{"id":3437,"date":"2012-07-18T00:52:23","date_gmt":"2012-07-18T04:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/?p=3437"},"modified":"2013-01-19T13:19:23","modified_gmt":"2013-01-19T18:19:23","slug":"listening-to-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/2012\/07\/18\/listening-to-television\/","title":{"rendered":"Listening to Television"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"e26b170012445c56d240655bdd03f7bf\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-5595881567027133\";\r\n\/* Medium Rectangle *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"8584504377\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>The cast and crew of <em>CBGB<\/em> were shooting scenes about Television over the last couple of days, which prompted me to listen to the band for the first time in a few years.<\/p>\n<p>Television is frequently described as &#8220;punk&#8221;, but I think that&#8217;s a reductive description of the sound. But you can decide for yourself if you listen to a few of tracks embedded at the end of this post.<\/p>\n<p>The 1973 band members were Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Richard Hell, and Billy Ficca. Hell left the band in 1975. (Btw, Verlaine recently played guitar on Patti Smith&#8217;s &#8220;April Fool&#8221; on her new album <em>Banga<\/em>.)<\/p>\n<p>Television was among the first bands to play CBGB.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm2848871\/\" target=\"_blank\">Evan Alex Cole<\/a> plays Richard Hell in the movie, with recent SCAD graduate Max Reinhardsen as Tom Verlaine. (Reinhardsen was excellent in a SCAD stage adaptation of two Flannery O&#8217;Connor stories that I reviewed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/2012\/05\/18\/scad-production-does-justice-to-two-flannery-oconnor-masterpieces\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.) I don&#8217;t know who&#8217;s playing Lloyd or Ficca. <\/p>\n<p>And then there&#8217;s Johnny Galecki as Terry Ork, whose Ork Records released singles by Television, Alex Chilton, The Feelies, and others. He was Richard Lloyd&#8217;s roommate for awhile and was openly gay. <\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s one of those points where counter-culture scenes intersected &#8212; New York&#8217;s gay scene and punk scene fed off each other. From <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/index.php\/endurance-the-richard-lloyd-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\">a 2007 Richard Lloyd interview at Rock Town Hall<\/a>: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>RTH:<\/strong> Tell me about your days setting the scene at CBGBs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RL:<\/strong> We needed a place to play. A shithole nobody else wanted, and we steamrolled over the owner, who wanted to have country bluegrass, and we created the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most creative rock \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcn roll club bar none. I mean, is there any \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care for your Cavern Club, Marquee Club, Whiskey-a-Go-Go, Boo-Hoo-Hoo Club\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 CBGBs is the most famous rock \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcn roll club to have ever existed and I fucking created it! I was the invisible force behind it, because Terry Ork, my lover \u00e2\u20ac\u201c oh, he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, he just chased me around. I mean, after all, he was Television\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manager. Who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more interested in the careers of young, delicious-looking men than gay people? After all, Brian Epstein\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Any rock \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcn roll manager is one of two things: either a sleazebag, cigar-smoking asshole businessman or a gay person. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d much rather be managed by a queer. Queers are usually nicer than the other critters that run along the surface of the earth trying to play the game of King of the Hill.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here&#8217;s more on Lloyd, Television, and those earliest days of CBGB from Legs McNeil&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=mkG7Y6_J7pUC&#038;pg=PA165&#038;lpg=PA165&#038;dq=%22tom+verlaine%22+prostitution&#038;source=bl&#038;ots=jnK_Xmwlld&#038;sig=ptPFB-F3oJqUj6zs9M3rxNv_Uy4&#038;hl=en&#038;sa=X&#038;ei=Q6gEUNhKgbLxBOSr-IAI&#038;ved=0CEYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&#038;q=%22tom%20verlaine%22%20prostitution&#038;f=false\" target=\"_blank\"><em> Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk<\/em><\/a>: <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3438\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/2012\/07\/18\/listening-to-television\/screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7-56-08-pm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?fit=565%2C728\" data-orig-size=\"565,728\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screen shot 2012-07-16 at 7.56.08 PM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?fit=232%2C300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?fit=565%2C728\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?resize=565%2C728\" alt=\"\" title=\"Screen shot 2012-07-16 at 7.56.08 PM\" width=\"565\" height=\"728\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?w=565 565w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-16-at-7.56.08-PM.png?resize=232%2C300 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 565px) 100vw, 565px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Well.<\/p>\n<p>I have not read the <em>CBGB<\/em> script and have no idea how or even if it will deal such sexual undercurrents. <\/p>\n<p>Anyway, here&#8217;s a selection of Television tracks, beginning with a handful of early recordings before Hell left the band (I think). If nothing else, be sure to listen to the first one, a demo of &#8220;Friction&#8221;, which also appears on the album <em>Marquee Moon<\/em> below: <\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hjEFuUNc3Uc\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zY6qIMMWcYE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eiBrEiX8TQg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2tMSNmKV1sk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the full 1977 album <em>Marquee Moon<\/em>: <\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IyEfkzp1v3k\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the track list for <em>Marquee Moon<\/em>:<br \/>\n1 00:08 &#8220;See No Evil&#8221;<br \/>\n2 03:56 &#8220;Venus&#8221;<br \/>\n3 07:45 &#8220;Friction&#8221;<br \/>\n4 12:26 &#8220;Marquee Moon&#8221;<br \/>\n5 23:04 &#8220;Elevation&#8221;<br \/>\n6 28:10 &#8220;Guiding Light&#8221;<br \/>\n7 33:41 &#8220;Prove It&#8221;<br \/>\n8 38:40 &#8220;Torn Curtain&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And check out this great song off Television&#8217;s 1992 self-titled album:<br \/>\n<center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l4QZSDu1wx8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<div class=\"e26b170012445c56d240655bdd03f7bf\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5595881567027133\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4374909701\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3447\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/2012\/07\/18\/listening-to-television\/screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12-52-46-am\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?fit=330%2C272\" data-orig-size=\"330,272\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screen shot 2012-07-18 at 12.52.46 AM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?fit=300%2C247\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?fit=330%2C272\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?resize=330%2C272\" alt=\"\" title=\"Screen shot 2012-07-18 at 12.52.46 AM\" width=\"330\" height=\"272\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?w=330 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?resize=300%2C247 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Danny Fields &#8212; an author and music industry executive important in the punk scene &#8212; called Television &#8220;the band of beauties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/2012\/07\/18\/listening-to-television\/\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[349,436,347,520,29,348,550,549,547,551,548],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Screen-shot-2012-07-18-at-12.52.46-AM.png?fit=330%2C272","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1gN9R-Tr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.billdawers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}