from the LP L.A.M.F., Track Records, 1977Serving as guitarist for the New York Dolls gave Johnny Thunders a number of things: some extra cash, a badass reputation with a crapload of street cred, and one exceedingly nasty dope habit; all of those evolutionary adjustments make themselves well-known on this most excellent ode to opiates. First of all, compared to his career with the Dolls, this LP actually managed to sound rougher and cheaper than his former band’s albums---an arduous task indeed! Though the lyrics are buried in the mix, they basically sum up the entire life of Mr. Thunders, “…I’m livin’ on a Chinese rock, all my best things are in hock; I’m livin’ on a Chinese rock, everything is at the pawn shop…” Thunders finally overdosed in 1991, making his words back in ’77 sadly self-prophetic, “…it’s hot as a bitch, I shoulda been rich, but I’m just digging this Chinese ditch…” Btw, “L.A.M.F.” stands for “Like A MotherFucker”, text speak b4 there was such a thing; as if you needed to be told…
