Johnny Thunders's TV Junior(s)

[buffalonickle]

Hi, just my 2 cents worth, Johnny did have more than one TV, but possibly no more than one at any one time.

Also, if you look closely, the TV model he was most seen with, it looks like a 58 or early 59 to me as it has the less rounded edges.

Here's my 59 TV for you to look at.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/182424035/182425906QHcIpQ

cheers.

 

[DEVILBAT]

Here are a couple of mine:
a '55 TV, a '58 TV, and a '59 slab body Epiphone Coronet.
http://www.lilypix.com/photos/showpic.php?aid=2509&pid=34814&uuid=886

Thanks for looking.

 

[DEVILBAT]

Here is an early one of a young John Genzale circa 1967.
http://www.lilypix.com/photos/showpic.php?aid=2509&uuid=886&pid=35328

 

[The REAL Rocker]

ONE.

I sat down with Richie Friedman, the OWNER of the legendary WE BUY GUITARS, to ask him about Thunders's guitar buying habits.Richie has some fascinating tales to tell about Johnny's guitar buying. First, Johnny apparently wasn't afraid to go uptown, for he was at Richie's guitar shop on a regular basis, showing up usually in various levels of, er..conciousness(to put it mildly.) Johnny bought and SOLD guitars to Richie on a regular basis.If he needed money, he'd come in and sell a guitar, if he had money, he came in and bought guitars, simple as that.That is on top of the stuff that Nitebob BOUGHT for him.Richie still has all his buying books and can tell you exactly what he bought and sold to Johnny, so he isn't going by just memory.Richie sold him a lot of TV Juniors, a fact that disproves the one TV Junior theory.From what I've heard, guitars went thru Johnny's hands like water.For whatever it's worth, one of you guys on the board could own one of his guitars, and not know it.As for the taxicab story, Richie says that certain parts could be true.Knowing Richie like I do, I have no doubt that if Johnny walked in and said,"Richie, that Junior on the wall was the one that I left in a cab", Richie would have returned it to him without charge.Johnny didn't seem to have a lot of loose cash floating, so I have a problem believing that he would have been so embarassed that he wouldn't have trying to get it back without paying.All the guys that you spoke of have turned over guitars(thru loss, theft or need of cash), so I think there is a lot of their guitars still floating around out there.One of these days I'm going to get Richie Friedman to let me go thru his buy and sell books and grab serial numbers of the famous........................The REAL Rocker.

 

[DEVILBAT]

Wrong.

 

[The REAL Rocker]

Well, you say no, but the guy who sold him guitars(and has his signature on the receipts) says yes. To me, YOU LOSE.....................The REAL Rocker.

 

[DEVILBAT]

Ok. To you, I lose.
Feel better?
I'm absolutely crushed. Devastated. How can I go on?

Oh, by the way, you haven't seen the buy/sell books?
Just checking.

 

[jtg116]

Was the older guy Richie's Dad? I remember him always there, more so than the "kid" that was probably Richie. I sold more guitars to that store than I want to remember. The rest of the street couldn't hold a candle to what was on those walls and windows, in a space the size of my living room. Great memories

 

[lpnv59]

Was the older guy Richie's Dad? I remember him always there, more so than the "kid" that was probably Richie. I sold more guitars to that store than I want to remember. The rest of the street couldn't hold a candle to what was on those walls and windows, in a space the size of my living room. Great memories

We Buy was the coolest shop on 48th! I drove from NH almost 30 years ago to find me an old Paul. There was an all original '56 with a $650.00 tag hanging in the We Buy window. I walked in and said to Mr. Friedman, "Ill give you $550 for that Goldtop, and I don't even need to try it first". He smiled at me and said "No you play it first and I'll sell it to you for $600.00". I was young, it was Noo Yawk and I thawt ya hadda act dat way dare! :dude

Me and my friends use to drive the 200 miles, just to visit 48th street for an afternoon. Gas was 40 cents a gallon then and there were old guitars on both sides of the street on that block......Those were the days!

