One of Television’s band Tom Verlaine, one of the most influential bands in New York’s punk rock scene centered around nightclub CBGB, his experimental guitar improvisations and poetic songwriting are synonymous with punk. as, or as any other genre, could not be easily categorized. — he died Saturday in Manhattan. he was 73 years old.
His death was announced by Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Verlaine’s fellow musician Patti Smith. She said he died “after a short illness” and did not specify the cause.
Although Television had only minor commercial success and disbanded after recording two albums, Mr. Verlaine (who subsequently recorded several solo albums and reunited with the band regularly) was particularly It made a lasting impact on fellow guitarists.
“Tom Verlaine is a guitarist to mention these days if you’re a young rocker with intelligence and originality.” Robert Palmer of The New York Times wrote in 1987.
The layered, often ethereal sound developed by Mr. Verlaine and other members of Television was a far cry from the stripped-down approach of the Ramones and other punk scene staples Wright. However, the scene, which also included disparate bands like Blondie and Talking Heads, was not as monolithic as it is often portrayed.
The band’s lead singer and most of the songwriter, Verlaine learned piano and saxophone as a child, and his music ranges from John Coltrane’s free jazz to the Rolling Stones’ hard-driving “19th.” He had roots in all kinds of music. Nervous breakdown. “His often striking lyrics reflect the influence of poets such as Paul Verlaine, from whom Thomas Miller took his stage name.
A full obituary follows.