David Johansen

DAVID JOHANSEN

 
David Johansen  (born January 9, 1950) is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, songwriter and actor.  He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls.  He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
A more critically acclaimed medley of songs by the Animals, simply called “The Animals Medley” was tackled by David Johansen.  David Johansen had been the lead singer in the cross-dressing, proto-punk band called New York Dolls and came up with an entirely different persona as Buster Poindexter, where he had numerous hits like “Hot Hot Hot” and “Zat You, Santa Claus?”. 
 
(September 2012)
 
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The reissue of the album by the Klubs was named Album of the Year by Record Collector magazine.  Their penchant for dressing up in their girlfriends’ and sisters’ clothes during concerts inspired several members of the cross-dressing, proto-punk band New York Dollswhose members included future punk legend Johnny Thunders and David Johansen, who later became known as Buster Poindexter.  Their story well illustrates how a relatively prominent rock band from a legendary musical center like Liverpool, England could nevertheless drop almost completely out of sight. 

 

(July 2015)

 
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New York Dolls were a more recent proto-punk band that was formed in 1971. Their first two albums, New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974) slid in just ahead of the punk rock movement proper. The classic line-up was David Johansen (vocals), Johnny Thunders (guitar), Arthur Kane (bass), Sylvain Sylvain (guitar and piano), and Jerry Nolan (drums).
 
After New York Dolls broke up in 1977, David Johansen released the well regarded “Animals Medley and later reinvented himself as Buster Poindexter. Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan left New York Dolls in the spring of 1975 and formed the punk rock band the Heartbreakers with future Voidoids frontman Richard Hell,  
(December 2016)
Last edited: April 3, 2021