The Legend of the Lipstick Killers
Published March 23, 2003
The night my wife Betty and I decided to celebrate my newfound freedom was the night I happened upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a lovely spring evening in early '72 and Betty and I went down to the Village, had dinner and afterwards were walking around when we came across the Mercer Arts Center, a complex of Off-Off Broadway theaters.
Mercer had 5 or 6 rooms of different sizes, floor to ceiling mirrors throughout and looked like the set of the movie Clockwork Orange. Business wasn't that good and the owner, an air conditioning mogul with a love of the arts, had been forced to open the complex to rock bands on off nights. The marquee outside read "New York Dolls $3/2 shows."
"Hmm," I thought, "great name," and remembered my friend Danny Goldberg had mentioned they were the best unsigned downtown band. We paid the six bucks, went in and sat by the stage in what was called the Oscar Wilde Room. Betty and I were ready for anything. The lights dimmed and the Dolls came out and tore into one of their anthems, "Personality Crisis."
At first I couldn't get past the sight of them. They were visually remarkable. While everybody in America were wearing army coats and earth shoes, here were these guys decked out in leather and leopard skin with bouffant hairdo's, black nail polish, lipstick, six-inch platform boots, chopped jeans, feather boa's, armbands and pantyhose. It was a style beyond femininity and thrown together in such a way as to appear natural. Then I zeroed in on their music ... loud and hard ghetto music about girls, sex, drugs, loneliness, heartbreak and the rites of teenage romance. In other words ... real rock 'n' roll.
I had never seen or heard anything like it and instantly knew they made everyone else look tired, which at that time meant David Bowie, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Roxy Music. Betty and I looked at each other and smiled. One thought was spinning through my mind ... "what would the world think of the Dolls indeterminable gender bending ... is this too real?" I was gonna find out.
Two weeks later we met in the legendary back room of the Max's Kansas City club to discuss careers - theirs and mine. David Johansen, a witty and articulate 19 year old with no fear, emerged as their spokesman ... "we're gonna conquer the world and we're here for your sons and daughters." He resembled a young Mick Jagger, something many rock writers made an issue but that's where the comparison ended. The Dolls were on common ground with a developing new generation the kids of the seventies while the Stones were already in their thirties.
Johnny Genzale, a.k.a. Mr. Johnny Thunders, was an Italian street kid, a walking/talking rock encyclopedia who once tried out for the Philadelphia Phillies. Sylvain Sylvain had been born in Cairo and raised in NYC. He was very extroverted and looked like an impish Harpo Marx. Arthur Harold Kane, Jr., the bass player, had worked one legit job in his life for the telephone company but
was fired for ransacking pay phones on his repair route. The original Dolls' drummer was Billy Murcia. He was from Bogota, Columbia and would die a few months later in a drug related accident in London that shouldn't have happened. These were the raw Dolls hungry, inspired, loose and eager to turn it up beyond the red zone.
- The Legend of the Lipstick Killers
- Published: March 23, 2003
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- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Alternative Rock, Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Music: Hard Rock, Music: News, Music: Rock
- Writer: Marty Thau
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Comments on this articleComments
Great first hand account. I'm a little bit peeved that this Millenial bargain disc has been released when we haven't gotten bells-and-whistles reissues of the two studio discs, but any Dolls is better than no Dolls. . .
David Jo has released two post-Buster discs of blues songs with The Harry Smiths. Both releases are worth checking out, though they're not all that easy to find.
I remember seeing Johnny Thunders in one of his last tours at a club in Chicago: the guy looked like a wreck, but, damn, he still could play . . .
BILL SHERMAN:
You hit it squarely on the head when you questioned why this mid-priced Dolls CD has been released instead of an all-out 'bells 'n whistles' reissue of the two studio discs, so I'll let you in on a little secret ... it's because Universal
Records (the new owners of the Dolls catalog) do not know enough about the band yet to go that far. Hopefully this Millenial disc will open their eyes and get them excited. Anyone who appreciates good rock 'n roll should know that the Dolls music will appeal to new generations for years to come. What can I say -- some things take a little longer than others. Be patient -- something blowing in the wind.
