Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders

Born: July 15, 1952
Died: April 23, 1991
in Queens, New York, USA
John Anthony Genzale, better known by his stage name Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist.

Movies for Johnny Thunders...

Personality Crisis: One Night Only
Title: Personality Crisis: One Night Only
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 12, 2022
Type: Movie
A portrait of musician David Johansen from Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi featuring a live performance at Café Carlyle in New York City, where he performs as Buster Poindexter singing the Johansen songbook, along with new and archival interviews.
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Johnny Thunders: Madrid Memory
Title: Johnny Thunders: Madrid Memory
Released: April 5, 2019
Type: Movie
A long lost live concert performance from The Heartbreakers explosive 1984 reunion World Tour that included fellow Dolls Sylvain Sylvain & Jerry Nolan plus Billy Rath! Filmed for TV broadcast at La Edad De Oro in Madrid, Spain, this concert captures powerful performances of songs from throughout Thunders' amazing career including Personality Crisis, Too Much Junkie Business and Born To Lose.
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Two Sevens Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers
Title: Two Sevens Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers
Character: Self
Released: April 29, 2017
Type: Movie
Documentary about reggae music and culture in London in 1977. Filmed in Super 8 camera by Don Letts. With participation of Richard Branson, Neneh Cherry, Paul Cook, Sly Dunbar, Paul Weller, John Lydon, Joe Strummer, Siouxsie Sioux, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and others. Released in 2017.
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Looking for Johnny
Title: Looking for Johnny
Character: Himself (archive footage)
Released: June 1, 2014
Type: Movie
Johnny Thunders was the legendary hard-living rock'n'roll guitarist who inspired glam-metal, punk and the music scene in general. 'Looking For Johnny' is a 90-minute film that documents Thunders' career from his beginnings to his tragic death in 1991. The film examines Johnny Thunders' career from the early 70's as a founding member of the influential New York Dolls; the birth of the punk scene with The Heartbreakers in New York City and London; Gang War and The Oddballs. It also explores Johnny's unique musical style, his personal battle with drugs and theories on his death in a New Orleans hotel in 1991 at age 38. The film includes forty songs with historic film of Johnny, including unseen New York Dolls and Heartbreakers footage and photos. Cult filmmakers Bob Gruen, Don Letts, Patrick Grandperret, Rachael Amadeo and others contribute classic archive footage.
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New York Dolls: Lookin' Fine on Television
Title: New York Dolls: Lookin' Fine on Television
Released: November 22, 2011
Type: Movie
The legendary and infamous New York Dolls at their best! Amazing rare live clips and interviews filmed by Bob Gruen and Nadya Beck in the heady days of the band's ascension in the 70s. Footage from early shows in NYC all the way to the TV studios, clubs and swimming pools of Los Angeles. Black and white film was never so colorful! Includes ripping versions of "Personality Crisis," "Who Are the Mystery Girls?" "Babylon" and more. See the incredible early days of the band that influenced generations of punks and rockers.
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Who Killed Nancy?
Title: Who Killed Nancy?
Character: Self - Musician (archive footage)
Released: April 11, 2009
Type: Movie
On October 12th, 1978, New York Police discovered the lifeless body of a young woman, slumped under the bathroom sink in a hotel room. She was Nancy Spungen, an ex-prostitute, sometimes stripper, heroin addict, and girlfriend of Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious.
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Johnny Thunders: Who's Been Talking?
Title: Johnny Thunders: Who's Been Talking?
Released: August 28, 2007
Type: Movie
Filmed just three weeks before the legendary rocker's death, this Osaka, Japan, concert performance finds Johnny Thunders blazing through new and old material with his backing band the Oddballs. The former New York Dolls guitarist and singer lets it rip on tracks such as "Personality Crisis," "Born to Lose," "Gloria," "Little Queenie," "Blame It on Mom," "Too Much Junkie Business" and more.
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Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers: Dead or Alive
Title: Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers: Dead or Alive
Released: November 28, 2006
Type: Movie
The spotlight is on guitarist Johnny Thunders, best known for his stint with punk gods the New York Dolls, in this combination concert video and documentary chronicling his hedonistic, self-destructive lifestyle. Included is his only live show on film -- backed by the Heartbreakers and featuring the songs "Chinese Rocks," "Born to Lose" and "Hurt Me" -- plus behind-the-scenes studio footage and clips from his 1976 "Anarchy" tour of Britain.
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New York Dolls: All Dolled Up
Title: New York Dolls: All Dolled Up
Character: Himself
Released: December 6, 2005
Type: Movie
