Television: Marquee Moon | Pop Culture Graveyard Ep 54 | Tom Verlaine & Richard Lloyd

[@raytrusty8618]

My sister used to play this in the house when i was 10 yrs old.....this album along with Aladdin sane by Bowie.........was fundamental to the music i would listen to thereafter........

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Whoah--best sister EVER! Nothing like having an early influence with great taste. Thanks for watching, Ray!

[@burmajones803]

RIP Tom Verlaine. Thx Hollis for making this video. Very nice to rewatch it tonight.

[@jimsmith3029]

GREAT advice about starting with "Friction." That was my first Television song, off of the CBGB's and the Birth of U.S. Punk CD compilation. I loved it for years before I started to explore their other stuff. I heard "1880 or So" on satellite radio and loved it too, but it was still several more years before I finally took the deep dive. Now, they're my favorite band. ❤

[@bryanmorgan758]

Wow, great insights! I heard this will be the next Rhino High Fidelity, definitely grabbing it. Great video!

[@LividImp]

Most music that was super adventurous 40 years ago now sounds really tame. I try to explain to my kids that there was a day when listening to music as mellow and conventional as The Cure or REM would get you branded a weirdo, and they just stare back at me in a "does not compute" kinda way. But for what ever reason, when I play Television for people who are unfamiliar with them, I still get that "this music is weird" vibe from them four decades later. It must be something deep and primal, and you either love it or it makes you itch. There is nothing quite like Marquee Moon and I feel it is going to stay that way.

[@burmajones803]

I am guessing that for mainstream listeners Verlaine's vocals are the bridge that gives people pause. Because if the first notes you hear from this band are See No Evil's opening riffs, how could you not be hooked immediately?

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Yeah, I think in general it's hard to explain that to kids, given that everyone likes their own stuff--whether it's top-40 pablum or obscure chiptune. And I doubt they can imagine a time where most people liked exactly the same music, and you were part of a small group who liked something else. I suppose, if anything, we punks/goths/hardcore/indie kids laid the groundwork for today's music-niche culture. I think the fact that Marquee Moon still sounds alien to your kids' generation really speaks well of it, because I believe that's how the album has always sounded--even to the band's own generation. You're so right; there's not another album like it.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I totally agree about Verlaine's vocals, and if there's one thing keeping listeners at arm's length it's Tom's unique-yet-untrained voice. After all these years of listening to those songs, though, it's impossible for me to envision anyone else singing them. See No Evil was the song I'd play the most by Television when out Djing (outside of Marquee Moon, which I would routinely play as my final song of the night), because out of all the MM songs, it blended best with other music. Their most "fun" song, I would say.

[@LividImp]

@@PopCultureGraveyard Sorry, didn't mean to confuse, I didn't mean Television was off-putting to my kids, just mainstream folks in general. My kids grew up with stuff like Bobby Soxx and the Teenage Queers "Masochist Ice Cream Men on Drugs" and The Shirkers "Drunk and Disorderly", Television doesn't even make them look up. I just brought up telling them that story of an example of how much things have changed, not to say it was their reaction.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

@@LividImp Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I would've been surprised if Television were seen as that weird. Love that you dropped a Bobby Soxx and the Teenage Queers reference. That song is so great, and really is proof that all the Butthole Surfers hard work down in Texas wasn't in vain.

[@epsteenwusmerdered9878]

Genius of Marquee Moon aside, their second album Adventure is an often overlooked gem. And then there’s their third self-titled album, which is fantastic. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Tom Verlaine’s solo records are also great, and he saved one of the best songs of his career, Postcard from Waterloo, for his third solo album which was released in 1982. I’d say in terms of musicality and artfulness, Television were the best band to come from that CBGB scene. They’re just too sophisticated for most listeners to actually get the depth of their beauty.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I do agree with you that the band's sophistication was one reason that mainstream success eluded them. But this was a band that was always far too idiosyncratic for mass acceptance. When you factor in band politics and Verlaine's prickly personality, they were always destined to remain a cult favorite. There's a reason it took them so long to release a debut, and why Verlaine still hasn't released a current-lineup Television album (although he's been promising one for twenty years). Given Tom's creative anxiety, I think we're very lucky we got the few albums we did.

[@Johnny-lr5jt]

Yes, everyone who likes Television should check out Verlaine's solo albums-they are very good.

