Dancing under the Marquee Moon

On Television, Kronos, Nels Cine, Luna, Sloan, Hip etc.

RIP Tom Verlaine, founder of the band Television, who died this weekend at age 73. You can and will read a lot about him and that band and their first album, Marquee Moon, by people who are much bigger fans than I am. Like Gina Arnold. Or of course Robert Christgau.

"Marquee Moon" is, of course, an exquisite beauty that always amazes me. Yes, it’s 10-minutes long. Unlike almost every rock song that length, every second is worth it. I’ve heard it referred to as the “Stairway to Heaven” or “Free Bird” of the punk era. Ridiculous. A) Despite the band’s origins in a time and place I’ve never been convinced they have anything, musically, to do with what became known as punk; and B) both those cliche classic rock songs (which I love) are ballads that pick up the tempo for an orgasmic climax. “Marquee Moon” slams from beginning to end, riding dynamics and builds and breakdowns: no climax, just non-stop orgasm. Is that Tantric? Fucked if I know. It ain’t slow, though.

If for some godforsaken reason you’ve never heard “Marquee Moon,” well, why not make that happen right now. It’s never too late to fall in love.

Growing up in the ’80s, I knew the name Television and Why They Were Important but didn’t know their music. I think the first time I actually heard “Marquee Moon” was this version by the Kronos Quartet, which came out at the tail end of high school for me:

I cherish one particular “Marquee Moon” memory more than all others: my 30th birthday (also a book launch for Have Not Been the Same) at the Albion Hotel when DJ Charless Janzen played it, greeted by cheers and a packed dance floor. As the 10-minute song went on and on and on AND ON AND ON with a five-minute guitar solo