(TV) Meltzer/Costello/Archetypes

["Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@volpe.dot.gov>]

Eric, 

Thanks for your interesting facts and details on R. Meltzer.  You know, in my previous rant off the deep end, I was going to add that Meltzer and lots of others who were part of the rock scene were probably just jealous of Verlaine' Messanic good looks and success with women (or did they hate Tom because they misinterpreted his distance/diffidence for arrogance?) but that felt too easy and sounded petty. 

In that light, I wonder if Television/TV would have had more commercial success if Tom looked like Elvis Costello.  I claim (half seriously) that a considerable part of Costello's success was that many males in the late 70's  to early 80's who did not possess the archetypical male looks/body that the media were always selling, could better relate to someone who looked as nerdy as they might have ----and yet who still got the girl!  What I mean is, I think Tom V.'s  and R. Lloyd's looks could actually have worked against the band having more commercial success with male listeners/concert goers.  But I must admit this would still be rather a minor second or third order effect,  there were/are a myriad of reasons for TV's commercial failure that dwarf any possible aversion to looks.  

Eric, does your message mean that you go way back to Meltzer's or Lester Bang's or even Fusion Magazine's era?  Besides my curiosity another reason that I ask, is that mono-maniacal that I am, I remembered that I once had some 'Fusion' magazine, one of which (1973-74?) had a very strange but wonderful article/interview with TV about his poetry and music (it was the first time I ever had heard or read anything  about TV).  Unfortunately, not too long afterwards while moving to a new apartment I  foolishly threw them all out.  Anyone out there ever read or see this particular issue of Fusion, or better yet anyone know where I could find the article (who knows, maybe R. Meltzer even wrote it)? 
		Leo

PS: I remember my girl friend and women friends whom I would drag to Verlaine's live shows always were very sexually attracted to Tom (and his music of course)---except one friend Leigh who said about Tom at a performance at The Peppermint Lounge that she preferred men who had more meat on their bones. 

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