In the early 70’s, Rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya purchased a portable Video Recorder. In a period of three years they shot over 40 hours of New York Dolls footage. Now for the first time ever this footage is unveiled. This feature length documentary captures the band during early performances in New York at Kenny’s Castaways and Max’s Kansas City, then follows the Dolls on their tour of the West Coast, including footage from the Whisky A Go Go, the Real Don Steele Show, Rodney Bingenheimer’s E Club and much more. Intercut with revealing interviews, backstage banter and late night debauchery, this is THE definitive document of the New York Dolls.
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Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?
Title: Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?
Released: September 3, 2003
Type: Movie
Punk rock devotees will welcome director Lech Kowalski's reflective video portrait of late bassist Dee Dee Ramone and his life as a music industry icon -- including his self-destructive bouts with heroin. The centerpiece of the hourlong documentary -- which is peppered with vintage performance clips -- is a 1991 interview with a clean Dee Dee, who talks at length about his storied career and penchant for living on the edge.
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End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
Title: End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: January 19, 2003
Type: Movie
A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.
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What the Punk - An MVD Sampler
Title: What the Punk - An MVD Sampler
Released: June 25, 2002
Type: Movie
Music Video Distributors has been releasing the best in punk rock music videos for years. In compiling WHAT THE PUNK?!, the music experts over at MVD have poured through their vaults, handpicking the best excerpts from hundreds of hours of footage. The finished product is a diverse, comprehension collection of punk rock from 1970's New York to 1990's Europe. Bands making an appearance include L.A. revolutionaries the Dead Kennedy's, king of abjection GG Allin, seminal New York pop-punkers The Ramones, 1990's Epitaph Record heroes the Offspring, Seattle grunge rockers Nirvana, and many others.
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Johnny Thunders Live: In Cold Blood
Title: Johnny Thunders Live: In Cold Blood
Released: March 25, 2002
Type: Movie
Recorded at Irving Plaza, New York City, on March 13, 1982. This rare 1982 concert video showcases rough-and-tumble rocker (and former New York Doll) Johnny Thunders performing a set of the songs that shot him to punk notoriety, including "In Cold Blood," "Too Much Junkie Business" and "Alone in the Crowd." Thunders and his backing band also treat their New York audience to "Sad Vacation," "Who Needs Girls," "Pipeline," "Born to Lose," "Just Another Girl" and "Baby I Love You, Really I Do."
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Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie
Title: Born to Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie
Released: June 14, 2001
Type: Movie
Veteran documentary filmmaker and hipster Lech Kowalski creates this film about his friend and hard-partying rock god Johnny Thunders, member of legendary proto-punk band the New York Dolls. Through archive footage and interviews with such musicians as Dee Dee Ramone and Sylvain Sylvain, the film details his stint with the Dolls, the formation of his other band, the Heartbreakers; his rise to fame, particularly in Japan; his descent into heroin addiction, and the mysterious circumstances of his death.
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The Filth and the Fury
Title: The Filth and the Fury
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 29, 2000
Type: Movie
Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).
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New York Dolls: TV Treasures
Title: New York Dolls: TV Treasures
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 2000
Type: Movie
Compilation of extremely rare footage of the legendary New York Dolls. Live material, interviews, radio adverts, mentions on TV News programmes, it's all here.
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What About Me
Title: What About Me
Character: Vito Napolitano
Released: January 10, 1993
Type: Movie
After a family tragedy, a young woman finds herself homeless and living on the streets of New York.
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Mona and I
Title: Mona and I
Character: Johnny
Released: April 4, 1990
Type: Movie
Mona is the girlfriend of Pierre, who is a member of a rather pathetic rock band in France. Their hero is the singer "Johnny Valentine " who, seeing that Mona is being neglected, decides to make her his own.
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The Punk Rock Movie
Title: The Punk Rock Movie
Character: Self
Released: June 9, 1978
Type: Movie
Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78
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The Blank Generation
Title: The Blank Generation
Character: Self (uncredited)
Released: April 22, 1976
Type: Movie
The cream of the New York new wave/punk crop, filmed live at CBGB when the scene was just beginning. Includes performances by Patti Smith, Blondie, Television, the Ramones, Talking Heads, the Heartbreakers, the Shirts, Wayne County, the Marbles, the Dolls, Miamis, Harry Toledo, and the Tuff Darts (w/Robert Gordon).
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Night Lunch
Title: Night Lunch
Character: Self
Released: December 9, 1975
Type: Movie
This is Poe and Král's first effort, shot on small-gauge stock, before their more well-known endeavor The Blank Generation (1976) came to be. A "DIY" portrait of the New York music scene, the film is a patchwork of footage of numerous rock acts performing live, at venues like Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the dive bars of Greenwich Village and, of course, CBGB.