Not Just Another Girl Singer & actress Gordy on her career, Johnny Thunders, Hanoi Rocks and the trouble with the club scene
by Chris Parcellin

How did you get the chance to work with Johnny Thunders? Were you a big New York Dolls/Heartbreakers fan?
ALISON GORDY: In 1986, my boyfriend Stephen Hoda, who was traveling around the country with Johnny on his American tour and acting as road manager because "Chief", who had been managing, took off with all of the up front money and the trailer, after only a few shows, wrote to me from Arizona that Johnny would be playing at the Lone Star in NYC and that he would leave me a couple of passes at the door. This was the first time I had ever seen Johnny perform live or heard him, other than when my brother brought home a New York Dolls album in 1974, which I hated. The show at the Lone Star was great. Johnny played acoustic guitar and sang and I liked what he was doing.

When did you finally meet Johnny?
AG: I met him at Christmas 1987, when he came to NYC. Stephen and I went over to our friend Gerry Loesch' apartment in Brooklyn and Johnny was there visiting. Gerry's wife had an acoustic guitar there which I began to play and sing with in the living room. Johnny came in the room and sat down with me and started to play and say "Do you know this one?" I don't remember what songs we sang but we sat and played for a long time. Then he went off to Sweden again and we got a postcard that Spring from him in Japan saying he would come through NYC in the Summer.

Alison onstage

And that’s when you started working with him?
AG: In August, Johnny came back and Stephen, Johnny and I were in a cab going to the Limelight when Johnny says to me "Do you wanna put something together?" "I said "Sure." He says"You wanna play the shows at the Limelight with me in a couple of weeks?" I said" Okay." We got together at our apartment a couple of times and worked out harmonies and then we did a bunch of band rehearsals at Ultrasound. Jamey Heath was on Saxophone, Tony Coiro on bass, Jeff West on drums, myself and Jill Wisoff singing backup and when we played the two shows at Limelight Sylvain came up and played keyboards with us. The shows were really good. A couple days after that Johnny asked me" Do you wanna go to Europe?" I said “When do we leave?"

How did that go?
AG: The first shows were in London where we picked up Chris Musto on drums and Stevie Klasson on guitar and Jamey, Jill and I flew over to England so we could learn to play as a band. It was nearly impossible to rehearse with Johnny there because he would never complete an entire song so we decided I would keep Johnny busy the next day and everyone else would learn and rehearse the songs without him.
Our first show together was at the Marquee in London and our first song was “Glory, Glory Hallelujah” and the audience never knew how true that was! We were just happy to not screw up because we all had just learned the songs. The press was it's usual mean self, but the audience seemed to like it alot.

Alison and Johnny Thunders, 1989

Where did you play after London?
AG: We finished the shows in London and then piled in a van with two drivers Brian and Haggis and our Tour Manager Mick Webster. We drove to the ferry and took it to Ostend. Everyone was seasick. Stevie bought 2lbs of chocolate on the boat and gave me half. Fish and chocolate and coffee do not mix. When we got to Ostend we drove for 10 more hours to Lausanne, Switzerland for an outdoor festival. We were on the bill with Siouxee and the Banshees and Yellow. Afterward we went to eat with Dieter Maier from Yellow. He was very funny, Johnny and he hit it off immediately. It rained for the festival so it was a mudfest. Some jerk threw a syringe on stage, which really shocked and annoyed me. Johnny laughed it off, but I think it was awful.

Were people trying to give Johnny drugs?
AG: Sometimes after shows fans would come up to him and offer to get him high and if I was around I told them to get away or risk a broken arm. Johnny seemed to like my protective nature, but he in turn did a lot to protect me.

Alison and Johnny share a friendly kiss, 1990

Like what?
AG: If I was upset with anything, he would do something about it. One time in France we were all sitting around in this cave like restaurant after a show, and the local promoter made a crack about my breasts and in a split second Johnny had punched this very large guy to the floor. I am used to people making comments about my breasts, either to my face or behind it, but no one in my life had ever struck back on my behalf. I related this incident in Nina Antonia's new book but I still feel this was an event that pretty much summed up our relationship. He used to say "Come with me." when he wanted company and needed a little back up, he showed me a very unique Europe for the next 2 1/2 months of the tour. I met wonderful people and frightening ones as well, but it was never dull.

How many gigs did you do with Johnny?
AG: From August 1988 until April 1991; I went on 4 tours of varying lengths in Europe, one in the Midwest, one in California and one in Japan, plus numerous shows in New York; the Beacon Theater opening for the Replacements ( they should have opened for Johnny!), the second to last show at the old Ritz with the Senders, the Cat Club, Limelight, Downtown, Forty Worth, the Continental plus a show at Murphy's Law in NJ and Maxwell's in Hoboken. Actual number of shows 85.

Alison was on an episode of HBO's "The Sopranos" this season

What did you do after Johnny died?
AG: Smoked a lot of cigarettes. Continued doing what I had been doing all along, which is get work acting and continue with my band Blonde & Blue, which I started on September 6, 1990. Acting is what paid the rent and still does. Music has been a hole in my pocket with a vacuum attached! In November 1992 I recorded my CD. And in June 1993 my band went to England to record “Just Another Girl” on the Johnny Thunders tribute Album “I Only Wrote This Song For You”. We also played two nights in Camden with Michael Monroe, Sami Yaffa and Nasty Suicide. Sami played bass with me for a couple years and is on my CD and Michael played harmonica on one of my songs also on the CD. Michael used to come and sit in with us when we played at Tramps.

