The comprehensive site regarding Johnny Depp and his music!
Vancouver benefit in early 1989 (l to r: Debbie Harry, Sal Jenco, Richard Grieco, Jim Ryan, Johnny Depp)
"Music was my whole life from the age of 12 on. It was all I ever wanted to do."
-Johnny Depp, 1990
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Breaking News:
- February 9, 2010: According to The Sun and now other sources such as Pitchfork.com, Shane MacGowan recruited Johnny, Vanessa Paradis, Nick Cave and others to perform on a single that will benefit Haitian relief; the song will be a cover of the 1956 song, I Put A Spell On You. Laura White was on BBC Manchester this morning (Feb. 9) to give a few details of the recording (listen here; scroll to the last 5 minutes of the broadcast). She affirms that Johnny plays guitar on the single, and that it includes the Stereophonics, Paloma Faith, and Nick Cave. She said that everyone recorded at different times and were asked to do different things, so it's uncertain when Johnny actually performed his part, though January 29 was a major recording day in London. The single is due to be released in late February. Photographer/blogger Danny Clifford reports that he is involved, though he has not mentioned any specific names besides Shane's. Stay tuned for more info! (See Screamin' Jay Hawkins performing I Put A Spell On You on YouTube).
- February 6, 2010: Amazon UK now features Babybird's Unloveable single as available for download on February 21, 2010. There will be both a 4:19 full-length single and a 3:16 radio edit. Johnny plays guitar on the song, which is the lead single from Babybird's upcoming album, Ex-Maniac. No info regarding the single is yet available from the label, Unison Music. The UK online radio station, Radio2XS, features Unloveable on its New Music playlist, and it is being played several times a day. The single can also be heard on YouTube (note- I don't think this is a legit posting, so it may be taken down). Finally, check The Bad Pages for an exclusive 3 part interview with Stephen Jones. The first 2 parts are already online, with a 3rd to come shortly.
- February 1, 2010: Some photos have surfaced of Johnny with Keith Richards, Patti Smith and others in LA on and around January 30. The caption states that they were at the Los Angeles Theatre, on the set of Happy, a documentary Johnny is making about Keith. Johnny had briefly mentioned the documentary in a Serbian interview while attending the Kustendorf Film Festival last month. Great to know the doc is progressing! (Pics thanks to Bonnie and Theresa from the Zone)
Recent News:
- February 2010: The soundtrack to When You're Strange, the upcoming documentary about The Doors for which Johnny is the narrator, will be released on March 30 (recently changed from an earlier release date of March 16). The tracklisting can be viewed on Barnes & Noble. Writer/director Tom DiCillo makes an interesting blog comment that Johnny "may be involved in some other ways." Without knowing what that means, if some of his narration could be included, as it was for the Gonzo soundtrack, that would be great! A statement by Johnny about his participation in the film, which was originally posted on DiCillo's blog, has now been added to the official When You're Strange website:
- “DiCillo’s When You’re Strange is a meticulously crafted, exhilarating ode to one of music’s greatest, most exciting ensembles; The Doors. Watching the hypnotic, hitherto, unreleased footage of Jim, John, Ray and Robby, both on and off the stage, I felt like I was there, with them, living and experiencing what they were experiencing, seeing it all through their eyes. Ultimately, Jim has been resurrected here to remind us that he is to this very day, one of the most significant frontmen/poets/shaman to ever grace a stage and that the band behind him, kept the music alive every step of the way, adding fuel to an already raging fire, all along their wild and electrifying ride into history. The raw material entrances throughout. In terms of a rock n’ roll documentary, or any kind of documentary for that matter, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. What an honor to have been involved. I am as proud of this as anything I have ever done.”
Beautiful
words, Johnny! The official site also has the new trailer for the film. The film will screen in London on Feb. 19 and Dublin on Feb. 22. An Examiner.com
article reports a tentative US theatrical release
of March or April of 2010; DiCillo believes it will be the first week in April.
The article further states that the film may be be available
on
DVD and download on May 25, the day before the PBS airing. The film already has
distribution deals in several
countries.
