New York Dolls frontman David Johansen is kicking his ex, Kate Simon, out of their vacation home near Woodstock.
Johansen, 64, went to court Wednesday after filing a contempt motion against Simon — the photographer who was married to the rock legend for 20 years — after she failed to comply with their divorce settlement and sell the couple’s home in Bearsville, NY.
Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper ruled that the four-bedroom house nestled on 19 acres must be immediately put on the market for around $700,000. A source told us, “The house was supposed to be sold as part of their 2011 divorce agreement, but it wasn’t sold. The selling price was too high, and it was in a state that was unattractive to buyers. Kate continued using it as a vacation home. The judge ruled it had to be immediately put up for sale for $695,000.”
The listing with Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty features an indoor pool and spectacular views, a source said.
Johansen — who we’re told turned up in court “looking like a rock star,” in black pants, a jacket with a velvet collar and open-necked shirt — married Simon, known for shooting rockers and artists including Patti Smith, Ed Rauscha and David Bowie, in 1983. They filed for divorce in 2006 and settled in 2011. He’s now happily married to Mara Hennessey.
Despite success as a forefather of punk and his lounge lizard alter ego Buster Poindexter, Johansen said in 2001: “Too often . . . I find myself walking down the street broke and with my collar up. I’m getting to the age where I need a steady income.” As Poindexter, he’s beginning a summer residency at City Winery on June 19. In May he played Café Carlyle for a crowd including Gay Talese and Nick Pileggi.
Hennessey told us: “The court date was merely to settle the listing price of the property,” and Johansen’s lawyer, Stephen I. Silberfein, added Johansen and Simon are “continuing to proceed to fulfill the agreement they made three years ago.” Simon’s attorney didn’t get back to us.