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I first heard Marquee Moon in that summer of 1993. I bought it the same =
day as Richard Hell=E2=80=99s Blank Generation, and to be honest, =
Hell=E2=80=99s album grabbed me much more immediately. It was poppier, =
punker, and more lyrically arresting. It took a few months, and a few =
spins, for tracks like =E2=80=9CVenus=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CProve =
It=E2=80=9D to start beckoning me back, over and over. I picked-up =
Adventure in the fall of that year, and =E2=80=9CGlory=E2=80=9D hooked =
me on Television for good. I still love Blank Generation, don=E2=80=99t =
get me wrong, almost as much as I love Station to Station and Germ Free =
Adolescents and 16 Lovers Lane and Blonde on Blonde and London Calling =
and a handful of others =E2=80=93 but nothing matches Marquee Moon for =
me. It is my favorite album of all-time, bar none.=20
The funny thing was, when I first heard Marquee Moon in the summer of =
1993, I didn=E2=80=99t realize I=E2=80=99d missed seeing Television live =
during their unexpected 1992-93 reunion by just a few blocks! They =
played Toad=E2=80=99s in New Haven in the fall of 1992 while I was =
living a block away, and I was regularly seeing other shows at =
Toad=E2=80=99s at the time. Another reminder that there=E2=80=99s just =
tons of music out there for you to discover =E2=80=93 your new favorite =
music could be a block away from you tonight and you don=E2=80=99t know =
it yet. You just need to keep looking and listening.
Over the next few years, I=E2=80=99d hunt down everything Tom had =
recorded, whether with Television, solo, or for other artists, including =
things like his work producing Jeff Buckley and True West. In 1995, a =
cameo by Tom on a new album by an up-and-coming NYC band led me to Luna, =
which remains one of my favorite bands to this day. In 2000, a namecheck =
of Tom on a new album led me to the Go-Betweens, another longtime =
favorite. I picked-up the new Alvvays album last month because they =
named a song for Tom ("That when you walk away / It's gonna be for good =
/ You were my Tom Verlaine / Just sitting on the hood..."). Countless =
bands have talked about their love for Tom=E2=80=99s work =E2=80=93 U2, =
REM, the Strokes, the Feelies, Felt, Echo and Bunnymen =E2=80=93 the =
list is seemingly endless. His commercial impact was tiny, but his =
influence was not.=20
But Verlaine wasn=E2=80=99t one of these artists like McCartney or Dylan =
or even his contemporaries David Byrne, Patti Smith, David Thomas, or =
Deborah Harry, who would devote themselves to music for the rest of =
their lives. Verlaine pursued a solo career with some enthusiasm in the =
1980s, with some excellent solo albums (I especially love his debut, =
Dreamtime, and 1987=E2=80=99s Flash Light) before the 1992 Television =
reunion. But after that, there would be only two more solo albums =
=E2=80=93 both released in 2006 =E2=80=93 and aside from a track or two =
here or there, nothing more. He=E2=80=99d still tour with Television =
occasionally, and they=E2=80=99d play some unrecorded material (there =
was endless talk of a 4th album; Jimmy Rip said a few years ago that =
they=E2=80=99d recorded tracks, but Tom never got around to writing =
lyrics), but his passion for recording seemed to mostly disappear after =
1992. He was very much a private person =E2=80=93 I have no idea if he =
was ever married or had kids or anything (he lost a twin brother to =
substance abuse decades ago, but you=E2=80=99d never hear him talk about =
it) =E2=80=93 and I don=E2=80=99t think he felt compelled to continually =
hurl himself at the charts, or tour the hinterlands, year after year. At =
no time in his career did he ever seem like an extrovert, and =
it=E2=80=99s not hard to find interviews from the 1970s through to the =
past decade where Tom seems annoyed or hostile with the interviewer. For =
the last few decades, he has seemed to be content to play the infrequent =
show, browse the racks at the Strand, and make the occasional guest =
appearance on a new Patti Smith or Violent Femmes album. As a fan, I =
used to find this frustrating, but sometime in the past decade I came to =
respect him for it. He=E2=80=99s given us plenty of music =E2=80=93 =
he=E2=80=99s not obligated to do anything for his fans. His time is his =
own.=20
Besides, he already gave us Marquee Moon, a record of almost exactly 45 =
minutes where not a note is wasted. The rare record I never tire of =
hearing, despite playing it thousands of times over the years, whether =
streaming, on vinyl, or CD. I can listen to the guitars interlock on =
=E2=80=9CFriction=E2=80=9D all day long. Perhaps Marquee Moon was =
imprinted on me when I was just 19 - but if there=E2=80=99s a more =
perfect record, I have yet to hear it (but who knows? I plan to keep =
listening, just to be sure!) Anyway, after Marquee Moon, Tom =
didn=E2=80=99t need to do anything else for me, but of course =
I=E2=80=99m so glad he did.
