(TV) New Television Album!

[g grant <grntg@yahoo.com>]

A friend of mine who is stationed in the military in
Spain forwarded me a copy of this article from a Gijon
Spains El Comercio.

(El Comercio) Tom Verlaine and his seminal band,
Television, completed tracks for their upcoming album
Parkay Moon in Gijon Spain under the guise of a
fictitious tour date.  Verlaine said that he was
inspired by Meat Loafs Back into Hell album.  I
found this gem in a used CD store.  When I played it,
a light just popped on over my head.

Television were signed to Elektra Records in late
1976, and released their masterpiece Marquee Moon and
their career was a downhill spiral ever since.  We
couldnt live up to it Verlaine quipped.   Marquee
Moon was passionate, occasionally grating, and sublime
in its intuitive flights into and out of pop-song
constrictions.  Television is a searing guitar band
consisting of Verlaine and bandmates Richard Lloyd,
Billy Ficca, and Fred Smith.  Marquee Moon was a
cornerstone album as was its follow-up, Adventure. 
Adventure reached the British Top 10 in 1977 and 1978.

Television first broke up in 1978... frustrated by the
fickleness of the press and of audiences... Richard
Lloyd released two solo albums while Tom Verlaine
released seven solo albums but neither ever reached
the majestic purity of Marquee Moon. 

Television reunited a decade and a half after their
original breakup without embarrassing themselves much
at all: 1992's Television was a wonderful and
underrated album that Verlaine admits to causing him a
great degree of frustration.  It doesnt matter what
weve done, be it Television shows or our own
respective solo shows, all those aging kids just keep
asking for Marquee Moon tunes. 

Verlaine admits hes getting up there in years,
Sitting through the whole Patti smith tour was not an
artistic statement!  Verlaine expects Parkay Moon
should net him enough money to pay for a retirement
condo in Florida, This way the fans will get what
they want (more Marquee Moon songs) and Ill get what
I want, year round lawn bowling.  Verlaine,
surprisingly, is an ace lawn bowler.  I took up the
sport in Memphis during the Jeff Buckley recordings. 
I had to do something while Jeff was writing songs in
the studio.   Verlaine notes that there is quite a
lucrative lawn bowling league in Florida but you have
to be a part of one of the communities to join the
condo league.  Verlaine has also sold all of his
guitars to purchase Lawn Bowling Balls. Hey, you
gotta have the right equipment, Im not going out
there to look like some hack he snapped.  

Verlaine feels that Parkay Moon will provide closure
to his career.  Like the phases of the moon, it is
circular and revolves like the full moon waxes wanes
only to come back once again, completing the cycle.  

The tentative song list for the upcoming Parkay Moon
is as follows but the ever enigmatic Verlaine cracks a
smile and warns us, you know me, I might change some
of the titles for fun or if a dream during the
solstice guides me to do so.

1. Hear No Evil
2. The Wagging Tail of Pluto
3. Lubrication
4. Parkay Moon
5. Bring to the Fore
6. They cancelled my Favorite Soap
7. Proved it
8. Sewn Curtain

When asked why the title Parkay Moon Verlaine winks
and says, well its like the actual product, only it
purports to be better.




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