvagge,
i ritmi tribali e i ritornelli epici.
Disadattati urbani per antonomasia, i New York Dolls potevano vantarsi di aver
inventato la New York del vizio che tenne a balia la New York violenta dei punk.
Il loro magnetismo animale dilago` nei club notturni ed ispiro` una nuova
generazione di teenager ribelli;
ma il gruppo si sciolse dopo il mediocre
Too Much Too Soon (Mercury, 1974),
che fa leva soprattutto sulle covers.
Il cantante, David Johansen, tipico esponente del teppismo
depravato del Lower East Side, diede con
David Johansen (Blue Sky, 1978) forse l'ultima gemma del genere
decadente, un album che continua la saga suburbana del vecchio complesso
con Girls, Funky But Chic, Frenchette, Donna,
Cool Metro, eseguiti in un possente stile da bar-band.
Dopo due album piu` commerciali, riscattati soltanto dal lungo inno di
Flamingo Road, su In Style (1979), e dall'heavy metal di
My Obsession, su Here Comes The Night (1981),
Johansen si converti` al synth-pop con Sweet Revenge (Passport, 1984),
che sfoggia il rap parodistico King Of Babylon e l'anthem guerrigliero Heard The News.
Johansen finira` a cantare swing, calypso, rhythm and blues e cabaret della
nostalgia sotto lo pseudonimo di Buster Poindexter (RCA, 1987),
forte degli arrangiamenti di Joe Delia e di un sorprendente crooning latino.
Nel frattempo Thunders aveva formato gli Heartbreakers, con Nolan alla batteria
e il giovane Richard Hell al basso, i quali
indovinarono ancora un disco di rock and roll mozzafiato che della violenza
urbana proietta la frenesia e gli istinti piu` bradi.
Benche' piu` direttamente autobiografico e piu` sentimentale, l'album
L.A.M.F. (Track, 1977), che sta per "like a mother fucker", non rinuncia
all'indole sadica e disperata dei New York Dolls, e l'impatto dei brani e`
ancora stordente: una valanga di suoni bestiali in progressione.
Il clou e` rappresentato dagli slogan melodici cantati in coro
tutto d'un fiato al termine di scorribande furibonde: Born To Lose
(l'autoritratto) e Chinese Rocks (di Richard Hell), minacciosa e reboante.
Il metodo consiste in una frenesia epilettica che sfocia in ritornelli epici
come quelli di Get Off The Phone, All By Myself,
One Track Mind.
E i riempitivi sono cadenze vertiginose per danze scalmanate (Baby Talk,
I Wanna Be Loved) o spavalde filastrocche beat (I Love You).
La veemenza di questo disco e` la testimonianza piu` diretta dello spirito
che infervorava i club di New York alla vigilia dell'era punk. Quei riff e
quei ritornelli elementari, scaraventati a velocita` pazzesche sul frastuono
generale degli strumenti, annunciavano una rivoluzione profonda nel modo di
concepire il rock (concisione, assenza di virtuosismi, drumming
martellante).
L'album venne pubblicato in una versione orrenda. I masters originali
verranno pubblicati
(Jungle,
Purtroppo gli Heartbreakers non riuscirono mai a pubblicare un altro album
regolare e, dopo aver inciso il dimesso So Alone (Real, 1978) a
proprio nome (che contiene Great Big Kiss, Leave Me Alone,
You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory), Thunders
svani` nel nulla, provato dall'eroina e dall'incomprensione. Negli anni
seguenti la sua discografia si arricchi` di album registrati dal vivo
che riciclavano all'infinito il vecchio materiale.
L'EP In Cold Blood (New Rose, 1983) contiene due nuovi classici,
Diary Of A Lover e In Cold Blood.
New Too Much Junkie Business (ROIR, 1983), meta` live e meta` studio,
contiene di nuovo Diary Of A Lover e In Cold Blood, oltre a
Too Much Junkie Business e So Alone.
L'EP Diary Of A Lover (PVC, 1984) duplica
Diary Of A Lover e In Cold Blood e aggiunge Endless Party.
Que Sera Sera (Jungle, 1985) duplica Endless Party e aggiunge
almeno Little Bit Of Whore.
Hurt Me (New Rose, 1984) e` un album acustico, forse il piu` sincero
di Thunders, nobilitato soprattutto dal grido di dolore di Hurt Me.
Copy Cats (Restless, 1988) e` una raccolta di covers e
Gang War (Zodiac, 1990) un album registrato con il chitarrista degli
MC5, Wayne Kramer.
Sono dischi in cui Thunders sfoga la sua passione per i Rolling Stones, e
che lo riportano su un piano piu` umano, senza travestimenti.
Il caos discografico verra` dileguato grazie al doppio antologico
Born Too Loose (Jungle, 1999) che raccoglie tutti i classici.
Johnny Thunders died in april 1991 at the age of 38 of a drug overdose in a
New Orleans hotel. Nolan died of a stroke in january 1992.
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