Time to tune into Television again

Tom Verlaine has his own theory as to why New York was such a hotbed of creativity in the mid-70s, writes Ed Power

I HAD wanted to ask Television’s Tom Verlaine about his recent collaboration with David Bowie. For the latest Record Store Day, Bowie released a cover version of Verlaine’s Kingdom Come (with the New Yorker’s original as the b-side). However, Verlaine doesn’t wish to discuss his famous chum. Instead, the notoriously media-wary singer and guitarist is determined to steer our exchange in a direction of his choosing.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. From the moment Television emerged from the New York underground of the mid-1970s, Verlaine has not played by anybody else’s rules. His band’s arch, angular debut album, Marquee Moon, was an instant classic — but rather than build on that early success, Verlaine has steered a highly individualistic route. Pandering to fans and critics, he has made constantly clear, is not a feature on his agenda.