THE NEW YORK DOLLS - DANCING BACKWARD IN HIGH HEELS

I became a New York Dolls fan fairly late in life. I guess my first exposure to the band was singer David Johansen's solo videos on MTV back in the day: they used to always play his medley of Animals covers. Of course, after that was his era as Buster Poindexter, which in retrospect, was a very clever character (but I don't need to hear "Hot, Hot Hot" anymore).

When I finally learned about the Dolls, I wasn't into it: they reminded me of the hair metal bands that I wasn't into. But I was missing out! And in 2004, I realized it, when a publicist took me onstage to watch the band. They were playing Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival, right before the two other headliners, The Strokes and The Stooges. The Dolls were unbelievable. The minute Johansen walked on stage, he just owned it. After that reunion, they started making records again.

Their latest, Dancing Backward In High Heels, is their third since getting back together. They only did two albums before breaking up, so they've more than doubled their discography! And let's get one thing straight: nothing they do will ever match the power and impact of their self-titled debut from 1973. But even though there are only two original members: Johansen and guitarist Syvian Sylvian, the current band kicks ass live and has made good records.  Dancing Backward is cool: it sort of leans heavily towards their big "wall of sound" and girl group influence, and doesn't have much of the aggressive punk rock sneer. The thing I like about that is, they are being relatively appropriate for their age, while remaining true to their influences (that said, I love the in-your-face sound of some of the songs from their last album, 'Cause I Sez So). I think the album makes more sense if you listen to Johansen's SiriusXM show (yes, I work there, but I listened to his show before I worked there), where he plays everything from Motown to opera to country to girl group songs to soft rock (like Toto and Bread!) to, well, The New York Dolls. Dancing Backward brings more of these influences to the forefront than maybe their previous albums did. "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman," with its strings and female backing singers is something that Johansen probably wanted to do for years. "Funky But Chic" is a great mission statement for the band and Johansen himself, and is one of the only rockers.

I was a bit appalled to find out what the band is doing this summer (and I imagine Morrissey - who coaxed the band out of retirement in the first place to perform at the Meltdown Festival, which he curated - feels the same way).  They are OPENING on the Motley Crue/Poison tour. I guess it's cool of those bands to take the Dolls out: they don't need openers, and at any rate, their audience probably won't "get" the Dolls. It's strange that they are promoting their least rock album on a tour with conservatively rock bands on the bill. But who knows, maybe a few people will get turned on to the Dolls, which would be a great thing. If you are one of those people, start with the 1973 album, but Dancing isn't a bad one either.

THE NEW YORK DOLLS IN 2012 - THE ARGUMENT

Last year, after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, I posted a list of artists who I thought should be inducted in 2011.  I'm glad that two of them - Alice Cooper and Tom Waits were both inducted this year. My number one choice for the Rock Hall in 2012 is KISS.


Another band I think should be inducted is a band who surely influenced KISS: The New York Dolls. 


I was a latecomer to this band for sure. One reason: they broke up in 1975, didn't really have any radio hits, and frontman David Johansen got more popular than the Dolls were as a solo artist, first under his own name, and then as Buster Poindexter. Plus, their look reminded me of a lot of hair metal bands, which has never been my thing. 


When did I change my mind?  I can give you a date. August 14, 2004.  That's when a reunited version of the Dolls (albeit, only featuring two original members, Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, the rest of the members had passed away by then) performed at Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival at Randall's Island in New York City.  It was the Dolls' first New York performance in a few decades. I was lucky enough to be on the stage (I was covering the event for VH1), and watching Johansen strut onto the stage... it was just cool. The band kicked ass.  I got their self-titled debut from 1973 (really, the only one that you need to have, it's a classic) and became a fan. 


The Dolls' influence is really widespread.  Former NY Dolls fan club president Morrissey was the guy behind their reunion. He curated the UK festival Meltdown, and convinced Johansen, Sylvain and Arthur "Killer" Kane to reunite (Kane passed away soon after, sadly). But the band for the tour was, at one point, supposed to include Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and former Guns N Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin'. That kind of tells the story: what other band has influenced The Smiths and The Crue? Other bands influenced by The Dolls include The Clash, The Ramones and R.E.M.


It would have been nice if The Dolls got in this year, their new album (their third since reuniting) Dancing Backward In High Heels, came out today (the day after the induction ceremony). Later this year, they will be opening a tour for the Crue and Poison. On one hand, it's annoying that they have to open for anyone, much less those guys, on the other hand, the Crue and Poison don't need an opening act, so it's cool to give The Dolls the gigs.  I hope some of the fans care. And here's hoping that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer voters wise up to this very influential band. 

BEST OF THE '00S: DAVID JOHANSEN

I was never really a big New York Dolls fan. I didn't have any big objection to them, and I knew that they influenced a lot of bands that I like, including KISS, Aerosmith and a lot of punk groups. I didn't know much of their music, and I was more familiar with singer David Johansen's solo work (mainly his Animals covers), his hit singles as Buster Poindexter and his scene-stealing role in Scrooged.

Then I went to Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival in August of 2004. The New York Dolls, who had reunited a few weeks earlier at the behest of former fan club president Morrissey, were one of the headliners. It was their first New York show in three decades. Somehow, they were beneath The Strokes on the bill, and the final band was The Stooges. A publicist took me onstage for the Dolls, and they really knocked me out. I couldn't believe I'd never really listened to them before. I bought their 1973 self-titled album and really dug it.

About a year later, I found myself working at SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and David Johansen, as it turned out, hosted a weekly show on SIRIUS Disorder. (These days, it is on The Loft). I don't always like what he plays - it is true free form radio, veering from punk rock to opera to country to film music to soft rock bands like Toto or Bread to instrumental film music. But I like a lot of it, and he takes curating a radio show and makes it an artform, just as much as Little Steven or Bob Dylan. You've really got to hear it.

Around this time, word came that the Dolls' gigs had gone so well that they were going to record a reunion album. That sounded dicey. But as it tured out, 2006's One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This is probably one of the best comeback albums I've ever heard, and the follow up, this year's 'Cause I Sez So, proved it to be no fluke. Even though there are only two surviving members - Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain - they made it work, and work well.

I had the chance to film Johansen being interviewed by John Varvatos for his SIRIUSXM show (which is on Faction) and David Johansen was really cool. Soon after, I filmed The New York Dolls' performance at Varvatos' store at the former location of CBGB, and the band were on fire. Johansen definitely looks his age, but he carries it in the most cool way.

More Best Of The '00s: Bob Dylan
Willie Nelson
Aimee Mann
Jeff Tweedy

THE NEW YORK DOLLS RETURN WITH CAUSE I SEZ SO MAY 5

Great news!  The New York Dolls reunion is still going strong! They're reunited with producer Todd Rundgren, who produced their classic 1973 self-titled debut album for Cause I Sez So, due out in May. Their 2006 reunion album, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This, was one of the best reunion albums ever - no mean feat as it included only two original members, singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvian Sylvain. I saw their first U.S. gig after they reunited -- at Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival in 2004 I think it was -- and they killed.  That's actually what originally turned me on to them. I saw their own gig at Irving Plaza a few years later, which was also awesome. So, I'm glad they are still together. And by the way, you should check out Johansen's weekly radio show on SIRIUS XM's The Loft channel.