Hi Greil: Another angle on the Dolls' second album is that the title can be seen as "In: 'Too Much, Too Soon.' " As I'm sure you know, "Too Much, Too Soon" was an over-the-top 1958 drama about the self-destruction of actress Diana Barrymore (played by Dorothy Malone), when she reconciled with her even more destructive father, John Barrymore (Errol Flynn). Johansen, a sophisticate behind his Leo Gorcey facade, probably knew this movie, and the drinking and drugging themselves to death were what the Barrymores and the Dolls were both "about." Also, in my post a month before David's death, Johansen blames himself for putting the then-toxic "New York" in the band's name. Subhed: "We might as well have been called the Tehran Dolls." https://waynerobins.substack.com/p/new-york-dolls-johansen-looks-back-f62 I also detest the Johnny Thunders death cult and post-death cult, which is really the moral (not moralistic, just true) of the story. I'm angry at many more talented people who drank and drugged themselves to early deaths. The roster is too damn long.
The advancing age and mortality of Boomer Era rock stars and bands is sobering. With Garth Hudson's recent death, The Band are all 'gone', i.e., dead. But Robbie was 80; Garth older; Levon battled cancer, but got his flowers from adoring audiences in his last few years. Rick Danko died 'young' (57) but consumed drugs and food beyond measure. Richard Manuel committed suicide and was a tortured soul, sadly. Like all of them, he had great musical talent, but not the discipline, apparently, to use it wisely. Maybe the benchmark of being a 'rock star' was too great; he should have owned his own club and played piano as he pleased. Maybe he would have written more songs later in life; Robbie and Dylan would have helped him, I would think. As for the money, Levon was a profligate spender; he lived like a top tier rock star long after that had passed him by; Rick and Richard supported their drug dealers; as for Garth, I don't know. He seemed a kindly eccentric and should have saved his money more wisely. Once his wife, Maud, died, I think he, not surprisingly, gave up. Still, he died in peace, cared for by professionals, and is fondly remembered. Lastly, Bob Dylan just started another tour! Mick Jagger's appearance during the Academy Awards blew away all the movie star poseurs. McCartney sounded dreadful on that SNL 50th show. Yet he persists. Neil Young remains feisty as ever. Too bad his planned Ukraine benefit fell through - Van Morrison and (used to be) Cat Stevens were on the bill! We admire these (mostly) guys, and their musical achievements are monumental, but really, we all live lives of compromise and sorrow and in the end, we take nothing with us. Death is the one great democracy, it seems.
Thanks for an excellent post. The last paragraph of your David Johansen answer about the terrible fates of some of the important figures in rock'n'roll is very sobering and moving. Very powerful writing. I like the "arguably" piece. The piece about Lester Bangs was very insightful: reading the part where you said that he had to be ON all the time, it struck me how similar his career and fate were to John Belushi's...I can't believe I hadn't made that connection before because I did follow them both and enjoyed their work and they had quite similar appearances and images. The last paragraph of the Lester Bangs answer is also very melancholy and moving. There is definitely a sad, wistful feel to this piece. Very well done.
If they're considered Rock & Roll -Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis and Paul Anka are still with us. I'd like to give some honorable mention to Johnny Thunder who passed away in 2024 at age 93 whose 1963 hit Loop deLoop (#4 ) was the first live act that I ever saw(Brooklyn Fox -Murray the K show)...The great Les Paul who died in 2009 at 94 was playing every Monday at The Iridium up to a few weeks before his death. He used to joke "You know I'm I'm 93 ,and I have a lot of problems --but my biggest problem is -I like older women.
Scored a meeting with Paul Nelson when he was A&R at Mercury. Sat in his office with our girl singer and lead guitarist, playing our demo (a Raspberries/Carpenters/ABBA sound). Nelson listened to a few seconds of each cut and shook his head. "You know about the New York Dolls, right?" he said. "That's what's going on right now. That's what people are gonna wanna hear ..." I'd lived near the Mercer Arts Center and heard the Dolls and knew how perfectly awful they were. I could feel my own and the others' hearts sinking as he droned on about the Dolls, while outside the window of his skyscraper office, a beautiful snow fell over midtown.
That's fun! It's depressing to apply an accounting/actuarial attitude to the lives of rock 'n' roll performers. I remember you wrote something in "Mystery Train" about Little Richard's lyrics "fool about my money, don't try to save" perplexing you when you first heard them as a young teenager. It's that recklessness that appeals to us but also often ruins their lives.
You hit the nail on the head with your take on Peter Wolf’s book. Having seen him live in recent years I know he can tell his stories in a more compelling manner. The Camden excursion on the way to Holland especially fell flat.
No doubt because of poor sound equipment, for the longest time I thought the line “Roy Orbison singing for the lonely” from “Thunder Road” was “Boy Innocent singing for the lonely.” I thought it was kind of eloquent.
A question I always meant to ask you was, did listening to your parents’ original cast albums helped you to develop a taste for unusual singing voices? That’s the thing I like about them, because to be in a stage musical you had to be able to act, and often had to be a comic actor, which meant that the Broadway singer was not the slickest item on record. It’s also a big reason why I generally can’t stand the contemporary Broadway cast album, where the vocalists now sound more like light opera.
Aren’t there four living Sex Pistols, of the five. Can’t count Glen out. He wrote almost all the tunes
To put it another way, all the (original) Sex Pistols are alive. And all seem to be doing OK!
