ONCE A N.Y. DOLL, ALWAYS ...

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

LATE IN THE documentary ``New York Doll,'' which opened Friday, a pop music historian describes bassist Arthur ``Killer'' Kane as ``the only living statue in rock 'n' roll.'' This movie about the troubled musician does little, unfortunately, to counter that assessment.

Not the greatest band in the world, the New York Dolls were a seminal bridge between early-1970s glitter rock and the glam and punk variations that rose after they flamed out. While members such as David Johansen and the late Johnny Thunders went on to subsequent show-business success, the best alcoholic Kane managed to do was move to L.A., eke out a living as a movie extra, abuse his wife and jump out of a third-story window.

Soon after that, he quite predictably found religion. Filmmaker Greg Whiteley met Kane at the Family History Library in West Los Angeles' Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints complex, where he worked. While Whiteley was trying to piece together a film about the musician, English rocker Morrissey, who curated the 2004 Meltdown Festival in London, called with an offer for the Dolls to appear.

This represented Kane's great dream of almost three decades, and the latter half of the film charts his reunion with surviving bandmates and their triumphant concert. It's certainly poignant to watch the beat-up bassist savor a last flash of glory. But it isn't exactly dramatic; a rift with Johansen proves to have been mostly a product of Kane's tormented imagination.

The same can be said for Kane's story in general. While his life certainly has had its ups and downs, they aren't all that dissimilar from those of countless other self-destructive artists. Kane himself proves a sweet, slightly dotty but not exactly riveting personality; his insights never get much deeper than ``I'm spoiled by the past,'' and describing his conversion as ``an LSD trip from the lord.''

With apparently very little footage of the Dolls in their heyday available, Whiteley relies heavily on talking-head interviews with Kane, his Mormon friends, neighbors and, of course, other musicians. Morrissey, no shock, really dug the Dolls, as did the Clash's Mick Jones and the dreadlocked guy from Big Audio Dynamite, among others. But it's hard to imagine much of an audience for this film outside of the limited ranks of Dolls fans, or those who swoon over any whiff of celebrity ruin and retrieval, regardless of how conventional.

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

NEW YORK DOLL - Two and one half stars

(PG-13: language, substance abuse)

Starring: Arthur ``Killer'' Kane, David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Morrissey, Bob Geldof, Chrissie Hynde.

Director: Greg Whiteley.

Running time: 1 hr. 18 min.

Playing: Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena; Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Laemmle Monica, Santa Monica; Edwards University 6, Irvine.

In a nutshell: Documentary about New York Dolls bassist-turned-Mormon Arthur Kane follows a standard rise/crash/redemption/reunion pattern. Unfortunately, the subject does not generate much interest for nonfans.