The word seminal is bandied around far too much these days - it's
been used to describe the Spice Girls, for example. But the New
York Dolls really are seminal band. Often compared to the
Rolling Stones because of singer David Johanson's looks and
voice, they were actually more of a glam rock band who, along with
Iggy Pop and Warhol-influenced New York art students in the
early seventies, pretty much invented American punk. It's no
coincidence that after Malcolm McLaren (briefly) managed the New
York Dolls, he went back to England to conceive the Sex
Pistols.
For fans (and Morrissey's one, dontchaknow - he used to be
president of the New York Dolls fanclub) this feature-length
documentary film is a veritable banquet of unseen gig footage, band
interviews and behind the scenes banter shot in the Dolls' heyday of
the early seventies. For the uninitiated, it's an interesting peek into
rock excess (and this band really lived the debauched lifestyle). Not
only that, it's a great introduction to the band's sleazy brand of
lipstick-stained proto punk which has influenced so many after
them.
Bob Gruen, the man behind the camera, was never actually
commissioned to make a film, which is probably why it's taken this long
to put together. He was a local photographer who happened to have a
handheld video camera, which in 1972 was something of a rarity. Having
previously shot other bands (Ike and Tina Turner being one) to
help them see what they looked like onstage, his services were soon
called upon by the New York Dolls. Soon after, he was hanging out with
them and he accompanied them on a trip to LA.
Being a band whose image was of equal importance as the music, it's
easy to see why the Dolls hired Gruen's services. David Johansen's
constant preening and flicking of his shaggy mane reveals the ultimate
narcissistic frontman, and the footage shows them continually applying
lavish amounts of hairspray and make-up and swapping outrageous outfits
prior to photo shoots. But as Bob Gruen goes explains in his sleeve
notes, the Dolls weren't transvestites or gay, 'they were just guys
dressing up'.
To this end, it's a shame the film isn't in colour, as it's harder
to appreciate the band's outfits in black and white. The sound quality
of the gig footage is fairly raw, but includes classics such as
Trash, Personality Crisis and Vietnamese Baby. David Johansen's
skinny, Jagger-like stage presence is electrifying, as is the
band's exuberant humour. At one point they're shopping for a pair of
breast-shaped slippers, at another they're going to the airport in full
garb - satin hotpants, platforms and nipple-revealing skinny tops - to
LA where they hobnob at Rodney Bingenheimer's infamous E club and play
the Whisky A-Go-Go. The backstage footage, meanwhile, shows the amount
of booze, drugs and groupies they indulged in. It's hardly surprising
that half of the band members are now lost to rock excess.
The DVD comes with two commentaries, one from a badly-recorded and
throaty David Johansen and another from fellow bandmate Sylvain
Sylvain, who amusingly recounts the history behind each outfit shown
throughout the film. There's also a lavish booklet with colour stills,
which all contributes to a well-presented piece of rock history showing
a legendary band at their peak and with plenty of extras for fans to
get their teeth into.
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