He had had his fix, but was already itching. I used to be a correctional officer. He was barely holding it together. Took a lot of strength. RIP. Addiction is a disease. It can be cured, but not always.
@@bigmaz4002in his time he was not broadly received beyond underground rock scene. Later, his sound and image was emulated by a lot of 80s and 90s rock bands like Guns N’ Roses and motly crue.
This is the first interview I've ever seen of Thunders and regardless of what people may say about the obvious, Thunders really seemed like a down to earth person. R.I.P. ❤🤘
I realize Johnny is in the throes of addiction, but he seems so sad here. His eyes seem to be tearing up, like there is a deep sadness just under the surface. You just wanna hug the guy and tell him how much he meant and will mean to rock n' roll. I think he felt left behind by all the artists he influenced, who rocketed to superstardom, and got all the recognition that he certainly should have had. And I'm with Johnny, fuck punk! Johnny was a rocker. The N.Y. Dolls tried to be the Stones, but were so shitty and loud, that it became the blueprint for punk. The Pistols then copied that, and so forth. But the Dolls' full intent was bluesy rock. Maybe Johnny felt that the punkers missed the point. He was a badass rocker, and the future of rock owed a lot to him.
The drugs took preference over his desire to create great music. Who in their right mind would sign this guy to a record contract? You can't blame others for JT's down fall. He had three kids, and a loving mother and sister so it was not like people did not give a shit about him. The future of rock owed him shit. If he had his shit together someone would have given him a record deal. But the guy was a pathetic junkie.
"Owed a lot to him" as far as image, style, sound, attitude, and stage presence, absolutely. Ever seen a guy called Nikki Sixx? You ever take a look at the 80's metal scene? Notice any correlation? And is it any wonder where the Sex Pistols got their style and sound? Funny how Malcolm McLaren was an advisor for the New York Dolls, and then, years later, an advisor for the Sex Pistols, huh? And I don't see anyone here blaming anyone else for Johnny's fuckin' downfall. Try to keep your ass closed when you speak, because that's where all your words are coming from. You sound all pissed off at the guy. Good for you.rjplamf61
Black Death 1347 The Dolls as a group influenced a lot of bands that came along in the '80's no doubt not JT alone and Richard Hell had more to do with the Sex Pistols image than the Dolls did. (the spiked hair and torn tees). Malcolm McLaren came to New York and saw Hell's look and took it back to England with him. He was not an advisor to the Dolls and Pistols, he was their manager. and please if you reply back keep the personal assaults to yourself, I am not going to bite the hook and waste my energy getting into a pissing match with you.
rjplamf61 Aw, come on, just one piss? Haha. Tons of artists owe(d) a lot to Johnny Thunders stylistically (not monetarily or through favors), I don't see how anyone can refute that. No one was walking around looking like David or Sylvain, it was all about Johnny; the hair, the sneer, the stage moves, the low-slung guitar (and maybe, unfortunately, being a wasteoid). Take one look at early Nikki Sixx and and it's all about Johnny Thunders (with a bit of Brian Connelly), and Motley Crue led the way in the early 80's. Nikki speaks freely of the influence. Thunders was the real star of the Dolls, and his simplistic, loud, and sloppy attack on guitar got many young musicians excited and encouraged, that maybe they too could go up there and be a rock star, without being some boring prog-rock virtuoso. And I meant that the Dolls musical style influenced the Pistols (which is obvious, to me), not style in the fashion sense. I blazed guns on you a bit because you started throwing "shit" around, and launched a personal assault of your own by calling John pathetic.
Thunders was so tolerant of this terrible and more than slightly aggressive interviewer. I can tell he had a real sweetness about him. He obviously could have tore the guy apart if he wanted, but it seems he took pity on the poor fool. I don't know why it took me so long to get into his music, but I'm glad because at least there's still one great thing I haven't beaten to death for myself.
Yeah same here. I knew of his stuff with the dolls but have just recently started really digging into his entire catalogue. He’s such a great songwriter I’m so glad I looked a lot deeper than just his stuff he’s known for. He was so much more than just a junkie guitarist for the dolls.
@@victormorgado5318 i get the impression Johnny had grown bored with music journalists consistently putting the focus on his drug problems rather than it being about the actual music. It must have been so boring to him and incredibly invasive. The drugs were a bi product of his life in music not the other way round. This was an incredibly awkward interview and the journo clearly couldn't relate to him at all. He comes across as straight and super boring while Johnny had never walked the linear path through life.
Dude as an ex addict l sometimes look at drunks or junkies and l think to myself "jesus christ mate in this shitty world l have no trouble understanding why you do that every day and l wish l could too but being immersed in narcotic chemicals every day and all day just doesn't work any more". But then again sobriety sucks too mate. That's why I regularly relapse and l love it. Cheers. Hic.
5 or 6 of my friends died this year. And I’m sure you’re not reading this. Hell I’d bet no one is. But if someone stumbles upon this and is thinking of using, just don’t. I’m not a dare video or some asshole at your Highschool, I’m a normal dude that ruined his life with heroin and cocaine. Take my advice, because I wish someone said this to me. It will kill your soul. Sure maybe you won’t die right away. But you will eventually. And until you do, you’ll regret every day after your addiction starts. Please, take my advice. Stay clean. Heroin doesn’t make you cool. It makes you hallow.
@@Pariah_Larry I agree w/everything you just said. Don't do H. You can't dabble with it. I know that seems like common sense, but for anyone thinking you can...you can't. The mental part is what gets you...your mind craves it as much as your body does.
How frustrating!. This is the first time I've seen/heard an interview with Johnny Thunders and it seems like he'd actually be a quite fascinating person to talk with but the interviewer seems on some other level. What a shame.
Here in 2022, miss thunders, miss the dolls, god what some great music this guy contributed to and made himself, one of the best, one of my greatest musical inspirations.
Seems like he gets interested when the guy asks him about what music he listens to. He answers "Willy DeVille." Johnny came down to New Orleans to hook up with Willie, stayed at The Saint Peter Guest House next door to Willie's house, & O.D.ed the night he got to town.
