Original subtitles

ARTHUR KANE: It took me over an hour to get-- uh, get there.

The Santa Monica bus from, uh, over here, uh--

Santa Monica and, um, Wilshire.

Took me over an hour to get into Hollywood.

Should wait til the-- we should get the four,

the next one that's coming.

This doesn't stop at the, um, the Family History Center.

I'm still, uh, at this point--

I'm single.

I'm not married.

I'm eligible to go out on dates.

I'm available for that type of stuff,

but because I work in the-- uh, I work in the temple,

I have to go very easy on these relationships.

And it's not, you know, instant sex and wham, bam, thank you,

ma'am stuff, you know?

I just-- this is not, you know, what it once was.

We don't even live in a world that--

that world doesn't exist anymore.

And so I'm spoiled from the past.

And it's hard to--

it's hard to put those--

those memories kind of get-- uh, it's hard to put them away.

They're my fondest memories.

[MUSIC - JOHNNY THUNDERS, "YOU CAN'T PUT

YOUR ARMS AROUND A MEMORY"]

JOHNNY THUNDERS: [singing] It doesn't pay to try.

All the smart boys know why.

It doesn't mean I didn't try.

People that get into bands and people that are musicians,

whether they are conscious of it or not,

they're usually looking for something up there.

And they're usually looking for the truth.

Arthur told me, I want to start this band, a really

wild rock and roll band.

And, uh, I want to call it the Dolls.

Gee, that's a great name.

For, for, for a rock band, Doll.

The Dolls?

This is a great thing.

He had a groove.

The groove came out of the fact he loved the band he was in

and loved the song he was playing.

On stage, um, he moved a bit robotically, kind

of like a giant Frankenstein.

He doesn't look like he would be that active.

Arthur couldn't breathe and play bass at the same time.

He would take, like, a deep breath [breathes in], and then,

like, bang out a bunch of notes, and then stop and then take

a deep breath, [breathes in], and then

bang out a bunch of notes.

And that was the uniqueness.

You don't, kind of, mix a tutu with engineer boots.

But Arthur would take the engineer boots

and paint them yellow or something.

And so on the one hand he seemed, kind of,

a bit effeminate, but on the other hand,

he was a very big, solid, macho guy.

JOHNNY THUNDERS: [singing] You can't

put your arm around a memory.

Don't try.

Don't try.

You're just a bastard kid, and you got no name.

Cause you're living with me, we're one and the same.

And even though they don't show--

NINA ANTONIA: Where Arthur was was struggling with alcohol,

Johnny and Jerry were struggling with heroine.

BOB GRUEN: Arthur was too drunk to play.

And because Johnny and Jerry were too stoned to play,

the drums became more important to them than the band.

From driving around in limousines and playing

in the Olympia Theatre and living some type of, you know,

truly magnificent-- um, to living

a life that most people don't get a chance to live on Earth.

To having that and then losing that--

losing that because of bad behavior and our use of drugs

and all of that stuff.

We-- we had lost the New York Dolls just a few years

into-- into the whole thing.

JOHNNY THUNDERS: [singing] Don't try.

Don't try.

Don't try.

Don't try.

I'm demoted from rock star to shlub on the bus.

Gotta go.

INTERVIEWER: How did you get the name Killer Kane?

OK.

The first article written about the New York Dolls

mentioned killer bass lines.

Killer as a descriptive adjective

talking about, uh, my bass playing, killer bass lines.

But one of the adversaries of, um, Buck Rogers

was someone they called The Leader Kane, or Killer Kane.

Hey, Killer.

I became Killer Kane.

Hey, Killer.

Yeah, Killer Kane.

That's Arthur.

You wouldn't know it, because he's very quiet.

He's very quiet.

And-- but he's-- he's--

that's true.

He's still-- he's still got the playing in him.

You never forget that, I guess.

Because my name is Arthur, the guitar's nickname is Excalibur.

And we want to get--

according to the legend-- straight, Excalibur is not--

is not the name of the sword that Arthur

drew from the stone.

Excalibur is the name of the sword given to Arthur

by the Lady of the Lake.

I am the anchorman. - Are you?

To tell the truth, um--

OK.

Even if-- even if, um, I don't actually count off the song,

I'm responsible for, um, keeping the tempo, uh--

Yes.

Maintaining that everything is flowing smoothly,

and that all the beginnings and ends of the songs

can flow together.

I started working with him everyday,

and he works, like, three days a week.

He keeps the copiers with--

loaded with paper.

All the different stations that we have here in the library,

and he does all of that.

He's-- he's a terrific guy.

Knowing Arthur for, I guess, about two years,

and I remember he said he had a band.

And I had no idea they were as popular

as they were in New York and that he

was such an important part of their group.

Can't believe I know a rock star.

Who'd of thought?

[laughs] Yes.

He had extreme humility.

He really did.

Yet here he is connected to one of the most

raucous, notorious rock and roll bands in musical history.

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "TRASH"]

DAVID JOHANSEN: [singing] Trash, won't pick it up.

Take them lights away.

Trash, won't pick it up.

Don't take your life away.

Trash, won't pick it up.

Don't try to take my knife away.

And, please, don't you ask me if I love you.

If you don't know what I'm doing--

Because it was such fantastic pop music,

it just seemed to me like the absolute answer to everything.

The MC5 and the Stooges were good,

but it was the Dolls that were really exciting.

They came out of a New York City that was, uh,

broke and on the rocks, and therefore,

had wide openings for rock and roll to emerge like-- uh,

like weeds in cracked cement.

The New York Dolls impact on London was--

um, it was a bomb going off.

They assimilated all this music into their sound.

And, you know, at the time it was-- it was too much for most

people to be able to handle.

