R.I.P. David Johansen (a/k/a Buster Poindexter)

David Johansen passed away from cancer on February 28.  In recent years I steadfastly listened to his Mansion of Fun show on SiriusXM.  It was a program in which Johansen would select a theme, and then choose songs that fit within it.  For example, if the theme was "New Years Day," he might select 'This Will Be Our Year' by The Zombies.  (This is actually a real life example of something he actually once did on his radio show a few years ago).  

David Johansen wore many hats during his career in the musical industry.  He rose to prominence in the 70s as the lead singer of pioneering punk band, The New York Dolls.  While Great Britain had their own parallel punk scene, The New York Dolls (along with The Ramones) were the "IT" band that brought the genre to the masses Stateside.   

In the 1980s, Johansen temporarily assumed a new persona in the form of Buster Poindexter.  B.P. enjoyed moderate success with 'Hot, Hot, Hot,' a Latin-inspired swing tune that employed horns and maracas.

Notwithstanding the many twists and turns his career took, David Johansen had an imposing and influential presence within the music industry.  Countless modern-day acts undoubtedly point to him as inspiring their own foray into music culture.

If there is one thing that might be remembered of David Johansen, it was his deep and resonant voice.  He had a smoker's vocal, and many believe it was cigarettes that caused the cancer.  However, a brain tumor has been listed as the only official cause of death at this time. 

Johansen's compelling voice is showcased in his 1982 medley of hits by The Animals.  In the medley, he sang three songs:  'We Gotta Get Out of This Place,'  'Don't Bring Me Down' and 'It's My Life.'  The command he has over the stage is impeccable, and it is merely a microcosm of his colossal effect he had on generations of music creators and fans.

You can watch 'Animals Medley' by David Johansen in the player below:

Superheaven - 'Youngest Daughter'

To the uninitiated, 'Youngest Daughter' by Pennsylvania band Superheaven (f/k/a Daylight) sounds like it was recorded and released circa 1995.  Indeed, the shoegaze/grunge track was actually released in 2013 on the album Jar.  

'Youngest Daughter' has gained monumental traction in recent years, having been featured as background music on several social media platforms, the most notable of which include TikTok.  Equal parts brooding, equal parts slow burning intensity, the song brings me back to my nineties childhood and the dominant rock music of that era.

You can stream 'Youngest Daughter' by Superheaven below:

Crumb - 'Ghostride'

For those who enjoy the gentle grooves of Men I Trust and Homeshake (see prior posts), Crumb is right up your alley.  The indie rock band's debut album Jinx was released in 2019.  But due to post-pandemic shifts in the perception of time, 2019 seems only two years ago as opposed to six.  It doesn't seem I have have been jamming to this band as long as that.  

'Ghostride' is the preeminent track from the debut.  It is a gentle carousel, rounding a curve of demure guitar riffs pressed up against dreamy vocals.  Although only a couple of minutes in length, the tune is just long enough to lull one into gentle relaxation.  

Check out Crumb's 'Ghostride' below:

Buffalo Tom - 'Taillights Fade'

Have you ever found yourself in a slump?  A slump so deep and cavernous all you saw was darkness?  And while you might speculate as to how you got to that forsaken spot, you could never truly understand how you arrived in the void in the first place? 

Boston's Buffalo Tom penned one of the band's most lionized hits when they composed a song dealing with this subject matter on 1992's Let Me Come Over.  

In a 2017 interview with Jeff Gora on Artistwaves.com, Buffalo Tom's guitarist/lead singer, Bill Janovitz, described 'Taillights Fade' as a song "about being resigned, giving up, feeling older than your years, feeling apart and alienated."

The lyrics most certainly channel that sentiment of anguish and despair:

I've hit the wall

I'm about to fall

But I'm closing in on it

I feel so small

Underneath it all

Watch my taillights fade to black

Admittedly, I was ignorant to Buffalo Tom in my teens and twenties.  But now as a middle-ager, songs like 'Taillights Fade' occupy new and significant meaning.  Life can be such a blur when it comes to parenting, spousing, and working, that it can be hard to keep up.  It can seem you have hit a wall with nowhere else to go.  And it is easy to feel small.  To escape, it can be tempting to drive off into the night, with those you left behind slowly watching your taillights fade to black...