I followed him as a fan since 1975. He was such a different person, he didn't talk like this, he was kind of "normal", not like this. I sat in a show with about 5 people in the audience that night. The opening band was Neon Leon. I think it was January of 1976 or 77
He had a wicked sense of humour. He was a natural on stage. Wish I'd been around in those days. Unfortunately I wasnt born until 79 and was 10 -11 when he passed away. I had not heard of him or anything from him until I was 16 in 95. I was hooked from the first time i heard LAMF. And then got the nyds albums. His guitar was epic. He played that les Paul junior and special with attitude.
Even when I was a fan of Johnny Thunders in the early-mid '80's, I knew he was dead already. Listening to Johnny felt rooting for Joe DiMaggio. Not dead yet. But long gong.
My take is that Johnny saw himself born to be a guitar god -- he had the look, the vibe, the irreverence, the attitude. And the Dolls had their "flash in the pan " success which confirmed the fact that he was meant to be famous. But fame isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Once the novelty of the Dolls fizzled, he struggled to reclaim the recognition and never did. He had potential but never really developed his guitar skills very well. His voice was so so and he didn't exactly have great business skills and consequently, his career never took off, even after getting the recognition with the Dolls. Meanwhile, Johansen saw the Dolls for what they were --a gimmick. Shtick. He played it out and moved on. Johnny couldn't. Because to him, it was real. And he could never face the fact that it was short lived. So, heroin became his friend. It never let him down. It took away the harsh reality. And you know the rest.
but Johansen came back around and made more NY Dolls albums. Jojo didn't know what he had until later, but I do agree the dope got in the way, hence the band split up.The Dolls were the tail end of glam rock, not really a gimmick just the only ones in the US that played great raw rock n' roll. along the lines of T - Rex/David Bowie. (And also,about JT someone at a live show called him a god and he said, "more like dog".)
I disagree with you that he was not a guitar God. He is one of the most influential players to ever live. He obtained some success with the heartbreakers but mostly just critical success. I think he's a great player
Johnny was the best part of the dolls and he needed to be a front man and took Jerry Nolan with him he wrote you can't put your arms when he was still in dolls 🗽
@@xavierramirez2719 there was always something special about thunders and someone informed me that thunders originally was gonna be the dolls singer somehow they settled on Johansen
Well your take is garbage Johansen did that stupid buster Poindexter bullshit then tried to remove the dolls when he was ancient he's a joke. The heartbreakers were better than the dolls in my opinion and success isn't measured in hero worship by crazy people or mansions or money. This guy made some of the best rockn roll ever made not slick over produced radio friendly garbage.
Thank you for posting this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Johnny is (not was) the best, guitarist,entertainer,rock n roller, ect. It's 2013 and his following still continues! For good reason.Thanks again. Johnny you are loved!!!!!
Seems like that interviewer was way more committed to going for lunch than he was to warming Johnny up to those typed out questions. Stultifying monotone. Just more of an ongoing test for Johnny Thunders I guess....who was pretty damn generous in the face of all that. Jeezus.
Hurt Me was one of the best thing Johnny did I was waiting for it to come out and bought it right away... again, I think it was a French import, so it wasn't cheap... but a lot of his stuff was French import as I remember.
I wonder why Johnny was so sad and filled with such pain that he needed to mask all his sorrow with drugs.He had such talent and was so intelligent,He could of made it bigger places.But we will never know.
Thats opiates. I had a great up bringing, eagle scout/good parents. And I got hooked. Good now. But people need to understand that drugs just FEEL GOOD and if you have addictive personality (not just with drugs) then you're good as screwed
He made it on his own. No major label to bow down to. No apologies to make ( Green Day) Never sold out and remained a working musician. Perfect life Everyone has their ups and downs
Between him and Dee Dee Ramone, it's heartbreaking to see how such addictions were so hard to overcome and escape. Those two shared their drug habits together. I've seen Dee Dee play in the 1980's several times but when the 90's rolled around, he started to suffer the addiction problems.
according to Sylvain, he sounds cool and the girls loved him. man could play a mean solo. at least he used his time wisely. Manson couldn't even recognize that Helter Skelter is just an incredible display of heavy slow blues and hard rhythm...lol stupid....maybe something happened later in his adult life. no longer 20 lol
Thanks for the upload. That was interesting, despite the interviewer taking a bottle of valium before the interview. Funny what Johnny said about Sweden being a nice place to retire. He had a good sense of humour. He seemed a bit shaky. Was that because of heroin withdrawal, or because of methadone or..? He also had T-Cell Leukemia when he died. I just found that out.
Hé had leukemia it was discover when we were on tour with Cosa Nostra Jerry , Billy & Me European tour we were in Switzerland we had to do two gigs without him and it was 1983 .he couldn't walk at that time so he rest few days and we went for the rest of the tour passing by Sweden where was recorded Cosa Nostra Never Sleeps. Henri Paul Tortosa. 🎸🎸🎸
Henri Paul Tortosa I've heard somewhere that Johnny was sick with leukaemia however it wasn't a cause of His tragical death... He is dearly missing every day... (*).(*).(*).
i see why people dislike the interviewer and its really weird...but i guess he tried some sort of very calm intimate interview but johnny was way too lucid for that. If you imagine the same interview with a half nodding off johnny, it would be a classic, cause questions werent wrong
i literally ate milk and oreos for 2 months straight, and if people are living with you and they dont know you use 100% give away when your eating 3 packs of oreos and drinking 2 litres a day and not gaining any weight aswell as fallling asleep at the fridge on the way to the fridge and constantly spilling milk on myself and waking up with crushed oreos in my bed, so ive moved onto natural yogurt with chocolate shavings
I used to eat a bunch of sour candy, ice cream and rice pudding. I don't think I really ate food, i was doing goofballs which is heroin mixed with meth
He was most definitely a punk. His attitude was punk. He played rock and roll but in a sleazy but provocative way, it was all about the attitude. He was one of the first true punks. The first punks didn't play music that you think is punk but it really is. It's the way they played rock and roll and the attitude they put into it.
Exactly! I had a guy telling me I was an idiot for saying Thunders had an early 50s rock n roll approach to guitar. he sounds nothing like punk. very bluesy licks.