DAVID JOHANSEN: [singing] --won't pick it up.

Don't take my knife away.

Trash, won't pick it up.

Forgot to take them all away.

And, please, don't you ask me if I love you.

Cause I don't know if I do.

I want to wipe it out here with you.

You must remember that from the point of view of anyone

who loved music, music was dead.

People forget how absolutely dank things were, how

dank life was and pop art was.

Do either a stupid, um, in my opinion, heavy metal.

[music playing]

[record scratches]

All had these nonsensical prog-rock rubbish.

There was no sense of danger within pop music at all.

[drums]

NINA ANTONIA: Well, they were all wearing Afghan coats,

and they all played 25 minute drum solos, and it was boring.

What can I say?

Growing up in the New York City area

and being a teenager when the Dolls were at their peak,

they were gods to me.

The New York Dolls were like--

they were kind of like a pinhole of light in the early 70s.

You know, their image was somewhat

disturbing to a lot of people.

MORRISSEY: So here were boys who were calling themselves Dolls,

and they looked like prostitutes, male prostitutes.

And, um, it was extraordinary.

I loved the Osmonds and David Cassidy and everything.

I thought they were cute, and they were sweet,

and they were easy to photograph,

and they were easy to work with.

But suddenly I'm looking at this bunch, and I thought, OK.

Fasten your belts.

We're in for good time now.

DAVID JOHANSEN: Say man, they tell me you're pretty good.

Don't you know you're in my neighborhood?

They tell me you're pretty fast on them feets.

You best be at the dance down on 14th street, you hear?

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "(THERE'S GONNA

BE A) SHOWDOWN"]

[singing] Yeah, there's gonna be a showdown.

Yeah, there's gonna be a showdown.

MORRISSEY: The list is astonishing.

The Pretenders, the Sex Pistols, the Clash,

the Damned, Generation X--

the list is absolutely endless.

We took a lot from the New York Dolls.

We took a lot.

You know, they were, like, really, really

raw rock and roll.

Really high energy, great songs, and they looked like they

came from Mars or somewhere.

NINA ANTONIA: It was-- it was like a telegram

from outer space.

Just like this fantastic comet suddenly lands,

and it's multi-colored, and it's gorgeous,

and it makes the most fabulous sound.

The most important thing was style to them.

And that made such a massive impression.

The world wasn't ready.

It seems to take--

it seems to take the pop world 30 years to understand anybody,

to really understand a group or an artist.

And often it takes deaths within the group.

And then people say, oh, yes, we do like those people

now that they're not here.

And there's no reason on Earth why it shouldn't have happened.

But for some strange reason, this group

has always been cursed.

LEE BLACK CHILDERS: Johnny and Jerry formed the Heartbreakers.

David and Syl, for a while, continued

on being the New York Dolls.

Arthur, I think, then at that time pretty much

went off on his own.

[MUSIC - JOHNNY THUNDERS, "IN COLD BLOOD."

MAN 1: He was in several other bands.

He went to hell--

he moved to Los Angeles.

He formed a band called Killer Kane

with a former guitar player.

And when that didn't work out, then he

formed another band with Jerry Nolan of the Dolls

called Idols.

And they were around for about a year or two.

And then he returned to New York,

and he formed another band called the Corpse Grinders.

And then he moved back to Los Angeles,

and with his wife, Barbara.

Well I had the unique experience of being a rock

star's wife that had no money.

I was not the pampered pet that some of these women

are, living in beautiful mansions, driving nice cars,

et cetera, et cetera.

MAN 2: He was down and out for a long time.

MORRISSEY: He was very, very sad and very,

very embittered about his the way his life had turned out.

He had never earned money from the Dolls,

yet anybody who remotely imitated the Dolls were

having millions of dollars thrown up at them.

I think that was very difficult for him to live with.

Especially when, you know, seeing how successful Johnny

had become and Jerry and then David with his alter ego,

Buster Pointdexter.

I think it was hard on him.

I think it was very hard on him.

MORRISSEY: There was so much pain in his eyes.

And I don't think he really enjoyed his life.

Because Arthur was a rock artist, he didn't have much--

many skills.

We both were doing some extra film work.

A lot of sci-fi and action adventure.

I was in "Critters."

We were in "Spaceballs," "Innerspace."

I had no money.

We had no friends.

I was just-- I couldn't get off the booze.

I was smoking, also.

He had seen one of the Dolls--

I won't say who-- on TV.

Hey, you don't mind if I smoke, do you?

Smoke! Smoke!

Just drive!

[laughs]

It flipped him out so much, and hurt him

so much, that he went out and drank

a quart of peppermint schnapps.

He ripped all my clothes off.

He started to beat me with the cat furniture.

And I left him.

And that's when he jumped out the kitchen window.

I went out the window thinking that I could do it.

I didn't.

WOMAN: He jumped out of the third story.

The planter box broke his fall.

I landed on my head.

I shattered my kneecap.

And I also shattered my left elbow, and to this day,

I have a couple of metal screws hanging out of here.

It took me a year to teach myself how to walk again.

In AA, this is called being at rock bottom.

I was sitting in bed, and I had a--

I had a Bible.

But I also had a TV Guide, and I was

watching [inaudible] on the TV.

And it was--

I happened to notice in--

in the TV Guide was an ad for a church.

And the church was called The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They say, send for the Book of Mormon.

It's free.

I thought, well, I'll make a phone call,

and they'll mail me a book.

And then maybe I'll read the book, or maybe I won't.

You know, we'll see what they got--

you know, maybe it's Jehovah's Witnesses

or whatever it might be.

I don't know what design.

So he called the Book of Mormon people.

