I played drums for Johnny in L.A., '90/'91. Had to have been one of the last shows he ever did. He was a character. Rehearsed with him twice for the 45 min show. Cold Blood was one of the tunes we did. He was actually really subdued and almost shy off stage, but when he put his duds on, slicked back his hair and got on stage, his personality transformed pretty quick. He was semi sober when I played with him, and believe me, he could really bash out some great guitar leads if he was up to it. Clem Burke took over the drums for the last couple of songs, one song was Personality Crisis. Place was packed, great nite. I found out later he was thinking of using us guys for future shows, and then New Orleans happened. Glad I was able to spend those 3 days and nights with him. RIP Johnny.
Saw Johnny do this song in Phoenix '87. He was so out of it, he couldn't remember the first line. So when he noticed me singing in the front row, he gave me the mike until he could pick up the song. RIP, Johnny.
My favorite UA-cam video of all time. Thunders is the man. All you UA-cam haters keep on hating. Thunders will always be the man, and you will still be trying to compare apples to oranges.
"You probably think I'm pretty mad.... I am" Even fucked up and out of his mind Johnny could out perform 99.9% of the acts out there. I can't think of an artist who's been more underapreciated than Thunders.
Even when his eyes are rolling to the back of his head, he makes his guitar sound better than god. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent; God bless ya wherever you may be Johnny.
Yeah but Johnny wasn't a waste of talent, he made a lot of great songs, I'm actually surprised he lived as long as he did with his lifestyle being that extreme and I love how his don't give a fuck attitude lives on thru his music
When I say wasted talent I mean that he had all the potential to become huge cause he was incrediblyinfluential at one of the most pivotal moments in rock n roll. He was amazing even with all the junk, but it eventually wasted him and his talent that could have been so much more, & that’s sayin something. Still one of my all time favorite guitarists & songwriters ever
Look around in you tube. All this rockstars...the boss, bowie, iggy, moot the hopple, etc and the turn in a Thunders video, with the Dolls or alone no matter, and then you will be surprising by the fact that JT is a real person and never boring with is music, and his way to do.
I just heard 'You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory' in the credits to The sopranos and thought to myself thats a Pixies rip off, then I find out its from fucking 1978! man Im a new fan! Thumbs up for new Fans of johnny the man! :D
Some artists perform better when they're high out of their mind, the tone of Johnny's guitar is insane here! No one else can replicate this tone he mastered that night 🎶 🌃
Um, if I can add my two cents in here, "Blank Generation" has a descending chord change (which a lot of people think the Stray Cats ripped off for "Stray Cat Strut"). "In Cold Blood" has its chord sequence going in the opposite direction.
Met Johnny at Max's Aug'79,a month later he got me into a gig at Clark U that had oversold by 800,Clash/Gang War,I walked in the stage door between Johnny and Joe Strummer ,fuck the punk points it makes me cry just remembering.
You can close your eyes and spot johnny thunders out of a billion guitar players!! Every time I hear him play I smile thinking "yep that's the sound" will anyone reading this give tips on how to at least get the gear to sound like this? I know it's a p90 jr, a fender twin full blast, lots of reverb, but on a small amp with headphones I can't get that sound. Do I need overdrive?? I have a fender reverb pedal, I have a fender twin channel, but it doesn't sound like it, am I missing the overdrive??
You can't get that tone on a tiny amp with headphones. He never used any stomp boxes and you need (I believe but I could very well be incorrect on what model amp exactly...but to the best of my knowledge anyway--) a "blackface" Fender Twin Reverb combo (black face pertaining to the color of the settings panel as there are also "silverfaced" ones and so on), all settings on 10 (but you already know that), who knows how often he changed his tubes if ever (had to have money to fix himself more than his equipment I'm sure) and the most important aspect of his sound and tone---his hands. Plenty of imitators have used his exact setup (right down to his same guitar which contrary to popular misconception was not a Les Paul Jr but a Les Paul TV. Named so because of the particular shade of yellow) but they never sounded exactly like him because they didn't have the playing style that he brought with his hands. Even Dee Dee Ramone said that about Johnny and especially that he "could really bend" and had a unique playing style. Not saying that you or anyone else can't achieve it. Just that it's the one major important aspect that people seem to overlook. That's why you can close your eyes and know it's him playing without having to open them...and when he was straight and "on" then the shows were unbelievable. Check out the "You Can't Put Your Arm Around A Memory - Thunders, Nolan and Kane Live" video with Barry Jones on 2nd guitar at The Roxy in Hollywood 1987. it's on UA-cam and it's one of JT's best performances ever recorded!
