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RIP Tom Verlaine


silverfoxnik
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Just heard this... Such awful news. 😢

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/28/tom-verlaine-frontman-and-guitarist-of-us-band-television-dies-at-73?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_OtherL

 

 

One of the most influential yet underrated 'greats' IMHO. 

 

Time to put on Marquee Moon at full volume and pay my respects. 

 

RIP Tom.

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I was also fortunate enough to see them, alas, not with Richard Lloyd, but Jimmy Ripp did a great job; I caught them at Lunar festival in 2016.

I lived up to my reputation as a curmudgeon by paying for a day at a festival but turning up in time to see Television line check and leaving as soon as they finished, I needed to process seeing a band that I've loved for so long without any distractions. It's just the way I am sadly.

To say they were enigmatic was an understatement; Verlaine said over the mic to the lighting guy 'don't bother with lights' or similar, it was a June evening. Verlaine's voice was what you expect, he never exactly tried hard, but the audience joining in on every song was striking, the mass of goodwill emanating from the crowd; 'Guiding light' really has lived with me from that gig.

I've photos somewhere, I fear on a now broken phone or laptop, of the band strolling on with gigbags on their back and plugging into 2 rented AC30s and an SVT . A quick line check and straight into 'See no evil'.

No fuss whatsoever. I remember contrasting it with the ridiculously over the top covers band I was with at the time where the guitarist had a rig with 999 duff sounds and a tablet with the chords to Valerie on it.

 

So glad that I was able to see the band, what a legend. Seeing Verlaine there in profile pre gig, ambling on with a coat on and a gigbag stays with me.

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