The Heart-Wrenching Death Of Television Frontman Tom Verlaine

Publish date: 2024-05-15

Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell's first attempt at playing was with their band Neon Boys, a project that was disbanded in 1973. But within a year, the duo — along with Billy Fica and second guitarist Richard Lloyd — formed Television and began playing in the gritty New York City bars and clubs, bringing the unique wailings of Verlaine and screeching guitars of Lloyd to the growing number of fans that would prove the band's magnetism. Television helped to put the iconic club Max's Kansas City and CBGB on the map, helping pave the way for future punk and noise rock bands, per Variety. 

After Hell was thrown from Television in 1975 due to artistic conflicts, he was replaced by bassist Fred Smith. "The way we went off, going in different directions, was inevitable," Hell told Loud and Quiet. "I had no bad feelings about it; we were just like oil and water." Television would release two albums, "Marquee Moon" and "Adventure," before disbanding in 1978. Of the iconic "Marquee Moon," Verlaine reflected to The Irish Times, "It seems to get rediscovered by a new generation every 10 years or so, which is kinda cool."

Verlaine led a successful solo career after the dissolution of the band, releasing nine solo records and becoming a featured guitarist on numerous albums from other artists. Notably, Verlaine served as session producer for the late Jeff Buckley for the artist's posthumous 1998 album "Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk."  

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