Continuing our tribute to the recently departed David Johansen, as alluded to on yesterday’s Manic Monday, it’s really hard to overstate just how pioneering and brash the New York Dolls were when they first burst onto the scene with their classic self-titled debut album way back in 1973. The term proto-punk gets tossed around a lot, but outside of maybe The Stooges, you would be hard-pressed to find another band that proved to be as impactful and influential to the rise of punk that came later in the decade.
This featured news story on the band from 1973 helps contextualize just how nascent and provocative the band’s image and sound were to so many people hearing it for the first time back in the day. Take this quote from the reporter for example: “the lyrics are shouted, not sung”. Gasp! It’s a trip. It’s also interesting to hear from the late, great legend himself, as Johansen gives his perspective on the band’s sound in contrast to the San Francisco-centric psych-rock scene that preceded it in the prior decade. Dig it:
