Up from the valley of the Dolls: David Johansen returns

ONSTAGE IN Philadelphia in late May, David Johansen is dressed in solid white, his hair swept back, looking like the Staten Island greaser saint he might have been. Philadelphia doesn't know much about him — his old band, the New York Dolls, played the town but once — but these kids, here to catch headliner Patti Smith, catch on quick. As Johansen's new group hits the stage, the hall is nearly empty, the lobby jammed. But before the band is halfway through 'Funky But Chic', from Johansen's first solo LP David Johansen,the crowd begins streaming in, bopping down the aisles.