Everything about Arthur Kane totally explained
Arthur Kane (
February 3,
1949 –
July 13,
2004) was a
musician and librarian best known as the
bassist for the pioneering
glam punk band the
New York Dolls. He stated in the 2004 documentary film
New York Doll that his nickname,
Arthur "Killer" Kane, was inspired by an early New York Dolls concert newspaper review in which the journalist remarked about his "killer bass" playing. He also suggested it was inspired by the old
Buck Rogers comic strip's villainous character
Killer Kane. Kane remained part of the Dolls from their founding until he was forced out of the group shortly after the departure of
Johnny Thunders and
Jerry Nolan, and joined them for a reunion show in 2004, which was the subject of the aforementioned 2004 documentary
New York Doll.
Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock wrote a tribute to Kane, "N.Y. Doll", for his
2006 album
Ole! Tarantula.
Early life
Arthur Harold Kane Jr, was born in
The Bronx,
New York to Erna and Harold Kane. His mother died when he was a young man and his difficult relationship with his father went downhill. He graduated from
Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, New York. He first played bass in the band Actress along the other original New York Dolls:
Johnny Thunders,
Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, but not
David Johansen.
The New York Dolls
At a time when many rock performers sought notoriety through their on-stage antics, Kane gained fame for his motionless performances, with some calling him "the only living statue in rock-and-roll."
Post-Dolls
After the Dolls broke up, Kane collaborated with
Blackie Lawless from
W.A.S.P. on a project dubbed Killer Kane, which resulted in the single "Mr. Cool". "Lawless" was an old friend from the Bronx and had replaced Johnny Thunders during the ill fated Florida tour in 1975. He also took part in such short-lived efforts as The Idols (with Jerry Nolan) and The Corpse Grinders (with
Rick Rivets). He backed Johnny Thunders on a few tours in the 80's. One by one, these projects failed, and Kane began to feel that there was no longer any place in the music business for him, and that what little material success he'd achieved with the Dolls was to be the high water mark of his career. He saw himself living in poverty and obscurity for the rest of his life. As this bitter realization gripped him, band after band directly inspired by the Dolls catapulted to stardom, and the other members of the Dolls continued their careers unabated. Lead singer of the Dolls,
David Johansen, who Kane viewed as a rival, found success as "Buster Poindexter".
As a result, Kane grew frustrated with music (although he continued playing and in fact learned harmonica during this period). He relocated from
New York City to
Los Angeles, but he couldn't escape his regrets. His envy and creative block, coupled with alcoholism and the breakdown of his marriage, led to a deepening depression. Although urban legend frames Kane as a drug addict, this wasn't the case; his true downfall was alcohol. Kane's bad luck continued when he was attacked by a vagrant in West Hollywood who hit him in the back of the head with a baseball bat, putting him in a coma for several days.
Kane surprised all who knew him when, in
1989, he joined
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He continued to do volunteer work as a librarian in the
Family History Center (genealogy library) at the
Los Angeles Temple.
New York Doll and reunion
In the early 2000s, Kane met filmmaker Greg Whiteley through his work with the Latter-day Saints, and the two became friends. Whiteley had the idea of chronicling Kane's life in a documentary, and, in 2004,
Morrissey gave the project impetus when he offered Kane an opportunity to perform a reunion show with the surviving Dolls (
David Johansen and
Sylvain Sylvain) in
London as part of his
Meltdown Festival. Whiteley filmed Kane's experiences preparing for the performance, which was for Kane the culmination of a nearly 30 year dream. In the process of preparing for the concert, Kane bought his guitar back from a pawn shop with money borrowed from fellow Mormons, reconciled with Johansen, and put together a stage outfit befitting
Joseph Smith, Jr. Whiteley's footage resulted in the 2005
Sundance featured documentary entitled
New York Doll. Arthur's sudden death in
2004 ended any hopes for a reunion tour.
Death and legacy
On
July 13,
2004, just 22 days after the reunion concert, Kane thought he'd caught the flu in London, and checked himself in to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with
leukaemia, and died within two hours. David Johansen wrote of Kane's death: "It's good to know that he went out on a high point in his musical life but he'll be sorely missed." Annual tributes to Kane's lasting memory and influence were held at the Continental in New York City until its closing in 2006.
Further Information
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