Dean Johnson Death Probe Inconclusive

The DC medical examiner has ruled that the September deaths of NYC nightlife pioneer Dean Johnson and another gay man found dead in the same apartment a week earlier were the result of "acute intoxication" from drugs or alcohol, but could not state whether the deaths were accidental or because of murder or suicide.

Johnson's system was found to contain Amitriptyline, Clonazepam, Oxycondone, Ramelteon, and Tramadol. The cause of the other man's death was listed as "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of oxycondone and alcohol." There appears to be no charges pending for Steven Saleh, who owned the apartment where both men were found dead.

It seems we'll never know what really happened.

Johnson Death Probe Gets Weirder

DC police are looking into whether Gotham nightlife impresario Dean Johnson's death may have been caused by mixing erectile dysfunction drugs with anti-depressants or other medications. The bizarre details surrounding Johnson's death continue to unfold. Johnson was the second man found dead in the Washington apartment of Steven Saleh, as one week before Johnson's death, another man overdosed there. Johnson then traveled to DC to console Saleh. How Johnson died and why his body was not identified for a week remains unknown.

Filthy Reminder: October 10th

I'll be reading at Rapture next Wednesday with Eric Leven (pictured), Miss Understood, Jake Shears, and Michael Cunningham. Tonight's installment will be a memorial to Dean Johnson, who was to host the series. From Rapture: "Please feel free to bring photos, music, writings or any other Dean Johnson-related memorabilia for the Honoring Wall which has already sprung up around our stage."

Note that you can see a quite a bit more of Eric in this ad for Next Magazine, compared to previous ad. I'll post one more reminder on the day of the show, maybe that one will show even more of Mr. Leven. I'll be reading two short stories, one from the archives and something new.

Murky Details On Dean Johnson's Death

Strange details are emerging surrounding the death of pioneering New York personality Dean Johnson. From today's Page Six in the NY Post:

October 2, 2007 -- DEAN Johnson, a legendary promoter of gay parties in downtown Manhattan, was found dead in Washington, D.C., last week and pals fear he was murdered. Lower East Side photographer John Penley told Page Six that e-mails from Johnson's computer reveal he'd been going to D.C. regularly "to set up weird sex parties for a wealthy Saudi guy. Nobody knows his identity, but it's all very suspicious." Dean, who had a history of drug use, had no ID on him when his body was discovered, and stayed in the morgue for several days before he was identified. His death in under investigation. Johnson, 45, promoted the weekly "Rock 'n' Roll Fag Party" at the old CBGB. "There probably isn't a single gay in the entire city who hasn't been to one of Dean's parties," Penley said. Dean, with his shaved head and 6-foot-6 frame, also fronted rock bands and starred in porn flicks. A memorial service will be held tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Rapture Café & Books, 200 Avenue A.

There's a message on Motherboards that another man's body was found with Johnson's. This may turn out to be something other than a simple overdose, as many first suspected.

Dean Johnson Found Dead

New York's downtown art and club scene was rocked today by news that Dean Johnson,45, was found dead in Washington DC last week. Johnson's body has just been identified and the circumstances surrounding his death have not been determined.

A rock star, writer, drag performer, party promoter, and porn actor, Johnson first made his mark on Manhattan's club scene when he founded Rock & Roll Fag Bar in the late '80s. He would later found HomoCorps, a monthly gay punk showcase at the legendary CBGB. Johnson fronted two bands, Dean and the Weenies and the Velvet Mafia, the latter of which had a hit with the song Fierce Ruling Diva. The towering 6'6" Johnson often appeared in public in wig-less drag, his bald head adorned by massive eye wear and ornate dangling earrings.

Earlier this week I mentioned that I would be appearing in the October 10th installment of Dean Johnson's Reading For Filth at East Village arts hotspot Rapture Cafe. Rapture Cafe owner Joe Birdsong gave me this statement today: "Dean Johnson was a big, big man with a big, big vision of a world where no one apologized for who they were. He was a true P. T. Barnum who ruled over downtown New York's three-ring circus of freaks. Reading for Filth will go on as scheduled. The initial installment, Wednesday Oct. 3rd, will be a celebration of Dean's life. Wherever Dean was concerned, the show always went on."