There’s an edge here you never see on TV anymore. Actually you couldn’t see this on television when it was first recorded - Johnny Thunders ‘banned’ performance from Swedish TV in 1982.  Even looking death-warmed-up,Thunders had that edge, an urgency that makes you sit up and take notice.
 

 
Bonus interview with Johnny Thunders plus performance, after the jump…
 

 
Johnny Thunders and Syl Sylvain on French TV in 1981.

Johnny is enjoying a cocktail while Syl miraculously makes a grand piano sound like an acoustic guitar.

Is it my imagination or is the French guy conducting the interview/interrogation acting like an arrogant prick? Johnny could care less, but I would have slapped the fucker for his snide remark about the NY Dolls and his “you drink too much” comment.
 

Lure, Thunders and Hell.
 
The Heartbreakers in their original incarnation - Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, Jerry Nolan and Walter Lure - performing “Chinese Rocks” and “Pirate Love” at CBGB in 1975. The absolute essence of snarling New York gutter punk.

Hell left the group in 1976 before The Heartbreakers recorded their first and only album, L.A.M.F.. So, for those folks who are only with familiar with that album, it’s a bit strange hearing Hell singing lead on “Chinese Rocks.” But Hell’s distinct wail in tandem with Thunders’ is as urgent as rock and roll gets. The Unrighteous Brothers. Seeing this band on the Bowery in the mid-70s was a shock to the system.
 

 
Richard Hell explains it all after the jump…

 
In the first half of this video mix, Elvis sings the sultry tune “Crawfish” (written by Ben Weisman and Fred Wise) from the movie King Creole. Part two is Johnny Thunders and Snatch’s Patti Palladin doing their take on the song. Both versions are ultra-groovy and share a similarly soulful vibe. Elvis got out of New Orleans alive, Johnny did not.