Hi Greil: Another angle on the Dolls' second album is that the title can be seen as "In: 'Too Much, Too Soon.' " As I'm sure you know, "Too Much, Too Soon" was an over-the-top 1958 drama about the self-destruction of actress Diana Barrymore (played by Dorothy Malone), when she reconciled with her even more destructive father, John Barrymore (Errol Flynn). Johansen, a sophisticate behind his Leo Gorcey facade, probably knew this movie, and the drinking and drugging themselves to death were what the Barrymores and the Dolls were both "about." Also, in my post a month before David's death, Johansen blames himself for putting the then-toxic "New York" in the band's name. Subhed: "We might as well have been called the Tehran Dolls." https://waynerobins.substack.com/p/new-york-dolls-johansen-looks-back-f62 I also detest the Johnny Thunders death cult and post-death cult, which is really the moral (not moralistic, just true) of the story. I'm angry at many more talented people who drank and drugged themselves to early deaths. The roster is too damn long.
The advancing age and mortality of Boomer Era rock stars and bands is sobering. With Garth Hudson's recent death, The Band are all 'gone', i.e., dead. But Robbie was 80; Garth older; Levon battled cancer, but got his flowers from adoring audiences in his last few years. Rick Danko died 'young' (57) but consumed drugs and food beyond measure. Richard Manuel committed suicide and was a tortured soul, sadly. Like all of them, he had great musical talent, but not the discipline, apparently, to use it wisely. Maybe the benchmark of being a 'rock star' was too great; he should have owned his own club and played piano as he pleased. Maybe he would have written more songs later in life; Robbie and Dylan would have helped him, I would think. As for the money, Levon was a profligate spender; he lived like a top tier rock star long after that had passed him by; Rick and Richard supported their drug dealers; as for Garth, I don't know. He seemed a kindly eccentric and should have saved his money more wisely. Once his wife, Maud, died, I think he, not surprisingly, gave up. Still, he died in peace, cared for by professionals, and is fondly remembered. Lastly, Bob Dylan just started another tour! Mick Jagger's appearance during the Academy Awards blew away all the movie star poseurs. McCartney sounded dreadful on that SNL 50th show. Yet he persists. Neil Young remains feisty as ever. Too bad his planned Ukraine benefit fell through - Van Morrison and (used to be) Cat Stevens were on the bill! We admire these (mostly) guys, and their musical achievements are monumental, but really, we all live lives of compromise and sorrow and in the end, we take nothing with us. Death is the one great democracy, it seems.
Great tribute to the hard work and journalism of Lester, John and Ed! Thank you!
Thanks for an excellent post. The last paragraph of your David Johansen answer about the terrible fates of some of the important figures in rock'n'roll is very sobering and moving. Very powerful writing. I like the "arguably" piece. The piece about Lester Bangs was very insightful: reading the part where you said that he had to be ON all the time, it struck me how similar his career and fate were to John Belushi's...I can't believe I hadn't made that connection before because I did follow them both and enjoyed their work and they had quite similar appearances and images. The last paragraph of the Lester Bangs answer is also very melancholy and moving. There is definitely a sad, wistful feel to this piece. Very well done.
If they're considered Rock & Roll -Connie Francis, Johnny Mathis and Paul Anka are still with us. I'd like to give some honorable mention to Johnny Thunder who passed away in 2024 at age 93 whose 1963 hit Loop deLoop (#4 ) was the first live act that I ever saw(Brooklyn Fox -Murray the K show)...The great Les Paul who died in 2009 at 94 was playing every Monday at The Iridium up to a few weeks before his death. He used to joke "You know I'm I'm 93 ,and I have a lot of problems --but my biggest problem is -I like older women.
And I forgot to mention Steve Cropper (83)- Elvin Bishop (82) & Charley Musselwhite (81)
Scored a meeting with Paul Nelson when he was A&R at Mercury. Sat in his office with our girl singer and lead guitarist, playing our demo (a Raspberries/Carpenters/ABBA sound). Nelson listened to a few seconds of each cut and shook his head. "You know about the New York Dolls, right?" he said. "That's what's going on right now. That's what people are gonna wanna hear ..." I'd lived near the Mercer Arts Center and heard the Dolls and knew how perfectly awful they were. I could feel my own and the others' hearts sinking as he droned on about the Dolls, while outside the window of his skyscraper office, a beautiful snow fell over midtown.
Little Anthony is 84... Gary U S Bonds is 86...
And we forgot Bill Wyman, 88. And wonderfully unrecognizable as a portly old bald guy walking to the local chip shop.
That's fun! It's depressing to apply an accounting/actuarial attitude to the lives of rock 'n' roll performers. I remember you wrote something in "Mystery Train" about Little Richard's lyrics "fool about my money, don't try to save" perplexing you when you first heard them as a young teenager. It's that recklessness that appeals to us but also often ruins their lives.
And Ian Hunter who just turned 86!
You hit the nail on the head with your take on Peter Wolf’s book. Having seen him live in recent years I know he can tell his stories in a more compelling manner. The Camden excursion on the way to Holland especially fell flat.
No doubt because of poor sound equipment, for the longest time I thought the line “Roy Orbison singing for the lonely” from “Thunder Road” was “Boy Innocent singing for the lonely.” I thought it was kind of eloquent.
A question I always meant to ask you was, did listening to your parents’ original cast albums helped you to develop a taste for unusual singing voices? That’s the thing I like about them, because to be in a stage musical you had to be able to act, and often had to be a comic actor, which meant that the Broadway singer was not the slickest item on record. It’s also a big reason why I generally can’t stand the contemporary Broadway cast album, where the vocalists now sound more like light opera.
Anyway, case in point for the old style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR9WjxsQx-4
Thank you.