Re: (TV) Telling a Vision

["Mark G. Ryan" <mgryan@cruzio.com>]

Keith Allison <keith@marquee.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> CD, of course) locally. This is because the British are, in many ways, 
> very cool people (yeah, right!)

That is why we give them a consolation seat on the UN Security Council
and keep Tony Blair on the US payroll.  :-) Actually, we Americans
value the UK as the largest aircraft carrier in the US Navy, and one 
that not even British bungling can sink.  Very soon our Emperor Bush 
is going to inform them when they are going to war. They may not have 
an Empire or a currency anymore, but like you said, they have good record 
stores. [Flame-bait!!]

> Actually, I've always rather liked the fact that the band (or probably 
> Mr V.) always seems to do what would be considered the 'wrong' thing. No 

Yeah, but it's like punching your boss or wetting your pants: feels good
when you do it, but 5 minutes later, it sucks. 

When I once had the misfortune of living in Orange County, CA, I used
to see this local band playing in bars and private parties: No Doubt.
Tonight as you know they played on the Super Bowl half time show.  Two 
weeks ago I saw a young woman named Vienna Tang play her electric piano 
and sing in the local Borders books.  I was impressed by her professionalism
and bought her CD, which she autographed for me.  Last Monday night she was 
on Letterman.  These people made the most of their opportunities.  (The 
only way Verlaine could get on Letterman these days would be doing "stupid 
human tricks".)  As the saying goes, opportunity only knocks once, and 
anybody who says "I'm too busy" or "I'm too cool" is an idiot.

Last night I met a very experienced, very good acoustic and lead guitar 
player who happened to be sitting at a free show.  I mentioned I was into 
Tom Verlaine and Television and he said "Who?"  Being successful would have 
allowed Television to bring their music to many people who do not happen
to live in NYC or London.  That would have been a good thing.  

Commercial success may or may not have ruined Television, but being 
unsuccessful certainly ruined them: they broke up and we have had only 
had one CD from them since 1979. Nowadays, more people remember Captain 
Beefheart or Tiny Tim than remember Television.  What a shame.

Music is a rough business, and I'm certainly not saying I could do any better.
But like the coach says, you gotta give it 100% and play your best game.

> doubt they didn't come up with the name Television with any thought that 
> they might be playing together in thirty years' time. Probably seemed 
> like a great idea at the time (and it was). As you say, calling the 

See above: punching and pissing.

> third album Television is either dumb or wilfully uncommercial and I'd 
> bet on the latter. Or perhaps it was the move of someone who knew that, 
> in industry terms, no-one was actually going to buy it, so what does it 
> matter?

Sorry to keep harping on sports quotes, but "it ain't over until its
over".  There have been a lot of albums that were surprise hits.

> 
> We know that if, tomorrow,  Television put out the greatest album ever 
> made (yeah, I know they already did that once) it wouldn't sell enough 
> to show up anywhere near the bottom of the Top 200 either here or in the 
> States. For the same reason that Richard Thompson will never be A Star. 

Yes, because: they would call it "Television 3",  it would include a 20
minute jam called "Missile" and a humorous ditty called "Wanky Time".
It would come out on the day after Christmas; one week later the record 
company would go out of business. The promotional tour would consist of
shows in NYC, Philadelphia and Cleveland (the latter two would be cancelled).  
The single release would be called "We Willie Winkie"; after which Richard 
Lloyd would announce that he had quit the band. Tom Verlaine would be in 
London and unavailable for interviews. 

Obviously this is an exaggeration--but there is more than a grain of
truth.

> Talent, wit, irony, being literate and articulate - these things don't 
> come into it. 'The People' who buy CDs couldn't care less about RT or 
> Television - after all, if they were any good someone would have told us 
> to listen to them - we'd have seen them on TV, wouldn't we?

Well, this morning we heard Chris Butler on National Public Radio.
There is at least some media that is open to that sort of thing.

Sorry to rant--I'm just tired of loosers that give up (read: Oakland Raiders).

Mark
--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"