Re: (TV) Richard speaks on FB

[Jesse Hochstadt <jesseh58@yahoo.com>]

Seems to me such proclamations by Richard have to be taken with a grain of salt. 
As has come up on the list before, Richard apparently has bipolar disorder 
(http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0910/msg00018.html and 
http://www.obbard.com/tvlist-archive/0910/msg00028.html), which may make him 
prone to exaggerated statements and behavior - as when he claimed that the Sufi 
Monkeys record would be as artistically strong as Axis: Bold as Love, Patti 
Smith's Horses, or, yes, Marquee Moon, among others 
(http://mog.com/Mackenzie_P/blog/86429).

That's not to say that everything Richard says in the remarks Phil quotes is 
wrong. But I find it bizarre to make it sound like Tom uses Billy and Fred as 
sidemen only because he's contractually obligated to if he wants to call the 
band Television. Tom, it seems to me, has shown indifference to using the name 
Television over the years, and he's happily worked with Billy and, especially, 
Fred in other musical contexts.

- Jesse



----- Original Message ----
> From: Phil Obbard <pobbard@yahoo.com>
> To: Marquee Moon Mailing List <tv@obbard.com>
> Sent: Sat, June 11, 2011 8:45:37 PM
> Subject: (TV) Richard speaks on FB
> 
> Lots of interesting TV history coming from Richard in a Facebook thread on his 

> wall ostensibly about Malcolm McLaren.
> 
> For example:
> 
> "It was  myself who decided to tell Terry Ork to speak to Richard Meyers about 
>my 
>
> interest in forming a band with him. Hell (Meyers) worked at the movie  poster 

> shop Cinemabilia where Tom would come by to have lunch with Hell.  They were 
>best 
>
> friends, and had done the "Neon Boys" three song single a  year before. Tom and 
>
> Richard came down to visit me at my home, in the front  room of Terry's loft 
>and 
>
> I pitched it. We passed my guitar between myself  and Tom and then Richard 
>(Hell) 
>
> and Tom went near the door and whispered  about it. They came back and Tom said 
>
> yes. But Hell didn't want to play  bass, especially with Tom, because Tom acted 
>
> like a dictator, and Richard  said that he didn't want to go through THAT 
>again. 
>
> I talked Hell into trying  it, and then Tom and I talked about drummers and Tom 
>
> invited Billy Ficca  from Boston and let him stay at Tom's Lower east-side apt. 
>
> The first week of  rehearsals Tom took me aside and was frustrated at Billy's 
> Jazz crap, and he  said that he couldn't understand what happened to Bill 
>because 
>
> he used to be  such a steady rock drummer, and he wanted to kick him out. I 
> talked Tom out  of it although a couple months later when Billy went to visit 
>his 
>
> dad in  Delaware we auditioned other drummers. I fought for Bill for 35 years. 

> And  now since I quit in 2004, and the contract calls for three members to use 

> the name, he HAS to use Bill and Fred to continue under the name Television, 
> replacing me with his pal Ripp. Otherwise we would sue. Tom and hell each  
>wrote 
>
> songs and I was in the middle and sang 2 gs, "Hot Dog and "What I  heard". - 
>Tom 
>
> sang 4 and Richard sang 4, and Tom was "musical director", but  Hell did ALL 
>the 
>
> Posters, and I kept the whole shebang from falling apart.  And when we started 

> playing CBGB's, Terry and I booked it for 2 and a half  years. Chew on THAT. 
>Now 
>
> that I have officially quit, I can speak the truth,  because when we were still 
>
> together I didn't want to contradict Tom for the  band's sake. Now we are older 
>
> and I can speak freely. Not with regret or  remorse, but facts and the truth 
> behind the scenes."
> 
> More (including  Marty Thau?!) 
> at:  http://www.facebook.com/richard.lloyd1/posts/167633229967890
> 
> --Phil
> --------------
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