New York Dolls Lookin' Fine on Television
By Tyler Munro
Lookin' Fine on Television opens with a disparity and contrast kept up for much of its 70 minutes. Part documentary, part concert DVD, this black & white collection of clips rockets between quickly cut and chopped live performances and sometimes informative, but chronologically unclear, interview footage. It's the looks behind the performances that make the DVD special, but since each performance is actually chopped and skewed from multiple gigs and put to a single audio track, there's a lack of context that makes sitting through the disc's shoddy production values a bit of a chore. The footage is almost 40 years old and it shows, with its rough, grainy picture only outdone by the sometimes scratchy, feedback-laden sound. While it's hard not to be captivated by the band's early, charismatic and borderline dangerous performances, Lookin' Fine on Television suffers from heavy-handed editing. The collection does its best not to alienate outsiders, and with its inconsistent production values and confused narrative, that's the best we can hope for. An eight-minute interview between an out-of-character David Johansen and journalist Lisa Robinson filmed in 1976 serves as the only extra feature, but it's the most interesting thing on the disc. The two talk outside of the legendary CBGB in NYC while drunk rockers stumble around in the background. Their conversation also features a cameo from a buzzed Johnny Thunders, who talks about the Heartbreakers' upcoming European tour with the Sex Pistols and his competition, a "new" band called Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. (MVD Visual)
More New York Dolls
Famed New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain has lost his battle with cancer. The punk icon passed away Wednesday (January 13), his family...
Martin Scorsese Is Making a New Film About New York Dolls' David Johansen
Martin Scrosese is once again stepping inside the music world, with the renowned filmmaker announcing he will be taking on a new documentary...
New York Dolls' Sylvain Sylvain Diagnosed with Cancer
Sylvain Sylvain of the rock legends New York Dolls has revealed he's been diagnosed with cancer. Over the weekend, Sylvain broke the sad...
Johnny Thunders Biopic on the Way from Jonas Åkerlund
After being tapped to direct the Mayhem-centred film Lords of Chaos last month, Jonas Åkerlund will find himself in the director's chair for...
New York Dolls Announce New Studio Album
Nearly 40 years after first freaking out the establishment, legendary cross-dressing proto-punks the New York Dolls are gearing up for anoth...