Name: David Johansen On New York Dolls' Confrontational Style | David Letterman
Uploaded: 2025-03-01T17:12:13.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Johansen On New York Dolls' Confrontational Style | David Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-03-01. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Johansen On New York Dolls' Confrontational Style | David Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-03-01. Transcript available.

My next guest was one of the founders of the legendary early 70s band, the New
York Dolls.
He then went on to a solo career that is one of the hottest in popular music at
the present time.
His latest album, of which I have a copy right here, is entitled Live It Up.
Has just been named one of the top 10... oh, I'm sorry.
Has just been named one of the top 10 rock and roll albums of the year by Time
Magazine.
We're delighted to welcome Mr. David Johansson.
In this dirty old part of the city, where the sun refused to shine, people tell
me there ain't no use in trying.
Oh, little girl, you're so young and pretty, and one thing I know is true.
You're going to die before your time is due.
You see my daddy, he's bad and dying.
You see his heaven turn and break.
He's been working and slaving his life away.
Yes, he did.
He's been working, working, working, working, working, working.
He's been working, working, working, working.
We gotta get out of this place.
Is this the last thing we ever do?
And we gotta get out of this place.
And girl, there's a better life for me and you.
Yeah.
When you complain, you criticize.
I feel I'm nothing in your eyes.
You make me feel like giving up.
Because my best just ain't good enough.
Yeah, girl, I want to provide for you.
You are the thing that you want me to.
Oh, oh no, don't bring me down
Oh, no, no, no, no, please
Oh, no, don't bring me down
If it's a hard world, you get a breakin'
All the good things I've been taking
But, girl, you're always a good circus
So I'm just in this land, I'm just here
You're something
You better hear what I say
I'm gonna ride the circus
No more time spent
To sweat and rest
In my life, I must lose
It ain't no use
Callin' me down
So stick around
Oh, baby, remember
It's my life and I can do what I want
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
You show me I'm wrong
You hurt me sometimes
But someday I'll teach you real fine
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my life, my mind and I'll think what I want
I'm gonna do what I want
It's my life and I'll do what I want
You can't kill me
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
So don't crush me
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my life and I'll think what I want
You can show me I'm wrong
And hurt me sometimes
Some day I'll teach you real fine
So fine
David, how are you?
Very nice
Have a seat, if you will
Very nice
Very nice
And of course, Paul Schaefer, Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, and Steve Jordan are
being
Unbelievable
Very nice
Nice to meet you
I mentioned in the beginning here that this album was picked by Time Magazine
as one of the 10 best of the year
Yeah, we got a very esoteric album on our hands, obviously
Does that give you a good feeling, though, when that happens?
It really does
At the end of the year, especially, you know, Christmas time and stuff
It's a good kind of boost in the chops, as they say
You know what I mean
Sure, yeah, it's a very pleasant way to end the year
Tell me, David, about the legendary, as we said, New York Dolls
Well, the New York Dolls, that's the band I guess I started in professional
show business with
Before that, I was in a couple other bands
Vagabond Missionaries in Staten Island and Fast Eddie and the Electric Japs
Fast Eddie and the Electric Japs
Well, you see, we had one of the guys, this guy Fast Eddie in our band, his
father was a war hero
And he had this big Japanese flag that he brought back from Hirojima, wherever
they did that
And we had all Japanese equipment and we were the Electric Japs, henceforth
It wasn't really a professional band, we used to play it like sock hops or
whatever you want to call it
And then, now tell me, describe for me the New York Dolls
Then the New York Dolls, see, then I was living in the East Village and I met
these guys
And we were like really early movers and shakers in the ecological movement
Meaning that we would wear anything
Lamb shades or those like garbage bags
We used to put holes in the side and in the top and make like
Twiggy would be happy about that
Anyway, we had a very colloquial, we wore makeup, tons of makeup
Yeah, well, because we were going through this adolescence and you get those smudge
marks on your face
So it's just easier to put on some eyeliner and forget it
And, yeah, clearasil, people used to think you put on too much clearasil
They think you're wearing makeup, stuff like that
But we had like a very colloquial sense of humor
And it was very kind of, to a point, like St. Mark's and Second is how colloquial
we were
So it didn't translate that much
Not in a real broad audience then, huh?
