“In the confusion,
I made an illusion.
I spit out a track,
And I don’t look back.”
— One Track Mind by the Heartbreakers
In 1975, Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan (of the New York Dolls) joined Richard Hell (of Television) and Walter Lure (of the Demons) to form the Heartbreakers—a band that Pitchfork would later call “the first great punk rock supergroup.” And in 1977, after Hell was replaced by Billy Rath, the Heartbreakers recorded their first and only album, “L.A.M.F.” (“Like A Mother Fucker”).
While poor production of the recording marred the initial reception of the album, over time, “L.A.M.F.” has been recognized as a classic. New Musical Express magazine named “L.A.M.F.” one of the greatest albums of all time. Songs like “Born to Lose” were not only catchy punk rock tunes, but also hit on themes of alienation and disenfranchisement that captured the feeling of late ’70s youth.
The band was so iconic that they appear on the cover of what is arguably the definitive book on the punk rock era, “Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk.”
In addition to the music, the Heartbreakers’ legend also consisted of a rebellious swagger, perhaps most epitomized by guitarist Johnny Thunders, who was brash and defiant, with talent to match. What also accompanied their swagger was the band’s—particularly Thunders’—problem with heroin addiction. In fact, their drug habit was immortalized in the song “Chinese Rocks,” co-written by Thunders and Dee Dee Ramone.
They were unable to follow “L.A.M.F.” with another album and eventually broke up. Thunders tragically died of a drug overdose in 1991, and Nolan died in 1992 from meningitis, which was rumored to have been transmitted through heroin use.
But despite their brief run, the power of the band could not be denied. Rolling Stone called the Heartbreakers one of the top 10 “greatest one-album bands” of all time.
Now, 40 years later, on Nov. 15 at the Bowery Electric, original Heartbreakers member Walter Lure will join Clem Burke of Blondie, Tommy Stinson of the Replacements and Wayne Kramer of the MC5 to perform the full “L.A.M.F.” album. The fact that these punk rock legends would come together to celebrate and perform “L.A.M.F. ” is evidence of the Heartbreakers’ enduring legacy.
This concert is also an opportunity to tackle the thorny question of whether the Heartbreakers’ drug use is what drove their success. And can we separate the positive aspects of the Heartbreakers — such as the music and their rebellious spirit — from their drug addiction?
To answer this question, I spoke with Lure, Stinson and Burke, as well as Jesse Malin, musician and co-owner of the Bowery Electric. And in doing so, we came to a basic understanding:
Being a rock star doesn’t have to be about escaping yourself through drug abuse.
Some may argue that creative people tend to display more mental illness, including addiction — what has been termed the “Sylvia Plath Effect.” However, while some research has shown that there is a correlation between creativity and mental illness, no research has established a causal link whereby addiction fuels creativity.
And it would appear that Thunders agreed. In reference to his drug use, Thunders was quoted as saying: “I can rock out with it. I can rock out without it.”
Perhaps a more accurate assessment would be to say that qualities that fuel creativity, such as novelty seeking and divergent thinking, also put certain people at risk for addiction.
“It seems like it just goes with the territory,” Lure explained. “There seems to be some attraction between the creative mind and this sort of self-destructiveness at the same time. You sort of think you’re doing something that’s above and beyond others in normal society, where you gain that rebelliousness.
“It has that outlaw attraction,” Lure said.
To a degree, Lure recognizes that the Heartbreakers used that rebellious, self-destructive image to grow their legend and mystique. “We used to take advantage of it,” Lure recalled. “We’d put out these posters, ‘The Heartbreakers: Catch them while they’re still alive.’”
Malin recalled watching the Heartbreakers as a kid. “There was a romance and a mystique around Johnny Thunders. Is he going to die? Is he going to fall off stage? Even the Replacements have that song, ‘Johnny’s Gonna Die.’ There is some weird outlaw/martyr kind of thing.”
This ethos was not only in the Heartbreakers’ image, it also ran through the group’s music. Burke told me, “The sound of the album “L.A.M.F.” is the sound of a band on the verge of success and also destruction — a rock ’n’ roll paradox.”
Unfortunately, Lure says, the fantasy of the rock star addict lifestyle was not so glamorous in reality. “You think you’re being cool by shooting dope. It’s the stupidest thing to say looking back at it,” he said. “It was about as cool as a freaking brick.”