My quick Verlaine/Television Top 5:
Marquee Moon
Tom Verlaine (1979)
Flash Light
Dreamtime=20
Adventure
I finally had the chance to see Tom live in 1999, at St Ann=E2=80=99s in =
Brooklyn, touring his Music for Films show with Jimmy Rip, and then with =
Television a number of times between 2001-2005, starting with a show in =
Chicago on my birthday in 2001, an unforgettable night. The last time I =
saw Television in NYC was in 2005, on their first split bill with Patti =
Smith since the 1970s; David Byrne and Brian Eno were in the audience =
with me! The last time I saw Television was in 2014, in Boston. By then, =
Richard Lloyd had left and been replaced by Tom=E2=80=99s close friend, =
Jimmy Rip, but the show was just as good, and Tom was the happiest =
I=E2=80=99d ever seen him on stage (he=E2=80=99s not known for a sunny =
disposition!) =E2=80=93 he clearly enjoyed being on stage with Rip.=20
While I=E2=80=99ve met and spoken with other members of Television over =
the past 30 years, I only spoke to Tom once. I had moved to Manhattan in =
the summer of 1999, and had passed Tom on Bleeker Street (where I lived) =
just a few weeks after moving in, a quick moment that left me elated for =
days afterwards. A few months later, I was waiting for friends outside =
the movie theater on Broadway and 13th (near the Strand, a favorite =
Verlaine haunt). It was unusually windy that day, with the wind whipping =
down Broadway, churning-up dust and bits of garbage, as it does in NYC. =
As my mind wanders, I think, =E2=80=9CWouldn=E2=80=99t it be cool if I =
saw Tom Verlaine again?=E2=80=9D Then, as I=E2=80=99m waiting, looking =
north towards the Union Square subway station for my friends and =
squinting into the wind, I suddenly realize that Tom Verlaine =E2=80=93 =
very tall, lanky, unmistakably =E2=80=93 is walking south on Broadway, =
right towards me. It doesn=E2=80=99t seem real =E2=80=93 it's almost as =
if I had conjured him out of thin air with my wishful thinking. He comes =
to stand next to me, waiting to cross the street, and I find I=E2=80=99m =
too tongue-tied to speak! But I managed to croak out a few words, loud =
enough to be heard over the wind. He turns and looks at me. =E2=80=9CI =
just wanted to tell you that I really love your music,=E2=80=9D I =
stammer. Now, Tom is not known for being particularly friendly with =
strangers (a lot like his relationship with the press), so I =
wasn=E2=80=99t expecting much. But he smiled, said =E2=80=9CThank you =
very much,=E2=80=9D and simultaneously nodded his head, winked, and =
pointed a friendly finger gun at me, before crossing the street and =
continuing down Broadway.=20
=E2=80=9CO rose of my heart, the vision dims
The time is brief, now the shadow swims=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D
Thanks for reading.
=20
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link=3D"#0563C1" vlink=3D"#954F72" style=3D'word-wrap:break-word'><div =
class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>This is excellent =
Phil<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div =
style=3D'border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm =
0cm 0cm'><p class=3DMsoNormal><b><span =
lang=3DEN-US>From:</span></b><span lang=3DEN-US> tv-owner@obbard.com =
<tv-owner@obbard.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Phil =
Obbard<br><b>Sent:</b> 29 January 2023 21:29<br><b>To:</b> =
tv@obbard.com<br><b>Subject:</b> Some semi-organized thoughts on Tom, =
RIP<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=3DMsoNormal>I wrote =
this last night, playing Warm & Cool, Dreamtime, and some live =
Television as I did. Feel free to skip/delete - it's a bit long and very =
rambling. Just wanted to get it on paper.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal>Tom Verlaine, nee Miller, 1949-2023.<br><br>The other =
day, I was thinking back to an article I read 15+ years ago that gave =
the most compelling explanation I=E2=80=99ve ever read for why, as =
adults, we remain so emotionally connected to the music, books, films =
and people we first encountered somewhere between the ages of 15-22 or =
so. In short, the article argued, it=E2=80=99s an impactful age where we =
are figuring ourselves out as people =E2=80=93 what we like, who we =
like, where we fit in =E2=80=93 and as a result everything takes on a =
magnified significance, both at the time, and in our memories. Things =
imprint on you more easily at that age. It distorts your perspective =
later in life. <br><br>So I always get annoyed when people say the music =
today isn=E2=80=99t as good as when they were younger =E2=80=93 I think =