Very colloquial
But you were big on one corner
Yeah
Now you, did you, had kind of an adversarial relationship with your live
audiences?
Well, yeah, because at the time, you know, I don't want to mention names or
anything
But, you know, it's the same thing today with rock and roll
There's a lot of really bands around that don't really make you want to shake
You know what I mean?
So, um, we always wanted to educate the audience
I think, um, at the point that I've gotten to now
I'm not that adversarial or whatever you want to call it
I used to call it a confrontational kind of theater
Where we used to tell the audience, you know, you stink
And stuff like that
And, you know, get up and do your stuff
But I think, you know, there's a lot of like-minded people today
So it's not really necessary in this day and age
But did the audience seem to, uh, they enjoyed that
When you would say you stink, for example
Yeah, I think they enjoyed it
I don't know, some people enjoyed it, some people didn't
I mean, it didn't translate that well, I don't think, uh, internationally
Internationally it did well
But in, like, Peoria, they didn't get it
Puzzling
Um, we wanted to get you, we'd like to have you sing another song if you can
But before you do that, can you tell me about, uh, you were with The Who for
their last American tour, right?
Was that a good deal?
Um, was that a good deal?
Good job? Good gig?
Oh, yeah, it was a good gig
I don't know if it was a good deal, um
I enjoy playing, you know, like, we played a lot of hockey arenas last year
with Pat Benatar and stuff like that
And this year, we got to play, like, you know, Shea Stadium
Yeah
The place, uh, in Buffalo where they played football, I forget the name of the...
Schaefer?
Theater
It's a big place, um, 83,000 or something
So it's interesting, when you come out there, um, and you're in front of all
these millions of people
It's, it's an interesting feeling, it makes you kind of a little wobbly
underneath
Then you see them kind of, like, hosing everyone down and stuff, it's
interesting
Yeah
We're gonna, we're gonna do that here in a minute, uh, uh, you're gonna, you're
gonna do another song from, uh, Live It Up, is that correct?
Yeah, we're gonna do Stranded in the Jungle while trying to keep a date
Stranded in the Jungle, terrific, alright, if you, go on over there if you'll
do that, sir
Mr. David Johanson, ladies and gentlemen, thank you, sir
This is called, Stranded in the Jungle
And, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh...
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
With my little girl that was back in the state
I said in the jungle, I was afraid of it all
I was wondering how I was going to get that message back home
But I was out at home, and at the ring of my plane
I've been peeped, I've been spotted by the girl that I'm the slave
I says, meanwhile, back in the state
Hey!
Baby, baby, let's make a land
What you want, what you want
You hold back up, but now she's got a chance
What you want, what you want
You're saving in the jungle, baby, she can't be
She's got my pretty daughter, just you and me
Oh, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah
Meanwhile, back in the jungle
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
See these boys in the jungle
Had me on the road
There's something heavy, heavy like an atomic bomb
I woke up kind of slow
My head's starting to clear
I get this strange feeling I'm wearing cookie gear
I smell some cookie
I look around the city
That's when I found out they were cooking me
I said
Thank God, thank God, let's make a man, let's make a man
What you want, what you want
Your old cop's love, hands are gonna turn
What you want, what you want
I tell you, he's standing in the jungle, baby, she can't be
Come on, baby, darling, like it used to be
Oh, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel
Come on, boys
Meanwhile
Back in the jungle
Oh, oh
Well, I jump out the pipe
I try to get away
I'm panicking and worried about what my baby might say
So I jump in the ocean
I started to swim
But my chances of album is getting mighty slow
I found out a whale that was passing my way
I'll reach a stage in about a half a day
I got in love as rain
My soul was dead
My heart was gone
And here's what I say
Baby, baby
The night is so good
What you want, what you want
Baby, baby, yeah
You should have understood
What you want, what you want
I'll tell you can't touch me
No, it's almost a dream
Come on, baby, darling, like it
Who's the thing that I love you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I love you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I love you
I really love you
We'll be right back after this with Triggy
Thank you, sir
Thank you, Tom
Thank you, Tom