JOHANSEN: I mean, it really holds up, you know? It's kind of like a declaration that I think is timeless. So I was writing, for example, like "Human Being," and I was thinking, God, how did I write that song? This is great. And, you know, I find that when I write something, it goes into my head better than if I just try to memorize it. But I had to have some kind of thing to look at. JOHANSEN: Yeah, because, you know, I hadn't sung them in God knows how long, you know? I mean, it wasn't like I had to relearn them from scratch because they kind of come back to you. GROSS: Oh, you had to relearn your own songs? But, you know, the thing that struck me was I had to kind of sit down and listen to the music, and write the words down and learn them. That's the - and, you know, people think I'm kidding when they ask, well, what was it like making that first record because, you know, it kind of became this benchmark kind of record? But that's really the only memory I have of it. GROSS: Any historian would want to know all about that. And that's really the only memory I have. And the only thing I remember is the lights on the control board. TERRY GROSS: So when you were on stage, you know, with the reunited and the new version of the Dolls and you were doing the old Doll songs, did you have any, like, flashbacks to things that you had totally forgotten about? Like, did memories, like, surface of things that were really interesting that you had completely forgotten about until you were back in that setting again?ĭAVID JOHANSEN: Well, I have memories, but, God, they're vague, you know? I mean, I remember the first time we made a record with Todd Rundgren. And there's one reason I'm telling you this. Listen when I tell you - you got no time for fits. Can't stop till it's all done, 'cause I'm never done. You know I can't be wasting time 'cause I got to have my fun. I couldn't believe the way you seemed to be, remembering the things you used to say to me. All the other kids were just dragging along. (Singing) I always saw you just before the dawn. NEW YORK DOLLS: When I say I'm in love, you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LOOKING FOR A KISS (LIVE)") It was written by David Johansen, who also sings lead. Their performance was recorded on a CD and DVD called, "The Return Of The New York Dolls (Live From Royal Festival Hall)." The interview starts with a track from the album called "Looking For A Kiss." The Dolls used to play this one in the '70s. The surviving members of the band had just reunited at the request of Morrissey for a festival in England. Terry Gross spoke to David Johansen in 2004. And they looked like prostitutes, male prostitutes, which at the time - you have to remember, it was a long time ago, and all of that kind of thing was really taboo.ĭAVIES: English singer Morrissey from the new Showtime documentary about the New York Dolls. MORRISSEY: So here were boys who were calling themselves dolls. (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "PERSONALITY CRISIS: ONE NIGHT ONLY") Their music was loud and rough, but more than that. He says he was obsessed with the New York Dolls as a teenager because they brought a sense of danger to rock. Here's a clip from the documentary with the English singer and songwriter Morrissey. It also includes new and archival interviews with him and others. Johansen is the subject of a new Showtime documentary, co-directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi, called "Personality Crisis: One Night Only." Much of the documentary is built around Johansen's 2020 performance at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City as Buster Poindexter. He's also performed in his persona, Buster Poindexter, a pompadour-wearing lounge lizard, and he's played the blues with his band David Johansen and the Harry Smiths. David Johansen is a founding member of the New York Dolls, a legendary 1970s band that never sold many records but paved the way for punk rock.
0 kommentar(er)
