Trash! The Complete New York Dolls

by Kris Needs, Dick Porter

The New York Dolls played an integral role in laying the foundations of punk rock. By taking the flamboyant sass of Jagger and Richards to outrageous extremes and combining it with down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll, the Dolls — fronted by icons David Johansen and Sylvan Sylvain — brought the punk scene to a fever pitch and inspired both fans and musicians like the Sex Pistols and Marilyn Manson. From their origins in the street gangs of New York’s outer boroughs, through their recent rebirth and the untimely death of bassist Arthur Kane, Trash! offers a comprehensive look at these gender-bending scenesters.
Featuring first-hand reminiscences, interviews with band members, revealing tour anecdotes, archival material, and 75 black-and-white photos, Trash! covers every leopard-clad inch of these glamsters' heyday. Set mostly in the chaotic and creative maelstrom of the mid-‘70s New York scene, the book also profiles the individual band members’ post-Dolls careers.

Genres: Music, Punk

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2005

Reviews

[Bryan Hovey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Spoiler alert! Damn near everyone dies. You can divide this book up into 3 (not necessarily equal) sections. 1 - The Dolls story. 2 - Johnny and Jerry's story and 3 - the Johnny Thunders story. Johnny's story is probably the most tragic and compelling (with the exception of maybe Arthur who they don't go into in near as much detail). I really enjoyed this book though. It's a great telling of the story of a band who would've, could've should've but couldn't get out of their own way to make it. Add in a supporting cast of seedy characters and the formula for annihilation is complete. This book and Nuthin' to Lose (the KISS story) are definitely the two best band bios I have read to this point. The only reason I couldn't give this one 5 stars is because it was just a brutal read. Only 240 pages but the print is on the small side. Also - at times there were so many fringe characters involved in the story it was really hard to keep up with. That said - the Dolls were, are and will forever be one of the greatest, most influential rock bands ever despite their brief existence.

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trash! is an awesome book about The New York Dolls. It has TONS of cool pictures from the beginning of The Dolls through Thunders' Heartbreakers and back into the modern day with the reunified Dolls. The writing gets a little Teen Beat, which I found distracting at times, but Trash! is totally successful in giving the reader an insider's view and really communicating the enthusiasm of the times. Plus, those dirty Dolls are equal parts effed up beyond belief and downright loveable and reading about them is better than reality TV any day.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

a breathless fan's eye romp through the Dolls' story - some new nuggets of info, and I always forget how young they all were. By the time I first saw Johnny Thunders (in 1984) he looked a ragged 50, easily, and was in fact only 32.

If you like the Dolls, and the whole New York underground thang, (I do!) you'll enjoy this but there's nothing here to convince a non-believer.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. They are the link between the MC5/Stooges and the Ramones. Good to learn about their post-Dolls career. Plenty of little musical tidbits to show off, so you can be uber-indie douchebag.