@youhavegeniusshins Ive been defending Lure for years lol He kept the whole show going when Johnny was like this and worse. He wrote alot of lyrics,riffs,titles, and always showed up and played 100% and never played a gig fucked up badley.
Can’t believe he could perform with such charter, still remember the little things he says in the recording, and did some of the harmonizing on the spot while being that high. That’s talent
skaface32 wow. Didn't you see his eyes roll back in his head lmao Christ opiate addict for 16 years. 31 years. Even I can tell he's had one shot too many in the veins hahah
He was getting close to the end. Maybe he always was. But he was real and alive in it and inspired so many . So arguements aside, he says it all for so many . xoxo
@needashoereview Johnny Thunder did not get stabbed. He had advanced leukemia and aids. He had bruises and lost 30 pounds before he went to Japan for his last mini tour,he told Jerry Nolan he was scared and new something was wrong and he never ended up going to the hospital. His body coulden't take it anymore between cancer and aids and drugs that night in New Orleans his body gave up on him.
see the thing with JT was at this point he didnt care and his audience didnt care. Both fed off each other. I seen him a lot, almost no JT fan would say any show was bad
Get out the New York Doll's doing Chatterbox, the TV performance. (It's on youtube) Johnny's sober get one of the best performances ever. It blows me away every time.
I know his son and heard some stories from David Johanson and my friends father who lived with David when johnny showed up there was always some crisis I wish I had time to tell them some are funny some are sad but all entertaining
@posthumanhero You´re right about that one as far as i know, but both Joe and Steven were in the late 70s and early 80´s beyond fucked up on coke n junk, but I dont know much about how they were on stage, I´ve read somwhere that Tyler used to dance to the side of the stage for a quick fix. Dr Thunders on the other hand did´nt feel ashamed of saying stuff like, "i gotta get a fix, we´ll be back in 20 minutes" His junkie image were just a bit rougher so to speak.
@posthumanhero THEY WERE FRIENDS THEY were both junkies and there both dead 2 of my all time favorite artists .. they actually lived it .. not just wrote bs in there music .. i live a few blocks away from thunders grave btw
Johnny rules! Whether he was a junkie or not is irrelevant now. Fact is, he had more style and attitude than anyone else at that time. I wish I wasn't such a latecomer to his stuff.
@TheRalphus666 Theirs always been rumors ect about his death. He had cancer and aids and was in the last process so it was untreatable. Arthur Kane also,diden't know he had cancer,he checked in then next day he died.
I just can't stop watching this one over and over...guess a straplok or other means of keeping yer axe in place hadn't occured to JT. Then again, I've never seen anyone wear a Gretsch like the one he's playing quite that low, either.
i call it a performance , simply because take what he took this night and try to play guitar if you are not overdosed hahah , don't compare thunders to pink floyd , it's like compare heroin to lsd , hahaha (joke), but really , Johnny did some great stuff i love what he did with the dolls and in his solo carreer, but i love pink floyd's albums too , it's just 2 different kind of art incomparable, how could you compare ? only by your taste , that's all ! i love both . cheers !
Well ave A was fuckin dangerous in the 60s,70s,80s,and early 90s as a dumb teen I scored dope over mostly closer to ave D (I don't do it anymore) but I know live in btwn ave A and B on 5th st cause now the lower Eastside is filled with art and "The Strokes" lookalike bands that are just horrible.I miss Coney Island high,wetlands,CBGBs,I can keep goin fuckin NYC has lost it's magic we need a better generation to come up and write better shit cause what I hear now sucks
Can't remember where I read it, but someone once wrote that all kids who wanna try smack should be shown Johnny at the end..talent's a terrible thing to waste eh? RIP Johhny
@sternej that clip is NOT showing johnny as friends and family of him don't let that shit leak. The man on the slab is JOHN SPACELEY, another junkie on the scene. Have some respect!!!! the footage is from the movie 'born to lose'.
