I wish I weren't in agreement with almost all of that, but I am.
I say that as someone who rates some of his solo work just as highly as Television, and a fan of Rip as a guitar foil both on record and live -- the two times I've seen "Tom Verlaine Band" live outrank all but one of my actual times seeing "Television Proper", largely because of the less predictable set lists and some modicum of engagement from TV.
(To be clear: I've seen Television three times, always with Llloyd, since 1992, and TVB twice, with Rip... never seen Ripavision, and although I am not of the mindset that "it's not Television without Llloyd", it's just not interesting if it's just that same damn set list and nothing new... that just puts Rip needlessly in Lloyd's shadow when he has plenty more to contribute, and as said... Tom just doesn't seem to give a shit.)
On Thu, Aug 22, 2019 at 12:29 PM leocasey <leocasey@comcast.net> wrote:
Glen wrote:
>Curious to know, in what way is he hopeless?
I think why some [a lot?] of us feel that Verlaine is “hopeless” is because he’s lazy and has been playing just about the same exact live Television set since early 2014 – 2019. It’s always limited to most of the songs from the album Marquee Moon + ‘1880 Or So’ , ‘Persia’ , and an encore of ‘I’m Gonna Find You’ or/and ‘Psychotic Reaction’. Yes, these are great songs, but his guitar playing has been desultory, by-the-numbers, and pretty much lacking in much passion
Yes, if he never released another song, his reputation is secure.
He is truly one of the greatest electric-guitar players of all time (IMHO he is the greatest : > ) ). He is an imaginative, wondeful song-writer , a true musical genius (and a complete ‘odd-ball’), but he’s also incredibly lazy and since 2014 have been pretty much just a Marquee Moon-album “greatest hits” Tours------ purely money making ventures, where he pretty much goes through the motions.
Gregg, for Gods-sake he has not released a new album since 2008! There is a “new” Television album that has been done (still missing vocals) back from when Richard Lloyd was still in the band! I think the reasons for T.V. not finishing/releasing the new album material are two-fold:
1) he’s too lazy to record the needed vocals [go to Jimmy Rip’s web-page where Rip pretty much says just that]! ;
and 2) T.V. knows the quality of the “new” material is weak (with 2 exceptions: ‘Persia’ and ‘The Sea’ [sometimes wrongly called ‘Sapphire’], albeit, if I never heard ‘Persia’ again it would be too soon.
I have been a fan of his music since 1977, and since 1981 I have attended a total of 28 Television [or Tom Verlaine Band ]shows in Boston and NYC (including one Solo Acoustic show, and one live ‘Music For Film’ show). The last Television show I attended was at Boston’s Wilbur Theater in October 2015.
But I will not go to another one of his [Television’s] shows again.
They are so predictable, uninspired [dare I say it, ‘dull’!). Not unless he starts adding songs to the set-list from the album Adventure (or the 1991 album Television III), or even from his instrumental albums (or even a cover-song [ besides ‘Psychotic Reaction’]).
I cannot take one more performance of ‘I’m Gonna Find You’, or another run-of-the -mill “1880 Or So” where Rip does not shine. “Please give me the night/ I can't take another sight / Please give me the night.”
Leo
From: tv-owner@obbard.com <tv-owner@obbard.com> On Behalf Of Glenn Cooper
Sent: Wednesday, August 21, 2019 5:23 PM
To: tv@obbard.com
Subject: Re: Hell & Women / F Hopeless!
Curious to know, in what way is he hopeless?
GlennOn 8/21/2019 7:45 PM, Keith Allison wrote:
On 21/08/2019 02:37, leocasey wrote:
I thought both were very well written and interesting, but Hell/Myers came across as having total contempt/ hatred [?!?] for women.
I must say, I didn't feel/sense that.
Re: Verlaine and his musical output post-2008 (and “greatest -hits-tours w Television since circa 2015), to use my brother’s favorite _expression_:
“He’s fuckin’ hopeless!”
I may have to add a new section to The Wonder: "He's Fuckin' Hopeless" - Tom Verlaine in the 2,000s
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.thewonder.co.uk/
"The Wonder - Tom Verlaine, Television & Stuff"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
