From: "Mark Roberts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2006 2:41 AM
Subject: Re: OT: Lou Reed heart NY
Charles Robinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
As a clue, I'll tell you it wasn't The Ramones and
the Sex Pistols who started it - not by a long shot.
I've generally seen it attributed to the New York Dolls, but I expect it
was something of a movement even before them.
Trivia: Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls made his last recordings
at my friend Tony Gross' recording studio in upstate New York with a
band called the Chesterfield Kings. They never finished the project
completely because Tony threw Johnny Thunders out after he caught him
shooting up heroin in the studio bathroom. Johnny OD'd only a couple of
weeks after that. The one song he did finish never got officially
released, for legal reasons. But I have a few copies on CD ;-)
Funny enough, I can add another bit of Johnny Thunders unofficial CD trivia.
In July of 1984 Johnny Thunders made an appearance with his band at a Music
Festival here in Aland.
I was MC for the festival. Frankly, I did not know much about The New York
Dolls at the time other than recognizing their name, but friends told me
about them and what they looked like. I thought - well another funny punk
rock band who probably can't play very well...
Anyway, they arrived and turned out to be a nice bunch of people. Johnny,
who appeared quite straight (not on drugs) had his then Swedish girlfriend
with him and I believe there was at least one more member of the original
Dolls band.
I recall, backstage before they were on to the stage, asking them if they
wanted some hot dogs and soft drinks. Yeah, that'd be great, so off I went
to get it for them. However to my surprise, the volunteers selling the
hot-dogs ands such for the festival refused to give me anything unless
they'd pay for it...
Well, I simply had to return to our guests with the message I got. "Ah,
never mind, we're fine. Thanks anyway", Johnny said, probably realizing how
awkward I felt about it.
"Well, just tell me if there is anything else that I can't get you", I
replied. We got off well, maybe since they learned I used to play too,
talking about music, instruments and such.
After introducing them to a great and very appreciative crowd I stayed in
the wing of the stage. Immediately as they hit it off with a straight rocker
I was very pleasantly surprised - they were simply great rockers and gave a
great performance.
Anyway, twenty years on one of the local papers ran a full page story on
this memorable concert. Unbeknownst to me at the time the whole show had
been recorded and had now appeared on some bootleg CD:s of very limited
circulation. Since I knew the writer I contacted him and was able to obtain
a copy.
Well, I just thought it kind of fun being part of this great modern
tradition of bootleg recordings.
(Actually, this was my second clearly audible appearance on a bootleg by a
name artist. The very first one was on a concert recording by... which one
of my following musical heroes: Django Reinhardt, Charlie Parker or Jimi
Hendrix? :-) )
Thanks,
Lasse (and yes I know I'm a bit late on this one, some 25 000 PDML messages
behind...)