Is he talking about the movie with Spacely? I know that's probably a really stupid question. I just saw that movie a few months ago. I don't know what I was watching before it but I fell asleep in that came on my Amazon Prime around mid-afternoon when I was feeling a little uptight LOL. Really not quite the movie you want to see at that time but somehow it's stuck with me. I was just coming out of diapers when the Heartbreakers were on the Anarchy tour... I'm originally from New York. Long Island 50 more specific so that's probably why I'm interested in the Life and Times of Johnny Thunders. My dad worked in Queens at the airport. So the city has always fascinated me
Y en medio de un concierto en Madrid ,dijo. : -Quien puede conseguir 2 gr de hero.... Algunos silbidos y gritos pero la mayoria de la gente que habia en la sala (Astoria). ni se enteró... Salud & RnR
(about Philly's comment): that's because you don't feel him it doesn't resonate to you, just like you can't be forced to love someone Libressman: I agree 100% with your comment.
it makes me feel so happy both of my two idols i've had in the life, prodigy of mobb deep and johnny thunders, were both from queens. that alone makes me say queens gave life to best music of all time.
+DJZwart Broek I recently discovered that Dr.John the Nighttripper was also a big heroin addict. I like to think Johnny knew about his music. Look at All Dolled Up ...Mama Roux.. He totally loved New Orléans and it's music. Sadly it also became the place he died. R.I.P John.
+Derek D Yeah, he was. The interviewer started out on the wrong foot totally. He made the mistake of talking about things he'd read and what people were saying. Johnny hated journalists and what they said about him, misunderstanding him. Then the interviewer blunders into asking him about his drug use and if he's on methadone. Johnny seems to really shut down after that. He warms up again toward the end. He was a sensitive guy and maybe the interviewer was incredibly awkward out of nervousness or inexperience, but you don't ask rude questions to get someone to open up.
If you look at Johnny Thunders whole body language, he comes across as coming down from cocaine, going through the motions as patiently as possible with a very tedious interview while at the same time being desperate to get out of there and get high again.....also probably doped on methadone and tranquilizers. But really he looks like he's in pain, note how he never stops swaying, fidgeting and twitching. The interview seems gay actually 13:31 ohhhh yeahhhhh what do you think about sweden
Yes of course, but I think it really explains his behaviour here, people have commented he looks sad or about to cry, uncomfortable etc, actually I think he was just coming down hard....he still comes across as more together than the interviewer though !
Its Story of a Junkie, and that idiot was John Spacely, an early publisher of Punk mag. Thunders was supposed to be in there, and some of the footage Kowalski shot of him can be seen in Born To Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie
It sucks being known for being a junkie when you're in a band. When you give an interview that's the first thing they always talk about is the fact if your clean or not. Johnny after a while I heard would not even do an interview after a while if they start talking about the fact that he was a junkie. That was right when he moved to New Orleans though so he wasn't alive very much longer. But if anybody out there is a journalist or interviews anybody don't ask him about their drug problems. Only asked him about that if you know they are clean they just got out of rehab and they themselves are promoting the fact that they are getting clean or are clean. One of the number one questions to get someone you're interviewing to hate you start asking about their drug problems.
Johnny couldn't have it both ways. Excess and hedonism, including very public drug use, was part of the persona that made him famous and paid his wages. It was part of his act. He knew this, and he played up to it, it helped sell his records and he said himself 'people come to my shows to see if I'm gonna die on stage'. He used his narrative of drug use/rehabilitation/relapse/drug use as part of his act so the journalist had every right to address his current drug use.
@@speakertreatz you know nothing about Johnny. That's obvious because you said it was part of his act. Johnny care what people thought of him. To say that cats getting high was part of his is just absurd. This is what the journalist that Johnny despised used to say exactly. Johnny did not do heroin to fit the Rockstar lifestyle. He had already got strung out then clean before he even joined the New York Dolls. Johnny was born to be a magician. Johnny was one of the ones who popularized rock stars doing heroin. So many up-and-coming musicians started using heroin so they could be like Johnny Thunders or Dee Dee and Sid Vicious. People think it was Keith Richards but she's kept is heroin users private till the late 70s. Johnny who hid fact that she was strung out not embrace it. But when journalists would call him on it a lot of times he denied it. Not brag about it. I hate when people try to understand an artist when they don't even know them. Or understand what the musician lyrics mean.
@@thomas-rs1vb You hate when people try to understand an artist when they don't even know him. Then you've told us what Johnny was, and wasn't, how he acted, what he thought, what his intentions were. So, you must have known him personally to understand him so well right? Did you know him?
@@speakertreatz obviously you're the moron that I stated. Could you not read the part that I knew the guy and you don't . Yes if you knew the guy Alaska where you actually spent quality time with him. And not just speculate what he's like. I would take your comment with a little more validity. But you came against my comment when you don't know shit about the guy except what you read that is journalist write about. My father and mother were good friends with him. Like Father grew up with him. My gave him a place to live several times as a kid growing up. Just ate her house several times kicking heroin which later I became strung out also. Because I didn't learn from watching Johnny go through the withdrawals that he went through. I was the kid coast guard part of being a rock and roll star was to do these kinds of drugs. Not Johnny. I thought all the time to try to stay clean. He glamorize The Rock and Roll Lifestyle and heroin like you're trying to portray. And of course you can't have it both ways. It's very hard to be a junkie and to be in a functioning touring band. That's unless you're somebody like Keith Richards. Even case I'm sure probably call the insurance for his heroin use. I was at Johnny's funeral. The guitar that I got Johnny's that I mentioned was given to my parents to give to me on my 18th birthday on May 17th. Because Johnny wasn't going to make my birthday which he always did. Johnny was like My Dysfunctional uncle. So when he died which was basically at the end of April and my birthday was in May. I got to open up the gift from him the day of his funeral 19 days before my birthday. Not only that I was in a relationship with his daughter Jamie for several years. We're still very close along with several other of his kids. You obviously have no connection to him whatsoever. So I'm not doing what you're doing because I had a close family member like Bond. Like I said I dysfunctional uncle. I bet you couldn't even name with Johnny's last name is unless you go and look it up. My first hit of heroin was in Olympia Washington when I was 17 after Johnny move to New Orleans. He came out to Washington Olympia where my parents were living with me. I was already in ab and myself and was a good friend of Kurt Cobain's. Kurt begged me to meet John. . So we all hung out that day sporting black tar heroin from this lady I knew. And we all got high together which was my first time of shooting heroin. Actually John left the room while Kurt gave me my shot. Because John good friends with my father was a little hesitant I'm getting high around m e. In fact he wouldn't even girl hits head in the same room. He went into the bathroom. But years later when I told my dad. My dad told me he probably did that because he has to hit his groin so he has to pull down his pants and sit on a toilet seat which was the perfect level for him to hit his groin. Because once you use heroin for yours your veins go and usually the last thing you are using is your femoral witches in your groin. So once again I was close to the guy you didn't even know him except what you read or watched.. which was always different from reality. Maybe next time a little bit more attention so what's being written instead of just coming back with a stupid comment thinking that you got me LOL
@@speakertreatz also you're not trying to understand John you're just spewing what you think. You're no better than any of these journalists you talked about
this reminds me of a MTV interview years later when Kurt Cobain was getting interviewed in December 1993 and hes drinking what looks like a chocalate milkshake and hes smoking too, DAMM maybe Kurt Cobain and Johnny Thunders were soul brothers in punk rock n roll
Can the wiki editors change his description to ROCK AND ROLL and leave out the "punk rock" ??? Please??? The man himself said he hated punk and he did NOT play pink.... He played ROCK AND ROLL.