Well they don't send it.

They bring it.

Um, two beautiful, uh, young, blonde missionaries

came to my door--

Mormon missionaries came to my door.

And they said, well--

INTERVIEWER: Sister missionaries?

Sister-- sister missionaries, yeah.

And they said, hello, we're here to teach you your seven

basic gospel principle classes.

I think it was one late afternoon I decided to give it

a whirl, and sincerely prayed to find out if the Book of Mormon

was true.

And tell the truth, I received an answer, pretty much,

right away.

And the only thing I could liken it to, from my experiences--

from my experiences, was that it was a bit like a trip.

An LSD trip from the Lord.

Well I think it happens a little differently to everyone.

Well a lot of people describe it as a burning.

That they feel a burning sensation in their chest.

They sense it in a way that is very difficult to describe.

It was like a drug experience, but there

were no drugs involved.

When he told me he said, you're

never gonna believe this, but I've converted to Mormonism.

[choir singing]

MAN 3: Joining the Mormon church changed things for him.

MAN 4: The Mormon thing, I think,

gave him some kind of a purpose.

Because he did have something to do.

He had to go to these--

he went to his job there.

And, you know, he would go to the services.

And so-- and he was really, you know, into doing it.

Oh, you know, where is Arthur tonight?

And he's like, oh, you know, he couldn't make it out tonight.

He's got church in the morning.

And I'm like, church?

Wait, you know, what are you talking about?

Because, you know, not a lot of people go to church.

Very paradoxical, when you think of this guy in lipstick

and fishnet tights and, you know,

creating chaos around the world becoming a Mormon.

You know, just kind of--

it'd be like Donny Osmond becoming a New York Doll.

Nothing to believe in but nothing.

A lot of heroin, a lot of drugs, nothing.

I'm always happy when someone finds

something they can believe in.

[MUSIC - THE SHANGRI LAS, "OUT IN THE STREETS"]

THE SHANGRI-LAS: [singing] He don't hang around with the gang

no more.

And he don't do the wild things that he did before.

Ooh.

He used to act bad.

Used to, but he quit it.

It makes me so sad, cause I know that he did it for me.

And I can see his heart is out in the street.

It would become a bit lonely for me

for the first couple of years, uh, in church.

Russ Tippett was assigned as Arthur's home teacher.

In theory, at least, every member of the Church

is assigned a home teacher.

Expected to make at least one visit a month

at the home, sometimes more, depending on how things are

and depending on their level of friendship.

I mean, he on many times, when we were driving

to and from church, expressed to me

frustrations with the church.

OK, turning point--

big turning point, even in the Mormon church,

for me was-- and just, even recently--

although I joined in 1989--

was, uh, Mac McGregor saying, hey, gotta job for you

in the family history center.

And he says, it's a calling, if you'd like.

I think it was a little bit of a shock to him.

And he had his way of showing his surprise.

Well Arthur Kane might be a good candidate for working

in the Family History Library.

It might be something that would interest him

and that he would like to do.

And tell the truth, it was perfect.

And that was perfect.

And tell the truth, working for Jesus Christ,

and working for the Church of Jesus Christ

made all the difference in the world.

[choir music]

EARL SANDERS: He works with people

here that come in and are looking

for their great-great-great grandmother

or great-great grandfather, and that's really

a difficult, difficult thing.

Two weeks after I started working in the family history

library, I was going through the, uh,

social security death records and found out

that my dad had passed away.

My own dad-- I used to say--

I have no brothers and sisters.

I had my mom and dad.

My mom passed me when I was 17.

About a year or so later, my dad got married to someone.

Of course, I didn't want to ever talk to him.

And that was the end of my family life.

He discovered that his dad had died.

And he'd never have found out about it in any other way,

except he read it there.

It was-- it was such a shock to him to realize that here,

his own father--

he had to learn about it by reading it

in the family history center.

SINGER: [singing] A poor way-fairing man--

Arthur was always short on finances.

Uh, his rent was paid by Social Security disability.

You know, he would run low even on grocery money.

He tasted success at a young age

and had his expectations raised very high.

And, of course, he never met those expectations

or came anywhere close to meeting those expectations.

Me and him, we'd go out to see bands a lot.

And you know, we should be up there playing.

What's this stuff, man?

You know?

He goes, why are we standing there looking at these guys?

They don't-- you know, so he'd get pissed off.

And that was-- he wasn't even drunk.

So if he was drunk, forget about it.

That's all he talked about was the Dolls

and getting back together.

That's all he had on his mind was getting

the Dolls back together.

It was, sort of, his life.

He was always wanting it to happen,

but there was no real, uh, solid way of going about it.

There was a scripture read to Arthur

in a home teaching lesson, and it's in Mormon 9:21

in the Book of Mormon.

"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ,

doubting nothing whatsoever, he shall

ask the Father in the name of Christ,

it shall be granted him.

And this promise is unto all, even

unto the ends of the earth."

Well the Meltdown Festival is an annual festival in England.

And it's-- um, one person is appointed, if you like,

the caretaker of the event.

And this year it was me.

And I get an email from a friend

I hadn't heard of in 30 years.

He says, oh, Arthur, I understand you're in town--

you'll be in town playing Morrissey's Meltdown

and at the Royal Festival this summer.

I didn't know who to call.

I got-- I got several emails.

And I got some emails from some girls

in France who each had Johnny Thunders and their own New

York Dolls websites.

But I figured, listen, I'm going to find out about this.

Let me call the guy who is mainly responsible, Morrissey.

So I had a number for him that I hadn't called in five years.

It was just his private number, because I know he

has a place to stay here in LA.

So I called the number, and I was shocked

to get him on the phone.

He was shocked that I was calling him also.