[@degrassi420]

my grandpa was a recording engineer on Adventures

[@klovor]

venus is my favorite track but, this whole album is beautiful and toms vocals are just perfect.

[@jonathanreich6360]

Very influential album for me and the way I played guitar. You hit all the high points on the background of things as well at least from Richard Lloyd's book and some other commentary. Great job. As much as I love Marquee Moon (and Lloyd's guitar solo on Elevation is definitely the high point for me -- all over the neck of the guitar), my favorite Television song is "Days" from Adventure. Perfect song with fantastic lyrics, great guitar interplay with incredible melodic Richard guitar playing, great drums and bass on it, and probably Tom's best singing.

[@curtdilger6235]

I agree it's one of my favorites too...seems almost like a feelgood pop song...so does Careful from that album

[@jimsmith3029]

Got a little chill when you were describing the glory of "Marquee Moon."

[@conflictmagazine]

So nice to hear it referred to as Punk Rock...what made original Punk Rock great was its diversity. In an interview with John Lydon years later you could tell his level of disappointment with the first wave of UK Punk Rock when he said he wished other bands had done their own thing instead of just copying the Pistols. A great album from a great period of creativity in American music that stands the test of time. It is truly timeless...

[@curly_wyn]

R.I.P. Tom Verlaine!! 🥺😭🖤🤍

[@coldsharkride]

Wow, what an astute perspective on Marquee Moon. I've always been a fan of the title track, but you help uncover the other gems scattered throughout the LP. It's hard to pick a CBGB fave band, but Television is surely in the top two -- or one, I just can't decide! Is anyone as mystified as I am at Verlaine's vocal similarity to Patti Smith? Genius is genius. . . and it sometimes appears in the least expected places.

[@Abstract_Figure]

I was just saying this to someone ....in a way like a guy version of Patti Smith!!

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

They were close friends, Patti & Tom. One might very likkely have rubbed of on the other. His vocals, however, might be considered the only Non A+ part of the band. Bowie and Ian McCulloch have done better vocals. On Verlaine tunes.

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

I remember dropping the needle on "See No Evil" for the first time.

[@tourist1313]

RIP Tom Verlaine.

[@lorettatalavera3215]

I discovered Television when I heard New York Dolls! Love this band very current sound of today alternative sound. I think this is band is most underrated band. Love all the early punk era in NYC… I was 11 year old when the scene was happening. Great band. Talent musicians

[@mazgriffiths8922]

i just cant pigeon hole this masterpiece with punk - its so much more

[@daymaker3294]

my favourite album of all time, wanna buy it so bad but here in kazakhstan i couldn't find, and it's pretty expensive in another countries for me

[@kevinnickel7529]

Torn Curtains is a masterpiece.

[@markbrooks7372]

Some great insights into a landmark album I thought I knew. Great video, thanks for uploading.

[@ufohead1]

100% lots of good background info thank you

[@curtdilger6235]

This is a great and thorough review. I especially like the details about their interaction. Tom Verlaine's voice is the main issue keeping them from greater fame, in my opinion. If you like it, as I do, it's an acquired taste, but I think it puts many other people off. I think he's like Bob Dylan, or Donald Fagen. They don't have conventional voices so they kind of adopt a persona with their singing. TV created a weird, slightly menacing backwoods type I think, like when he says, 'Oh mister, you gone the wrong way...' in the song 'Souvenir from a Dream' and 'Yonki Time'. That said, I think he was a genius and his lyrics are amazing and some of the best, and his guitar work places him in the Hendrix Beck Page pantheon. RIP. Cheers.

[@ClueSign]

I like how you just hold the album sleeve up while you talk to the camera for 20 minutes.

[@burmajones803]

The title track is sublime. On par for me with Coltrane's My Favorite Things. You captured the song's peak moment really well. I've always thought of those shards of guitar at the song's peak as birds darting down from on high, but glitter drifting down is a nice image. Did not realize Verlaine was THAT prickly. Have you read the 33 1/3 series book about this album. A great little history of the CBGB's era. Loved this episode. Nice work. Thx.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Hey Eric, thanks for the kind words. Always appreciate your thoughtful comments. I definitely can hear the birds you speak of, and I like that we hear slightly different things--which only speaks to the music's imagery. You know I haven't read any of the books in the 33 1/3 series. I got the Paul's Boutique one as a gift a year or so ago, but haven't cracked it yet. I should really get into those. And yes, when you open a dictionary and look up the word prickly , it says, "See Tom Verlaine."