The new Millennium collection is fairly insipid, given the existence of the "Rock and Roll" single-CD compilation of both studio albums (minus "Pills" and "Showdown") plus bonus tracks that you can often find in cut-out bins for $5 or less.
And Amazon has both of Johansen's albums with the Harry Smiths...a remarkable new direction that conclusively demonstrates why the Dolls were the greatest white-blues band America ever produced, not to mention punk, glam and hairspray (would 80s metal have existed without them?).
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000066RLO/qid=1048588555
Also, don't miss "From Paris with L-U-V," a bootleg-quality live document from 1974, and the "Hard Day's Night" collection of 1973 demos that showcases the Dolls without the wolf-whistle production frippery of Shadow Morton or Todd Rundgren's "get the glitter out of your asses and play!" malevolence.
Thanks for sharing, Marty. When can we expect the movie?
Rock 'n' Roll is a decent collection. But both studio albums are so set in my mind that the re-sequencing is distancing (as are the shifts in production sound). Plus I really miss the remake of Archie Bell's "Showdown." Still, the extra cuts ("Courageous Cat Theme," "Don't Mess With Cupid," "Lone Star Queen") guarantees that it'll stay in my collection.
In general, I've found these Millennium discs to be weak tea for fans: a good way for newcomers to test drive an unfamiliar group, though.
CHRIS CLARK:
A&R guys should not be older than 17. I like your website.
We have just opened the Official New York Dolls site at:
www.new-york-dolls.com
We hope that you will check it out and leave us your feedback.
I would be interested in getting in touch with Marty Thau. If anyone on this blogboard has an email address I would appreciate it if you could inform him of our official Dolls site
www.new-york-dolls.com
Or ask him to email me at:
admin@new-york-dolls.com
Kind Regards,
Will
MARTY THAU, you rock! What a great article -- sorry I only just got around to reading it two years after you wrote it.
I bought the first Dolls disc this weekend, saw your name on the credits, remembered you from this site, searched your past articles and came up with this thoroughly complete first hand account. Thanks so much for writing it. It's a valuable piece of rock history, and I can only hope you've got a book in the works.
Wow - that's a phenomenal article, must now sample the Dolls - legit - just for you:)
A book would be a great idea
thanks for checking it out Aaman - Marty rules!
Great Article!!!
Can you please confirm or deny Blackie Lawless' claim that he was once a member of the Dolls?
maybe the time is right for a book, Marty
Back in 1978 when puck was hitting Toronto there were whispers about these guys from New York. The Dolls, and Johnny Thunders were all they could talk about.
It was a wild ride back then, music felt alive for the first time in years. Like all those things it got co-opted fast, by 1983 it was new wave, and then it was just the same old crap.
Old joke " what's the difference between a punk and a new waver. A new waver wears a pin of their favourite band on their jacket. A Punk wears a pin through her cheek.
Oi, Oi, Oi!!!!
gypsyman
Marty, just came across your blog. Way back when I was part of the gang of teenagers who used to hand out all the fliers for the Dolls' gigs in exchange for getting on the guest list. Also tried to start the Dolls fan club without Mercury support, and was sitting in Leber Krebs office when Laura Kaufman told us the Dolls had broken up. I wound up adopting Johnny's two Labrador Retrievers prior to their first US tour. Spent many a night at the clubs watching the Dolls. Remember you well, standing in the back of the club, with your leather jacket. Looking like the Hall Monitor with a gang of juvenile delinquents. The best collection you put out, the one that really represented the Dolls' music, is "Hard Night's Day." Only sorry that "Endless Party" wasn't included on it. It was always my favorite tune. Would love to hear a digitally remastered & reproduced Dolls catalog of both studio albums. Anyway, you did a great job with the Dolls. You made Rock & Roll History! Thanks for the great times, Kathy
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The New York Dolls were truly seminal. This an important collection, and, on Marty Thau's part, an important recollection.