Great documentaries usually share the same thing in common with great movies: they tell a good story. New York Doll is somewhat of an anomaly since it's not a great documentary, although it does tell an amazing story, the bittersweet saga of Arthur "Killer" Kane.
Genesis
Few bands in the history of Rock and Roll can be credited with creating a movement that would spawn countless imitators and a culture that would forever change the face of rock and roll. The New York Dolls were one of those rare bands whose unique brand of cross dressing, vulgarity and crassness not only helped birth the Punk movement, it would also give rise to the Heavy Metal glam rock scene made popular by bands like Motley Crüe and Poison.
The Doll's statuesque and withdrawn bassist Arthur Kane was as unlikely a rock star as the Dolls were a band in the early 1970's heavy metal / prog rock landscape. Eventually torn apart by poor record sales (despite critical praise and a huge cult following), drugs and alcohol, the Dolls never lived up to the legacy surrounding their overwhelming influence and underground fame. The band member who perhaps suffered most of all from their shortcomings was Killer Kane.
Salvation
Balding, broke, broken and recovering from a life torn apart by alcoholism, Kane could have easily become another of the Doll's casualties (drummer Billy Murcia and guitarist Johnny Thunders both died drug related deaths), but instead, Kane found God in the form of The Latter Day Saints: The Mormons. Swapping limos and devout groupies for public transportation and devout Mormons, Kane was able to find enough inner peace to fend off the demons from his previous life of rock and roll infamy.
Suffering
But Kane's past is ever present, his memories vivid and his past glory a painful reminder of how little he ever amounted to. The bane of his existence is former band mate David Johanson, the Dolls former lead singer who went on to succeed as both an actor and singer under his alter ego Buster Poindexter. Johanson's success, in contrast to Kane's failures, left Kane tortured, bitter, jealous and resentful for decades.
Making Amends
Into his mid-fifties, Kane remained hopeful the band would someday reunite and his past fame would return. Making the twelve-step slogan "one day at a time" his living mantra, Kane struggles to stay one step ahead of his demons and is finally rewarded when his prayer is answered. When former Smiths frontman Morrissey organizes a reunion gig for the Dolls, Kane returns to NYC for rehearsals. In NYC, Kane faces Johanson and exorcises the last of his demons when he realizes there is nothing but love between his former band mate and himself.
The reunion performance not only goes off without a hitch, it's met with overwhelmingly positive exclaim from fans, critics and peers, justifying the Doll's place in the pantheon of rock and roll. Kane's triumphant return to the stage is the tonic to all that ails and when he returns to his humble existence in L.A., a rock God amongst mortals, he is better man.
Yet, despite a poetically tragic final chapter to Kane's story, New York Doll somehow falls short of its potential. Opting instead for empty talking head interviews with a smattering of rock's elite, Kane's story is hurried along, removing any chance for the viewer to make a deeper or profound connection. Perhaps it's no coincidence the story of the Dolls -just like the band itself- doesn't live up to its potential, nevertheless it's all a bit of a shame.
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