[@stevegram9000]

Amazing, seminal album.

[@henriksrensen3220]

Amazing album

[@kyler9276]

That Richard Hell and the Voidoids shirt kicks ass!

[@po7ta]

This is an awesome video dude you deserve millions of views

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend! Not gonna lie, a few million views would be nice.

[@BobDuvet]

Another winner! You my friend are a winner!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha! Thank you, Bob! Glad you always have my back.

[@steveo6270]

Insanely great album! Nice synopsis dude🍻

[@mdduckman]

Absolutely LOVED your overview of this classic album - I had heard Marquee Moon years ago but I just recently listened to the album from beginning to end and I'm now borderline obsessed with it. I can't believe I didn't listen to (or even know about) this album in my teens when I had a voracious appetite for all things alternative. You would think I would have come across it but doesn't matter - it's never too late to discover the magic of this album. I really enjoyed your comments and notes - thank you so much! I just subscribed and look forward to watching other videos on your channel. Thanks again!!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks, Mort! Welcome to the channel! So happy that my love for this album is infectious. I think this album could have saved a lot of us in our teens, but it tends to find us in its own time. Hope you enjoy the other episodes!

[@luisfernandoenrique]

Brother this is amazing. Thank you

[@favoritethings3065]

Love this review!….your passion for each track is so genuine…thank you. Love this album!

[@mikescott433]

...fantastic work - as always...

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks a lot, Mike! Much appreciated!

[@smilan116]

Awesome video, made me appreciate the album even more!

[@grahamed]

Nailed it. This is the really good stuff, just what I was hoping for. Allegedly, MM starts again at the end because Billy thought they were just running through it, and so kicked it off again. Nope, that take was the one. Now do Adventure :)

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha, thank you! Yes, you're right about Billy, and that just goes to show you how many first takes were used on this album. Though this album's known for its meticulous beauty, I think Andy Johns captured some great spontaneity.

[@ewmlloyd]

To be honest, I never realized that "Richie" was Richard Hell... Elevation is my favorite solo on the album too. IIRC, it was almost the title track.

[@madinramirez5362]

Thank you so much

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

So glad you enjoyed the episode! Covering this album was a labor of love.

[@justincase226]

nicely put, man

[@rjwusher]

In order to understand this episode fully I first listened to the entire album (online). Very subtle music indeed. Somewhat melancholy. Many records in this specific era had an undertone of shattered illusion, like Joni's "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" (talk about an artist deserving of a deep dive), Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" and Little Feat's "The Last Record Album", to name a few. The blizzard of punk blew away the last autumn leaves. An important record nonetheless. Good work! Looking forward to the episode about the band that shall not be mentioned to non-Patreons.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha! That band is finally next weeks' episode! It's tough when I get an impetus to do something (like Marquee Moon or Bikini Kill) I just throw myself into it and plans get bumped sometimes. I appreciate you doing that homework and listening to MM beforehand. There definitely is a sadness to this album; even the more upbeat numbers create the feeling that it's music made by outsiders. It only grows on you too, and gets stuck in your head. Such a classic. Thanks for the comment!

[@karllux-d6g]

When MM was released i wasn't even 14 yet, but i'd discover it til the end of the year. I entirely subscribe your review, man. Adventure is different, but in no way less important (ask Lawrence). MM does sound 1976, but not in a ''dated'' way. It's eternal.

[@pobbard]

This is great - it's my favorite LP and band of all time - I really enjoyed listening to this. I learned a few things I didn't know! I also like Hollis' t-shirt! (For any other Television/Hell fans out there, I run a FB group dedicated to the band and its members: facebook.com/groups/marqueemoon)

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks for stopping by, Phil! Glad you enjoyed the episode--and my shirt! Always happy to meet a fellow Television fan. Please feel free to share my video with your group. Cheers!

