Dean Johnson (nightlife icon)

Dean Johnson (1961–2007) was a cross-dressing musician, party promoter, and was a highly recognisable figure in the downtown New York City nightlife in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Known for his towering height, shaved head, giant sunglasses, and penchant for wearing short cocktail dresses that exaggerated the length of his pale, lithe figure, Johnson played a seminal role in the emergence of the Queercore gay rock and roll subculture in the East Village.

Both an underground rock star and a porn star, Dean Johnson fronted two bands: Dean and the Weenies and the Velvet Mafia. He partied with art-world luminaries like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol, and performed at nightclubs such as; Area, Danceteria, The Cat Club, and the Pyramid. Johnson was the driving force behind the ground-breaking “Rock and Roll Fag Bar” party, held Tuesday nights in the late 1980s at The World. He subsequently produced the monthly “HomoCorps” live music showcase at CBGB, which featured gay and transgender rock-and-roll bands.

Johnson grappled with drug addiction and also was a sex worker. He died at age 46 from an apparent drug overdose while turning a trick in a Washington, D.C. apartment. There is some suspicion around his death, stemming from the fact that the man he was with had been found not guilty of murder in a trial held only a few weeks prior.

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