David Werner has been played on NTS in shows including Got Kinda Lost Records Presents Planet Fever, featured first on 14 November 2018. Songs played include Too Late To Try.

David Werner is a 1970s glam rock and, later, new wave artist, having released four albums - "Whizz Kid" (1974), "Imagination Quota" (1975), "David Werner" (1979) and Live (1979).

David Werner's name doesn't roll off the tongue: he hasn't released an album since 1979, and only the most avid rock snob will have heard them -- because they're not in print anymore. Whizz Kid is a typically earnest debut that seemingly draws on its artist's record collection: Bowie and Mott the Hoople influences are present, and a little glam, too. (The original back cover shot of a heavily lipsticked Werner is priceless; he also calls his publishing company Sassy Brat Music!)

Werner takes a more measured tack than his flashier brethren, though Mark Doyle's and Max Kendrick's guitars can pounce and snarl with the best of them. Songs alternate between mid-tempo rockers and plaintive ballads like "The Lady in Waiting" and "It's Too Sad," which offers encouragement to a lonely person ("but you're no one's clown/'cause they're the ones that have to grow"). "One More Wild Guitar" opens the album decisively, casting its rocker-versus-fogeyish-parents lyric as a coming-of-age story -- a theme he further develops on "The Death of Me Yet" and the title track ("everything I try to say somehow comes out crazy").

The musicianship isn't flashy, but it's first-rate throughout (especially Doyle and Kendrick, who carry most of the load). Werner addresses his inner life on the winsome "Love Is Tragic" and "A Sleepless Night," in which a rebuffed lover plays for more time. As if to ensure he's not playing things too straight, Werner trots out another Bowie-esque touch -- "Plan 9," a one-minute, free-associative spoken-word piece. The public may not have known how to read him, but David Werner was a distinctive artist, which may have worked against him. His style's definitely an acquired taste, but you'll never forget it once you hear it. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide