TV punk frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

First Amendment: 01/29/2023 – 12:56

Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Verlaine and singer Patti Smith, told The New York Times that the singer and guitarist died in New York “after a short illness,” without specifying the cause of death.

“This is a time when anything seems possible,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday, alongside an old photo of herself with Verlaine.

Born Thomas Miller, Verlaine took his last name from the French poet Paul Verlaine, whom he attempted to sing in his compositions, while strumming the guitar in a style that is at once ethereal and aggressive.

He went to high school with another punk icon, Richard Hill, and together they founded Television in 1973 with guitarist Richard Lloyd. His debut album, “Marquee Moon” (1997), is “one of the best albums of the punk era,” according to Rolling Stone magazine.

At nearly 10 minutes long, the self-titled single illustrated the richness of a musical movement that has inspired so many groups, from the Ramones to Talking Heads to Blondie.

They all went to the same punk rocker, CBGB, a club in New York’s Lower East Side where the city’s finest hours of punk rock were experienced.

Although Marquee Moon was critically acclaimed by the likes of Rolling Stone, NME, and Pitchfork, Television was a short-lived success.

After two albums, the band broke up and Verlaine has released dozens of solo albums, while collaborating with several artists including Smith and David Bowie.

Tributes from fellow artists rained down on social networks that remember Verlaine. “I passed the book stalls outside The Strand yesterday thinking I’d see you as usual, grabbing a cigar and talking about rare poetic finds for a few hours,” Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth wrote in a tweet. “I will miss you, Tom. Rest in peace.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea said he’s heard “Marquee Moon” 1,000 times and “will hear it 1,000 more times”. “Tom Verlaine is one of the greatest rock musicians of all time,” he wrote on Twitter.

“His role in our culture and his genius on the electric guitar were legendary,” tweeted Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai. “Name 10 minutes of music ‘Marquee Moon’ quality. You can’t. It’s perfect.”

© 2023 AFP