 

[The REAL Rocker]

JT,Yeah, I have seen some of them, if you want to know. You don't know as much as you think you do. I'm not saying that as a insult, but as factual information, I have seen information about him that you haven't.I don't care if you agree or not(we are all allowed to disagree), but Mr thunders did business and was friends with a lot more people than you are aware of, so thinking that you got the inside track on his life is pointless.Nitebob must be out on the road at the moment,because he can tell you how much Johnny got from We Buy Guitars, as well as what HE bought for Johnny.There will always be someone out there that can tell you something new about someone famous. Listen to what they have to say, before you deny their facts..................The REAL Rocker.

 

[The REAL Rocker]

Was the older guy Richie's Dad? I remember him always there, more so than the "kid" that was probably Richie. I sold more guitars to that store than I want to remember. The rest of the street couldn't hold a candle to what was on those walls and windows, in a space the size of my living room. Great memories

Yep, that was Richie dad, one of the kindest, most honest guys that you want to meet.I'm sorry to say, Mr Friedman passed away last year at the age of 80 after battling a very crushing disease for twenty years.If you are located in the Northeast section and you collect vintage guitars, you more than likely own something that passed thru his hands during the almost 70 years he and HIS dad sold vintage guitars(they started in business during the roaring 20's!).I miss him, but so do all the guys who ever came in contact with him, God bless his soul...............The REAL Rocker.

 

[The REAL Rocker]

We Buy was the coolest shop on 48th! I drove from NH almost 30 years ago to find me an old Paul. There was an all original '56 with a $650.00 tag hanging in the We Buy window. I walked in and said to Mr. Friedman, "Ill give you $550 for that Goldtop, and I don't even need to try it first". He smiled at me and said "No you play it first and I'll sell it to you for $600.00". I was young, it was Noo Yawk and I thawt ya hadda act dat way dare! :dude

Me and my friends use to drive the 200 miles, just to visit 48th street for an afternoon. Gas was 40 cents a gallon then and there were old guitars on both sides of the street on that block......Those were the days!

LP, Richie has shown me some photos that would blow your mind! He has plenty of photo of his store windows from back in the '60s and '70s that will make you faint if you saw them.Imagine if you will, a window FULL of '50'sLes Pauls, in different colors. Now add to the mix that NONE of them cost OVER a grand, and you see what I mean.One photo has a mix of '58's, '59's for $700, $800 and $850(these are the near MINT ones),while a lowly Goldtops sitswith its $500 price tag(guess gold wasn't in style this particular year).Way over in the corner is the superbly flamed '60 Burst with its $600 dollar price tag(you know, the '60 wasn't the GOOD year,Ha Ha!).I can you tell about things in his shop and their costs that would make you cough up a hairball, but I won't. I figure,If I ever want to make you all commit suicide, I'll get Richie to let me print what that RACK of custom-COLOR '50's and '60's FENDERS below the LES PAULS were selling for! How about owning a couple of '50's custom-color maple neck strats for the price of a single MEXICAN???............................The REAL Rocker.

 

[defects27]

Hi Real Rocker did you ever get those TV serial numbers? thanks

 

[Tom Wittrock]

Hi Real Rocker did you ever get those TV serial numbers? thanks

You realize that was 6 & 1/2 years ago, don't you? :ganz

 

[L.A.M.F.]

So nice to here my friends name spoken of with such respect.
I too was a friend of John;s and made many a trip to WEBUYGUITARS as John would try to pawn off some ax he beat to death for another.

Last I spoke to his Mom his ax was at Rudy's for sale to get money for a lawyer for his son who was in RIKERS at the time...This was at least 15 years ago.

Sadly the NO police handled John's passing... like he was just another dead junkie and could care less but thanks to WILLY DEVILLE for ensuring his ax made it home to NYC as WILLY was staying at a Hotel across the streeet from where John was staying at the time.
Last I spoke to John he was doing well and had begun to have his doseage lowered and was looking forward to coming back to NYC without any moneky's on his back.

It is so nice to listen to you guys who some seemed to have known John the MAN as well as I did.
He really was a good man and a bluesman at heart.
The real John can be heard in songs like
YA CAN'T PUT YOUR ARM'S AROUND A MEMORY.

You guys talking about how rough John was with guitars reminds me of when I had just picked up a 63 335. Man I loved that ax and John wanted to play it and he grabbed it in a practice and during Pirate Love, He damn near destroyed it !!!

So thanks for all speaking so kindly of my friend and to those who also knew John.
I'm sure you miss him as much as I do.

