RIP, David Johansen

The New York rocker kickstarted my music writing career in 1976

Author’s note: This article was updated and slightly edited about a month after it was first published on Medium. The college newspaper editor mentioned below saved the issue containing my debut review above, for which I am eternally grateful.

My very first byline in the college newspaper was a concert review of the “New Dolls,” the last incarnation of the New York Dolls. In a perfect world, the Dolls’ rocker “Personality Crisis” from their 1973 debut album would have been a №1 hit, and all of my archival writing going on half a century would be digitally accessible.

David’s lines “And you’re a screaming ballerina on a spring afternoon / change on into the wolf man / you’re howling at the moon” are forever embedded in my brain cells.

I have only fond memories of my two encounters with Johansen, who passed away on Feb. 28, 2025, at 75 after battling cancer for several years.