In the '80s, the New York Dolls were known for performing in high heels and makeup. Their audience loved the showmanship, especially frontman David Johansen's onstage strutting.

As a solo act, he was most successful as his lounge singer alter ego, Buster Poindexter. You can watch him singing and gyrating his way through "Hot Hot Hot" in this YouTube video. I do believe I caught glimpses of Bill Murray in the street scenes, but maybe I was just too hot, hot, hot to see clearly!

The photo in the thumbnail shows Johansen (center) performing with the New York Dolls on the Dutch television program "TopPop" in 1973. The shot is attributed to By AVRO (FTA001019054 010 con.png Beeld En Geluid Wiki - Gallerie) and is available for use on Wikimedia Commons under this license.

In the chapters, you'll see a photo of Johansen in 2011 when he performed with the Dolls at Club Academy, Manchester. It's attributed to Man Alive! and is available on Wikimedia Commons under this license.

The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.