methadone.... what a sick joke. govt's answer to heroin addiction is a drug that is much much harder to kick than heroin. methadone withdrawals make heroin withdrawals seem like a picnic
Johnny was on Methadone here which made him sloppy and dopey, but I'm pretty sure he was also really into cocaine in this period, looks like he's in the throws of a rough cocaine crash here which can be really horrible and painful
Alan Lloyd But you can do it alot easier than just cold turkey. Methadone is not ment to be stopped cold turkey. Heroin addict 20 +years methadone for the last 17.
Thunders is most definitely in Gringo.. It's a scene in someone's apartment and Johnny's waiting for dope, the scene is about 5-10minutes and it includes him (rather distastefully) shooting up, then another of him out a window throwing bottles at a building.
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He had had his fix, but was already itching. I used to be a correctional officer. He was barely holding it together. Took a lot of strength. RIP. Addiction is a disease. It can be cured, but not always.
Someone needs to go back in time and give Johnny a fat spliff and a big hug.
This guy stood alone as a musician. No one could touch him. Way ahead of his time.
The real deal. He was a natural performer. You either love him or hate him. That's the way he liked it. No inbetween.
More like of his time. Nobody like him since.
@@bigmaz4002in his time he was not broadly received beyond underground rock scene. Later, his sound and image was emulated by a lot of 80s and 90s rock bands like Guns N’ Roses and motly crue.
fred smith
Never seen an interview of him before. This really changed my perspective on him. He seemed so tender here, and pretty melancholic too.
He was such an amazing talent. It's hard to see him disintegrate here, but amazing how smart he was even when he was caught up in this.
This is the first interview I've ever seen of Thunders and regardless of what people may say about the obvious, Thunders really seemed like a down to earth person. R.I.P. ❤🤘
One of the most cool rockers! Ever! RIP Johnny. 😢
I realize Johnny is in the throes of addiction, but he seems so sad here. His eyes seem to be tearing up, like there is a deep sadness just under the surface. You just wanna hug the guy and tell him how much he meant and will mean to rock n' roll. I think he felt left behind by all the artists he influenced, who rocketed to superstardom, and got all the recognition that he certainly should have had. And I'm with Johnny, fuck punk! Johnny was a rocker. The N.Y. Dolls tried to be the Stones, but were so shitty and loud, that it became the blueprint for punk. The Pistols then copied that, and so forth. But the Dolls' full intent was bluesy rock. Maybe Johnny felt that the punkers missed the point. He was a badass rocker, and the future of rock owed a lot to him.
The drugs took preference over his desire to create great music. Who in their right mind would sign this guy to a record contract? You can't blame others for JT's down fall. He had three kids, and a loving mother and sister so it was not like people did not give a shit about him. The future of rock owed him shit. If he had his shit together someone would have given him a record deal. But the guy was a pathetic junkie.
"Owed a lot to him" as far as image, style, sound, attitude, and stage presence, absolutely. Ever seen a guy called Nikki Sixx? You ever take a look at the 80's metal scene? Notice any correlation? And is it any wonder where the Sex Pistols got their style and sound? Funny how Malcolm McLaren was an advisor for the New York Dolls, and then, years later, an advisor for the Sex Pistols, huh? And I don't see anyone here blaming anyone else for Johnny's fuckin' downfall. Try to keep your ass closed when you speak, because that's where all your words are coming from. You sound all pissed off at the guy. Good for you.rjplamf61
Black Death 1347 The Dolls as a group influenced a lot of bands that came along in the '80's no doubt not JT alone and Richard Hell had more to do with the Sex Pistols image than the Dolls did. (the spiked hair and torn tees). Malcolm McLaren came to New York and saw Hell's look and took it back to England with him. He was not an advisor to the Dolls and Pistols, he was their manager. and please if you reply back keep the personal assaults to yourself, I am not going to bite the hook and waste my energy getting into a pissing match with you.
Black Death 1347 McLaren was an advisor to the Dolls managed the Pistols. my bad.
rjplamf61 Aw, come on, just one piss? Haha. Tons of artists owe(d) a lot to Johnny Thunders stylistically (not monetarily or through favors), I don't see how anyone can refute that. No one was walking around looking like David or Sylvain, it was all about Johnny; the hair, the sneer, the stage moves, the low-slung guitar (and maybe, unfortunately, being a wasteoid). Take one look at early Nikki Sixx and and it's all about Johnny Thunders (with a bit of Brian Connelly), and Motley Crue led the way in the early 80's. Nikki speaks freely of the influence. Thunders was the real star of the Dolls, and his simplistic, loud, and sloppy attack on guitar got many young musicians excited and encouraged, that maybe they too could go up there and be a rock star, without being some boring prog-rock virtuoso. And I meant that the Dolls musical style influenced the Pistols (which is obvious, to me), not style in the fashion sense. I blazed guns on you a bit because you started throwing "shit" around, and launched a personal assault of your own by calling John pathetic.
