Tom Verlaine, leader of the band Television, dies
Sadly Tom Verlaine has died at the age of 73 in New York for unknown causes. The daughter of her friend Patti Smith, Jesse Paris Smith, has confirmed the news to The New York Times, stating that her death occurred after “a brief illness.”
Notable Tom Verlaine He was the leader of the band Television and one of the most influential rock guitarists of the last half century. His playing style was not only a rarity in 1970s New York punk-rock, but has remained an islet as luminous as it was shrouded in mystery ever since.
In a scene and a generation where simplicity was not only an aesthetic choice, but above all an ethical one (rough punk versus the hollow artifice of progressive rock), Tom Verlaine’s richness of nuance and originality were doubly striking.
Tom Verlaine was in charge of Television
Tom Verlaine was in charge of Television
The singer was in charge of Television, in 1974 and 1975 Verlaine shared the stages of CBGB’s or Max’s Kansas City with the Ramones, Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, Blondie, the mythical Patti Smith and Talking Heads, among others.
And in that breakwater of extreme personalities he was a truly unique musician, capable of awakening from the electric guitar the poetry that had inspired him to adopt the alias Verlaine in homage. French poet Paul Verlaine.
It is said that it was difficult for Verlaine to find stability in the formation of Television, it was difficult for him to convince the record companies of his proposal, it was difficult for him to convince the public about the greatness of his mercurial rock, as endowed with edges as with vanishing points, so difficult to grasp, to explain… When his first record, Marquee Moon, a total masterpiece, was released, it was already 1977.
And in the summer of 1978 Television, which would be tremendously influential on the indie rock identity of the ’80s, ceased to exist.
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Who was Tom Verline?
Tom Verlin
Tom Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in 1949 in New Jersey. His training was in classical piano and romantic poetry, and with that in his suitcase he moved to the lower east side of New York before his 20th birthday.
He formed the Neon Boys with Richard Hell (bass), who would remain with him briefly and erratically when they created Television in 1974 with the addition of rhythm guitarist, Richard Lloyd.
Before releasing her huge debut album, Verlaine participated in the first album by Patti Smith, with whose group she had shared a two-month residency at CBGB’s. The two have remained close ever since, and Verlaine even accompanied her on several international tours, such as a particularly memorable one that went through the Doctor Music festival and Madrid’s La Riviera, with Smith accompanied by Verlaine and REM singer Michael Stipe as bassist. .
It should be noted that during the 80s, Tom Verlaine was able to maintain a solo career thanks to his growing influence as a legendary guitarist and poetic lyricist. A musician of musicians and of critics, he never had a massive audience. In 1991 they reunited Television, recorded a self-titled album and offered several nostalgic tours. Since then, its production has been very sporadic.
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