In November of last year, Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s documentary about New York Dolls frontman David Johansen had its premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Now the doc — Personality Crisis: One Night Only — has a new trailer and release date on Showtime (April 14 at 8 PM and hitting streaming the same day). Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also executive producers.
Scorsese initially announced the project in July 2020; as the trailer illustrates, Personality Crisis intercuts archival footage of the Dolls’ heyday with a January 2020 cabaret performance by Johansen (as his alter ego Buster Poindexter) at Café Carlyle in New York.
“I’ve known David Johansen for decades, and his music has been a touchstone ever since I listened to the Dolls when I was making Mean Streets,” said Scorsese in a statement. “Then and now, David’s music captures the energy and excitement of New York City. I often see him perform, and over the years I’ve gotten to know the depth of his musical inspirations. After seeing his show at the Café Carlyle, I knew I had to film it because it was so extraordinary to see the evolution of his life and his musical talent in such an intimate setting.”
Watch the trailer below.
Personality Crisis: One Night Only airs on Showtime 4/14.
