(TV) Heroin Gossip: One More Time With Feeling? Ain't That Nothin' a s an anti-heroin/user song

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV>]

>I don't think you need to defend Mr V. 
>so strongly. If any of these rumours bothered 
>him then he's free to speak out.

This e-mail is not specifically directed at Keith.

I think anyone who seriously believes that Verlaine 
reads the posts on this List is living in a fantasy 
world.

One of the primary reasons (among his vast multitude) 
that Verlaine doesn't read the MM list's postings is 
because he (wrongly?) believes they just consist of a 
bunch of gossip. And that's just what this heroin stuff 
is, gossip.

You know, I feel that probably no matter what I say 
about the Verlaine and heroin topic, I'm not really 
going to change anyone's point of view. 

It's very analogous to when I talk to people who are 
politically very conservative; the bottom line is 
that it doesn't really matter what specific details, 
arguments or evidence I or others of my ilk 
marshal and bring to their attention.  

What it basically comes down to in the end, is that 
different people have different inborn and acquired 
political views of the world [that except for rare 
cases don't change], and that the exact same events 
or evidence will be processed through each's viewpoint 
in such a way as to continue to bolster each others 
diametrically opposite takes on the world.

But what the fuck, I like to think of myself as a 
rationale guy; so here goes, one more time with 
feeling.

My take remains that the *preponderance* of evidence 
(albeit some of it circumstantial) is that Verlaine 
was never "into" heroin with the exception of using 
it once or twice[?] in late 1970s---nor was he part 
of any drug "scene".

This evidence consists of (in ascending order of 
strength, i.e., stronger evidence as numbers go up):

1) My observations of Verlaine while attending 15 or 
so shows in 1980s-1990s**;   

2) Several Verlaine interviews on this subject [see 
Keith's site];  

3) Material in MM list Archives from last 2 years;

4) Verlaine's well-known personality trait/predilection 
to remain totally in control at all times (the 
antithesis of someone who is a heroin user); 

5) Ms Secret X's many years (early 1978-1995[?])of very 
close personal contact with Verlaine, her observations 
of TV then, her continuing good friendship with him since, 
and her e-mails to the MM List; 

5) Richard Lloyd's serious problems with heroin both as  
a member of Television in 1970s and later with his own 
band in mid-1980s (as well as other musician drug 
casualties, which Verlaine knew of) had a big impact on 
Verlaine;

6) Verlaine's twin brother's death from heroin use in 
1982 (obviously affected his attitudes about/towards 
drugs and heroin in particular);  

7) Despite silly rumors there exists not one shred 
of credible evidence to believe that TV was into 
heroin (and shouldn't a man be considered innocent 
until proven guilty?); moreover, the burden of proof 
is on those who would attempt character assassination 
and those who believe he was "into" heroin---the onus 
is not on TV; 

8) Application of the above and a healthy dose of 
common sense.
  
**Note to (1) above: a) TV never appeared drugged 
or even drunk, in fact, my friends and I used to kid 
about how all he ever drank was bottled water next 
to his amp; b) He turned down numerous free drugs 
from 'fans' at Hampshire College in Northampton, MA; 
c) He always appeared closer to a 'Mr. Natural' comic 
book character about what he ate or ingested (with the 
exception of those constant freakin' cigarettes.)

Regarding the separate, related but weaker argument 
of guilt by association, aka the 'hanging out' with 
the heroin/music/social scene: 

Yes, TV shared a stage and played with the two 
sometime-junkies Richard Hell and Lloyd, but face 
it, Verlaine kept a low profile socially (and 
continues to do so the present)--I'd got so far 
as to claim he was then and continues to be now a 
virtual recluse who makes Howard Hughes in his later 
years seem like an absolute party animal! 

Yeah, TV with his tall skinny body, facial bones, 
and hollow sunken eyes, has always looked like a 
poster boy for drug abuse and the drug scene---even 
as recently as the May 2001 Television reunion show 
in Chicago.  But looks can be quite deceiving.  

And yes, there's that eerie MM album cover made by 
Robert Mapplethorpe by taking a regular photo of 
the band and making a deliberately 'bad' xerox copy 
of it. Yes, the veins of Verlaine's hands are 
prominent, but have you ever seen his hands in-person 
up close?--they're gigantic, even striking looking, a 
personal feature Michael Carlucci also remarked upon.   

OK, so TV didn't reject Mapplethorpe's final photo 
which maybe helped sell a few million more copies 
of MM because TV thought it might not so subliminally 
suck in a few more buyers, who thought they might be 
getting another rock 'n roll & drugs band.  Let's 
assume TV was guilty of all that (after all, we all 
know how he will do anything to make his music 
more commercial and acceptable to the mass market). 
That still doesn't make him into a hanger-on or 
manqui of the infamous 1970's demimonde/drug scene. 

	Leo     
  
PS: For any of you Verlaine-oligists or tea-leaf 
readers of his lyrics: the song Ain't that Nothin' 
was quite likely written by him as a total rebuke 
of Richard Hell's/Lloyd's heroin habit or maybe 
even TV's own brief encounter with it: 

"Oh oh ain't that nothin' [heroin]
Why don't you [heroin] tell me somethin' 
Tragedy 
Ain't that nothin' 
I just wish you'd [heroin] tell me something - 

I look in that purse 
It's [heroin] a blessing and a curse 
Discover dishonor with its thousand commands 
It [heroin] ain't worth a shot 
Its [heroin's] target is sand 
But I love disaster and [because] I love what [the heroin that] comes after"


-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Allison 
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 4:17 PM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: Re: (TV) Re: rumors /Just The Freakin Facts please / Prove It

Casey, Leo J <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV> writes
>But to claim that he was "... part of a scene that
>included legendary heroin use/abuse and that 
>traded on/played up that aspect of the scene" is sheer 
>balderdash. 

Dunno, Leo, hanging round with/ sharing a stage with Richard Hell and
Richard Lloyd wasn't exactly keeping a low profile...

We don't demand perfection from our musical hero(es), do we? Richard
Lloyd's (admitted) drug problem doesn't stop either of us loving his
music, after all. Partly because, of course, it's none of our business.
Some of Lou Reed's music is sublime but he is, by most accounts, a total
arsehole. Who cares, really?

I don't think you need to defend Mr V. so strongly. If any of these
rumours bothered him then he's free to speak out.

(Personally, I feel that the notion that Tom V. somehow introduced
heroin into Jeff Buckley's life too bizarre to take seriously. Doesn't
mean that rumour shouldn't be mentioned. If the guy would just make some
bloody new music that we could hear then we'd all be discussing that
instead, no?)
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