Re: (TV) Leave Hell out please, and de-emphasize the punk-rock NYC scene, concentrate on the 331/3 rpm album itself

[Phil Obbard <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

Leo,

I agree that Television is not punk rock. Which CBGBs bands were, though? Punk 
is a lazy label -- almost as lazy as "New Wave". Personally, I don't find it 
worthwhile to debate which genre Television belonged to (or most other bands).  

Anyway, I think Hell is a pretty big part of Television's story. By the time 
he'd left the band, much of the material on MARQUEE MOON (and some of ADVENTURE) 
had already been written. No, he didn't write it (for the most part... unless 
we're talking about dressing up like cops), but I have no doubt that he helped 
to raise their profile considerably in the early days and -- as far as his 
papers go -- he was a much, much more fastidious chroniclers of events than any 
other member of the band ever was, or would be. E.g., amongst Hell's papers are 
unfinished Verlaine manuscripts (some post-dating his time in Television), 
lyrics from early Television songs, etc. 

Anyway, consider: Would Verlaine have ever started a band, much less Television, 
without Richard Hell's involvement?

--Phil 



________________________________
From: Leo Casey <LeoCasey@comcast.net>
To: tv@obbard.com
Sent: Tue, April 26, 2011 11:53:28 PM
Subject: (TV) Leave Hell out please, and de-emphasize the punk-rock NYC  scene, 
concentrate on the 331/3 rpm album itself

> 1970s. The author relied heavily on the papers Hell sold to 
> NYU a few years ago; 
> I believe this will be the first Television-related book to 
> make use of that 
> archive. Should be interesting!

I guess my serious concern is that a book on the album Marquee Moon should 
really have nothing
in it at all about Richard Hell.  He didn't play one note on it, nor write any 
of its songs.
He was gone by late March - early April 1975 from Television.

If this author uses Hell's archives as filler at the expense of an analysis of 
the album itself
he will be a lazy &!!!*$#@%! 

Also:  Television 1976-78 were not a punk-rock band, and the album Marquee Moon 
had/has nothing
to do with punk-rock,  So, if the author spends a lot of time looking back at 
the punk-rock
scene in NYC he will have missed the boat (made out of ocean). (Yeah I know.... 
Television
shared the bill with punk-rock bands ... so what.)

I'm sure I'll get a lot of disagreement on the above, but the onus is on you to 
prove that
Verlaine's songs, lyrics, melodies, ideas, guitar solos!!, and song-lengths have 
anything to
with punk-rock.  Maybe if someone asked me on a warm Tuesday in February 
underneath a marquee
moon on Cornelia Street I might say 'See No Evil'  is somewhat in the punk-rock 
vein given its
very fast tempo, but even 'See No Evil' 's lyrics are poetic/impressionistic  
...'romantic'
even.

Leo

SEE NO EVIL (Verlaine)

What I want 
I want NOW 
and it's a whole lot more 
than 'anyhow' 
I want to fly 
fly a fountain 
I want to jump jump jump 
jump a mountain 

l understand all... I SEE NO... 
destructive urges... I SEE NO... 
It seems so perfect... I SEE NOO... 
I SEE... I SEE NO... I SEE NO EVIL 

I get ideas 
I get a notion 
I want a nice little boat 
made out of ocean.
I get your point. 
You're so sharp. 
Getting good reactions 
with your ''BeBo'' talk. 

Don't say unconscious 
No don't say doom. 
If you got to say it 
let me leave this room 
Cuz what I want 
I want now 
and it's a whole lot more 
than 'anyhow.' 

I'm runnin wild with the one i love 
I see no evil 
I'm runnin wild with the one-eyed ones 
I see no evil 
Pull down the future with the one you love 
Pull down the future 
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