New York Dolls

USA, 1971–1977

New York band formed in 1971, playing loose rhythm and blues-derived rock in makeup and women's clothing. Their two albums were an acknowledged model for punk and post-punk musicians.

MusicRoots documents 1 artist who influenced New York Dolls and 7 artists New York Dolls influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced New York Dolls?

• The Rolling Stones — The Dolls were built on the Stones' template pushed to trash extremes — Johansen's Jagger mimicry was the founding joke and homage.

Which artists did New York Dolls influence?

• Blondie — The New York Dolls' glam-punk was a core touchstone of the CBGB scene Blondie came up in.
• Poison — The New York Dolls' glam-shock androgyny and provocation were the founding force behind Poison's look and attitude — drummer Rikki Rockett has explicitly credited them.
• W.A.S.P. — Lawless briefly played guitar in the New York Dolls in 1975 after Johnny Thunders left — the glam-punk provocation feeding W.A.S.P.'s shock aesthetic.
• The Smiths — Morrissey ran the New York Dolls' British fan club and wrote about them before he had ever sung a note.
• Kiss — Kiss formed in the direct shadow of the New York Dolls' glam scene, pushing the Dolls' makeup and swagger to cartoon scale.
• Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — Seeing the New York Dolls was a formative early concert for Jett — their glam-punk trash is in her sound.
• Hanoi Rocks — The obvious answer, and Monroe corrects it himself: the Dolls are what people assume, the Heartbreakers are what the band actually took from — and the name is 'Chinese Rocks' with a different city in it.