This is Fresh Air. I'm Dave Davies. David Johansson, a founding member of the legendary 1970s

band, the New York Dolls, died last week. He was 75. The New York Dolls never sold many records,

but the band had lasting influence, paving the way for punk rock. He also performed in his persona

Buster Poindexter, a pompadour-wearing

lounge lizard. And he played the blues with his band David Johansen and the Harry Smiths.

Johansen was the subject of a 2022 Showtime documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese and

David Tedeschi called Personality Crisis, One Night Only.

Much of the documentary is built around Johansson's 2020 performance as Buster Poindexter

at the Cafe Carlisle in New York City. The film also featured newly discovered and

archival interviews with him and others. Here's a clip from the documentary with English singer and songwriter Morrissey.

He says he was obsessed with the New York dolls as a teenager because they brought a sense of

danger to rock.

Their music was loud and rough, but more than that.

So here were boys who were calling themselves dolls and they looked like prostitutes, male prostitutes,

which at the time, you have to remember it was a long time ago, and all of that kind of thing was really taboo.

English singer Morrissey from the Showtime documentary about the New York Dolls.

Terry Gross spoke to David Johansson in 2004.

The surviving members of the band had just reunited at Morrissey's request for a festival in England.

Their performance was recorded on a CD and DVD titled The Return of the New York Dolls,

Live from Royal Festival Hall.

Terry's interview starts with a track from the album called Looking for a Kiss.

The Dolls used to play this one in the 1970s.

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