New York Doll - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

bluegoose · 06-22-2006, 06:00 PM

My wife and I watched the documentary "New York Doll" last night. I had never heard of it before it was in the machine last night.

It is the story of Arthur "Killer" Kane, bass guitarist for the New York Dolls, an early 70's punk band. From the sounds of it, despite only being together for 2-3 years, they were a huge inspiration for many bands to come, spanning multiple musical genres.

After a tumultuous few years with the band, the guy orders a BoM while in a hotel room, receives a visit from 2 hot, blonde sister missionaries, and ends up joining the church. He eventually gets a call to serve in the Family History Center at the LA temple, which he does for several years.

The bulk of the film covers several months leading up to a reunion performance with the band after having not played together for 30+ years.

Interviews with Morrisey, Iggy Pop, the Pretenders, and others that I can't think of right now.

Good movie overall as far as watchability. Also a good story about a faithful home teacher and 2 bishops who played a big role in the guys life, helping him through sickness, poverty, mental illness, and testimony development.

SteelBlue · 06-22-2006, 07:17 PM

I bought the movie while I was in Utah on the recommendation of many friends. I came away disappointed overall. Primarily because the voice track doesn't match the picture for most of the film (I'm assuming I got a bad copy?). However, I also found the Arthur's story a little disappointing. I guess I was picturing a much more mentally able Arthur Kane. I did enjoy the movie, and the story was touching. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

bluegoose · 06-22-2006, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

I bought the movie while I was in Utah on the recommendation of many friends. I came away disappointed overall. Primarily because the voice track doesn't match the picture for most of the film (I'm assuming I got a bad copy?). However, I also found the Arthur's story a little disappointing. I guess I was picturing a much more mentally able Arthur Kane. I did enjoy the movie, and the story was touching. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

I didn't know there was any hype about the movie, as I had never heard of it before.

I had some voice track issues on my DVD as well, but they were temporarily corrected several times by stopping the movie and restarting it. There's no doubt it was a low-budget job. I'm sure that was the biggest problem.

Regarding his mental capacity, I'm curious how he was before all the drugs and hard livin' that he did. In the early days of the band, he never did appear to be an energetic performer. I just don't know if his issues came as a result of the drugs or if he had some pre-existing conditions.

Had you heard much of the band before you saw the movie? I may have heard the name, but certainly nothing more. The only one that I knew was Buster Pointdexter, and that was from some old 80's collections that I have.

livecoug · 06-22-2006, 11:06 PM

it's been hyped by many posters on cougarboard.. i need to watch it

MikeWaters · 05-19-2008, 05:23 PM

I liked it.

No audio issues on my copy.

Huge hype, so i think that may have diminished it a bit for me. Plus I already knew the skeleton of the events/plot.

I think it is a very nice portrait of a unique man, someone to remember. a reminder of the briefness and ineffableness of mortality.

Definitely a recommend to see.

ERCougar · 05-19-2008, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

I bought the movie while I was in Utah on the recommendation of many friends. I came away disappointed overall. Primarily because the voice track doesn't match the picture for most of the film (I'm assuming I got a bad copy?). However, I also found the Arthur's story a little disappointing. I guess I was picturing a much more mentally able Arthur Kane. I did enjoy the movie, and the story was touching. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

I'm with you. We actually bought the DVD on another's recommendation. It is a touching story, but more because the guy is just a likeable guy. However, the guy's brain has obviously been burned out by years of drug use and I think most non-members who see it will think, "wow, Mormons welcome crazy people" or will see his conversion as another example of an immature coping mechanism to deal with life's difficulties. I don't think this was the intended message, as it was directed by a member, but that's how it came across to me. It just didn't spend much time on why he converted, other than there were some people who were nice to him. And the interviews with the members were almost unintentional comedy--they are just so different from this guy.

MikeWaters · 05-19-2008, 06:30 PM

wrong, it had Arthur talking about reading and praying about the BoM and his spiritual "trip".

Indy Coug · 05-19-2008, 06:45 PM

If you watch it, make sure you watch the rendition of "Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" during the final credits.

MikeWaters · 05-19-2008, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

If you watch it, make sure you watch the rendition of "Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" during the final credits.

also "come come ye saints" in the bonus features.

Indy Coug · 05-19-2008, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

also "come come ye saints" in the bonus features.

Dang, I missed that.

06-22-2006, 06:00 PM	#1
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	New York Doll My wife and I watched the documentary "New York Doll" last night. I had never heard of it before it was in the machine last night. It is the story of Arthur "Killer" Kane, bass guitarist for the New York Dolls, an early 70's punk band. From the sounds of it, despite only being together for 2-3 years, they were a huge inspiration for many bands to come, spanning multiple musical genres. After a tumultuous few years with the band, the guy orders a BoM while in a hotel room, receives a visit from 2 hot, blonde sister missionaries, and ends up joining the church. He eventually gets a call to serve in the Family History Center at the LA temple, which he does for several years. The bulk of the film covers several months leading up to a reunion performance with the band after having not played together for 30+ years. Interviews with Morrisey, Iggy Pop, the Pretenders, and others that I can't think of right now. Good movie overall as far as watchability. Also a good story about a faithful home teacher and 2 bishops who played a big role in the guys life, helping him through sickness, poverty, mental illness, and testimony development.

06-22-2006, 07:17 PM	#2
SteelBlue Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Norcal Posts: 5,821	I bought the movie while I was in Utah on the recommendation of many friends. I came away disappointed overall. Primarily because the voice track doesn't match the picture for most of the film (I'm assuming I got a bad copy?). However, I also found the Arthur's story a little disappointing. I guess I was picturing a much more mentally able Arthur Kane. I did enjoy the movie, and the story was touching. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

06-22-2006, 11:06 PM	#4
livecoug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,176	it's been hyped by many posters on cougarboard.. i need to watch it

05-19-2008, 05:23 PM	#5
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	I liked it. No audio issues on my copy. Huge hype, so i think that may have diminished it a bit for me. Plus I already knew the skeleton of the events/plot. I think it is a very nice portrait of a unique man, someone to remember. a reminder of the briefness and ineffableness of mortality. Definitely a recommend to see.

05-19-2008, 06:30 PM	#7
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	wrong, it had Arthur talking about reading and praying about the BoM and his spiritual "trip".

05-19-2008, 06:45 PM	#8
Indy Coug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Iraq and a hard place Posts: 7,569	If you watch it, make sure you watch the rendition of "Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" during the final credits.