David Johansen takes the stage in a pair of tight jeans and suspenders. His wiry frame hunches toward the microphone, androgynous hair thrashing, as his band, the New York Dolls, starts their song “Trash.” “Trash, go pick it up, don’t try to take my life away!” Johansen screams to a packed house at legendary New York dive, Max’s Kansas City. It’s 1973—and the kids go wild. Cut to 2009: Johansen sings those same words, except now, he’s backed by only remnants of his former line-up, his comparatively cropped hair expertly coiffed above his designer leather jacket.