(left-to-right)Jamey Heath, Michael Monroe and Alison

How did you like playing with Michael Monroe and Sami Yaffa?
AG: That's an easy one--I loved it! They are both fantastic musicians and quite a lot of fun to be around. Sami, played bass for me for almost 2 years and Michael would come and play harmonica at our shows. Michael is incredible as a performer and unreal as a singer. In the studio he could hit a note dead on without hearing himself in the headphones, I know this because we only had a couple of headphones and he gave me his because there weren't enough to go around so I could hear him singing in my phones and he really was in perfect tune. Sami is a rare bass player, he never wanted to play guitar and settled for bass, he ALWAYS wanted to play bass and only bass and as a result he IS the bass! Not many people play as well as him and he has a great presence on stage as well. The most fun we had was making my video, we did alot of it up on Sami's roof. All the guys were quite funny. In the video Sami is playing a beautiful stand up bass, even though he played electric on the CD. If that answers the question, I will repeat what I said in the beginning, I loved it! One more Michael comment. He is just so pretty! and he can leap 9 feet of a speaker and do a split, and he can sing higher than me, dammit!

What is your CD like?
AG: It's rock and roll with some blues and some straight ahead stuff. I did an acoustic cover of "Memory" with Jamey Heath playing Sax and Josh Brown playing Guitar. It's very simple, I always liked Johnny doing it acoustically so I didn't want to mess with that. The first song is called "If I Dream Hard Enough", I wrote it when Charlie Sox died, He had been playing in my band for a year, and was a tremendously good drummer. He went with a couple of 'friends' after one of our gigs, and overdosed at their house the next morning. The song is a combination of how I felt about losing him and Johnny. I wrote a song called "Let It Rain" while Johnny was still alive and I played it for him. It was my warning shot, but he ignored it. It's still a good song.

So you did most of the songwriting yourself?
AG: I wrote all of the songs on the CD except for "Memory" and a Howlin' Wolf song called "Who's Been Talkin'. We recorded it in 5 hours live to DAT and then spent another 10 hours doing some guitar solos and a few notes of singing and backups, but 99 percent of my singing is the scratch track and all of Jamey's solos were done live in the original take, so it has the 'alive' feeling, basically it was recorded the way a jazz album is done--everybody in the room playing together--what a concept!

You’ve been taking a break from music?
AG: In February, 1997, Jamey Heath, who was the finest sax player I've ever heard---and played with me in all of my gigs and all of Johnny's while I was in the band---died from an overdose of heroin. He was only 40 years old and if there is any justice in music: which I know there isn't---he should have been world famous.
As much as I love love singing, I really haven't done any for a couple years. I can't really afford to keep a band going, I did it alone from 1990-1997. I don't want to be a record company and I hate A&R people so I find the 'business part of music futile. So, I retreated into what I've been doing to make a living for the past ten years anyway, which is acting in commercials, TV, movies, whatever comes along.

Elliot Kidd (left) with Blonde & Blue

Who were the members of your band, Blonde & Blue?
AG: On the CD Singing: me, Saxophone: Jamey Heath, Guitar: Josh Roy Brown: Bass: Sami Yaffa, Drums: Chris Musto, Guest star Harmonica: MIchael Monroe, on the song "Out on the Road" -Guitar:Stevie Klasson, Bass: Ronnie Roze(Princess Pang), Drums:Charlie Sox(the Waldos). As a seperate note, Jeff West was my original drummer, he also played with Johnny and with the Waldos. My final lineup was Jamey on sax, Paul Zunno :guitar, Josh:guitar,Dave Gerstein:bass, and Dave Donen: Drums. I loved every one of these guys, they will always be my brothers

Where might we spot you?
AG: I continue to act in whatever I can get. I am in a Mrs T's Pierogies commercial that runs in the east coast in NYC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo. I did three Wendy's commercials and a bunch of Maryland Lottery ads. As far as movies go I was in Married to the Mob, Jacob's Ladder and Mo' MOney tiny parts. I did Guiding Light and As The World Turns, Viva Variety and Saturday Night Live a couple times. The usual.

Do you prefer singing or acting?
AG: Oddly enough I find the business of acting far less distasteful than music, but that 's probably because I am in the union and my employers are forced to pay me a living wage, there is no more musicians union for clubs, it only exists for Broadway shows and events connected with acting. Clubs have gotten so bad, the 'pay to play' thing has come true. Musicians do not value what they do enough to band together and tell the club owners to pay them or they won't play, but since it is a large and unorganized group the club owners have us all over a barrel. I don't know the answer to this problem, I really wish I did.

What’s next for you?
AG: I miss playing out. I'll think of something. Life isn't over. Thanks to everyone who ever came to my shows. I had the best audience in the world.
© 2000 Chris Parcellin, All rights reserved.
Alison's CD is available NOW--with her old band Blonde & Blue--and titled Mad As Hell. It includes her cover of Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" and features Jamey Heath, Josh Roy Brown, Sami Yaffa (ex-Hanoi Rocks), Chris Musto--plus a guest appearance by Michael Monroe on harp. E-mail hodas01@doc.mssm.edu for ordering info.