I played drums for Johnny in L.A., '90/'91. Had to have been one of the last shows he ever did. He was a character. Rehearsed with him twice for the 45 min show. Cold Blood was one of the tunes we did. He was actually really subdued and almost shy off stage, but when he put his duds on, slicked back his hair and got on stage, his personality transformed pretty quick. He was semi sober when I played with him, and believe me, he could really bash out some great guitar leads if he was up to it. Clem Burke took over the drums for the last couple of songs, one song was Personality Crisis. Place was packed, great nite. I found out later he was thinking of using us guys for future shows, and then New Orleans happened. Glad I was able to spend those 3 days and nights with him. RIP Johnny.
i dont think he was really shy but more careful about who he talked to. by then he was probably not feeling his best either and not the same guy
What happened in Paris? *cough cough New Orleans cough*
Yeah stiv died in paris, Johnny had a big row with deedee in paris though
@@thomasandersen6719 ha.. yeah I meant New Orleans.. my bad. I fixed it.
@@18andlikeit So you mixed up Paris in Europe and New Orleans in USA? And you pretend to have been there?
no one had guitar strap problems like Mr Thunders.... every third song.. part of his charm
"you probably think I'm pretty mad, I am."
That was so spontaneous, even stoned and out of his mind he was better than half the stuff out there!
Saw Johnny do this song in Phoenix '87. He was so out of it, he couldn't remember the first line. So when he noticed me singing in the front row, he gave me the mike until he could pick up the song. RIP, Johnny.
One of THE greatest guitar slingers of all time.
chi69201 Lol
heroin is a life sentence😢
My favorite UA-cam video of all time. Thunders is the man. All you UA-cam haters keep on hating. Thunders will always be the man, and you will still be trying to compare apples to oranges.
"You probably think I'm pretty mad.... I am"
Even fucked up and out of his mind Johnny could out perform 99.9% of the acts out there. I can't think of an artist who's been more underapreciated than Thunders.
Even when his eyes are rolling to the back of his head, he makes his guitar sound better than god. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent; God bless ya wherever you may be Johnny.
Ya ever met those LA bastards lol
Yeah but Johnny wasn't a waste of talent, he made a lot of great songs, I'm actually surprised he lived as long as he did with his lifestyle being that extreme and I love how his don't give a fuck attitude lives on thru his music
When I say wasted talent I mean that he had all the potential to become huge cause he was incrediblyinfluential at one of the most pivotal moments in rock n roll. He was amazing even with all the junk, but it eventually wasted him and his talent that could have been so much more, & that’s sayin something. Still one of my all time favorite guitarists & songwriters ever
Nobody could nod and still play like johnny. Probably got some good shit before this show.
hahaha awesome! i love that one of the related videos is "how to make a guitar strap belt"
This rocks more than you ever will.
I was at this show. :_) Think he finally went on at 2 or 3 am
Any stories to tell?
Any stories to tell?
Johnny Thunders I wish I could remember! oh yeah some girl ODd in the bathroom.... big surprise
Me too.
Wow, that is Infkngcredible!
Look around in you tube. All this rockstars...the boss, bowie, iggy, moot the hopple, etc and the turn in a Thunders video, with the Dolls or alone no matter, and then you will be surprising by the fact that JT is a real person and never boring with is music, and his way to do.
best version of in cold blood ever, this is a classic.
The look on his face at 2:22 when he goes "oooo oohooo" made me laugh out loud.
Johnny is so rock n roll. I love this raw shit! Keep Rockin!
I just heard 'You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory' in the credits to The sopranos and thought to myself thats a Pixies rip off, then I find out its from fucking 1978! man Im a new fan! Thumbs up for new Fans of johnny the man! :D
Some artists perform better when they're high out of their mind, the tone of Johnny's guitar is insane here! No one else can replicate this tone he mastered that night 🎶 🌃
Um, if I can add my two cents in here, "Blank Generation" has a descending chord change (which a lot of people think the Stray Cats ripped off for "Stray Cat Strut"). "In Cold Blood" has its chord sequence going in the opposite direction.
Woah!!! Even fucked up he is still on point! I would be down on the floor sleeping!! LOL!! Thanks for sharing this.
True Punk Legend
people used to go to his gigs to see if he would die i used to live on avenue b
Are you joking ? Hahhaha , people never cease to amaze me ...
eric payne what did people think of him?
JT was a brilliant guitarist and songwriter...That's how I remember him, not for booting up...
Met Johnny at Max's Aug'79,a month later he got me into a gig at Clark U that had oversold by 800,Clash/Gang War,I walked in the stage door between Johnny and Joe Strummer ,fuck the punk points it makes me cry just remembering.
I love it, at 2:47, when his guitar strap gets loose for the second time and he's like : "In cold Blo.... What the Fuck..." LMAO!!
love johnny thunders rip love u im sure u gone to a better place xxxx
Right now he is resting in Flushing cemetery Queens not far from Jerry Nolan.
