Quotes
What are the politics of boredom? Better red than dead!”
McLaren draped the band’s stage in the communist flag and put out a press release stating
At his core he was a fan (and not just of music), and he wanted to share his passion with as many people as he could,
Abramson said
As ridiculous as some (or most) of his attire was, he made it work! You and I would look like absolute idiots but he looked cool,
Abramson saidWe had a marvelous adventure of a life together,
she said, confirmingAs hilarious and wise as David continues to be, he is physically debilitated and his care exceeds what we are capable of providing without specialized professional help,
Hennessey
It was a pleasure working with him on the original version of my single ‘Perfect’ in NYC back in 1982 when he provided blistering harmonica
The The’s Matt Johnson posted.png)
As a kid from Queens, New York, this one hurts
Guitarist and longtime Billy Idol collaborator Steve Stevens reflected on Johansen’s raw energy and New York grit, sayingJohansen [was] holding hands with his wife Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, surrounded by music, flowers and love [at the time of his death],
the statement read
David is a legend but he's also my very real very sick dad. I have so much to say but I guess I'll be posting about this a lot and I don't have to say it all now,
Leah Hennessey wrote on Monday, February 10, according to Us WeeklyI know how dire so many of our situations are right now, and how much fundraising literally everyone is doing but if you love David or any of the magick [sic] he's brought into the world please just take a minute to read this or share it. Thank you guys as always,
Leah added
When you’re an artist, the main thing you want to do is inspire people, so if you succeed in doing that, it’s pretty gratifying,
Johansen told The Knoxville News-Sentinel in 2011.
The New York Dolls were more than musicians; they were a phenomenon. They drew on old rock ‘n’ roll, big-city blues, show tunes, the Rolling Stones and girl groups, and that was just for starters,
Bill Bentley wrote in “Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen.”They’re definitely a band to keep both eyes and ears on,
read the review of their debut album in Rolling Stone, complementary of their “strange combination of high pop-star drag and ruthless street arrogance.”I used to think about my voice like: ‘What’s it gonna sound like? What’s it going to be when I do this song?’ And I’d get myself into a knot about it,
Johansen told the Associated Press in 2023I just wanted to be very welcoming, ... ’cause the way this society is, it was set up very strict – straight, gay, vegetarian, whatever… I just kind of wanted to kind of like bring those walls down, have a party kind of thing.”
Johansen said in the documentaryJohansen is one of those singers, to be a little paradoxical, who is technically better and more versatile than he sounds,
said the Los Angeles Times in 2023David and his family were deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support they’ve experienced recently as the result of having gone public with their challenges,
she added
David has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade. Five years ago at the beginning of the pandemic we discovered that David’s cancer had progressed and he had a brain tumor … To make matters worse, the day after Thanksgiving David fell down the stairs and broke his back in two places. After a week in the hospital and a successful surgery David has been bedridden and incapacitated.”
Johansen had been living with cancer for some time, with his stepdaughter Leah Hennessy explaining on his fundraising site in FebruaryOur most immediate needs are full time nursing, physical therapy and funding for day to day vital living expenses. With professional specialized care, we are hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence,
Hennessey said
We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you,
he had stated, as per The Variety