Johnny Thunders

In the Flesh (Amsterdamned)
by Jon Sarre

Reviewin’ shit like this always sucks, ‘specially if the party to be writ about is dead and Johnny Thunders is certifiably dead as a doornail, dead like Marley’s (that’s Dickens’ Jacob, not the Wailers’ Bob) ghost, like Elvis (or allegedly, if ya want). Johnny’s dirtnappin’. Johnny’s feedin’ the worms. Johnny is dead, fuckin’ dead.

Johnny live? Well, that’s sorta an oxymoron, right? Yup, cuz he’s dead. No more guitarin’ for Johnny. No more singin’ either. No more livin’ period. Sames goes for Jerry Nolan, who drums on this. That’s right, he’s dead too. Arthur Kane? I sorta figured him to be dead, but it turns out he’s not, but at the beginnin’ of this record Johnny welcomes him “back from the dead” or “back to the land of the living” or something like that and Arthur, who played bass in the New York Dolls (and “made (the late) Sid Vicious look like Beethoven,” to quote (the alive & well CPA) Angry Samoan Metal Mike Saunders), not only plays bass here, but obviously got the last laugh on his old buddies Johnny’n’Jerry by still bein’ alive whilst they’re both d-e-a-d. Dead.

Before he died, Johnny Thunders played lotsa live shows which were, like this one, duly bootlegged whether they were any good or not. This particular show (Roxy Theater, LA 4/4/87) doesn’t have much to recommend itself, unless ya think ya’d dig the “Johnny Unplugged” segment that crops up towards the end. Smart consumers oughtta seek out Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers Live at the Lyceum (Receiver Records RRLP 134, I dunno ’bout CD) or pretty much anything else that isn’t live (with the exception of the Johnny Thunders/Patti Palladin records). Dumb consumers can start right here.
(PO Box 862558 Los Angeles, CA 90086-2558)