[@mariawesley7583]

Hi Hollis. What a great channel you have. I love my vinyl copy of "Live at the Old Waldorf", so I'm thinking my next purchase will be "Marquee Moon". I'll check out those links in the description too. I recently got the compilation "Spurts: The Richard Hell Story" on CD. Thanks for consistently putting out thoughtful content and wonderfully visual descriptions of the music!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

What a lovely comment! I really appreciate the kind words, especially from a repeat viewer. You certainly can't go wrong with Marquee Moon. That's a great Hell compilation, with some of my favorite RH songs, such as Crack of Dawn and Ignore That Door. (What an amazing group of talent that original CBGB's scene had! It's amazing that basically two runaway poets founded several (Television, the Voidoids, the Heartbreakers) of the most important bands of the early NYC punk movement.) Enjoy those links, and thanks for the great comment!

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

oh yes! Can't wait to watch this one. Somebody put the title track on a mix cassette (remember those?) and gave it to me back in 1983. Then I went out and bought both the albums.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Hell yeah, I was the king of the mixtape! Sounds like someone gave you a great one if it had Marquee Moon on it.

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

Hey, Hollis. diging the "Full Ork Loft show so far. Stand out track "Eat the Light" with Hell on vocals.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Yeah, they were such a different band with Hell, but then again they weren't? Eat the Light is great. I love that that footage exists. It really demystifies the historical image or "brilliant musicians creating brilliant masterpieces," to have this video of "clueless kids fumbling their way towards an identity."

[@thewalrus5198]

You should make a video going through your record collection, I'd love to see what's on those shelves.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks for the interest, but that sounds like a big job. The records behind me are the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps I could do a short overview--a very special "Hollis After Dark" episode, where I take a trip through my vinyl.

[@jackschu5219]

I’m not sure why but I don’t think I’ve heard a catchier moment in music than the outro section of see no evil

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I can't argue with that!

[@kelvinwilson9217]

It’s a seminal album, and many top bands could not or cannot elevate to that level. It’s one of those albums that get dissected and plagiarised by uncreative mainstream bands for mediocre hits, but the credit can never be taken away from Television.

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

Wow! I didn't know about the Roxy Music connection.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Oh yeah, Verlaine is still sore about it. On Sentimental Fool, with the line "Will it stop?" and the whole band stops. TV used to do that on Venus de Milo, but the band got tired of it and changed it. There's the bird calls on Nightingale, an effect TV used to do on the song Prove It. So many things. That's the problem with taking years to put out your debut, so many people with easier path to put out albums can scoop you.

[@stuff3829]

To me the title track is about lovers having sex. One of all time favorite albums

[@user-pt1ow8hx5l]

Think it was number 2 on Melody Makes list of the 10 best records of the 1970ties,...... Coming a close second to The rise of Ziggy Stardust,...

[@tonyrayjames3526]

Marquee Moon is punk rocks Dark Side of the Moon......it may be better.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I can't argue with that! It definitely takes you on a journey, and opens up your mind in a way much NY Punk does not. It also is a much more visceral experience without the humor or "characters" of Dark Side to soften the blow. Plus, its cryptic lyrics allow you to interpret the songs in many ways. Nothing against Dark Side, but it's locked to this day into the category "hippie albums," whereas Marquee Moon is experienced by new listeners today as something very current sounding. Thanks for the comment!

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

A dig at Hitchcock. Ha, ha.

[@moneywolfmusic8212]

Not to be a prick, but Shakespeare was on the rose/thorn tip way before Television or Poison. "No more be grieved at that which thou hast done: Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud; Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun, And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud." www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/35 Btw, with full acknowledgement that this isn't an "Every Rose Has its Thorn" critique video, the chorus makes no sense. Every rose has its thorn - rose good, thorn bad just like every night has its dawn - night bad, dawn good just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song - cowboy...good?, singing a sad song...bad? And why are we talking about cowboys? Seriously. Wth?

[@aprendizdebrujo100]

for god's sake this is NOT punk rock: Dostoyevsky is not a children's story writer... ok they was influential for punk, they played in cbgb`s... (talking heads played there too, and they was not punks at all... but the only point in common with punk died when richard hell left or was fired in 1975. Richard lloyd was a "son of woodstock" fan of the stones, led zeppelin, the who and jimi hendrix... verlaine was trying to be a poet, and he liked the early 60's instrumentals... the style of the guitars has not to do with punk... Television can't be labeled... its a style on it's own. None had never a similar style.

[@aprendizdebrujo100]

fred smith is infinitely better bass player than richard hell. Then whas whey they lifted off