November 1973: New York Dolls

 

November 1973: New York Dolls

by Pete Clemons

Sadly David Johansen, lead singer of the New York Dolls, passed away recently. David had been the last surviving member of the classic line up of the glam and protopunk band. On one of the New York Dolls earliest, and rare, visits to the UK during 1973 they appeared at Warwick University.

Some critics dismissed them as an unserious group of amateurs who could not play or sing while others noted their dress sense and the resemblance of Johansen and Thunders to that of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Guitarist Roddy 'Radiation' Byers was at the Warwick Uni gig and called it a life changing experience. Several students, however, begged to differ. These were different times and the New York Dolls were here to shock and shake things up in every possible way.

The line-up during that 1973 gig consisted of vocalist Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist, pianist Sylvain Sylvain, and drummer Jerry Nolan.

Several previews of the Warwick gig, which – yes – attracted some violence, appeared the nearer the gig approached............

The New York Dolls Yes dahhhlings they're here . Divinely decadent, superbly sexy, long, lean and licentious - dig this, if you can. Not quite drag, as the Dolls would be the first to admit, but certainly a vision out of the ordinaire. A taste for the bizarre? Interested honey? Say, did somebody mention music.....music? "The New York Dolls are trash, they play rock'n'roll like sluts." - Nick Kent. Not much more to say, lovelies. just come and wet your pants to the most outrageous band yet.

A preview appeared on the day of the gig...........

The Final Fall into Depravity It is with grave concern that we have followed the blatant attack on the moral standards of our society in recent years. In an age of declining morals, it is particularly disquieting to see the intellectual cream of the country condoning, and even encouraging moral laxity. The University of Warwick has recently gained notoriety in this respect, by allowing and even promoting entertainment of a lewd and offensive nature. In the past, we have had to put up with corrupt performances by theatrical groups before audiences largely composed of young people who are in the formative period of their life: even nudity and simulated drug-taking has been presented as a form of "art." More recently new depths have been reached.

Information has now reached us that tonight an unthinkable depth of depravity will be reached, when students - in what is supposed to be an institute of learning and education in the widest sense - will be exposed to a rock 'n' roll band 'The New York Dolls'.

This group has emerged from the gutters of New York - the Gomorrha of the Western World. These young men - if we may take the liberty of describing them thus - have the audacity to flaunt their perversions in public and on the stage. It should be realised that these and other groups purposely work towards the corruption of clean and decent youth. If the University cannot keep the Students' Union in check, then it is clear that the Director of Public Prosecution should be informed about this state of affairs forthwith. It is time that those of us who are older and wiser, those of us who have had experience of life, should act to protect the moral welfare of innocent youngsters who cannot yet be expected to judge that which is in their best interests.

After the gig a follow up letter mentioned......The excuse for this was the disturbance on the night the New York Dolls appeared, made by people dressed up in drag and with make-up plastered all over them. You try and tell me that students are supposed to have a higher grade of intelligence than most people.