The musician Tom Verlaine, leader of the legendary band Televisionemerged from the New York punk underground in the late 1970s with the album “Marquee Moon”, died at the age of 73.
The singer and guitarist died in New York “after a short illness,” Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Verlaine and singer Patti Smith, told the New York Times, without specifying the cause of death.
Verlaine’s name was Thomas Miller e he adopted his surname from the French poet Paul Verlainewhose lyricism he sought to infuse into his compositions, while playing the guitar with a style that was both ethereal and aggressive.
He went to high school with another punk icon, Richard Hell, and together they formed Television in 1973 with guitarist Richard Lloyd. His debut album, “Marquee Moon” (1997), is “one of the best of the punk era”, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Almost 10 minutes long, the single of the same name from the album illustrated the richness of a musical movement that has inspired many bands, from the Ramones to Talking Heads to Blondie.
They all went to the same punk rock mecca, CBGB, a club on New York’s Lower East Side where they had the best punk rock hours in the city.
Although ‘Marquee Moon’ has received critical acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork, television has been a short-lived success.
After two albums, the band broke up and Verlaine released a dozen solo albums, collaborating with a number of artists including Smith and David Bowie.
Numerous tributes from artists who remember Verlaine have appeared on social networks. “Passed the book stalls off the Strand yesterday expecting to see you as usual, smoking a cigar and talking about rare poetic discoveries for a couple of hours,” Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore tweeted. “I’ll miss you, Tom. Rest in peace.”
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers stated that he has listened to “Marquee Moon” 1,000 times and will “hear it 1,000 more”.
“Tom Verlaine is one of the greatest rock musicians ever,” he tweeted.
“His place in our culture and his genius with the electric guitar was legendary,” Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite tweeted. “Name 10 minutes of good music like ‘Marquee Moon’. You can’t. It’s perfect.”
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
