#new york dolls

1973 New York Dolls: Jerry Nolan, Johnny Thunders, David Johansen, Arthur Kane, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Toshi.                  

1973 New York Dolls: Arthur Kane, Jerry Nolan, Syl Sylvain, Johnny Thunders, and David Johansen. Photo by Toshi.                    

1973 New York Dolls: Jerry Nolan, Johnny Thunders, David Johansen, Arthur Kane, and Syl Sylvain with unknown little boy. Photo by Toshi.                    

1973 New York Dolls photo shoot: Johnny Thunders and unknown little boy. Photo by Toshi.                    

1973 Johnny Thunders playing with the New York Dolls in Hollywood. Photo by David Cannizzaro.

1973 David and Johnny performing with the New York Dolls at Max’s.  Photo by Bob Gruen.

1972 Johnny Thunders performing with the New York Dolls when they opened for The Faces at Wembley in London, England. Photo by Michael Putland.

1972 Johnny Thunders on stage with the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center.Photo by Marty Thau.

1973 Johnny waits for some girl to get off the phone so he can get into place for Toshi Matsuo’s photo. Syl not-so-subtly encourages her to go elsewhere. Left to right: Arthur Kane, Jerry Nolan, Syl Sylvain, annoying unknown girl, Johnny Thunders, and David Johansen (barely seen behind Johnny). Photo by Toshi.

Courtesy of Syl Sylvain (originally posted 4 years ago).

8. September 1973 The New York Dolls on The Real Don Steele Show on KHJ-TV in L.A. Clockwise from top: Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Don Steele, Jerry Nolan, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Richard Creamer.

8. September 1973 The New York Dolls on The Real Don Steele Show on KHJ-TV in L.A. Clockwise from top: Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Don Steele, Jerry Nolan, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Richard Creamer.

8. September 1973 The New York Dolls on The Real Don Steele Show on KHJ-TV in L.A. Clockwise from top: Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Don Steele, Jerry Nolan, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Richard Creamer.

8. September 1973 The New York Dolls on The Real Don Steele Show on KHJ-TV in L.A. Clockwise from top: Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Don Steele, Jerry Nolan, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Richard Creamer.

8. September 1973 The New York Dolls on The Real Don Steele Show on KHJ-TV in L.A. Clockwise from top: Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane, David Johansen, Don Steele, Jerry Nolan, and Syl Sylvain. Photo by Richard Creamer.

November 1973 Johnny Thunders with the New York Dolls at Biba’s Rainbow Room in London, England. Photo by Ian Dickson.

November 1973 Johnny Thunders with the New York Dolls at Biba’s in London, England. Photo by Chris Walter.

1973 David and Johnny with the New York Dolls in the Netherlands. Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot.

“Our first shows were at CBGB’s on August 16 and 17, 1974. It was just an old, dumpy little bar on the Bowery, as everyone knows. Hilly Kristal and his wife ran the place, and they had nothing going on there besides winos, so they started letting these new bands play there, like Television and Patti Smith’s band. Dee Dee had heard about it, and so we decided to give it a try. It was like a practice in front of ten people. We had gotten a lot better by then, and we had more songs. At that point, we were still dressed in partial glitter because the Dolls were still the big thing in New York. I had these silver lamé pants made of Mylar and these black spandex pants I’d wear too. I was the only one with a real Perfecto leather jacket—what the Ramones would later be identified with—which I had been wearing for seven years already.” (extract from Commando Johnny Ramone’sbio).

Johnny Ramone during the early Ramones glam rock phase, photo by Chris Stein ca 1974

• via christein