He said, please tell me what's going on.

He was so full of doubts.

Could it possibly be?

David really wants to do it, play those songs,

we're going to be together, we're going to rehearse.

I'm going to go to New York and rehearse with them.

I said, Arthur, people love the Dolls

and they want it to happen, and it's going

to be absolutely wonderful.

Probably right across the street

from the Houses of Parliament, you know, and the river Thames.

And Big Ben, it'll be around the corner and the whole thing.

His head was so full of dreams.

He just started talking about, you know, stories from 30 years

ago with the Dolls, his hopes of,

you know, what his future career would be like,

how much he was looking forward to getting

back together with David Johansen and Syl Sylvain.

And, uh, you know, he was just--

he was just so happy.

It was-- it was a beautiful sight to behold.

It's something that's meant to be.

And to say, all of the cards are being, uh,

you know, laid out on the table just,

you know, for-- uh, for this--

for this event to take place.

This historic musical event to take place.

How can I go from the Family History Center

to the Royal Albert Hall in one fell swoop?

INTERVIEWER: Tell me where we just came from.

Well we just came from the pawn shop, where I had

gotten a loan on this guitar.

I was in jeopardy of losing some of my guitars

into the pawn shop, because I didn't

have the money to even to pay the interest on the loan.

For several years he had been paying the pawnshop $175 a year

so that they could keep his guitars, when all he had to do

was pay them $262 to get the guitars out of the pawnshop.

Well he just looked at me quizzically,

as if it had never really occurred

to him that he could do that.

In retrospect, perhaps the reason it never occurred to him

was because he never had $262 at any one time

that would have enabled him to do that.

Why not?

Yeah-- There you go, buddy.

You're all set.

ARTHUR KANE: This is pretty good.

You know, he was very nervous.

He was excited, but he was nervous too.

He was really nervous.

INTERVIEWER: What was he nervous about?

Playing the gig.

I mean, he's going to play a festival.

He hasn't played in--

you know, with these guys in 30 something years.

And he's going to go to London and play a festival

in front of 100,000 people.

Pretty scary for a guy like him.

Um, OK.

It doesn't sound like much at the moment, you know, but--

I asked him, Arthur, are you nervous about getting together

for the first time after 30 years?

And his response was, I'm not nervous about anything.

The only thing I'm nervous about is this guy they're getting

to replace Johnny Thunders.

You know, I'm nervous that he's not going to be able to keep up

with the rest of us.

In the beginning, no one was sure how Arthur was going

to be, because he hadn't--

I mean, Sylvain's been playing, David's been playing.

I guess Arthur had been out of music for a while.

Arthur's always-- they were always asking, can Arthur play?

Can Arthur play?

OK, because I play a bass guitar, which

is a large guitar, I'm not running around on stage

doing power slides and, you know, setting a guitar on fire,

and playing it with my teeth upside down.

This stuff, you know.

It's just not something bass players do.

Most bass players, you just get in the groove

and stay there and keep it together.

INTERVIEWER: I mean, you guys may

become Arthur Kane groupies.

[laughs] We could, I guess.

We could.

I'm a little bit old, but then I can still be a group,

I guess.

[laughs]

What I am worried about--

the fans partying like it's, you know, 1999, what have,

you know.

I'm worried that all the fans are going

to view, uh, the Dolls as being the same party guys we

were when we were 19 years old.

We're-- we'd come out in the hallway of the hotel,

and there were people sleeping there

in the hallway after the show.

But not just one or two.

It was 30 or 40.

And so when you go on tour and do that type of stuff--

INTERVIEWER: Are you worried, Arthur, that--

Fans are all over the place.

INTERVIEWER: --that could happen again?

Well, I tell the truth, it should happen again.

It's just it's something you gotta get used

to it if you're not used to it.

Let's say, for 30 years I've been ignored

and been living in obscurity and been

told that I'm just a loser.

And now, well, we want to get back to that fan excitement.

But I have to get used to it, because it's something

I haven't done in 30 years.

DAVID JOHANSEN: OK, everybody ready?

This is a campy song.

Is everybody ready?

OK, are you rolling?

OK.

Lonely Planet Boy, one, two, three, four.

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "LONELY PLANET BOY"]

DAVID JOHANSEN: [singing] Well it's hard.

Well it's hard.

Well it's a lonely planet joy when you bring

me some from them other boys.

That's when I'm a lonely planet boy

and I'm trying for your love.

Whoa.

SYLVAIN SYLVAIN: And we came that first day to rehearsal.

Uh, even that first day I was still like,

I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.

Because, you know, David didn't show up.

It was sort of, like--

you know, it was frustrating in a way, because we, you know,

we knew where we stood, me and Arthur.

And all of a sudden we have, like,

new guys that we really never knew or even met before,

you know.

And they're telling us, you know, sort of,

our music better than-- they know our music

better than us, almost.

You know, go, oh--

The Dolls had played together in, what, almost 30 years.

So, uh, you know nobody knew if it was going to gel,

or if it was going to be a disaster.

Uh, I'm gonna start and actually, you know,

[singing] And now you're--

[humming]

This is a very well known jazz studio.

It's probably the best rehearsal studio in New York City.

And today we have been privileged to be

graced by the New York Dolls.

Probably the coolest band that's ever come here.

[singing] And now you're wrong.

Ow!

It's the first time I got to meet these guys in the Dolls.

I've heard about them, but, you know,

it's pretty exciting to be working

with some of the original guys.

C to F, yeah, C to F.

I don't know.

I thought it was E, but maybe-- in D,

but maybe it's E. Maybe you're right.

I'm not sure.

Does it go to E flat?