there=E2=80=99s more music out there for you to discover and love than =
you can possibly hear in a lifetime (and I=E2=80=99d say the same for =
books, art, film, and people too) =E2=80=93 but the fact remains that =
for me, the summer of 1993 is when I first =E2=80=9Cdiscovered=E2=80=9D =
the early New Wave/punk bands (mid/late 1970s) and it remains my =
favorite era of music to hear and explore, even now. I wore-out the =
discographies in Jon Savage=E2=80=99s England=E2=80=99s Dreaming and =
Clinton Heylin=E2=80=99s From the Velvets to the Voidoids tracking down =
as many entries as I could (not always easy in that era, when turntables =
were becoming scarce but many back catalogs hadn=E2=80=99t transitioned =
to digital mediums yet). There are seemingly countless artists and bands =
I discovered then that I still listen to regularly today: Talking Heads, =
Pere Ubu, the Adverts, X-Ray Spex, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, the =
Mumps, the original Heartbreakers, Patti Smith, the Undertones, the =
dB=E2=80=99s, the Only Ones, the Stooges, the Modern Lovers=E2=80=A6 the =
list goes on and on. But none captured my affections as fully as =
Television, the brainchild of Tom Verlaine, who put out two albums in =
the 1970s and a surprise 3rd album in 1992. <br><br>I first heard =
Marquee Moon in that summer of 1993. I bought it the same day as Richard =
Hell=E2=80=99s Blank Generation, and to be honest, Hell=E2=80=99s album =
grabbed me much more immediately. It was poppier, punker, and more =
lyrically arresting. It took a few months, and a few spins, for tracks =
like =E2=80=9CVenus=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9CProve It=E2=80=9D to start =
beckoning me back, over and over. I picked-up Adventure in the fall of =
that year, and =E2=80=9CGlory=E2=80=9D hooked me on Television for good. =
I still love Blank Generation, don=E2=80=99t get me wrong, almost as =
much as I love Station to Station and Germ Free Adolescents and 16 =
Lovers Lane and Blonde on Blonde and London Calling and a handful of =
others =E2=80=93 but nothing matches Marquee Moon for me. It is my =
favorite album of all-time, bar none. <br><br>The funny thing was, when =
I first heard Marquee Moon in the summer of 1993, I didn=E2=80=99t =
realize I=E2=80=99d missed seeing Television live during their =
unexpected 1992-93 reunion by just a few blocks! They played =
Toad=E2=80=99s in New Haven in the fall of 1992 while I was living a =
block away, and I was regularly seeing other shows at Toad=E2=80=99s at =
the time. Another reminder that there=E2=80=99s just tons of music out =
there for you to discover =E2=80=93 your new favorite music could be a =
block away from you tonight and you don=E2=80=99t know it yet. You just =
need to keep looking and listening.<br>Over the next few years, =
I=E2=80=99d hunt down everything Tom had recorded, whether with =
Television, solo, or for other artists, including things like his work =
producing Jeff Buckley and True West. In 1995, a cameo by Tom on a new =
album by an up-and-coming NYC band led me to Luna, which remains one of =
my favorite bands to this day. In 2000, a namecheck of Tom on a new =
album led me to the Go-Betweens, another longtime favorite. I picked-up =
the new Alvvays album last month because they named a song for Tom =
("That when you walk away / It's gonna be for good / You were my =
Tom Verlaine / Just sitting on the hood..."). Countless bands have =
talked about their love for Tom=E2=80=99s work =E2=80=93 U2, REM, the =
Strokes, the Feelies, Felt, Echo and Bunnymen =E2=80=93 the list =
is seemingly endless. His commercial impact was tiny, but his influence =
was not. <br><br>But Verlaine wasn=E2=80=99t one of these artists like =
McCartney or Dylan or even his contemporaries David Byrne, Patti Smith, =
David Thomas, or Deborah Harry, who would devote themselves to music for =
the rest of their lives. Verlaine pursued a solo career with some =
enthusiasm in the 1980s, with some excellent solo albums (I especially =
love his debut, Dreamtime, and 1987=E2=80=99s Flash Light) before the =
1992 Television reunion. But after that, there would be only two more =
solo albums =E2=80=93 both released in 2006 =E2=80=93 and aside from a =
track or two here or there, nothing more. He=E2=80=99d still tour with =
Television occasionally, and they=E2=80=99d play some unrecorded =
material (there was endless talk of a 4th album; Jimmy Rip said a few =
years ago that they=E2=80=99d recorded tracks, but Tom never got around =
to writing lyrics), but his passion for recording seemed to mostly =
disappear after 1992. He was very much a private person =E2=80=93 I have =
