Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Greg Whiteley's New York Dolls Doc

There is an article about a New York Dolls documentary at billboard.com. Here's some of it:

First-time filmmaker Greg Whiteley came to the subject of his documentary feature not as a fan but as a friend of Arthur "Killer" Kane, bassist for the short-lived but influential '70s rock band the New York Dolls.

Their unlikely collaboration began at the Mormon temple in West Los Angeles, where the one-time hard-drinking musician worked part-time until his death last year. This loving portrait centers on a June 2004 band reunion that quite startlingly turned out to be a valedictory for Kane. Screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival and slated for October release, "New York Doll" is a tender take on life after stardom.

...Whiteley's access is most rewarding in footage of rehearsals for the show. Playing together for the first time in almost 30 years as part of the Morrissey-curated Meltdown Festival in London, the three surviving members -- Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and Kane -- have an easy chemistry. Whatever jealousies and adversarial tensions Kane felt toward Johansen dissolve in the evident creative connection and deep affection between them. As "New York Doll" powerfully captures, that reconnection turned out to be a blessing when Kane died unexpectedly just weeks after the show.
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You know, not many people bought New York Dolls records, but everyone who did bought a feather boa.

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