The New York Dolls unoficially, along with Iggy Pop & the Stooges, probably helped pioneer the punk rock movement of the late 70's with their punky glam rock style earlier in the decade. Lookin' Fine on Television is a collection of black & white footage from Bob Gruen and Nadya Beck taken throughout the 70's of the bands appearances on various TV shows, in clubs, interviews, and celebrity functions. Though you can certainly see how the band influenced a generation of rockers who soon called themselves 'punks' and also those who slid into the 'glam' arena, it's also not hard to see why the New York Dolls burnt out pretty quickly and never really achieved superstar status. Much of the footage here is grainy and poorly shot, with the audio not being that much better, and the performances of the band, while energetic and raw, leaves a bit to be desired. David Johansen had the charisma, but was never much of a singer, and the rest of the band were average at best on their instruments. However, that didn't stop plenty of fans from digging these guys, and you can see their rabid appreciation for songs such as "Frankenstein", "Jet Boy", "Trash", "Lookin' For a Kiss", and "Bad Detective". The brief interview segments also show a band that was living life on the edge, full of excess, and not necesarily perhaps the best of friends. Numerous personnel changes, breakups, and death were to follow the band for the remainder of their career, though they have reformed in recent years to mild success.
If you are a loyal fan, you'll no doubt want to add this DVD to your collection, but just beware that the quality of what is available here leaves a bit to be desired. Should your opinion howeever of the Dolls musical legacy not be too high to begin with, then there's nothing here that's going to change it unfortunately.
Track Listing
Jet Boy
Personality Crisis
Bad Gun
Human Being
Bad Detective
Subway Train
Trash
Vietnamese Baby
Lookin' for a Kiss
Who Are the Mystery Girls
Private World
Babylon
Frankenstein
Chatterbox
Jet Boy
Bonus Feature-interview with David Johansen and Johnny Thunders by Lisa Robinson
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