RGG August 2015 - p.12
One of the original members of Johnny
Thunders' Heartbreakers Walter Lure
maintained a fairly consistent career in the
face of working with some rather tumultuous
characters After the "official" breakup of the
Heartbreakers in
the band would
continue to play the occasional gig right up
until Johnny Thunders' death in
Lure
worked with the Ramones on their LPs
Subterranean Jungle and Too Tough to Die
released a single with the Blessed and started
a number of bands including the Hurricanes
the Heroes and the Waldos Lure continued
to play New York City venues with the Waldos
well into the st century
With the passing of bassist Billy Rath in last
year Walter Lure is now the last man standing
from the classic lineup of the Heartbreakers—
not that arena band from Florida but rather
the real ones that Johnny Thunders and Jerry
Nolan formed to keep the rock and roll party
going after the wheels came off the New York
Dolls’ apple cart (And sure original
Heartbreakers bassist vocalist Richard Hell is
still around but does he really count in this
context?) The Heartbreakers took their
Lower Manhattan guttersnipe attitude to the
U K where they rubbed shoulders with the
Sex Pistols and the Clash on the ill fated
Anarchy Tour and cut a representative slab of
first generation punkitude L A M F that
could have made them contenders … if only
(The record label folding didn’t help)
Nevertheless to this day for fans from
Stockholm to Sydney the Heartbreakers’
sound remains emblematic of first generation
New York punk and Thunders’ legend in
particular looms large Repackages of their
meager discography abound (For my money
the best way to hear them on disc remains the
Nolan less Live at Max’s Kansas City as much
for Thunders and Lure’s smartass repartee as
for the tunes ) A crowd funded documentary
Looking for Johnny: The Legend of Johnny
Thunders was released earlier last year
Mr Lure was drafted into the original
Heartbreakers lineup after some less than
snazz gigs as a three piece but rapidly became
their secret weapon He promoted himself
from singing one song in the Hell era to
writing and singing half of the setlist His
ebullient bark was a worthy foil for Johnny’s
nasal wiseguyisms while his guitar work was
both solid and fundamental enough for him to
get tapped to provide uncredited (although
remunerated) session assistance on three
latter day Ramones albums Even after taking
a gig as a stockbroker Mr Lure continued to
run with a fast crowd that took their rock and
roll lifestyle seriously—so seriously in fact
that he’s buried more bandmates from his
follow up outfit the Waldos than he has from
the Heartbreakers The Waldos didn’t record
until
but some folks will tell you that
their Andy Shernoff (The Dictators) produced
album Rent Party which Jungle has just re re
leased was the sequel to L A M F the Heart
breakers never got a chance to cut
More recently Walter was the special guest
for The Jim Jones Revue’s swan song show at
a sold out Forum in October last year Walter
blew the roof off with his UK band made up of
member’s of Birmingham’s Gunfire Dance
who play with him on September th at The
Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath
Do not miss this opportunity
to witness a unique piece of
rocknroll history!
SEP
18
r
gg
since
1995
