Famous as the founder and frontman of the English alternative rock and post-punk band THE THE, he is also known for composing film soundtracks through his company Cineola and for hosting the radio show Radio Cineola.
At the age of 15, he worked as a tea boy at the their film music publishers De Wolfe Music, in London’s Soho district.
A publisher and an activist as well as a musician, he became owner of the Fifty First State Press publishing company and is a founder member of the Save Shoreditch conservation group.
He has lived and worked in Gothenburg, Sweden, Spain, and New York City. He had one brother, Andy Dog Johnson, who passed away in 2016.
Though Johnson became THE THE's only permanent member, he collaborated for periods of time with musicians such as Simon Fisher Turner, Johnny Marr, Neneh Cherry, Sinead O'Connor, Jools Holland, JG Thirlwell, Zeke Manyika, Earl Harvin and many others.