Re: (TV) Bowery show

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

Keith, a few comments below...

--- Keith Allison <keith@marquee.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm jealous as hell of those of you who went to the gig and it was
> without a doubt in a good cause but am I the only one who thinks that Mr
> V. seems almost wilful in his determination to make sure that anything
> he does live these days is as shambolic as possible?

Maybe. It definitely is the antithesis of Television's finely-tuned
performances of 1976-8, where they knew the material so well as to record some
songs on MARQUEE MOON in a single take. But I believe it does fit into the
general pattern of Verlaine's solo career, from the tight structures of TOM
VERLAINE and DREAMTIME to the relaxed experimentalism of THE WONDER, WARM AND
COOL, and the instrumental shows of the last few years. 

> In the Television shows I saw earlier this year he was, without a doubt,
> the least prepared/together of the band. Dunno why Fred wasn't playing
> on Sunday (maybe he wasn't asked) but why appear with two people who
> seem to have no idea of what's going on? Seems odd to me. As if he
> doesn't actually care about the quality of the show - it's enough that
> he turns up.

First, Fred *was* asked to play, but he couldn't make it, according to Dennis.
It would have no doubt helped the show greatly if he had been there. But either
way, it was definitely a short-notice arrangement, and it's great Tom could
even put on a show under those conditions. I'm not saying he couldn't have been
significantly more rehearsed, but in a way, I'm impressed with his willingness
to go out on a limb and improvise - lyrically and musically - in a live
setting. One thing no-one will knock is Tom's playing on Sunday; once he
warmed-up, he was at his best.

Man, Tom Verlaine really kicks ass. I wish he would play publicly more often.
Or release more records. Or, better yet, both!

--Philip


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com
--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"