WALTER LURE - THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW #3 - THE FINAL INTERVIEW
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2020
- Walter Lure, final interview, 5/19/2019
Author-filmmaker STEVEN BLUSH speaks to the late, great HEARTBREAKERS guitarist, delving into deep New York Rock history.
"The Art of the Interview" series, hosted by Steven Blush with Tony Mann
Coney Island Baby, 169 Avenue A. NYC
Walter was a huge part of the Heartbreakers. A great guitar player with stage presence and charisma, and underrated song writer. Handsome fella when he was young too.
This is a hard one for me. I've been watching so many of my heroes drop like flies in recent years, but this one hurts a lot more than others. I will definitely miss Walter more than most. To me he was the *real* heart and soul of the Heartbreakers, and much more of a guitar hero for me than Johnny (no dis on JT. He was amazing, but Walter had a much bigger influence on me) ever was. He also wrote most of my favorite Heartbreakers songs. And then there was the Waldos -- another amazing band that was a big inspiration for me. Rent Party was one of my top 3 favorite albums from the 90's, easily.
When I was 14 I obtained a VHS copy of "The Punk Movie" by Don Letts, which had the most amazing live footage of the Heartbreakers ever... and it was Walter who caught my attention more than anyone else in the band. I studied his moves, his facial expressions, his clothes... all of it... and I tried to emulate him once I started playing in my own bands. As I got older I developed my own style, but much of it was so heavily informed by Walter. As Andy Shernoff wrote in his tribute, Walter was a real gentleman among scoundrels. I wish I could have gotten to know him as a friend.
This one's gonna hurt for a long time. Rest in peace. Hope we'll get to meet when I get to the other side.
I was lucky enough to get to know Walter a little bit between 2005 until his passing last year. I wouldn't say that we were friends in the larger sense of the word but we'd communicate via email. I collect bootleg live shows, and have a decent pile of Heartbreakers shows, and at the time, he was looking for decent sounding shows that he could use for a release they were planning (I don't know if that turned out to be the Village Gate cd or not), so I'd send him any good sounding shows I'd come across. I was living in Calgary at the time, but in 2010 I decided to move back to Montreal. Then I found out that he was playing in Toronto in Oct. of that year, so that's when I made my plan to come back east. I decided to fly to Toronto, as one of my best pals lives there now, and we all jumped in a cab to go down town to a bar called Sneaky Dee's to see Walter and a band called NY Junk that included one of the B-Girls, I believe her name is Cynthia and she comes from Toronto originally. It was a great show. Walter's pick up band consisted of the guitarist and bass player from Teenage Head, the drummer had at one time played in a band called Blue Rodeo, and a singer who plays in some local T.O. band who was there to sing Johnny's songs. That was the night that I got to meet Walter face to face. I bought him a drink and he came over to the bar where my buddies were hanging and sat with us for about an hour or so, just shooting the shit about music and any other thing that came up. He was such a friendly, affable fellow, and we continued to communicate via email. There were 2 film crews at the show, and when I saw the one song they each posted on here, I immediately reached out to them to ask if I could get copies. Each one said no, that they were saving them for one thing or another, so no go from them. However, when I asked Walter if they had given him copies. he said yes and had no problem sending me a copy of each. One day I'd like to merge both films into one to make one great video document of that night, but that's a project for later. Point is, he was a real nice guy and even though I didn't know him for long, I'm glad I got to know him as well as I did. Rest in peace Walter, you will be missed.
No one here gets out alive.
@Stephen Greenhorn And now we have lost Syl. RIP.
@Stephen Greenhorn He had been battling cancer for a few years. The last few months he was in an incredible amount of pain. I knew it was coming and I'm happy he's no longer suffering, but it still didn't soften the blow much when I heard the news. I've been a diehard Dolls fan for over 40 years, and it always hurt whenever the bad news would roll in, first with Johnny, then Jerry, then Arthur... but with Syl it cuts a lot deeper. I met him back in the 90's and developed a friendship with him via social media, so for me this has been a bit more personal than the others. Plus, I always thought of Syl as the beating heart of the Dolls. He was always at the core of everything they were about. I wish no harm on David Jo, but it's really depressing to me that he's now the only Doll standing.
@Stephen Greenhorn No apology necessary. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. None of us are getting any younger. This kind of news is only going to become a lot more frequent unfortunately.
That was fantastic! Walter will not be forgotten.
I could never, and still cannot ever take my eyes off Walter when I see footage of the shows.
Walter was the best sideman Thunders ever had, such good style. His brother Richie, too.
He was out front with Johnny. And if Johnny was wasted he was out front
rip the last heartbreaker lamf forever!!