Thunders was so tolerant of this terrible and more than slightly aggressive interviewer. I can tell he had a real sweetness about him. He obviously could have tore the guy apart if he wanted, but it seems he took pity on the poor fool. I don't know why it took me so long to get into his music, but I'm glad because at least there's still one great thing I haven't beaten to death for myself.
Yeah same here. I knew of his stuff with the dolls but have just recently started really digging into his entire catalogue. He’s such a great songwriter I’m so glad I looked a lot deeper than just his stuff he’s known for. He was so much more than just a junkie guitarist for the dolls.
In Europe all the kids wanted to be like johnny thunders. The punk attitude is johnny's attitude.
NO...
interviewer: you were born in queens, right?
johnny: right
interviewer: and?
johnny: and i grew up.
Johnny seems bored & detached as hell. Probably didn't want to be there.
@@bflo1000 You tell with his jitterness that he is going through withdrawal and probably wants the interview to end so he "can" fix that.
he was drugged out and arrogant , that's all
Victor Morgado He was a smart guy, shut the fuck up. Too sensitive to be appreciated. That is why he started doing "shit".
@@victormorgado5318 i get the impression Johnny had grown bored with music journalists consistently putting the focus on his drug problems rather than it being about the actual music. It must have been so boring to him and incredibly invasive. The drugs were a bi product of his life in music not the other way round. This was an incredibly awkward interview and the journo clearly couldn't relate to him at all. He comes across as straight and super boring while Johnny had never walked the linear path through life.
This interview is sad. You can see it in his eyes he really didn't want to be there. Addiction sucks and it kills. We lost too many to drugs.
I blame it to the interviewer was quite awful and structured, Johnny was bored
Dude as an ex addict l sometimes look at drunks or junkies and l think to myself "jesus christ mate in this shitty world l have no trouble understanding why you do that every day and l wish l could too but being immersed in narcotic chemicals every day and all day just doesn't work any more".
But then again sobriety sucks too mate. That's why I regularly relapse and l love it. Cheers. Hic.
@@SofaKingShit me too brother , life is hard !
5 or 6 of my friends died this year. And I’m sure you’re not reading this. Hell I’d bet no one is. But if someone stumbles upon this and is thinking of using, just don’t. I’m not a dare video or some asshole at your Highschool, I’m a normal dude that ruined his life with heroin and cocaine. Take my advice, because I wish someone said this to me. It will kill your soul. Sure maybe you won’t die right away. But you will eventually. And until you do, you’ll regret every day after your addiction starts. Please, take my advice. Stay clean. Heroin doesn’t make you cool. It makes you hallow.
@@Pariah_Larry I agree w/everything you just said. Don't do H. You can't dabble with it. I know that seems like common sense, but for anyone thinking you can...you can't. The mental part is what gets you...your mind craves it as much as your body does.
absolutely tearing this interviewer a new one without batting an eyelid!! classic caper
Influenced so many Musicians Johnny, including Izzy stradlin of Guns and Roses!!
Izzy looks like so much to Johnny!
Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses' bassist) is a huge Johnny Thunders fan.
Izzy' s 85 style is totally Thunders
That one is obvious
And much more importantly, Steve Jones based his whole playing around him.
Without Johnny there wouldn't be Sex Pistols
Johnny was a Walking,Talking Singing,Playing Syringe Full of Dope! God I Miss Him!
damn Johnny looked like he could kill interviewer at any second
Indeed
How frustrating!. This is the first time I've seen/heard an interview with Johnny Thunders and it seems like he'd actually be a quite fascinating person to talk with but the interviewer seems on some other level. What a shame.
Here in 2022, miss thunders, miss the dolls, god what some great music this guy contributed to and made himself, one of the best, one of my greatest musical inspirations.
Seems like the interviewer was on more methadone than Johnny.
a true outlaw,guitarslinger of our time, one of a kind. RIP johnny thunders
smart guy, a lot sadness in his eyes
Looks like Johnny is pissed the interviewer didn't share what he was having.
Seems like he gets interested when the guy asks him about what music he listens to.
He answers "Willy DeVille."
Johnny came down to New Orleans to hook up with Willie, stayed at The Saint Peter Guest House next door to Willie's house, & O.D.ed the night he got to town.
irony mans a real bastard!!....such a shame.
I followed him as a fan since 1975. He was such a different person, he didn't talk like this, he was kind of "normal", not like this. I sat in a show with about 5 people in the audience that night. The opening band was Neon Leon. I think it was January of 1976 or 77
He had a wicked sense of humour. He was a natural on stage. Wish I'd been around in those days. Unfortunately I wasnt born until 79 and was 10 -11 when he passed away. I had not heard of him or anything from him until I was 16 in 95. I was hooked from the first time i heard LAMF. And then got the nyds albums. His guitar was epic. He played that les Paul junior and special with attitude.
Even when I was a fan of Johnny Thunders in the early-mid '80's, I knew he was dead already. Listening to Johnny felt rooting for Joe DiMaggio. Not dead yet. But long gong.
My take is that Johnny saw himself born to be a guitar god -- he had the look, the vibe, the irreverence, the attitude. And the Dolls had their "flash in the pan " success which confirmed the fact that he was meant to be famous. But fame isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Once the novelty of the Dolls fizzled, he struggled to reclaim the recognition and never did. He had potential but never really developed his guitar skills very well. His voice was so so and he didn't exactly have great business skills and consequently, his career never took off, even after getting the recognition with the Dolls. Meanwhile, Johansen saw the Dolls for what they were --a gimmick. Shtick. He played it out and moved on. Johnny couldn't. Because to him, it was real. And he could never face the fact that it was short lived. So, heroin became his friend. It never let him down. It took away the harsh reality. And you know the rest.
but Johansen came back around and made more NY Dolls albums. Jojo didn't know what he had until later, but I do agree the dope got in the way, hence the band split up.The Dolls were the tail end of glam rock, not really a gimmick just the only ones in the US that played great raw rock n' roll. along the lines of T - Rex/David Bowie. (And also,about JT someone at a live show called him a god and he said, "more like dog".)