no idea if he was ever married or had kids or anything (he lost a twin =
brother to substance abuse decades ago, but you=E2=80=99d never hear him =
talk about it) =E2=80=93 and I don=E2=80=99t think he felt compelled to =
continually hurl himself at the charts, or tour the hinterlands, year =
after year. At no time in his career did he ever seem like an extrovert, =
and it=E2=80=99s not hard to find interviews from the 1970s through to =
the past decade where Tom seems annoyed or hostile with the interviewer. =
For the last few decades, he has seemed to be content to play the =
infrequent show, browse the racks at the Strand, and make the occasional =
guest appearance on a new Patti Smith or Violent Femmes album. As a fan, =
I used to find this frustrating, but sometime in the past decade I came =
to respect him for it. He=E2=80=99s given us plenty of music =E2=80=93 =
he=E2=80=99s not obligated to do anything for his fans. His time is his =
own. <br><br>Besides, he already gave us Marquee Moon, a record of =
almost exactly 45 minutes where not a note is wasted. The rare record I =
never tire of hearing, despite playing it thousands of times over the =
years, whether streaming, on vinyl, or CD. I can listen to the guitars =
interlock on =E2=80=9CFriction=E2=80=9D all day long. Perhaps Marquee =
Moon was imprinted on me when I was just 19 - but if there=E2=80=99s a =
more perfect record, I have yet to hear it (but who knows? I plan to =
keep listening, just to be sure!) Anyway, after Marquee Moon, Tom =
didn=E2=80=99t need to do anything else for me, but of course =
I=E2=80=99m so glad he did.<br><br>My quick Verlaine/Television Top =
5:<br>Marquee Moon<br>Tom Verlaine (1979)<br>Flash Light<br>Dreamtime =
<br>Adventure<br><br>I finally had the chance to see Tom live in 1999, =
at St Ann=E2=80=99s in Brooklyn, touring his Music for Films show with =
Jimmy Rip, and then with Television a number of times between 2001-2005, =
starting with a show in Chicago on my birthday in 2001, an unforgettable =
night. The last time I saw Television in NYC was in 2005, on their first =
split bill with Patti Smith since the 1970s; David Byrne and Brian Eno =
were in the audience with me! The last time I saw Television was in =
2014, in Boston. By then, Richard Lloyd had left and been replaced by =
Tom=E2=80=99s close friend, Jimmy Rip, but the show was just as good, =
and Tom was the happiest I=E2=80=99d ever seen him on stage =
(he=E2=80=99s not known for a sunny disposition!) =E2=80=93 he clearly =
enjoyed being on stage with Rip. <br><br>While I=E2=80=99ve met and =
spoken with other members of Television over the past 30 years, I only =
spoke to Tom once. I had moved to Manhattan in the summer of 1999, and =
had passed Tom on Bleeker Street (where I lived) just a few weeks after =
moving in, a quick moment that left me elated for days afterwards. A few =
months later, I was waiting for friends outside the movie theater on =
Broadway and 13th (near the Strand, a favorite Verlaine haunt). It was =
unusually windy that day, with the wind whipping down Broadway, =
churning-up dust and bits of garbage, as it does in NYC. As my mind =
wanders, I think, =E2=80=9CWouldn=E2=80=99t it be cool if I saw Tom =
Verlaine again?=E2=80=9D Then, as I=E2=80=99m waiting, looking north =
towards the Union Square subway station for my friends and squinting =
into the wind, I suddenly realize that Tom Verlaine =E2=80=93 very tall, =
lanky, unmistakably =E2=80=93 is walking south on Broadway, right =
towards me. It doesn=E2=80=99t seem real =E2=80=93 it's almost as if I =
had conjured him out of thin air with my wishful thinking. He comes to =
stand next to me, waiting to cross the street, and I find I=E2=80=99m =
too tongue-tied to speak! But I managed to croak out a few words, loud =
enough to be heard over the wind. He turns and looks at me. =E2=80=9CI =
just wanted to tell you that I really love your music,=E2=80=9D I =
stammer. Now, Tom is not known for being particularly friendly with =
strangers (a lot like his relationship with the press), so I =
wasn=E2=80=99t expecting much. But he smiled, said =E2=80=9CThank you =
very much,=E2=80=9D and simultaneously nodded his head, winked, and =
pointed a friendly finger gun at me, before crossing the street and =
continuing down Broadway. <br><br>=E2=80=9CO rose of my heart, the =
vision dims<br>The time is brief, now the shadow =
swims=E2=80=A6=E2=80=9D<br><br>Thanks for =
reading.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p =
class=3DMsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></h=
tml>
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