Johnny Thunders: Who's Been Talking? In Concert  (1991)

Theatrical Release Information:
Johnny Thunders: Who's Been Talking? In Concert

One of the final concerts from former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders is featured on this DVD release, shot at a show in Osaka, Japan about three weeks before Thunders's death. Who's Been Talking?: Live In Concert features Thunders and his final road band the Oddballs (Stevie Klasson on guitar, Stuart Kennedy on bass, Jamey Heath on sax, Chris Musto on drums and Alison Gordy on backing vocals) wandering through their set; while the band is in good form, Thunders is clearly not feeling well, and seems more interested in singing than playing guitar, sometimes delivering the wrong lyrics to his songs and wandering off stage at one point to let Gordy front the band. (True to form, Thunders also addresses the Osaka audience with the greeting "Thank you, Tokyo.") The quality of the source materials is on a par with the concert; the soft, fuzzy image (presented in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1) looks like it's a few generations down from the original video source, and is full of jerky pans and zooms as well as choppy, intrusive editing. The audio is significantly better, and has been remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1 playback, though it's still a bit hissy during the quiet moments. The songs are performed in English, with no subtitles or multiple language options. A text bio of Thunders by Betty Chienne is the only bonus included. Given how much second-rate live material is available on Johnny Thunders these days, many of his fans will be accustomed to the iffy quality of Who's Been Talking, but it's not difficult to imagine this presentation could be a lot better than it is. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide