Customer Reviews

I, Doll: Life and Death with the New York Dolls

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Short and sweet. This book only covers the period up through Billy Murcia's death. The wrting style is eccentric (obviously not ghost-written) and entertaining. Arthur's extreme dislike of David Johansen was news to me. This boook isn't the place to start but does add something to the Doll's legacy.

3 stars for the curiosity factor alone. Enjoyable enough but it could have used much better editing, and overall thought to the whole presentation.

One overriding thought struck me while reading most of the book - that I've never read a memoir like this where the protagonist(s) seem to lack any responsibility for themselves at all. Kane seems to hold everyone else responsible for the failure of the band. It was a revelation as well as to how much he claimed to hate David Johansen. For hardcore Dolls fans only.

Arthur's telling of the tale is whimsical, sometimes hilarious, never dull. The story begins before The Dolls and how they all got together. He lived with Billy Murcia at Billy Doll's house in a rat room but it was home. Billy and Syl were buddies and they literally picked up Johnny because of his look. Their beginnings are very funny; being looked into a pseudo-rehearsal space, ripping off food. The details of their shopping adventures are a fashionista must. I won't be a spoiler but the incident of their tight (pre-spandex days) pants splitting down the front is vaguely hysterical. Drugs, drinking,and sex. Music really didn't play a big part in this story. It was mostly about the "LOOK" and scoring. He admits his memory about when and where is sometimes mistaken but the stories are great. His love and andmiration for Johnny Thunders shines through as does his disdain for David Jo. and his huge ego. What I particularly liked was how he combined the narrative to old movies and tv shows so the reader gets a definite feeling for whichever tale he spins. The book ends with them flying home, heart broken and crying from London after Billy's death. And this is where the book really should have ended.
Unfortunately, his ex-wife, Babsie-Barbie doll writes a far too long epilogue. She tells of she and Arthur's trials and tribulations after the Dolls. Arthur never got over being Arthur Doll and that was his downfall. He was a lost soul and a mean drunk. She makes that extremely clear. Sex, drugs, but no rock and roll. He tried to get a lot of bands together after the Dolls but it never seems to occur to her Arthur was not a great musician. I'm not sure what planet she's from but crystals, mythic rituals, and Indian spirit healing were of no help to him. The epilogue left a truly bad taste in my mouth. Her ego and basic, I'm sorry readers, stupidity are paramount. She should have just shut up. But, this book is a must for any Dolls fans. Arthur's sweetness pours through the vitriol.

I've read just about every book available on the New York Dolls.
I was quite surprised to find out that Arthur "Killer" Kane had actually written one! I was even more surprised at how funny & insightful his writing style was.
It's a rare glimpse into the world of this legendary band, from someone who was not only there, but part of the band. Major thanks go out to Robert Cripps for giving Arthur an old computer & teaching him how to use it, without that, this book would have never been written!

I would not have guessed that the late Arthur Kane were so insightful until I read this book. The addendum by his ex-girlfriend is little more than self-aggrandizing on her part, and should have been left out.

This book should be read in schools.
You get the feeling as if you had been there when Punk was born, new fashion was created,
the world was changing and New York was a dump.

Also you get reminded of how real bands get started and what they are facing
and how much it really takes for a band to go all the way..

Excellent reading and thanks for the inside view given by Barbara Kane's epilogue,
This book holds up against all the other Rock-books, see the glamour, see the passion
and see where your Rock n Roll Star goes after the show..

Arthur Kane, too much, too soon!

I'm new to the Dolls, and I have not yet read any other of their bios yet. I have seen the NYD documentary of Arthur Kane, and I have read Bob Gruen's NYD photography book.

Before his death, Arthur Kane apparently began a Dolls memoir, and this is the result. I hope that Barbara, Arthur's wife, can expand her Epilogue with a full-length book. Her contributions help the reader see behind the veil that Arthur laid before his own eyes.

Arthur Kane died a pathetic man. What he started is the early 70's was not well-received in popular culture. Yet he and the Dolls influenced many bands to come, musically and physically. While listening to their debut album (which I did for the first time recently), I could hear early Adam Ant. And the most commonly made comparisons as far as dress and image are concerned would be Motley Crue, a very musically-original band that certainly adopted the hair and makeup model, *without copying* the Dolls. NYD looked like, as Morrissey put it, male prostitutes in drag - they carried purses, fergodssake, and the day I see Vince Neil walk down the street carrying a purse... (Apparently Arthur hated Motley most of all, as he mentions the band, specifically Nikki Sixx, in disdainful ways throughout the book.) My point is that Arthur's ire for Motley and other popular, successful bands of the time, is compensatory blame-placing by Arthur himself. Yes, NYD may have influenced other bands, but Motley was *not* carbon-copy NYD. Motley was, however, pretty much copied by Poison and a whole slew of what became known as 80's "hair metal" bands. And while 80's hair metal did not sound like the NYD of the 70's, their success "drove Arthur crazy," according to Barbara. Arthur Kane just could not get over this unjust fact - that what he created in the 70's, yet never gave him any real success financially or professionally, had influenced many bands who were, in the 80's, making millions.

The music industry was unkind to NYD, and stories abound regarding their having been a cursed band. Once the band broke up (from what I have read so far, David Jo had LSD, they were all drugged out and drunk, Arhtur was convinced that David Jo had made industry deals behind his back, hence the hate) Arthur attempted to find success with other bands, but he suffered as a cliche - a once-important musician now ignored by the industry and the public. This happens to many musicians. Heck, let's revisit the 80's hair metal copycats who have made it onto VH1's notorious Where Are They Now shows. These guys, who were once playing to thousands of screaming fans and eager groupies backstage, were now painting over billboards and doing construction work! It's not as though this is a new phenom in the entertainment industry. You either deal with it emotionally or you suffer greatly. And Arthur chose to suffer. He suffered so badly that he ultimately chose to be SAVED by the Mormon Church! By this time in his life, he was almost not even present as a human being. He was like a zombie, and any chance he got, he went into long speeches for anyone who would listen, about his days with NYD.

While I feel for Arthur Kane and all of the entertainers who were once-embraced and now trashed, at the same time, I refuse to feel their pain! All human beings suffer, in many ways, throughout our lives. No one person's pain is more significant than that of another. Arthur's outlook was one of entitlement, and when no one answered the door, he still kept knocking, knocking, and knocking some more. This truth makes him less than likeable for me.

Again, Barbara's Epilogue needs to be expanded into a new book. I am frustrated with the lack of good books by rock star wives, but this woman seems to have the intelligence to create something worth reading. Some may criticize her for being completely honest about certain experiences, but she seems like a very spiritual person who had an obviously significant bond with her husband. This should be discussed by her in depth.