RE: (TV) Philosophical (?) Question, or, A Question, Anyway

[leif joley <leifjoley@hotmail.com>]

As much as I admire Tom Verlaine's soloing, the ONE Television solo that can
be stuck in my head for hours or days is Lloyd's on "Elevation". That said, I
also think that Lloyd lost the ability to play what may be considered lyrical
solos after "Alchemy". Thereafter, virtuosity and speed took over, and so it
has been ever since. When I interviewed him in '91, after "The Cover Doesn't
Matter" came out, I was honest enough (or perhaps impolite enough) to hint my
opinion to him. "My playing is getting better and better", was the surly
reply. (I also asked whether he's contemplated to collaborate with any
lyricist, which didn't improve the atmosphere during the conversation.) If
anything, I believe that he wanted to become a muscular and masculine
instrumentalist, Hendrix-style.

Not that Verlaine hasn't been able to play his fair share of aggressive solos
-- most notably on "Dreamtime" -- but those who pops up in my mind tend to be
the beautiful ones. It could be said that thus he's less of a masculine
player, which in turn could be a sign of him being in touch with his feminine
side, which in turn is NOT the same as him being a homosexual, a ridiculous
idea that someone on the list put forward a year ago or so. But I doubt that
Verlaine should be regarded as the first rock'n'roll guitarist with a more
tender or vulnerable or poetic or melodic approach to guitar playing. Couldn't
the same be labeled on George Harrison, for instance?

Leif J, Sweden
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