Some things are in different keys, which I guess is maybe

not so easy to do after you've played a song

or written a song in a certain key, like Arthur has.

Arthur had been out of music for a while, maybe

played a gig once every couple years.

Maybe the first few minutes or something,

he might have been a little bit flustered and said,

hey, what am I doing here?

But, you know, after a couple of times through.

MAN 6: With the modulation--

I'm still lost.

DAVID JOHANSEN: Happens all the time.

Happens all the time.

INTERVIEWER: So David Johansen wasn't there today.

ARTHUR KANE: No.

INTERVIEWER: How'd you feel about that?

ARTHUR KANE: Uh, you know, it took the pressure off of being

there today, in that sense.

Over the years he came to look at David

Johansen as something of an adversary,

rather than a friend.

And I think that seen him on TV

and as the alter ego of Buster Poindexter--

[MUSIC - BUSTER POINDEXTER, "HOT, HOT, HOT"]

BUSTER POINDEXTER: [singing] Party people all around me

feeling hot, hot, hot.

--I think it bothered him and felt that he was taking

a part of a life that he-- that Arthur

should have been sharing in.

By the time, uh, they got to New York for the rehearsals,

that Arthur was expecting a very chilly reception from David.

Because he had this thing in his head about David, you know.

And him and David had this thing going, I don't know what.

And David didn't want to talk to him,

because he had heard all this stuff that Arthur

was saying about him.

And Arthur was saying all these bad things,

saying, oh, these guys are making money.

They're in cahoots.

I-- I talked to the Bishop the other day about the anxieties.

Especially about David Johansen, you know, maybe

playing tricks on people or making it, you know, difficult.

But tell the truth, I explained who

David Johansen was and about, you know, all of this stuff.

And the bishop just told me-- he said, Arthur-- he said,

be a good Latter-day Saint.

Do your job and everything will be fine.

[rehearsal music]

[singing] He don't hang around--

He don't do the things that he did before.

[singing]

Out in the street.

She don't hang around with the gang no more.

Out in the street.

She don't hang around with the gang no more.

Out in the street.

She don't hang around with the gang no more.

Out in the street.

Hey!

I love it, boys.

It feels good. It feels good.

I did. I shaved.

I shaved.

Hey, can we turn this up?

MAN: I'm sure we can.

I didn't know what they were thinking, but I didn't even--

I just felt like, I'm going to go

in and enjoy these guy's company, because, you know,

I love them.

So--

When I saw Arthur, he seemed genuinely happy

that he and David were, as he put it, friends again.

I didn't see any tension. s You know,

maybe individually they were a little nervous or something.

But they certainly didn't show it,

and they just seemed like old pals

just getting together again.

Yeah, we kind of picked up where we left off, right?

Which is the way it should be.

INTERVIEWER: Well my impression was

that you left off in a trailer court in Florida

screaming at each other. - [laughs] Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: I think you came back in a much better spot.

[david johansen singing]

Oh, how are they going to do in London?

Ah, well, we'll wait and see.

I don't really know.

I think the band sounds great.

Uh, in a lot of cases I think it sounds,

I mean, better than the records.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

You know, the newspapers over there,

if they can't say something nasty about you,

they can't say anything at all.

I don't know.

I don't even think about it.

Go out there, give the best you've got,

and that's-- that's all you are.

And why try to be something you're not?

You know, so we'll see how the show's going to go.

But I'm going in there like, it's going to be great.

These guys sound great, you know.

He is absolutely convinced that he is going to go out

there and perform perfectly.

He is going to do everything just exactly right.

If there is a weak link, it is not going to be him.

[MUSIC - THE CLASH, "LONDON CALLING"]

JOE STRUMMER [singing] London calling the faraway towns.

Now war is declared and battle come down.

London calling to the underworld.

Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls.

London calling.

Now don't look to us.

Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust.

This [inaudible].

OK.

I get a phone here.

We got a phone here.

I got a-- connections for two, um, couple computers

or something like that.

There's another phone in the bathroom.

And, um, I'm just saying.

There's more stuff in this room than I have in my apartment.

As far as living comfortably, you know.

I don't have a plug for three phones-- and a computer

plug-in the system, you know.

Nor-- nor do I have a beautiful, you know,

mahogany desk or any of this other stuff, you know.

And it's nice stuff.

So tell truth, I'd be just as happy to stay

here and look at the Thames for the rest of my life, you know.

The Millennium wheel, and watch the people go by.

There's nicer furniture here than in my place at home.

I got a bunch of junk.

[laughs] Makes my place looks like rinky dink.

We'd like this mahogany, uh, and the big chairs and the official

looking desk and all the stuff.

[music playing]

I was very lucky in the first time

that I ever discovered the dolls

MORRISSEY: They appeared very famously on the Old Grey

Whistle Test, which, in those very dark days of '73,

was a fantastic vision.

It's because the Old Grey Whistle Test was predominantly

a really boring, really serious rock show

that I hardly ever watched.

And then all of a sudden the New York Dolls were on it,

and their appearance on the Old Grey Whistle Test

had a huge effect on the up and coming punk generation,

which was my age group.

I, kind of, grew my hair like Johnny

Thunders's as much as possible.

And used to go around in very high heeled shoes.

I was 13, and it was the right time.

And for everybody, there's an artist that catches you

just at the right time, an artist or a group,

and you never let them go.

And they can never disappoint you.

And the Dolls were that for me.

After Ziggy Stardust, probably the most

influential group of my life--

Here was this wild, totally tumultuous band just making

this glorious racket, and they didn't care

about 25 minute drum solos.

And they upset the presenter of the show, who

set and called it Mock Rock.

Mock Rock.

[laughs] The New York Dolls.

