« Audio. Dream Merchant | Back to Dork Magazine | Habitat. A Cook's Tour of Italy »
October 13, 2005
Film. New York Doll
Film. New York Doll: I believe in reincarnation. Over the course of one's lifetime they are several distinctly different people: a baby, a student, a parent. The only constant is that intangible essence that makes a person an individual. The life of Arthur Kane is the perfect example of this. The documentary New York Doll chronicles the path of Kane. Today he is a 55-year-old, pocket protector wearing, soft spoken guy that rides the bus to and from his job at the Church of the Latter Day Saint's Family History Center library.
Thirty years prior, he was known as “Killer Kane,” the wicked bass player of 70s androgynous, glam rock band, The New York Dolls. The Dolls' impact on the punk generation, was huge. You could argue that the Dolls single-handedly changed the course of rock music. Their lifestyle of hard partying, drug and alcohol abuse was ultimately their undoing. In 1975, after releasing their second album, Too Much Too Soon, they broke up. Over the years Arthur battled alcoholism, married, divorced and obsessed over his ephemeral taste of celebrity. Eventually, Kane beat his addiction, converted to Mormonism and got a job with the Mormon Church as a librarian. He never gave up hope that his old friends could put aside the past, rekindle their relationship and return to glory. When the improbable happens and rock star Morrissey gives the surviving members an opportunity to reunite and perform at London's Meltdown Festival, his dream is realized. Will it work? Can they get along after all these years? Even if they can will it matter? Hey you've got to see the film to find out. New York Doll opens in New York (Angelika Film Center) and Los Angeles on Friday, October 28. Check for it.
Posted by james at October 13, 2005 05:35 AM