On February 9, Australian music journalist and rock guitar player Joe Matera (web site) conducted an interview with NEW YORK DOLLS guitarist Sylvain Sylvain. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Joe Matera: Former BLONDIE guitarist Frank Infante recently came onboard as the NEW YORK DOLLS' new guitarist and appears on the new album.

Sylvain: Yes, Frank and I are buddies and we go way back to New York City even before he was in BLONDIE. Over the years, we would hook up and jam together at live shows and even made some records together. We did that Johnny Thunders tribute record together and he's been on my "Sleep Baby Doll" album in the late 1990s.

Joe Matera: What is the status with Steve and Sami then?

Sylvain: We wanted Steve Conte and Sami Yaffa to continue with us on this new record, but they declined as probably it was due to the fact that the last year that we [NEW YORK DOLLS] played together, it wasn't a financially rewarding one. And because of this, they were looking for other gigs and things. And so by the time we came to start this new record, they had committed themselves to doing the Michael Monroe project.

Joe Matera: So will Frank be touring with the DOLLS as well?

Sylvain: Unfortunately, Frank won't be joining us for our upcoming tours basically because he wants to make some of his own records as he has had some good offers and so wants to pursue those. And we're about to go on the road for 40 nights with MÖTLEY CRÜE this coming June-July in the States, and that's a lot of work and so he chose not to be there. But we made some calls and now we finally have got Earl Slick playing guitar. So Earl's going to be joining us for the upcoming tour. He's the newest member of the NEW YORK DOLLS, if I can put that right now.