DON LETTS: Boring old fart--

Whispering Bob Harris, they called him--

was kind of taking the piss.

And he's like-- he called it Mock Rock.

But when he said that, what he didn't realize

is the thousands of, kind of, alienated kids were like, yeah!

This is our band.

You know, he was trying to put them down,

but in fact, he went like this with them.

Well when they came to London that first time

with Billy Murcia, they really were a hair's breath

away from stardom, of achieving everything they wanted,

of getting a great record deal.

There was a good record deal on the table for them.

Um, it was being set up the night that Billy died.

And everybody was expecting the Dolls to walk on the stage,

and of course, they didn't.

There was just suddenly an announcement

that Billy had died, and everybody buhrrr, just

collapsed.

There were two English groupies.

And they said, oh yes, we remember.

We took Billy back to our apartment,

and he was very stoned on Mandrax and alcohol.

And he passed out, so we put him in a bathtub of cold water,

and we poured hot coffee down his throat.

Basically what these two dumb groupies did

was suffocate Billy.

Is it-- it changes from being this really cute little glam

fairy story, to be becoming much more hardcore as they

go along and building up this rep--

this dangerous reputation.

Since then, the replacement drummer, Jerry Nolan, has died.

Johnny Thunders, obviously, his died.

This is a blighted band.

It really is.

Isn't that strange.

After all these years of writing and talking about it, it's--

Had it not been for heroin, Johnny and Jerry

would have been at the show.

[MUSIC PLAYING

Now this is the point in the proceedings when, um, best

leave your trousers on, because I'm

gonna take a great deal of money off of you, again,

this afternoon--

We had to go to this banquet.

Like, such a punishing banquet, I mean, in my opinion.

Arthur was just having the time of his life.

Arthur looked over at one point and said, isn't this delicious?

This is the most delicious luncheon I've ever had.

He was just-- he was having a blast.

He loved it.

Hello, there, sir.

Sorry to interrupt.

You're Arthur Killer Kane, aren't you?

I am a great fan or yours.

A great fan of yours.

I came to you earlier, but I'd just

like to say, thank you so much.

Oh, you're welcome.

Good thinking.

You're beautiful.

Ma'am.

Are you enjoying your fish?

To present this award with Art--

very, very thrilled indeed.

And one of the seminal rock and roll

acts ever to come out of New York, the original Jet Boys,

give it up for the New York Dolls.

[cheers and applause]

It gives me great pleasure.

After he gets this award, he's gonna go straight to hospital

and sing a couple of tunes to cheer up the kids.

Let's hear it for Morrissey.

[cheers and applause]

[inaudible] with you tonight so I won't be.

I'd just like to say, thank you for this.

I'd like to say, thank you to the Dolls,

the only reason why I'm here, really.

Thank you to [inaudible], and, uh, God bless everybody.

Thank you.

MAN: Have to take a look at this photo--

All right, we'll see you later.

Here.

Okay.

Let's go.

Do you want some coffee?

DAVID JOHANSEN: When I say I'm in love,

you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V.

MAN 7: One more time you can go on.

DAVID JOHANSEN: When I say I'm in love,

you best believe I'm in love, L-U-V.

We got to see Johnny Thunders, mostly.

Sometimes Jerry Nolan would be with them.

Sometimes, uh, Sylvain Sylvain.

You know, but, this is the first time the actual Dolls.

They became a legend because they burned themselves.

Because, you know, there's a rock and roll

way of life, drugs, going fast.

This make the legend.

Fan for 20 years.

I'm really looking forward to this.

My mind is positive for the show.

Because it's like, you're going to meet old friend,

you know, from a long time.

So what's happen, happen.

I mean, if-- if your friend is, uh, more old, or more fat,

this is not a problem.

We are here for the music.

There is the story around the music,

but basically, it's the music.

If the play good, it's OK for me.

INTERVIEWER: You know, you mentioned Arthur Kane--

Yeah.

I thought he was dead.

I thought he'd went missing in action in LA or something

after the riots.

You guys better be nice to us this time,

or we're not coming back for another 30 years.

INTERVIEWER: Are you worried at all about tonight?

No.

INTERVIEWER: How come?

Um, we've done our homework.

We've done our homework, we put in the time,

we learned the songs.

And now-- and there's a tremendous spirit that--

at the bottom of the New York Dolls.

And it's got to do with me, Syl, and David.

There are three living New York Dolls,

and there are three dead New York Dolls.

And so the people who are dead, they are

with us also in spirit somehow.

This is not-- this is like me being

in the Family History Center.

We're playing for our fans.

They want us to sound good.

They-- they're encouraging us to sound good, and they--

they're-- their hopes and dreams are with us, you know.

So, to me, that type of audience.

To me that's not even--

that's not an audience, you know.

It's just a bunch of friends.

I may be a dreamer, but the dream has come true, you know?

I'm going to ask the people at the Marriott Essex house,

where did you get this long jacket thing?

It's pretty hip.

INTERVIEWER: So, now, explain that again.

You'd like to dress like one of the bellhops?

Well I don't know if it's the bellhop or whatever.

But there is someone here--

there's someone on the staff that's wearing

a-- kind of, a formal long jacket

with little gold epaulets--

The society calls the Golden Keys.

Has any rock star ever asked for your coat before?

Uh, no. First time.

First time I've had this request, yes.

Where is the jacket?

INTERVIEWER: The concierge gave up his jacket for you.

Well I guess we don't have any buttons on here, but--

Not bad.

This is not bad.

I would definitely--

You wear what you want to wear.

- Yeah. - But you look cool in it.

I think that looked pretty cool.

MAN: Do you want somebody to go get your leather pants, Arthur?

