Make Johnny Lonely's Dream of an Album Come True

Hi, my name is Brian Lohmann. I created a comic torch singer character named "Johnny Lonely" back in 1986. Back then, my world was imploding on many fronts and self-pity blown up to gigantic proportions seemed the best way to deal. But, I thought, maybe other people felt lonely too and performing songs like "Lonelyville," "Match Made in Hell," or "Wet Blanket" would help them feel less adrift in their misery. So, I toured a one-person show, "Johnny Lonely's Unhappy Hour," in San Francisco, Seattle, Adelaide & Melbourne, Australia, and New York. Then, I moved to Los Angeles and unsuccessfully shopped an animated series about Johnny's Miss Adventures. I toured with John Wesley Harding's Love Hall Tryst and sang Johnny songs as the warm-up act. Then, I got married, and it was hard to pretend to be lonely.

Fast forward to 2022 and a pandemic that has made more people feel more isolated than ever. I have always wanted to record an album as this character. I have experienced Johnny playing to enthusiastic crowds on three continents, and I hope his fans want to hear the latest lonely tunes. Music and laughter are healing – we need that now. I believe this is the moment to create this work, while my voice is still strong and the zeitgeist is gloomy. I have a great producer, John Ballinger, who recorded a pandemic EP with me called "I Was A Quarantine Age Frankenstein."

It will cost around $9,200 to pay for studio time, musicians (including me) artwork, CD manufacturing and taxes, plus Go FundMe's percentage. Times are hard, but rest assured, no matter how much you suffer, Johnny promises to suffer more – it's in his social contract.