Saturday, January 28, 2023

RIP Tom Verlaine

 

Tom Verlaine, guitarist, frontman and co-founder of Television, one of the most influential acts of the CBGB scene in the late 1970s, died today after a short illness. He was 73. 

Per The Wall Street Journal: "Despite its modest sales, Television laid a sonic foundation for decades of punk, alternative and post-punk bands." 

You can read more about his life and work at Variety ... Pitchfork ... The New York Times... BBC ... NPR ... Billboard.

Here's a sampling of the tributes to Verlaine, a longtime East Village resident, on Twitter...

4 comments:

  1. Bummer. Such a unique and talented musician. Marquee Moon is one of my all time favorite records. I guess after a couple years in showbiz Verlaine, like Richard Hell, didn't want to participate in the Rock'n'Roll Circus. Shame Television didn't ,or wasn't able to, put out more music. I saw one of the last reunion shows at Irving Plaza in 2007 (?) and TV really seemed to be enjoying himself on stage, smiling, creating ungodly sounds on his guitar. Like a true genius he made it look effortless.

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  2. a massive massive influence and equal loss.

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  3. He seemed to be New Wave before New Wave. Don't think of him as punk. He knew a lot of chords and could improvise a solo like a jazz man.

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