He was telling me just today that he's bought some boots,

and he wants to find a long coat that goes down to his knees.

He wants to convey a Joseph Smith kind of image.

He said, I have, kind of, a white ruffly

shirt and black leather pants.

Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, you know, pick your prophet.

That's who Arthur wants to be when he's

wants to be when he's on stage.

Um, I may be on time.

But rock n' roll is not on time.

Yeah, go for it.

Really.

I just didn't find any feather bows.

Oh.

You guys good?

You steal my heart.

NARRATOR: Okay guys, we're on stage in 20 minutes.

You look great by the way.

It's really-- you put together a fabulous outfit.

And you know the pirate-- the whole pirate

thing, the whole swashbuckling thing, is very [french]

Johnny Depp.

Johnny Depp, yeah, [inaudible].

[cheering]

Right.

This is going to be a night you better believe it.

We have people ready for it.

Make some noise.

Is that your guy.

I mean you're lovely.

John Smith, and his wonderful Brigham Young people.

Oh

I'm going to take the Mormon tobacco

assessment blessing program.

What else do you have to do?

Yeah they didn't smoke when Moses went up on the hill.

Caffeine turns you into a speed freak.

KANE: Yeah.

Nicotine is the most addictive drug there is.

KANE: Oh, that's, that's--

David I'm saying the prayer today.

You are? Okay.

Yeah.

Our kind and gracious Heavenly Father,

as we bow our heads before Thee this day,

we wish to thank Thee.

It is with gratitude in our hearts

that we wish to thank Thee for the many multiple blessings

that you bring into our lives.

All of our lives, and dear help me father,

if there was any band that is sound--

wishes to thank you for this great blessing,

it's the New York Dolls.

We ask that the spirits of Johnny, Billy, and Jerry

be with us this evening, also.

And dear Heavenly Father, we ask that we play well.

That we have fun.

The audience has fun.

And that everyone will have a great time.

And dear Heavenly Father, for these things

we pray in the name of thy beloved Son

and that's the Jesus Christ.

Amen.

ALL: Amen.

Oh, Arthur.

Very well put, baby.

Beautiful.

Let's hit it!

And now.

For a kid from New York, Ha came to do this,

change the world with his rock.

Please welcome the New York Dolls!

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "JET BOY FLY"]

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Who's so fly up in the sky?

Faster than any boy could ever describe.

Who has got a love so deep?

With everything alive, I said

ALL: (SINGING) Jet boys fly.

Jet boy's gone.

Jet boy stole my baby!

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Flyin' around New York City so high

like he was my baby.

This is the kinda place where no one

cares what you're living for.

But Jet boy's so preoccupied, he don't care about before,

that's why--

ALL: (SINGING) Jet boys fly.

Jet boy's gone.

Jet boy stole my baby.

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) He's flyin' around New York City so high,

like he was my baby.

My baby.

Well I was worried that the reality would destroy the myth.

My kids listen to the Dolls, because typically, they've

gone through dad's collection.

And I said I've got tickets for the Dolls.

After they got out of school.

And they said, we don't want to go.

And I said, excuse me?

The New York Dolls?

You know?

And they said, no, because it won't

be like the poster on the wall and it

won't be like the record.

And as I left tonight, they refused to come,

they were playing the record and looking at the poster.

But they were afraid, kind of like me, that I

was just reliving my youth.

Because you fear the-- you fear the absolute

worst in these events.

And you're convinced that it can only be disappointing.

And the past is the past.

And it's a long time ago.

And whoever made that great music

is now going to look silly.

But that wasn't the case.

The guys delivered, 100%.

They did it absolutely right, and everybody was just aghast.

Jet boys fly.

Jet boy's gone.

Jet boy stole my baby.

Flyin' around New York City so high, like he was my baby.

I don't think he ever really believed that he would ever

be standing on a stage playing those songs again,

with David and Sylvain.

And-- I just--

watching him throughout the night,

I could just see a sense of bewilderment, sadness, and joy.

Everything was in his face.

And I think he was just praying throughout the night.

Praying with thanks to somebody whom he now believed in.

[MUSIC - BYU SINGERS, "GIVE ME JESUS"]

JOHANSEN: When the Dolls broke up,

I kind of, like, took a look at myself, you know, and said,

you know, you're such an asshole.

And I started changing.

You know, Arthur is such a beautiful, brilliant, droll,

but, like, sensitive cat.

You know.

His inner core is strong, man, he can stand firm,

stand up for himself.

NARRATOR: David, I notice that Arthur didn't

move around a lot on stage.

No.

The vibes of bass actually makes you have--

I've got to stand still here.

Because I'm getting such severe vibrations coming through.

And It's all down there, you know, it's in the loin.

I don't think it's really about the personality.

I think it's about, how is God playing through him.

So if he loves God, he'd be a great bass player.

David Johansen, still a fantastic showman.

Sylvain is the heart and soul.

And Arthur truly remains the only living

statue in rock n' roll.

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "JET BOY FLY"]

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

When jet boys fly you know he's gone.

He been gone, gone gone gone.

And he been flyin'.

He been flyin'.

He been flyin'.

Up all night.

Baby New York City, Baby so so high.

It's so so high.

It's so so high.

Like he was my baby.

ALL: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

SYLVAIN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

ALL: (SINGING) he was my baby.

SYLVAIN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

ALL: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

My, my baby.

Like he was my baby.

My, my baby.

Like he was my baby.

Be my baby.

Like he was my baby.

Like he was my baby.

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby

Like he was my baby.

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

Like he was my baby.

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) Like he was my baby.

My baby.

Jet boy!

JOHANSEN: Sylvain Sylvain!

Steve Conte!

Brian Koonin!