I had the pleasure of seeing the Heartbreakers three times in their 70's stint in England, crazy, crazy gigs in Warrington twice and in Liverpool - more great stories there for another time, but classic 1977 punk era in England. They were hot with great musicianship and energy. They seemed really tight and on it so presumably not so strung out at the time. Over the three gigs i had a couple of conversations with Jerry Nolan, cool dude. I bought him a drink on one occasion. When I asked him what he'd like he said "a crème de menthe and brandy thanks" Nearly cost me a weeks wages!
wish I'd seen them but i was a kid, I saw Thunders in 89 which was a car crash.
It was worth it in
Memories🙂
GREETINGS FROM
PARERSON, N.J. U.S.À.
✌🏻✌🏻🎶🎶👍🏻
Oh Blimey, I saw the Heartbreakers so many times in '77. This has touched my sooo much...
How popular were they? Did people think it was the best band?
I love Walter Lure, wish I'd seen him live.
Rest in rock n roll heaven-thanks for all the great music 🖤🎸
Legend man.. Seen em 6 month before he died. One of the best punk gigs ever.
Walter will always live on ❤
*Thekingisdeadlonglive....*
Amazing interview. RIP Walter. Wish I could’ve talked to you about the scene and Johnny.
currently reading his book. Great stories of the Heartbreakers days. RIP Walter.
Great guy, never forget seeing these guys play a truly unforgettable band.
Ace Frehley at the Heartbreakers first gig....classic!
heartbreakers live at Max's best rock'n roll record in history, full stop.
Love you Walter...thank you!
God Bless Walter Lure !
Could listen to Walt forever! He should be on every podcast about Rock‘n‘Roll! 😊
Ya the man has seen and been through so much his book is really great
We love you Walter thanks for your music!
Great program this was, how was I not invited to be in the audience I don't know, but besides that, Walter Lure = Rest In Power
Oh no, say it ain't true. This is terrible news. Heartbreakers and Walter will live forever.
RIP Walter.
This is the most in depth interview with Walter . Nice work !
30:10 I don't think there is ANY correlation between drug use and the creative arts i.e. writers, rock/jazz etc musicians, painters whatever. you just tend to know about these people while you will never know welders,gardeners,garbage collectors,car salesmen etc. There is and always has been a constant % of people on this earth who are addicts.
Absolutely. I was a precast concrete installer for over 20 years full time addict. And now a binman for last 2 years. You are dead ✅ right
i disagree. there is a lot in middle class culture, working class culture, that is very anti-drug. I wouldn’t say its largely different but there is a connection. Forget popular artists for a second. If you start naming influential, important, and the best popular musicians, there isn’t one that didn’t indulge heavily in hard drugs at some point. That is a combination of things, like music as an industry serving the entertainment industry at late night clubs where drugs are more free, people who become artists are more liberal, experimental, and too curious for their own good for experiences. freud rightly credits the subconscious as the muse for an artist. a life with compelling material artistically speaking is inspiring. hate to say it, but substance use can be an easy inspiration. its so self destructive that it works against artists more than for them. its a personality type, is my guess. and lets not lie, a lot of music glorifies drug use and a lot of great music is about drugs.
@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 from Detroit (blow the reveille)!
*YUP!*
I suspect most music fans would be shocked to learn how many GREAT SONGS were created on Heroin!
Many _'rehab'd-RockStars'_ downplay
the possibility that junk had once helped them creatively.
But, if you follow the 'record-biz' peoples' comments in interviews/books/etc. as they _'time-stamp'_ the Rock Star's hard-drug use; And, cross-ref it with the songs being created; It becomes clear.
The problems with the reality of that are:
*-* There's an _'upward-trajectory'_ time
that (as you said) provides a short-cut
to some amazing ideas! But, then,
there is a long, downward spiral.
(bad songs)
*-* You have to be BORN a brilliant
songwriter for it to work!
For every great songwriter who used
Heroin; There's ten thousand
musicians who ruined their lives!
(& did NOT create good songs)
*ROX ON!*
Dave B.
Gotta love Walter, a funny, humanistic sharp-dressed man.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Great interview. Saw Walter play with the Japanese guys he mentions in Brooklyn at a place called Don Pedro. Sounded really good. Great to see him play live in that small room. Got to say hello and chat for a minute also. Cool guy. RIP. Thanks for the music.
Respect and RIP
Never saw him live but loved the Heartbreakers. What a nice sounding guy who didn’t really make a big deal of his two rather diametrically opposite lives. Just told it like it was. A great interview.
Great interview! Thanks Steven. Btw I’m reading your book New York Rock right now… good stuff Thanx!
Hi Steven 👋 I have your American Harcore book 📖 and that's the bible of Harcore punk, I've got into loads of bands because of that book, thanks very much,
RIP 🙏 Walter Lure 😢
This is very important man. He was so incredible. I wish I could have seen the glorious lamf live with clem Burke and Co.