I disagree with you that he was not a guitar God. He is one of the most influential players to ever live. He obtained some success with the heartbreakers but mostly just critical success. I think he's a great player
Johnny was the best part of the dolls and he needed to be a front man and took Jerry Nolan with him he wrote you can't put your arms when he was still in dolls 🗽
@@xavierramirez2719 there was always something special about thunders and someone informed me that thunders originally was gonna be the dolls singer somehow they settled on Johansen
Well your take is garbage Johansen did that stupid buster Poindexter bullshit then tried to remove the dolls when he was ancient he's a joke. The heartbreakers were better than the dolls in my opinion and success isn't measured in hero worship by crazy people or mansions or money. This guy made some of the best rockn roll ever made not slick over produced radio friendly garbage.
i used to see him on bleecker and also around tompkins square park way, way back in the day..............basketcase..Both of us..holy shit
Thank you for posting this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Johnny is (not was) the best, guitarist,entertainer,rock n roller, ect. It's 2013 and his following still continues! For good reason.Thanks again. Johnny you are loved!!!!!
JESUS JOHNNY . I WISH YOU AND JIM MORRISON WERE STILL AROUND .
Seems like that interviewer was way more committed to going for lunch than he was to warming Johnny up to those typed out questions. Stultifying monotone. Just more of an ongoing test for Johnny Thunders I guess....who was pretty damn generous in the face of all that. Jeezus.
Hurt Me was one of the best thing Johnny did I was waiting for it to come out and bought it right away... again, I think it was a French import, so it wasn't cheap... but a lot of his stuff was French import as I remember.
flagemdown66 Indeed, some of the songs stripped down to acoustic hit pack a punch way more than the electric versions.
it was big influence on my songwriting at the time... but the songs still sucked anyways...
flagemdown66 I
One of the most hilarious interviews ever!
They both want to get out there asap. "What do you think of Sweden?" LOL
That milkshake looks lovely.
Punk and Ice Cream Milkshakes : DAMM now thats rock n roll
I wonder why Johnny was so sad and filled with such pain that he needed to mask all his sorrow with drugs.He had such talent and was so intelligent,He could of made it bigger places.But we will never know.
Thats opiates. I had a great up bringing, eagle scout/good parents. And I got hooked. Good now. But people need to understand that drugs just FEEL GOOD and if you have addictive personality (not just with drugs) then you're good as screwed
Can this guy wrap his head around Johnny making an acoustic album? Is it really that difficult to fathom?
He made it on his own. No major label to bow down to. No apologies to make ( Green Day) Never sold out and remained a working musician. Perfect life Everyone has their ups and downs
Green day definitely stole stuff from the heartbreakers specifically Walter lure and Jerry Nolan's look
R.I.P Johnny, LAMF🎸
What a passionate axe player, but I can't help remembering Neil Young's words:...."for every junkie is like a setting sun..."
RIP Johnny ♥️
Between him and Dee Dee Ramone, it's heartbreaking to see how such addictions were so hard to overcome and escape. Those two shared their drug habits together. I've seen Dee Dee play in the 1980's several times but when the 90's rolled around, he started to suffer the addiction problems.
R.I.P Our fallen Dolls.
I would have loved to have been at one of his gigs xx
This interview is pretty funny but sad. Johnny looked real relieved at the eve of the interview
Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in Space
I liked Thunders. But he had those scary dark doll eyes. I think Charles Manson has a similar evil look.
according to Sylvain, he sounds cool and the girls loved him. man could play a mean solo. at least he used his time wisely. Manson couldn't even recognize that Helter Skelter is just an incredible display of heavy slow blues and hard rhythm...lol stupid....maybe something happened later in his adult life. no longer 20 lol
Thunders wasn't evil. He was shy and earnest. And of course he could be obnoxious too, which was also part of his charm and allure. Love the guy.
disagree on the looks "evil" part, think if anything he was too emotional for his own good. Kind of the world's first "emo" in a way.
That's because the pupils' dilation, methadone effects I guess...
what? No, completely differrent.
Interviewer is very boring
as , I'm guessing, you are....
He is really not a bad interviewer. He knows a lot about Thunders (Gringo, first songs he wrote, etc.). Thunders was just in a defensive mood.
That interviewer Sucked!
did Thunders ever do a record with Dr. John like he mentions here? what an intriguing combination
Thunders loves pirates and voodoo so makes sense lol
i'm here after watching room 37.. I recommend this movie for Thunders fans
Thanks for the upload. That was interesting, despite the interviewer taking a bottle of valium before the interview. Funny what Johnny said about Sweden being a nice place to retire. He had a good sense of humour.
He seemed a bit shaky. Was that because of heroin withdrawal, or because of methadone or..? He also had T-Cell Leukemia when he died. I just found that out.
defintely on a cocaine come down here from that agitated twitching
Hé had leukemia it was discover when we were on tour with Cosa Nostra Jerry , Billy & Me European tour we were in Switzerland we had to do two gigs without him and it was 1983 .he couldn't walk at that time so he rest few days and we went for the rest of the tour passing by Sweden where was recorded Cosa Nostra Never Sleeps. Henri Paul Tortosa. 🎸🎸🎸
Henri Paul Tortosa I've heard somewhere that Johnny was sick with leukaemia however it wasn't a cause of His tragical death...
He is dearly missing every day...
(*).(*).(*).
Henri Paul Tortosa he had hiv see film "born to lose".
@@jemima216 : That's Spaceley, not Johnny!
Interview actually starts at 2:07 for future reference
i see why people dislike the interviewer and its really weird...but i guess he tried some sort of very calm intimate interview but johnny was way too lucid for that. If you imagine the same interview with a half nodding off johnny, it would be a classic, cause questions werent wrong
Heroin, methadone, etc.-all opiates really, always made ME jones for an ice cream or a milkshake, rather than a beer 'yuk'
Funny, I never liked milkshakes until I started messing with opiates/oids
I'm on methadone, and I smoke a lot of weed, I can eat anything, anytime. Love to cook.
i literally ate milk and oreos for 2 months straight, and if people are living with you and they dont know you use 100% give away when your eating 3 packs of oreos and drinking 2 litres a day and not gaining any weight aswell as fallling asleep at the fridge on the way to the fridge and constantly spilling milk on myself and waking up with crushed oreos in my bed, so ive moved onto natural yogurt with chocolate shavings
Lol,good tip.
