Music

Richard Hell learned how to play bass in order to attract a larger audience to listen to his poetry.  In an interview with the New York Times, Hell said this about the reason he dove into music: “As obnoxious and pretentious as it sounds, I wanted to influence the culture. You’re not going to do that with poetry. Allen Ginsberg did it, but it happens once, maybe twice a century.”  This is very interesting, as Hell is generally outspoken about hating any kind of fake facade.  Hell's mentality directly contradicts the mentality of Tom Verlaine, the so-called leader of Television.  Tom Verlaine was a guitar wizard who, according to some sources, emphasized image and superficiality.  Multiple accounts say Verlaine liked to frame himself as a majestic being.  Richard Lloyd and Billy Ficca were both musicians and only musicians, so both were very proficient on the instruments.  As time passed, Verlaine became serious about showmanship and performance.  Hell had only started playing bass to provide a medium to present his writing to an audience, and he had not improved, he was not good at all.  On top of this, Hell loved to engage in on-stage antics, which Verlaine hated.  Things got worse between Hell and Verlaine when Verlaine began to refuse to perform the songs that Hell had written, such as "Blank Generation."  Hell left the band in 1975, and Fred Smith to take over Hell's role as the bassist.  The band released their staple album, "Marquee Moon," two years later in 1977.  Because of how Verlaine wanted the band to be, all of the players are very proficient in their instruments, and you can hear it on album.  However, the experimental element that Hell brought to the table survived with some unorthodox playing styles developed by Verlaine such as using less chords and more single note melodies.