The Legend of the Lipstick Killers
Published March 23, 2003
I signed on as the Dolls' manager in June '72 and brought in two former William Morris booking agents, Steve Leber and David Krebs, to co-manage the band. They would handle touring and I'd interpret the Dolls for fans and the record business. The team was set. We were ready to shape history and shake the rafters, too. Moms and Dads would hate this band. I loved it.
Meanwhile, the Dolls were selling out the Mercer Arts Center every Tuesday night and had moved to a larger theater within the Mercer complex. New York's intelligentsia crowd heard this downtown buzz, too. Rock stars, writers, artists all showed up - Elton John, David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Peter Max, Fran Lebowitz - along with the seventies hard-core kids the Dolls spoke to and for. The Dolls, in the meantime, were moving further towards confronting the issues of the day - violence, abuse of women, the war, sexuality in all forms, answers and solutions for unconscious teens. Information and entertainment was what it was all about ... and the bottom line was there were no limits to the Dolls intentions to disrupt the establishment.
Behind the scenes, Leber and I were discovering the price they were paying for it. The record business perceived the Dolls as too dangerous, too radical, too difficult to market, too frightening to even be in the same room with - too hard to sell. Every time Leber and I talked to record people we came across an invisible wall ... "could they play as well as the Allman Brothers" ... what is this gender bending thing" ... "are they gay?" The homophobic record honchos didn't understand and, as a result, superficially evaluated the Dolls. "Steer clear," they whispered.
The Dolls, of course, did nothing to tone it down and believed if they were just themselves, eventually people would accept them. Leber and I knew it was going to be a drawn out uphill battle, and were forced to conclude that the U.S. record industry was too conservative and the band was too outrageous for kids outside of Manhattan. The rest of America would need to learn somehow that the Dolls were okay. We decided to take them to England, where it would be obvious the Dolls were the hottest unsigned band in the world. England's sexually repressed society would freak out and love them. We flew to London in October 1972, but what should have been the beginning of the band's success turned into a major tragedy.
They opened for Rod Stewart & the Faces at Wembley Auditorium in front of 13,000 people, never having played to more than 350 people anywhere. The reaction was mixed. One reviewer later wrote, "The future belongs to the New York Dolls. English glitter bands like Slade, the Sweet and T-Rex are soft by comparison."
Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, managers of the Who, were in the audience. In the Dolls they saw a reflection of the young Who and Stones, and wanted to sign them to the Who's new Track label. Within 24 hours the offers came flying in from the other labels. Ahmet Ertegun, the president of Atlantic Records, sent a telegram from NY saying, "We'll give you $50,000 to come with us." Mick Jagger's Rolling Stone Records wanted them too. There was no doubt about a deal anymore. It was just a matter of how much would be paid.
- The Legend of the Lipstick Killers
- Published: March 23, 2003
- Type:
- 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.