Television//Venus De Milo, Friction

Homeboys and homeboyettas, I have a confession to make. My confession is that I am going to abandon you. It won't be forever. I would never do that to you. But it will be until Monday. See, way back in December, I got a present from my girlfriend for our anniversary. The present was spending a night out of the city in a quaint bed and breakfast in the country with fireplaces. And at last, that day has come.

I know it's not cool to walk away from my one-a-day promise, so now I'm giving you two extra good songs by an extra good band to make up for it. That band is Television and they are amazing.

Of course, I think Ali introduced the band to me. From the almighty:

Television is an American post punk band, formed in New York City in 1973. Although Television have never had more than a cult audience in their American homeland, they have achieved significant commercial success in Europe. Today, they are widely regarded as one of the key founders of new wave music and seminal influences on punk rock.

Television was a part of the early New York underground rock scene, contemporary with bands like the Patti Smith Group and the Ramones. In contrast to the Ramones' focus on rock 'n' roll minimalism, Television's music was much more technically proficient, defined by the dueling guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.

Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd actually ran away from school in the 70s and "moved to New York to be poets." If that isn't a solid foundation on which to form a band, I don't know what is.

Although it is my understanding that they have some less-than-stellar albums, in my opinion, Marquee Moon is an all-time classic. Not a bad track on it. It's tough like punk but the musicianship is extra proficient. Tom Verlaine's voice comes across with the perfect mix of sensitive-guy contemplation and I-don't-give-a-fuck rock and roll sex appeal. The guitars are extra jamming, leading some critics to call them The Grateful Dead of punk. They used the comparison positively and negatively, but the title track is almost 11 minutes long. That's kinda jammy, guys.

The band got back together for a show in Central Park in 2007 on my birthday. I was there! It was awesome. DUH.

Have a wonderful weekend. Fall into the arms of Venus De Milo. See youse on Monday.



Venus De Milo.mp3

Friction.mp3

Richie said,
"Hey man let's dress up like cops, look at what we can do!"
Something, something said
You better not.