A Must See ~ The New York Doll

I love music; just about all music. I am also of the original punk rock generation and have always loved the initial punk bands (the new stuff is too loud and fast) such as The New York Dolls, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, Siouxie Sioux and the Banshees, Generation X, The Damned, Blondie, The Pretenders and etc. Probably one of the least commercially successful, yet most influential bands on the punk movement was the New York Dolls. I don't know of any punk band and many others who do not attribute at least a portion of their influence to them. I was no different. Until the past few years, I was not a major fan of the band, but have always been cognisant of their influence on those bands I loved. I recently got "The New York Doll" from Netflix. I had heard it was good. It wasn't good...it was great! This movie ROCKED, both figuratively and literally.

The New York Dolls (Arthur Kane on the far left)

It is a rockumentary about Arthur "Killer" Kane, the bassist for The New York Dolls. If you know anything about The Dolls of New York, they were barrier breaking. Not only their music, but their dress and on stage antics . On stage they dressed like cross-dressing male prostitutes! Much like Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie). Quite disturbing to gaze upon. They were known for fast music, fast women and a fast lifestyle when it came to drugs and alcohol. Of course all of things would be emulated for years to come in the glam rock era. After a short stint of success, the band broke up and Arthur Kane followed a long trail of failures and non-successes. After losing his life to alcohol and drugs, he attempted (again non-successfully) suicide.

His substance abuse and attempted suicide out of a third story window left him somewhat crippled, both physically and mentally. It was at this point in his life that he found The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the TV guide. He quickly joined AA and sobered up and then joined the church becoming a "Mormon". This was a life saver for him, yet his dream to once again rock often left him depressed and wanting more. This movie documents his rise to fame in the international music scene as well as his decline to Hasbeensville. It documents his changes and the wonderful blessings that followed due to a loving Heavenly Father.

Elder Killer Kane on his way to his calling at the genealogical library at the Los Angeles Temple

This was a Rocking movie, for the eyes, ears and the soul. I cried. It has been a long time since I have cried while watching a movie. This is a must see. It is PG-13 due to drug references (I assume). I don't remember excessive strong language and there was no nudity or sex. I strongly suggest you watch this, whether you are a lover of punk rock or not.