Tom Verlaine, the iconic frontman of the groundbreaking band Television, was never one to embrace the typical rock star persona. While many musicians sought the spotlight, Verlaine preferred to let his art speak for itself. Known for his tall, lean frame and often aloof demeanor, he was inherently reclusive, rejecting the flamboyance and showmanship that often accompanies the rock’n’roll lifestyle.
“He was very much not into the persona of being a rock star,” said Lenny Kaye, guitarist and producer for Patti Smith Group, in an interview with The New York Times following Verlaine’s passing in January 2023. “His legacy is that he was always looking for a new expression of who he could be.”
Verlaine’s quest for reinvention defined his remarkable 50-year career. Born Thomas Joseph Miller on December 13, 1949, in Danville, New Jersey, he was deeply immersed in music from an early age. When his family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, at the age of six, Verlaine began his musical journey studying piano. He later switched to the saxophone during middle school, though his initial inspiration came not from rock’n’roll, but from the complex harmonies of jazz.
As noted by the Los Angeles Times in 2023, Verlaine developed a passion for intricate music, particularly jazz saxophonists like John Coltrane and Albert Ayler, as well as classical composers Henryk Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki. He also had a deep love for film scores by composers such as Bernard Hermann and Henry Mancini. Literature, especially French symbolist poetry, further shaped his intellectual interests, with the poet Paul Verlaine inspiring the musician to adopt his pseudonym.
Though Verlaine admitted to Spin magazine that he chose the name for its sound, his literary influences were undeniable. During his time at Sanford Preparatory School in Delaware, Verlaine devoured literature, although he never graduated. It was here he befriended Richard Meyers, who would later adopt the name Richard Hell and go on to become a key figure in New York’s burgeoning punk scene.
In 1968, Verlaine relocated to New York, immersing himself in the city’s vibrant bohemian culture. He and Hell frequented iconic nightspots such as Max’s Kansas City and Mercer Arts Center, where they witnessed early shows from proto-punk icons like the New York Dolls. Eventually, the pair took jobs at Cinemabilia, a bookstore managed by Terry Ork, an Andy Warhol associate who encouraged Verlaine’s musical aspirations.
Initially a self-taught guitarist, Verlaine began playing acoustically at open-mic events. However, as Hell urged him to form a band, Verlaine’s desire to create original music grew stronger. He soon formed The Neon Boys, but the band struggled to find success, particularly in recruiting a second guitarist. After a series of failed auditions, Verlaine and Hell found Richard Lloyd, and the band rebranded as Television.
With Ork as their manager, Television secured a regular gig at CBGB, the famed New York punk club. While their contemporaries—such as Blondie, the Ramones, and Talking Heads—embraced punk’s raw energy, Television carved out their own unique identity, marked by a modern, almost avant-garde approach to rock. As filmmaker Mary Harron later remarked, “There was something very, very modern about Television…something very liberating about that negativity. It was so hard and cold.”
Despite their growing reputation, Verlaine remained dissatisfied with Television’s sound. Frustrated by Richard Hell’s rudimentary bass playing and their volatile personal relationship, Verlaine pushed Hell out of the band. Hell would go on to form his own band, the Voidoids, and Television replaced him with Fred Smith, an early member of Blondie.
Television’s classic lineup finally came together with the addition of Smith, but it was still a struggle to secure a record deal. In 1975, the band released their debut single, Little Johnny Jewel, on Ork’s self-financed label. The song showcased Television’s unique twin-guitar style, but its unconventional, lo-fi recording and Verlaine’s decision to split the seven-minute track over two sides of vinyl polarized opinions within the band. Nevertheless, the record garnered attention, with Penthouse magazine—a leading publication at the time—giving it a plug.
“That [record] actually got a lot of press, I think ’cause it was so weird,” Verlaine said in an interview for Rhino’s 2007 reissue of Television’s Marquee Moon. “Penthouse magazine gave it a plug, which in those days was the best thing you could get because they had a circulation ten times the size of any music mag. We sold out 2,000 copies. I remember being in Terry Ork’s loft for hours, packing them and mailing them. Then stores started ordering them, which was much better—you could send a hundred here and a hundred there.”
Verlaine’s persistence in crafting original and unconventional music ultimately shaped Television’s legacy and his own career, solidifying his place as one of rock’s most innovative and enigmatic figures.
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