I used to eat a bunch of sour candy, ice cream and rice pudding. I don't think I really ate food, i was doing goofballs which is heroin mixed with meth
Please wiki people, change thunders musical description to ROCK AND ROLL, not rock/punk. This is an insult to Johnny thunders
Alan Lloyd. Yes u are so right; he said himself he wasnt a punk. and whats his favorites cover, a rock n roll classic, Pipeline
He was most definitely a punk. His attitude was punk. He played rock and roll but in a sleazy but provocative way, it was all about the attitude. He was one of the first true punks. The first punks didn't play music that you think is punk but it really is. It's the way they played rock and roll and the attitude they put into it.
Exactly! I had a guy telling me I was an idiot for saying Thunders had an early 50s rock n roll approach to guitar. he sounds nothing like punk. very bluesy licks.
Aye! He fucking hated the word "punk"!
"All that punk shit....I never liked it". That's surprising, the Dolls were credited as the forerunners of punk.
Is he talking about the movie with Spacely? I know that's probably a really stupid question. I just saw that movie a few months ago. I don't know what I was watching before it but I fell asleep in that came on my Amazon Prime around mid-afternoon when I was feeling a little uptight LOL. Really not quite the movie you want to see at that time but somehow it's stuck with me. I was just coming out of diapers when the Heartbreakers were on the Anarchy tour... I'm originally from New York. Long Island 50 more specific so that's probably why I'm interested in the Life and Times of Johnny Thunders. My dad worked in Queens at the airport. So the city has always fascinated me
Yes & "Born to Lose. (Last rock n Roll movie). And the full 2hr+ cut is on RUclips. And Spacely dies of aids in the film. Its exploitive.
Y en medio de un concierto en Madrid ,dijo. :
-Quien puede conseguir 2 gr de hero....
Algunos silbidos y gritos pero la mayoria de la gente que habia en la sala (Astoria). ni se enteró...
Salud & RnR
Great Stuff!
Awesome
i love you johnny
(about Philly's comment): that's because you don't feel him it doesn't resonate to you, just like you can't be forced to love someone
Libressman: I agree 100% with your comment.
it makes me feel so happy both of my two idols i've had in the life, prodigy of mobb deep and johnny thunders, were both from queens. that alone makes me say queens gave life to best music of all time.
Dude, you're my kind of guy. Love the Mobb and love Johnny. But Bandana P was from Long Island.
I also like Dr. John a lot, wouldn't think Johnny like him too
+DJZwart Broek I recently discovered that Dr.John the Nighttripper was also a big heroin addict. I like to think Johnny knew about his music. Look at All Dolled Up ...Mama Roux.. He totally loved New Orléans and it's music. Sadly it also became the place he died. R.I.P John.
Interviewer was a clown.
+skidrowsux1977 Sure. I'd tie one off with ol' Johnny and get that tongue wagging. :-P
+Derek D Yeah, he was. The interviewer started out on the wrong foot totally. He made the mistake of talking about things he'd read and what people were saying. Johnny hated journalists and what they said about him, misunderstanding him. Then the interviewer blunders into asking him about his drug use and if he's on methadone. Johnny seems to really shut down after that. He warms up again toward the end. He was a sensitive guy and maybe the interviewer was incredibly awkward out of nervousness or inexperience, but you don't ask rude questions to get someone to open up.
Thunders may have been on methadone at the time. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to watch somebody that just did a major bell ringer!
Genio y figura
"What are you listening to these day's Johnny?" " NOTHING." Classic and excellent!
so cool! thanks fleshgordon88 for uploading this!
A very nice person he was an. Jamm with him one night at his loft in ny city Vincent every body wants celmates
He was referring to the Sex Pistols Bill Grundy television appearance.
johnny & Jerry R.I.P
The time period where junkies were the epitome of what depression means
I've never seen anyone take a sip of a milkshake w/ such attitude 14:38
Johnny coooool thunders
He seems very savvy
You continue the methadone program? I would've asked the interviewer is he was continuing the erectile dysfunction program?
Hey Flash, my man, how about some background info on this clip...??
Like S. Sylvain said, “You don’t eff with heroin. It effs you.”
Yes papa around the world
Rip legend
Rowland S Howard a decade before Rowland S Howard....
I LIKE THIS INTERVIEW AND THE MUSIC IS GREAT. I HOPE HE GOT WHATEVER DRUGS HE WANTED AND NEEDED.
Jarno Flinkman He died from them.
If you look at Johnny Thunders whole body language, he comes across as coming down from cocaine, going through the motions as patiently as possible with a very tedious interview while at the same time being desperate to get out of there and get high again.....also probably doped on methadone and tranquilizers. But really he looks like he's in pain, note how he never stops swaying, fidgeting and twitching.
The interview seems gay actually 13:31 ohhhh yeahhhhh what do you think about sweden
well fuck he was always on something - the guy's a pharmacistic nightmare
Yes of course, but I think it really explains his behaviour here, people have commented he looks sad or about to cry, uncomfortable etc, actually I think he was just coming down hard....he still comes across as more together than the interviewer though !
I think Johnny looks quite relaxed. I mean he's had his dose he shouldn't be feeling I'll or hanging for Harry?
This interviewer is top notch. Asks thrilling questions, however I think he’s in greater need of methadone 🤣
What’s the name of the song at the start? I dig it.
Pipeline off “So Alone”
Thank you Rowan!
The Cramps? naw... The Gun Club? Never heard em.
Its Story of a Junkie, and that idiot was John Spacely, an early publisher of Punk mag. Thunders was supposed to be in there, and some of the footage Kowalski shot of him can be seen in Born To Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie
Bob dylan went electric , and johnny thunders went acoustic , interesting
It sucks being known for being a junkie when you're in a band. When you give an interview that's the first thing they always talk about is the fact if your clean or not. Johnny after a while I heard would not even do an interview after a while if they start talking about the fact that he was a junkie. That was right when he moved to New Orleans though so he wasn't alive very much longer. But if anybody out there is a journalist or interviews anybody don't ask him about their drug problems. Only asked him about that if you know they are clean they just got out of rehab and they themselves are promoting the fact that they are getting clean or are clean. One of the number one questions to get someone you're interviewing to hate you start asking about their drug problems.