You can close your eyes and spot johnny thunders out of a billion guitar players!! Every time I hear him play I smile thinking "yep that's the sound" will anyone reading this give tips on how to at least get the gear to sound like this? I know it's a p90 jr, a fender twin full blast, lots of reverb, but on a small amp with headphones I can't get that sound. Do I need overdrive?? I have a fender reverb pedal, I have a fender twin channel, but it doesn't sound like it, am I missing the overdrive??
sal christy I wish I knew but I think only he knows
You can't get that tone on a tiny amp with headphones. He never used any stomp boxes and you need (I believe but I could very well be incorrect on what model amp exactly...but to the best of my knowledge anyway--) a "blackface" Fender Twin Reverb combo (black face pertaining to the color of the settings panel as there are also "silverfaced" ones and so on), all settings on 10 (but you already know that), who knows how often he changed his tubes if ever (had to have money to fix himself more than his equipment I'm sure) and the most important aspect of his sound and tone---his hands. Plenty of imitators have used his exact setup (right down to his same guitar which contrary to popular misconception was not a Les Paul Jr but a Les Paul TV. Named so because of the particular shade of yellow) but they never sounded exactly like him because they didn't have the playing style that he brought with his hands. Even Dee Dee Ramone said that about Johnny and especially that he "could really bend" and had a unique playing style. Not saying that you or anyone else can't achieve it. Just that it's the one major important aspect that people seem to overlook.
That's why you can close your eyes and know it's him playing without having to open them...and when he was straight and "on" then the shows were unbelievable. Check out the "You Can't Put Your Arm Around A Memory - Thunders, Nolan and Kane Live" video with Barry Jones on 2nd guitar at The Roxy in Hollywood 1987. it's on UA-cam and it's one of JT's best performances ever recorded!
"This one is for Mr. John Belushi"......fuckin classic
@youhavegeniusshins Ive been defending Lure for years lol He kept the whole show going when Johnny was like this and worse. He wrote alot of lyrics,riffs,titles, and always showed up and played 100% and never played a gig fucked up badley.
Can’t believe he could perform with such charter, still remember the little things he says in the recording, and did some of the harmonizing on the spot while being that high. That’s talent
Yup his improvised lines are even better then the original like when he says
"you ever meet those LA bastatds..."
HIGH AS A KITE
long live the soul and sound of johnny Thunders!
R.I.P johnny. You live on forever.
dvd called in cold blood, recorded 1982 irving plaza nyc, its on ebay all the time
No one here gets out alive , living here is suicide.johnny was tha man!!
"you got to bop!!! down the strwweet..."
Johnny Thunders"Feelin Good" per-usual.R.I.P Nolan &Thunders
they used to show this at the new peppermint lounge. Thanks...
did he ever do drugs?
did he ever stopped doing them?
yeah , once :(
Lolz! Maybe to enhance his onstage performances?
skaface32 wow. Didn't you see his eyes roll back in his head lmao Christ opiate addict for 16 years. 31 years. Even I can tell he's had one shot too many in the veins hahah
skaface32 but he's bitchin
He was getting close to the end.
Maybe he always was.
But he was real and alive in it and inspired so many .
So arguements aside, he says it all for so many .
xoxo
@needashoereview Johnny Thunder did not get stabbed. He had advanced leukemia and aids. He had bruises and lost 30 pounds before he went to Japan for his last mini tour,he told Jerry Nolan he was scared and new something was wrong and he never ended up going to the hospital. His body coulden't take it anymore between cancer and aids and drugs that night in New Orleans his body gave up on him.
Frankly I love this. He's a fucking mess.
It's rare to here a show with the reverb on the PA turned down
@8754richard Thank for clearing that up. I'd like to see 'Born to Loose'
see the thing with JT was at this point he didnt care and his audience didnt care. Both fed off each other. I seen him a lot, almost no JT fan would say any show was bad
We miss you, Johnny. This new Dolls? NOTHING. You're the New York in the New York Dolls.
RIP Johnny. This is so SAD...........
Damn, he's so high, hes nodding off on stage
All opinions aside, this is rockin'. PERIOD
no idea why ppl up thumbing the guy who suport ur comment and not the guy who made it :S
I'm impressed that he can even stand with that much heroin in his system.
This one is for Mr John Belushi......classic
@iggy6 This show was at irving plaza in New York City
Get out the New York Doll's doing Chatterbox, the TV performance. (It's on youtube) Johnny's sober get one of the best performances ever. It blows me away every time.
