In February we lost David Johansen, the longest-living original member of the New York Dolls and an erstwhile local Hudson Valley resident. On April 21, one of the band’s closest comperes, famed rock photographer Bill Gruen, will be on hand for a moderated conversation at Upstate Films‘ Orpheum Theater in Saugerties and a showing of All Dolled Up, his 2005 documentary about the group. The screening is part of Upstate Films’ Sonic Wave/Close Up series of music-related films and talks.
Formed in 1970, the protopunk New York Dolls were one of the most raucous, most influential—and most fun—acts on the timeline of rock ’n’ roll. When the music at large had largely lost its way to overly serious trends, the raw, high-energy group—vocalist Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur Kane, and drummer Billy Murcia, the latter replaced after his 1972 death by Jerry Nolan—exploded out of their namesake city like a glittery bomb blast.
But in a world of precious James Taylors and smug Emersons, Lakes, and Palmers, the New York Dolls’ rough-and-unschooled garage-y sound and glitzy, androgynous image was too far ahead of the curve for Middle America. After two fantastic-but-poor-selling albums, 1973’s New York Dolls and 1974’s Too Much Too Soon, the quintet fell apart, with Thunders and Nolan next forming the Heartbreakers; Johansen and his sometime accompanist Sylvain each launching solo careers; and Kane performing in short-lived projects. Yet although the Dolls were considered a commercial flop during their initial existence (Johansen and Sylvain reunited with a new lineup for three albums in the early 2000s), they proved a key touchstone for the coming punk movement, inspiring the likes of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, and dozens more.
Gruen, these days a local resident himself, was with the group for much of their wild ride, photographing their early shows at the infamous Mercer Arts Center and the cover images of Too Much Too Soon, and remaining friends with the members over the ensuing decades. All Dolled Up utilizes performance and backstage footage he captured using one of the first commercially produced video cameras.
Upstate Films’ Sonic Wave series will present All Dolled Up with director Bob Gruen at the Orpheum Theater in Saugerties on April 21 at 7pm. Tickets are $11.50.
This article appears in April 2025.