- January 2010: The Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 31. Johnny received a Grammy nomination, shared with Douglas Brinkley, for Best Album Notes for the CD, Gonzo: The Life And Work Of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson — Music From The Film (see category 89), but lost to Dan Morgenstern for The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946). See the list of noms and winner here. Congrats anyway to Johnny and Douglas for the nomination! See the JD Rocks! Author page for more info about the album.
- January 2010: An article in The Australian discusses Hal Willner's Rogue's Gallery project and mentions a release in the coming months of "a second volume of Rogue's Gallery recordings. There was a surplus from the first batch and more have been added. Among the contributors this time are Tom Waits, The Pogues' Shane MacGowan and Keith Richards." While Johnny's name was not mentioned as a participant in this particular article, a recent Sydney Sunday Telegraph article (no online copy is available) reportedly claims that Johnny will perform on this follow-up CD, and the claim was also made in a 2008 BBC report by Rebecca Jones (listen at ~4:20). Another recent article (I've lost the link, sorry) reported that Tom Waits had recently done some recording in New Orleans for this follow-up. A live Rogue's Gallery concert took place at the Sydney Festival on January 28, featuring Todd Rundgren, Tim Robbins, Marianne Faithfull, and others.
- January 2010: For the new year, here is a rumor that isn't about Johnny playing a rock star in a film biopic, but rather a Gypsy jazz musician, Django Reinhardt. The upcoming film, probably this one listed on IMDb, will be based on Michael Dregni's 2004 biography Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend, and according to The Guardian (UK), Johnny is "lined up to play Reinhardt." Time will tell if this rumor is true, but Johnny is a longtime fan of Reinhardt's music, having performed Minor Swing in the film, Chocolat. In addition, he is a longtime admirer of Gypsy culture and music, having spoken of it often with regards to the Romani group Taraf de Haïdouks and the film The Man Who Cried. Remember that this rumor has not yet been confirmed, but it seems like this film might be a great fit for Johnny, and perhaps another chance for Johnny to play guitar on film! (Thanks to chris for finding this article).
Recent and
upcoming releases:
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JD Rocks! Site News:
- A bunch of photos and scans have been added throughout the site recently. Thanks to Manya for some photos of The Kids from 1983, performing and posing. Thanks to Ken M., a South Florida music magazine from 1981 contains a photo fashion spread of Johnny and Bruce Witkin from when they were in The Kids, as well as a number of references to Kids gigs. Also recently, thanks to Mike W. of the Jane's Addiction site, janesaddiction.org, several Rock City Angels gigs from 1986 and 1987, as well as a rare ad showing a gig by Six Gun Method (aka The Kids after their move to LA) have been discovered. I've also gotten a number of scans from old Rolling Stone issues, and have added them in. Look for new additions throughout the site, especially in the Galleries, Timeline, Live On Stage, Discography, Videography, Guest Sessions, Bands, and Viper Room sections. See below for sections that have been updated in Jan. and Feb. of 2010.
- Please visit the new JD Rocks! Johnny's Guitars page to see some of Johnny's many guitars! The page was created in July and has recently been reorganized. Please e-mail me at madscntst@verizon.net if you can give any information about makes or models of any of these guitars, or if you have seen one that is not included.
February '10 updates:
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January '10 updates:
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December '09 updates:
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is
updated often, so please check back!
Three years ago, I published my first few pages of Johnny Depp Rocks! As a huge fan of Johnny Depp and also a longtime music enthusiast and collector, I had been investigating Johnny's musical background and pursuits, but I grew frustrated when I saw so much false information on the web and in print. I created this site as an attempt to compile accurate information about Johnny's musical side: his bands, live performances, recordings, and videos, as well as his friends in the world of music, and share it freely with all his fans. While the design may be plain, I hope that the information presented here is as accurate and reliable as it can possibly be. Many thanks to all those who have offered feedback or contributed information to help this site to thrive. I always welcome any corrections, additions, or suggestions, and hope that this site will continue to grow whenever there may be more to add! Hope you enjoy!
-Cathy aka MadScntst, July 23, 2009
I am always grateful for corrections or additions to any of the content on this site! I would particularly love any photos or other memorabilia from any of Johnny's live performances, past or present. Please contact me if you can help!
madscntst@verizon.net was 
Created
July
23, 2006