Johnny couldn't have it both ways. Excess and hedonism, including very public drug use, was part of the persona that made him famous and paid his wages. It was part of his act. He knew this, and he played up to it, it helped sell his records and he said himself 'people come to my shows to see if I'm gonna die on stage'. He used his narrative of drug use/rehabilitation/relapse/drug use as part of his act so the journalist had every right to address his current drug use.
@@speakertreatz you know nothing about Johnny. That's obvious because you said it was part of his act. Johnny care what people thought of him. To say that cats getting high was part of his is just absurd. This is what the journalist that Johnny despised used to say exactly. Johnny did not do heroin to fit the Rockstar lifestyle. He had already got strung out then clean before he even joined the New York Dolls. Johnny was born to be a magician. Johnny was one of the ones who popularized rock stars doing heroin. So many up-and-coming musicians started using heroin so they could be like Johnny Thunders or Dee Dee and Sid Vicious. People think it was Keith Richards but she's kept is heroin users private till the late 70s. Johnny who hid fact that she was strung out not embrace it. But when journalists would call him on it a lot of times he denied it. Not brag about it. I hate when people try to understand an artist when they don't even know them. Or understand what the musician lyrics mean.
@@thomas-rs1vb You hate when people try to understand an artist when they don't even know him. Then you've told us what Johnny was, and wasn't, how he acted, what he thought, what his intentions were.
So, you must have known him personally to understand him so well right?
Did you know him?
@@speakertreatz obviously you're the moron that I stated. Could you not read the part that I knew the guy and you don't . Yes if you knew the guy Alaska where you actually spent quality time with him. And not just speculate what he's like. I would take your comment with a little more validity. But you came against my comment when you don't know shit about the guy except what you read that is journalist write about. My father and mother were good friends with him. Like Father grew up with him. My gave him a place to live several times as a kid growing up. Just ate her house several times kicking heroin which later I became strung out also. Because I didn't learn from watching Johnny go through the withdrawals that he went through. I was the kid coast guard part of being a rock and roll star was to do these kinds of drugs. Not Johnny. I thought all the time to try to stay clean. He glamorize The Rock and Roll Lifestyle and heroin like you're trying to portray. And of course you can't have it both ways. It's very hard to be a junkie and to be in a functioning touring band. That's unless you're somebody like Keith Richards. Even case I'm sure probably call the insurance for his heroin use. I was at Johnny's funeral. The guitar that I got Johnny's that I mentioned was given to my parents to give to me on my 18th birthday on May 17th. Because Johnny wasn't going to make my birthday which he always did. Johnny was like My Dysfunctional uncle. So when he died which was basically at the end of April and my birthday was in May. I got to open up the gift from him the day of his funeral 19 days before my birthday. Not only that I was in a relationship with his daughter Jamie for several years. We're still very close along with several other of his kids. You obviously have no connection to him whatsoever. So I'm not doing what you're doing because I had a close family member like Bond. Like I said I dysfunctional uncle. I bet you couldn't even name with Johnny's last name is unless you go and look it up. My first hit of heroin was in Olympia Washington when I was 17 after Johnny move to New Orleans. He came out to Washington Olympia where my parents were living with me. I was already in ab and myself and was a good friend of Kurt Cobain's. Kurt begged me to meet John. . So we all hung out that day sporting black tar heroin from this lady I knew. And we all got high together which was my first time of shooting heroin. Actually John left the room while Kurt gave me my shot. Because John good friends with my father was a little hesitant I'm getting high around m e. In fact he wouldn't even girl hits head in the same room. He went into the bathroom. But years later when I told my dad. My dad told me he probably did that because he has to hit his groin so he has to pull down his pants and sit on a toilet seat which was the perfect level for him to hit his groin. Because once you use heroin for yours your veins go and usually the last thing you are using is your femoral witches in your groin. So once again I was close to the guy you didn't even know him except what you read or watched.. which was always different from reality. Maybe next time a little bit more attention so what's being written instead of just coming back with a stupid comment thinking that you got me LOL
@@speakertreatz also you're not trying to understand John you're just spewing what you think. You're no better than any of these journalists you talked about
this reminds me of a MTV interview years later when Kurt Cobain was getting interviewed in December 1993 and hes drinking what looks like a chocalate milkshake and hes smoking too, DAMM maybe Kurt Cobain and Johnny Thunders were soul brothers in punk rock n roll
No, more like heroin addicts that have a craving for sugared drinks and sweets!
yeah ole kurt died with a barks root beer by his side...mmm barks rootbeer
What a fucking genius.
Can the wiki editors change his description to ROCK AND ROLL and leave out the "punk rock" ??? Please??? The man himself said he hated punk and he did NOT play pink.... He played ROCK AND ROLL.
No one ever likes their music pigeon -holed.
Name of the song at the beginning please
It´s "Pipeline" : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipeline_(instrumental)
methadone.... what a sick joke. govt's answer to heroin addiction is a drug that is much much harder to kick than heroin. methadone withdrawals make heroin withdrawals seem like a picnic
***** sucks to be me then.
+Ryan Reynolds He is right. Methadone is impossible.
+deany gale I second that. nazi poison Hitler juice. got to be evil. 10 years still can't get off it. rather die than go through methadone withdrawal
Johnny was on Methadone here which made him sloppy and dopey, but I'm pretty sure he was also really into cocaine in this period, looks like he's in the throws of a rough cocaine crash here which can be really horrible and painful
Alan Lloyd But you can do it alot easier than just cold turkey. Methadone is not ment to be stopped cold turkey. Heroin addict 20 +years methadone for the last 17.
If you were to taze this interviewer he would still act the same.
You can tell he's really struggling with being off the heroin. Kicking can be hell, even with methadone.
RIP A REAL TALENT
Thunders is most definitely in Gringo.. It's a scene in someone's apartment and Johnny's waiting for dope, the scene is about 5-10minutes and it includes him (rather distastefully) shooting up, then another of him out a window throwing bottles at a building.
too bad there ain no real rock and rollers around anymore