 |
 This is the text of Morrissey's 1981 book published by
Babylon Books.
Read a NY Dolls article by Moz that appeared in The Next Big Thing fanzine 1978. |
|
|
This is the text of Morrissey's 1981 book published by
Babylon Books.
Read a NY Dolls article by Moz that appeared in The Next Big Thing fanzine 1978. |
"The New York Dolls contract
expired on the 8th of August, 1975. We had a two LP deal with them and
it was decided at that time not to renew their contract. The reality is
that neither of their LP's sold very well. Not only that, but they were
costing us huge amounts of because of their tendency to destroy hotel property.
I truly believe that the company tried to be fair and patient with the
Dolls but as talented as they were they were a continued source of aggravation
for us".
-DONNA L. HALPER, East
Coast A&R Director.
Phonogram, N.Y., October
7th, 1975.
| The New York
Dolls were the first real sign that the Sixties were over. Their unmatched
vulgarity dichotomised feelings of extravagant devotion or vile detestation.
It was impossible to look upon the Dolls as adequately midstream, just
as it was impossible to ignore them. Enough was written about the group
to fill a library. They were the 'cause celebre' of New York's avant garde.
They served as a stark contrast to the tempo of the times with their "crude
musicality". They were transsexual junkies. They were downed out highschool
toughs posing as bisexual psychopaths. They were this, they were that.
Their music was unfaltering gall faced garbage. The music industry hated
them. Their record company hated them. The Dolls' teen slop would slip
under after 3 years of moving a lot and getting nowhere. "We like to look
bored to the bottom of our bowels," claimed lead singer David Johansen,
which, in 1973, was hardly 'en regale' as most people thronged in awe and
religious homage to the synthetic energy of theatrical rock spawned lazily
by David Bowie and Alice Cooper beneath the guise of creativity (that's
creativity with a capital £), and supported steadfastly by the mighty
crutch of several merchant banks who gave birth to the bore of the decade,
technology in rock. Rock music became an expensive business which thrived
upon de-personalisation. It was controlled by corporates who had a knack
of being oblivious to anything until it had been and gone. The New York
Dolls could not possibly have been less attractive and how dare they! Those...semi-schizoid...mutli-sexual...doped-up
denizens who announced:
"We're saying something that Teen Earth is interested in." And it was true. The Dolls became a derelict monument to devastated teenage America. New York's last rock 'clique' housed The Lovin' Spoonful and The Rascals, safe radicals who foresaw impending doom and switched off in protest. 'What a day for a daydream' could be heard only above the murmuring hum of lethargic meditation. The Velvet Underground peddled in uncharted territory, but their tepid frissons seemed positively prehistoric when the Dolls arrived. Forming in 1972, the Dolls cancelled out all preceeding efforts at establishing New York City as a musical haven. |
Lou Reed half-heartedly
whinged 'we're coming out, out of our closets' which served as a mild amusement
to those already enthralled or appalled by David Bowie's indeterminable
gender. And it was all harmless fun, being eagerly adopted by a considerably
larger number of groups and cherry red lipstick became as symbolic of the
early '70s as goatees and leather sandals to the late '60s. But the New
York Dolls, to many people, just weren't very funny. Theirs was a sinister
sense of transvestitism. 'High camp' for Roxy Music, 'poovery' for Marc
Bolan, and even less for 'lovable norms' Slade and Sweet - such terms would
never be accurate if aimed at the Dolls. The Dolls were just a little too
real. It was a style beyond femininity; a gotesque collaboration of court
shoes, bouffant hair, black lipstick, nail polish, exagerrated posturing
.... and it all looked so perfect and natural. And suddenly Bowie's pompadour
posing dwindled into insignificance, Alice Copper's fishnet tights were
greeted with the laughter they deserved, and Roxy Music moved on to Hollywood
gloss.
"Do you think I dress in absurd drag? Of course I do. I just reflect life."Sadly, the appearance of the Dolls would far too often overshadow their music. Wereas preceeding "realists" in rock music cerimoniously accepted Woodstock as their most accurate period piece, the Dolls abhorred the apathy of that generation. Instead, the Dolls offered audience interplay, humour in misfortune, and drew energy from desperation. The Dolls had been unemployable second-class citizens. They never had money, or even a proper job. By channelling all their energies into the group they were out to have fun, and make lots of money. They wanted as much as they could get and they wanted it NOW. But technically, the Dolls couldn't really play very well. "It doesn't bother us when people say we can't play. When we met we actually couldn't" - JOHANSENTo 'stay loose and be crazy' was the Dolls' doctrine, and eventually, that they looked like haggard hookers from a 50's B-movie became immaterial. Nothing could detract from that music. |
| Back to Strangeways Home | Back to My Home Page | Next Page --> |
This page has been accessed times.