In the words of Mr. Brian Griffin, "no junk, no soul."
I know his son and heard some stories from David Johanson and my friends father who lived with David when johnny showed up there was always some crisis I wish I had time to tell them some are funny some are sad but all entertaining
@posthumanhero You´re right about that one as far as i know, but both Joe and Steven were in the late 70s and early 80´s beyond fucked up on coke n junk, but I dont know much about how they were on stage, I´ve read somwhere that Tyler used to dance to the side of the stage for a quick fix. Dr Thunders on the other hand did´nt feel ashamed of saying stuff like, "i gotta get a fix, we´ll be back in 20 minutes" His junkie image were just a bit rougher so to speak.
@posthumanhero THEY WERE FRIENDS THEY were both junkies and there both dead 2 of my all time favorite artists .. they actually lived it .. not just wrote bs in there music .. i live a few blocks away from thunders grave btw
Johnny rules! Whether he was a junkie or not is irrelevant now. Fact is, he had more style and attitude than anyone else at that time. I wish I wasn't such a latecomer to his stuff.
I think I was at that show.
One of the originals...punk rules
@TheRalphus666 Theirs always been rumors ect about his death. He had cancer and aids and was in the last process so it was untreatable. Arthur Kane also,diden't know he had cancer,he checked in then next day he died.
@8754richard thats a mith. Even Johnny's friends told me that
like his voice in this one, he is hi as a kite though...
I just can't stop watching this one over and over...guess a straplok or other means of keeping yer axe in place hadn't occured to JT. Then again, I've never seen anyone wear a Gretsch like the one he's playing quite that low, either.
i call it a performance , simply because take what he took this night and try to play guitar if you are not overdosed hahah , don't compare thunders to pink floyd , it's like compare heroin to lsd , hahaha (joke), but really , Johnny did some great stuff i love what he did with the dolls and in his solo carreer, but i love pink floyd's albums too , it's just 2 different kind of art incomparable, how could you compare ? only by your taste , that's all ! i love both . cheers !
😍
Avenue A is full of high priced apartments.R.I.P Alphabet City
thanks for that
you'd think johnny would put strap locks on his guitars as much as drops them to his side to sing. but who cares i just love his stuff.. RIP bro..
2:56 Amazing turn around!
hells bells..smacked out of his brain. what a legend tho !!
this is great! not sad!
RIP Johnny
Well ave A was fuckin dangerous in the 60s,70s,80s,and early 90s as a dumb teen I scored dope over mostly closer to ave D (I don't do it anymore) but I know live in btwn ave A and B on 5th st cause now the lower Eastside is filled with art and "The Strokes" lookalike bands that are just horrible.I miss Coney Island high,wetlands,CBGBs,I can keep goin fuckin NYC has lost it's magic we need a better generation to come up and write better shit cause what I hear now sucks
Couldn’t agree more. I keep on waiting and hoping......
supercool
gold
What video are you commenting on?
Can't remember where I read it, but someone once wrote that all kids who wanna try smack should be shown Johnny at the end..talent's a terrible thing to waste eh? RIP Johhny
@scratchnsnifff1 you must be easily impressed then... sounds like he's been playing for 6 months.
at his worst Johnny was still the best...
what kind of chords is Walter playing, 5th?
Farking out of it!
@sternej
that clip is NOT showing johnny as friends and family of him don't let that shit leak. The man on the slab is JOHN SPACELEY, another junkie on the scene. Have some respect!!!! the footage is from the movie 'born to lose'.
a what a right angle or an acute angle?
@sternej call it weakness, stupidity or fate but I think that some people are in a strange way meant to be like that
Damn was he ever shwacked here !! But somehow He still played fine .
why'd you have to leave us Johnny?
big respect to johnny thunders,
check out darwin stars
cold blood,
if you like.
I think it was in NYC
AWESOME!!!
Remember kids never do heroin before you are on stage =D
yeah this shit kicks ass. Thunders is rock n roll. High on some good heroin....its the cut that kills ya.
does anyone know where to get the lyrics to this?
@fnnichols I thought killer kane stopped playing by the mid 80's and became a morman
fuckin love you
I like Pink Floyd, Johnny Thunders, NY Dolls etc, no reason they can't coexist.
come on...this isn't THAT bad. i like it
nothin that a hot bath and a meal can't fix.
Totally stoned 😅
holy crap!
Is it a Gretsch Country Gentleman without "f" holes?