And Lure found that his addiction actually limited his creativity. “I don’t think it enhanced me. If anything, it might have reduced some of the stuff, because your brain doesn’t work as much,” he explained. “You don’t think outside of the box that much when you’re on drugs. Sometimes you lose that creative edge, where your brain doesn’t push hard enough for a better lyric or a better solo.”
Even hallucinogens, specifically designed to open one’s mind to new experiences, didn’t help Lure to become more creative. “When I used to take LSD, I would never sit down and write a song … because I’d be out of my mind,” Lure said. “That being said, after it’s over, the memories come back, and you have these strange ideas that can be incorporated. But it’s still got to be explained in real-world terms.”
Stinson agreed. “Ultimately, I don’t write when I’m using … For me, I have to really be able to think and be in a particular mindset, and it has nothing to do with alcohol or drugs.”
Another unfortunate consequence of addiction is spending an inordinate amount of time seeking out, using and being intoxicated from the drug. As a result, other aspects of one’s life — including being creative and productive — become marginalized.
“When we did our first tour with the [Sex] Pistols, we were out of town for two or three weeks. John would find ways to make day trips back and forth. He would find someone to drive him so he could get his dope,” Lure explained.
“If it was a choice between going out and getting a bag of dope or sitting down and writing a song, I would have gone out to get the bag of dope … because once you’re strung out, you need that more than you need the thrill of writing the song.”
Further, while some fans may have been thrilled with the fantasy of drug addiction, the music business was far from impressed. “The record companies were afraid to touch us after it got out that we were all strung out,” Lure said. “People were saying all the time, ‘You get off this shit, and you can do a lot better.’ It’s just that no one would listen to them.”
Lure cautions aspiring rock musicians to first and foremost focus on their music. “I ran into a lot of people who became junkies because they thought they had to be a junkie to be a good musician. I was telling them, you have to become a musician first … Just because someone looks like they’re going to commit suicide on stage, it’s not going to make you buy their album,” he said. “If the music isn’t there, it’s not really going to hold.”
Also, while the Heartbreakers did create one album that is now highly acclaimed, Burke ponders how much more good music could have been made. “I often wonder where Johnny Thunders would be today had he survived and successfully rehabilitated his addictions,” he said.
Recognizing the disconnect between addiction and creativity, Malin and Stinson see that there was nothing glamorous about the reality of Thunders’ addiction. “I never romanticized his drug use or the fact that he was fucked up in any way. I looked at it as a sad thing,” Stinson explained.
“I’m not one to glorify the whole junkie fashion martyr trend. It’s not the way I’ve lived,” Malin agreed. “People think that if they do junk, they’re going to be as cool as Johnny Thunders. That’s been proven wrong many times. You’re going to be some loser poseur.”
Malin feels that getting clean and sober in many ways unlocks one’s potential. “A lot of my friends that clean up — you have to find other ways to get out of your box. You were suppressing all of that shit with drugs … Some people really dig deep in themselves, and they find a place where they say, ‘Hey, there’s something crazy going on that’s been here anyway. Drugs or not drugs, it’s still in me,” he said.
“I think it’s about being an artist who takes chances and creates something that has some kind of rub against the norm where you push things. And being real, letting your guts and your soul out and putting that blood on the canvas… maybe speaking about things that people don’t always talk about.”
In fact, Malin sees many examples of people who have gotten clean, and their work got better. “If you look at Tom Waits, his music got crazier when he got sober. Nick Cave, “Grinderman” — all of that stuff happened when he got sober,” he said. “Walter [Lure] is someone that really seemed to keep it together… He’s still a survivor. He’s in his early 60s, and he plays in a lot of these clubs downtown stronger than ever… He carries that same Les Paul [guitar] that was on the Anarchy tour.”
So, let us join in the celebration of the Heartbreakers and “L.A.M.F.” We can recognize that this was a truly great band that made outstanding music. And their band members had a real and rebellious nature that we can admire. But we don’t need to buy into the myth that it was their addiction that made them great or glamorous.
“I know plenty of people that don’t drink or use drugs and are rebellious and find their outlet,” Stinson said. “Following your own path against the norms of society. I know people who do that… they can’t conform… and they don’t need drugs or alcohol.
“And that’s rebellious enough.”
