Sami Yaffa played bass for the New York Dolls for six years between 2004 and 2009.
In those years, he forged a close friendship with the band's singer David Johansen, who died on 28 February 2025.
Johansen had been the last surviving member of the Dolls' classic line-up that recorded the seminal self-titled album from 1973.
Finnish-born Yaffa first became famous in the ’80s as a member of Hanoi Rocks, a band that had a huge influence on Guns N’ Roses.
Now, via MusicRadar, Yaffa pays tribute to Johansen…
“‘So you’re from Finland? Aren’t you all alcoholics?’
“Those were David’s first words to me when I met him for the first time in NYC.
“That’s how I joined the New York Dolls in the summer of 2004.
“What was meant to be just a few contractually impossible to get out of gigs, after the sad demise of the third original Doll, Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane, turned into six years of touring and recording with David, Sylvain Sylvain, Steve Conte and Brian Delaney.
“We toured the US, Europe, Australia, South America, Australia, China, Japan, Russia and had a fucking blast doin’ it!
“Being in that band with David and Syl was like touring with Abbott and Costello, or the Marx Brothers. I usually came home from our tours with a bellyache from laughing, and a headache from too many illuminated late nights.
“The ride lasted for six years, during which we recorded two excellent, in my humble opinion, studio albums, and one live recording, to prove our live prowess.
“The best thing about the band was the love that we had for each other, and the total openness to the songwriting process, and what to play with your instrument. Everything just clicked in place.
"David didn’t listen to only rock ’n’ roll, nor did I. We clicked over Namibian wedding music, old blues, flamenco, ’60s girl groups and Balkan gypsy music.
"David was loving, cantankerous, giving, supportive, sullen, wise, difficult, well read, and really fucking funny.
“I still haven’t run into sense of humour like his. Definitely not your simple normal geezer down the pub.
“When I did my little TV show, Sami Yaffa Sound Tracker, I of course asked David if he could be part of the NY chapter of the show. He jumped in willingly, and with open arms, gave an incredible interview, of which there’s only a portion in the episode. I think we talked for a couple of hours. As a cherry on the cake, he suggested we would play Heart Of Gold acoustically, as a duo.
“Made my day, week, month, year, life.
“The first Dolls album kicked me in the teeth when I was about 11, in 1974.
“I was listening to Slade, Alice Cooper, Sweet, Bowie, T.Rex, etc at the time.
“Hearing the Dolls’ first album made me question all those other great bands.
“Then I saw the photo of the band. It literally blew my mind.
“After that initial shock, I didn’t listen to them that much, as they seemed to had disappeared into thin air.
“Then came punk, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers toured with the Pistols and The Clash, and the old Dolls records came back into my radar.
“As a lyric writer I think David was in a leaque of his own, a fucking master.
“I’m proud beyond words for those six years I spent with him and the guys, playing those classic songs, and writing new stuff. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun being in a band.
“I will miss him till it’s my time to depart.”
Sami Yaffa -25
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