Let us not forget Billy Murrcia, Jerry Nolan, Arthur Kane, Dee Dee Ramone and Willy Deville all friends all great people and musician's.

RIP JOHN
You always be in our hearts n songs....

LAMF

DEVILBAT,
The reason why Jerry was so upset when John passed away was John had wanted Jerry to go to N.O .with him...but Jerry wasn;t ready to stop using . Also John was the guy who got Jerry into the DOLLS when Billy Murccia died just weeks before they were first signed and were in need of a drummer immediatley.
Also they were best friends but Jerry was playing in another band when the Dolls formed....
Jerry took it very hard...
Some of us saw his fate as our future and got oursleves together others delved deeper into more self destruction to deal with the loss of a friend and band mate.
He also took Jerry into the Heartbreakers with him, I tried to get out of my contract but no dice.
Thanks to some of John's handy work at least we ended up on tour together in Paris, UK ,Amsterdamn in 84. It was the last time John I were on the same tour together....after so many nights at the Peppermint Lounge, Max;s, Dirt Club and of course home base CBGB's.

He had the TV yellow Jr on that 84 tour....check you tube for Pirate Love and it will say Paris 1984 n you'll see him with it.

 

[John Catto]

Pic links replaced .. yet again ;-)

 

[L.A.M.F.]

:2cool
John Catto,
You have some great shots n stories about John....thanks for putting the pics back up.
Always nice to see John doing what he loved most playing!!!
What do you guys think of the new DOLLS???

Without John, Arthur and Jerry IMHO there is NO NEW YORK DOLLS.
I am glad that I was around at the time that the Dolls took GLAM and mixed it with ATTITUDE..It was just what Rock n Roll and NEW YORK needed. Sadly it was TOO MUCH TOO SOON !!!

Think of that short time line that they went from nobody to the band to see in NYC and shortly all over the globe.
They gave a lot of bands a reason to play.
Someone mentioned John wasn't my hero but he gave me a reason to think I too could play guitar.
I kind of felt the same way even though John n I were of the same age....he made it before me and further.
John was not a GUITAR GOD but he was a ROCKER.
He could take the simplest of chords and make a a great riff from it ieIRATE LOVE what is it C# F # but it was his ATTITUDE and ability to be more than a guitar player, he was a frontman as well.
His talent and ways to talk to club filled with kids was priceless.
I still remember him walking up and telling the audience hey you guys can sit ther all night and not move a f&&&& muscle I'm getting paid no matter what so F*** ya all. only John could get away with that...or IGGY.

One night while walking back from some business we stopped into
St Marks Bar n Grill and it was the ONLY time I ever saw John a bit Star struck KEITH RICHARDS was sitting in the back with is 10 cent beer and John was in his glory ...for if he had one hero it was KEEF !!

That was a time I wish I had a camera with me John was so happy to have finally met up and talked with KEEF man to man.

Sorry I'm just rambling, I guess the whole atmosphere of the lower east side and the club scene now at age 58 is no longer what is was and walking into clubs and not seeing the regular guys makes me feel old and out of it...
In a way though I am very glad to still be around and have somewhat of a career still going on...
I guess I just miss the crowd that we grew up with..most are gone and dead. I guess that was the life we lived though.

It was John who talked me into getting my act together....plus record companies no longer tolerated that crap.
Sadly John;s death didn't hit enough of us hard enough so we didn;t have to lose more of those HIGH HEELED BOYS !!!

Thanks again to all of you for showing such respect for a man that some said was a waste.
He was human and had many demon;s but deep down he was just John Genzale just another kid with a guitar and a dream and NY helped make his dream come true.

LAMF

 

[Black58]

You realize that was 6 & 1/2 years ago, don't you? :ganz

... and that Mr. Rocker is now a proud "froum" member, too! :biggrin:

 

[cryptozoo]

Glad this thread got revivied, I missed the pics the first time around. Cool stories, and one of the reasons to hang out at this place. I played with the newly formed Dolls a couple of years back. For what it's worth, may not be the same band, but they sounded good. For those of us who missed the real thing, it'll have to do. Most importantly, Nitebob was running sound that night and I got a pic with him. And personally, I think David J's best performance was as the wise-cracking sidekick of Paul Newman in "Let It Ride."

 

[defects27]

yes I realized this....but a good thread should live on! Plus that is some serious information that was left unanswered