Great interview with Walter! Funny and sad at the same time! The Heartbreakers rocked and ruled!
This is so good!!!!!
It makes my blood boil that 70s-80s rock dont get recognition for today’s rap and style copies
you think 70s/80s tock invented that kind of style? and that they didn’t take it from someone else?
RIP Walter My Buddy !
I know :-(
Tom petty and the mud crotch 😅
Rats! RIP Walter the last Heartbreaker RIP
Good job Steve.
Fun gig in New Orleans Uncle Waldo
Please tell me everything about it! I’m from NOLA and I was 12 years old first time seeing the Normals (I did get to see them a good 5-6 times at Jed’s, CaC etc.. ) Where did the Heartbreakers play, who opened? Did you see the Pistols in BR? Happy Mardi Gras btw!!
RIP Walt. Bumped fists with this dude about twenty seven years ago in NOLA. I was playing a borrowed bass. Long story.
Imagine seeing a young Walter in the 80s in a suit copping dope on his lunch break 😂
Johnny and Walter saw so many bands when they where young, they where at Woodstock, saw the English bands, Stooges, Stones, MC5, etc... PS:Hahaha... Walter had a lot of humor! :)
Johnny was at the Zeppelin shows in 73 too
Johnny is seen in the audience in the Rolling Stones film Gimme Shelter during concert parts at MSG. How is that for rock & roll experiences. Zep in '73, they saw it all.
The original cassette of LAMF is available on TH-cam and sounds pretty damn good even though it has a little bit of that cassette warble going on. They only botched the sound on the LP.
Poor Walter turned into Fred Norris
30:30- Walter didn't know why heroin addiction concetrates in the artist world, I think I know why. Habitual abuse of hardcore drugs is strongly linked to trauma. Child abuse etc. Normal fun-seeking partiers stop short of this kind of self harm (generally of course). These same young adults who use drugs to escape the horrors of a dark past, they were once kids who habitually escaped into imagination, artistic expression, etc.
there is truth in what you say. only there is also a part of pain in the pleasure.
What you refer to as self-harm. that's just the tip of the iceberg.Underneath there is the pleasure and for always more pleasure to feel alive and unfortunately even if it means killing the creation and by the way the creative instinct.
You have to push your limits to push them further away from you and at that moment you go get away from others. Like you press a plunger like you dig in a vein for blood.
Now I know why billy was wearing a motorhead shirt
I was there the night they broke up with Richard Hell - in Boston at the Rat. They almost made it through the first set but it fizzled out on stage - arguing etc so Thunders went upstairs (I went with him and bought him a slice of pizza on Kenmore Square) - leaving the other 3 on stage- Richard trying to jumpstart it playing w/o Johnny. Walter was up for any combination - he just wanted to play. We go back down and it's just Richard playing alone for a minute or two --Johnny tries to play but can't - he sat on his amp (I think it was his amp) - all feedback lol on and off - it was epic and dramatic - no "punk" yet but damn - Those British boys had no idea - it was nothing new by the time the Sex Pistols started. The next time they played it was Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. No Richard. I loved all of them and I'm loyal to Richard Hell even though everyone is negative. I mean - look at his solo lp - talk about vindication. Walter was very cool - I saw him twice - he was extremely cool on stage.
A very nice recollection. I got the pleasure of seeing a show at the Rat in the early nineties when I was in Boston. A very good band called The Leonards headlined.
What the punks brought back was a return to the Brill Building rules ( sung mostly by girl groups) of "say it in 3 minutes" so it would get on the radio. Ironically they got almost NO RADIO SUPPORT! Does Richard Hell get part Royalties on One Track Mind? since it's clearly Love comes in spurts with different words, pretty much anyway.
ah it’s my uncle waldo
I remember in 1978 hearing Petty introded as Petty and LA Heartbreakers. The Heartbreakers are JT and the Heartbreakers. Petty wasa junkie, how about that?
Petty is great, so was Johnny
Fuckin Waldo !!! Thanks for the memories
Very cool guy not pretentious at all.
#L.A.M.F.
"his face looks like oatmeal with raisins in it"
dude i wanna hear more about those chinese wines with rat fetuses
Dude. I had no idea he passed....
@Randy Rome ive been meaning to read that myself.
Great to see Walter but the interview was a bit lame. Just not really great questions and the interviewer spent too much time talking. I wish it was a bit more in depth and they got Walter to talk about things they he had not mentioned a million times already.
Who's the grandpa
er
book a great this fool lived
"Johnny couldn't play lead"...?....he must've lost it then , because he played magnificent lead with the Dolls .
When the smack took over playing lead became too much hard work .
He was talking about Johnny Ramone. That's why he was doing those Ramones records
Johnny Ramone, not thunders
Waldo told some lies...
what lie? explain?