New York Dolls

There was a time when I was an ambitious, snot-nosed, obnoxious young dude just getting into the radio business. Not much has changed, but I digress.

Around that time, I became interested in finding out just what the heck was going on in the New York scene a decade before I was born. Inevitably, certain names came bubbling up, like Patti Smith and Lou Reed. As I dug deeper, I discovered bands like the Dictators and, yes, the New York Dolls.

The New York Dolls had a bit of a resurgence a few years back, complete with a reunion and some new tunes. I feel fortunate to have been able to see the Dolls at San Diego’s Street Scene back in 2006.

I remember the crowd as the Dolls were about to hit the stage... It was nearly twilight, and at that point in the Street Scene festivities most people seemed to be more interested in waiting in line at the beer garden than seeing the last two original members of the Dolls rock it. The fans who did show up to get a glimpse of David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain ranged in age and ethnicity. It seemed that there were equally as many 17-year-old kids in Ramones shirts as there were aged rock enthusiasts.

Nonetheless, the Dolls were punk before anyone ever coined the term punk. They were glam before glam.

DJ: Mookie

Station: 91X

Shift: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. weekdays;

3 –8:00 p.m. Saturdays