Tom Verlaine

Death Verlaine died in New York City on January 28, 2023, at the age of 73. According to his former Television bandmate, Richard Lloyd, Verlaine had "been sick for quite a while" with prostate cancer which had metastasized. His longtime partner, Jutta Koether, saw signs of frailty as early as 2019; when she saw Verlaine again in 2021, he looked "like a skeleton". Television had been asked to open a European tour for Billy Idol, but Verlaine's doctors told him he was not in good enough health to do so.

Collaborations Verlaine produced Jeff Buckley's second album shortly before Buckley's death by drowning in 1997.

Verlaine guested as guitarist on numerous releases by other artists, including the album Penthouse by the band Luna. He played on Patti Smith's Grammy-nominated "Glitter in Their Eyes" from her 2000 album Gung Ho. This was not the first time Verlaine had collaborated with one-time romantic partner Smith; four years earlier, he played on the songs "Fireflies" and "Summer Cannibals" from her 1996 album Gone Again, and in the 1970s he played guitar on her debut single "Hey Joe" and on "Break It Up" from her debut album Horses. He also co-wrote the latter song with Smith. He played with Smith in 2005 for a 30th-anniversary concert of Horses in its entirety, which was later released on CD.

Verlaine was part of the Million Dollar Bashers, a supergroup also featuring Sonic Youth musicians Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Bob Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist Smokey Hormel, and keyboardist John Medeski. Their work appears on the original soundtrack to I'm Not There, a biographical film reflecting on the life of Bob Dylan.

In 2012, Verlaine collaborated with former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha on his second solo album Look to the Sky. The same year, he played on Japanese DJ and producer Yasushi Ide's "Shadows of Fire."

Musical style Equipment Throughout his career Verlaine played a variety of Fender guitars, most frequently Jazzmasters and Jaguars, through Fender and Vox amps. On his reasons for choosing the Jazzmaster, Verlaine said, "I think it was financial! In the seventies, when guitars were still cheap, nobody wanted a Jazzmaster because they weren't loud and didn't stay in tune. In '73/'74 you could buy a Jazzmaster for $150 easily. So that's why I started playing it, because we didn't have a lot of money and they were cheap. And then I really got used to it, plus the vibrato arm on it is very nice. I use really heavy strings on it—like a 14 to a 58 or something similar—and that's another part of the sound, I think."

In later years at solo concerts and at Television concerts, Verlaine played a guitar built by Roger Sadowsky, consisting of a unfinished Sadowsky body (cut down, not a full sized Strat), vintage lipstick tubes, and a bound 60's Jazzmaster neck.

Guitar playing and effects

Verlaine was an advocate of guitar techniques and recording processes including close miking, delay, reverb, slap echo, phasing/flanging, tremolo, etc. Television's first commercially released recording, "Little Johnny Jewel", saw Verlaine, in defiance of common practice, plugging his guitar straight into the recording desk with no amplification. Verlaine rarely employed heavy distortion.

Vibrato was a large part of Verlaine's style and he made extensive use of the Jazzmaster's vibrato arm. Additionally he would often employ 'cello vibrato' with his fingers. Verlaine used a thin pick and heavy strings; on later recordings .013 to .050 (.014/.015 to .056 in earlier years), and from the early 1990s onwards he tuned down a half-step or more. Verlaine played with the bridge pickup on, but picked over the neck pickup. This, according to him, gave a "full yet clear sound".

Discography With Television Marquee Moon (Elektra) (1977) Adventure (Elektra) (1978) Television (Capitol) (1992)

Solo albums Tom Verlaine (1979) Dreamtime (1981) Words from the Front (1982) Cover (1984) Flash Light (1987) The Wonder (1990) Warm and Cool (1992, reissued in 2005) The Miller's Tale: A Tom Verlaine Anthology (1996) Songs and Other Things (2006) Around (2006)

Singles "Always" / "The Blue Robe" Warner Bros K17855 (September 1981) "Postcard from Waterloo" / "Clear It Away" Virgin VS501 (May 1982) "Let Go the Mansion" / "Let Go the Mansion - Instrumental version" Virgin VS696 (June 1984) "Five Miles of You" / "Your Finest Hour" Virgin VS704 (August 1984) "Your Finest Hour" was an outtake from Words From the Front sessions "A Town Called Walker" / "Smoother Than Jones" Fontana FTANA1 (1987) "The Funniest Thing" / "One Time at Sundown" (The London 1986 Version) Fontana VLANE3 (1987) "The Scientist Writes a Letter" / "The Scientist Writes a Letter" (Paris Version) Fontana VLANE4 (1987) "Cry Mercy, Judge" / "Circling" Fontana FTANA2 (1987) "Shimmer" / "Bomb" Fontana VLANE5 (October 1989) "Kaleidoscopin'" / "Sixteen Tulips" Fontana VLANE6 (March 1990)

With Patti Smith Horses (1975) Gone Again (1996) Gung Ho (2000) Twelve (2007) Banga (2012)