From The Libertines, Gary Powell!

And a miracle of God's creation, Arthur Killer Kane.

God bless you, London!

A rock n' roll band likes to make people happy.

It's part of-- it's really, that's what my-- our job is.

To make people dance.

And to get excited.

It's like show time.

We make excitement, you know.

I can remember telling them, hey gosh, congratulations.

You played again after 30 years, and what a great success story.

And he quickly corrected me and said,

no, the success is that I was able to go

back with my good friends.

And go back and mend fences with David.

That's-- that's what was so important about

getting back together again.

That was excellent.

That was excellent.

That was raw.

Mhmm.

Real raw.

Oh, God.

Oh I love you so much.

Oh, you make me so happy.

- I love Arthur. - Arthur.

Arthur.

Such good bass.

You know so on, so on, such sexual bass.

Arthur.

The Killer.

The Killer.

No, you're not killing.

[interposing voices]

Call me Arthur.

[interposing voices]

- She just wanted to say hi. - Hi.

Hi, how are you.

Arthur has aged very well.

It's not his fault, his hair.

You guys were fantastic.

One of the best things I've ever seen.

Doing this evening, man.

New shoes.

I love those shoes.

Up on the stage, did you see me smiling at you?

We were going, Arthur, Arthur.

And I went to him later.

And I said absolutely fantastic playing.

And his eyes were welling.

GELDOF: He looks just at, home you know, it's the truth.

He looks, like, he looked totally easy on the stage.

I could do without the leather pants.

A bit of a mistake.

You know, and the Diamante tie look, you know.

But that's probably the Mormon influence.

He shouldn't go back to that library.

He was he was telling me that he was a bit sad, that on Monday

morning, he'd put on a suit, and he'd put on the tie and shirt,

and get to get on the bus.

There's room for both.

And, you know, I think he should put on his Diamante tie

and get on the band bus.

Some [inaudible] wants to look at this.

Plug for--

NARRATOR: It's a modern-day lunacy.

TIPPETT: My concern was that he would come back from London.

He'd just come back to his apartment, here in Los Angeles,

and his life would be the same as it was before.

And, it occurred to me, that that

could be very painful for him.

There's just so much noise out here.

Okay, this is a song I would normally

play for my inspirational message, inside the Family

History Center, for my fellow workers

in the Family History Center.

This song is called Love One Another.

TIPPETT: He seemed to have jet lag for several days,

which wasn't surprising.

NARRATOR: He did say he was tired

and felt like he had picked up a cold while he was over there.

NARRATOR: He didn't know he was sick.

TIPPETT: On July 13th, he said he needed

to go to the emergency room.

Amen.

NEWSCAST: And pioneering glam rock

bass player Arthur Kane, of the New York Dolls,

died in Los Angeles Tuesday night,

according to billboard.com.

The group's manager says Kane had leukemia.

He was 55.

Kane is the fourth New York Doll to pass away,

including guitarist Johnny Thunder, who died

of a drug overdose in 1991.

It's a tragedy, because we lost a really sweet man.

And a good friend.

And a very good friend.

And-- but it is a blessing that he passed so rapidly,

without having to suffer.

Without losing all of his hair and going

through all of the treatments, and the tremendous amount

of medical bills and things.

So, it was a blessing as well.

If a life must end, as Arthur's did,

it was a beautiful way for him to go.

People who have really been in the war, but then

came out the other end as, you know, for lack of a better

word, spiritual beings.

That's the greatest kind of person in the world, to me.

Don't have that big tall guy to call on when you need help.

But, we're trying to carry on without him.

[MUSIC - THE SMITHS, "PLEASE, PLEASE,

PLEASE LET ME GET WHAT I WANT] Good times, for a change.

See the luck I've had can make a good man turn back.

So please, please, please, let me, let me,

let me, let me get what I want this time.

Haven't had a dream in a long time.

See the life I've had can make a good man bad.

So, for once in my life, let me get what I want.

Lord knows, it would be the first time.

Lord knows it would be the first time.

JOHANSEN: The miracle of God's creation, Arthur Killer Kane.

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "PRIVATE WORLD"] Oh,

break down.

To a private world.

To a private world.

Well I just lost a love, she drowned or something else.

'Cause I get cool and lonely feeling sorry for myself.

I need a private world.

A private world.

Oh you call that driving and you see us dream.

I call it laughing trying hard not to scream.

A private world.

A private world.

The joint start shaking, its ready to crumble.

The boys are duking, looking for a rumble.

I need a private world.

JOHANSEN: Two, three,

[MUSIC - NEW YORK DOLLS, "A POOR WAYFARING MAN OF GRIEF]

JOHANSEN: (SINGING) A poor wayfaring man of grief,

Hath often passed me on my way.

Who sued so humbly for relief.

That I could never answer nay.

I had not power to ask his name, whither he went,

or whence he came.

Yet there was something in his eye

That one my love I know not why.

Once when my scanty meal was spread he entered,

not a word was spake.

Just perishing for want of bread.

I gave him all he blessed it and brake.

He ate but gave me part again.

Mine was an angel's portion then.

For while I fed in eager haste, The crust was mana to my taste.

In prison I saw him next, condemned.

To me a traitor's doom at morn.

The tide of lying tongues I stemmed, And honored

him midst shame and scorn.

My friendship's utmost zeal to try,

He asked if I, for him, would die.

The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill.

But my free spirit cried, I will.

Then in a moment, to my view, the stranger

started from disguise.

The tokens in his hands, I knew.

The Saviour stood before my eyes.

He spake, and my poor name he named.

Of me, though has not been ashamed.

These deeds shall they memorial be.

Fear not, thou didst them unto me.