Happy Birthday, Richard Hell

He can take it or leave it each time.

Richard Lester Meyers, or Richard Hell, turns 75 today, His story is maybe strange or typical, in a man-comes-to-town kind of way. He had come from private school in Delaware, with his friend Tom Miller in tow. These were the old-folky days, when young men on vision quests and life pursuits went to the West Village to find out if what they had read was true. Meyers and Miller found it only halfway to be so, plus their appetites ran in a somewhat different direction. They worshiped Dylan like anybody else, but they dug Quicksilver Messenger Service too. They met a weird hustler kid — and I am sure he would sign off on the characterization — who also played a great guitar. Miller became Verlaine, which was a tad on the nose but absolutely perfect. Of course the Television albums Richard Hell never played on —Marquee Moon and Adventure were unparalleled masterpieces, and probably records that couldn't have existed had Verlaine not fired Hell from Television, for a lot of good reasons that stretched far outside their musical differences. Neither could have Verlaine played the Robert Quine role in Hell's equally astonishing first two LPs Blank Generation and Destiny Street. People remember the Television records better, but the Verlaine versus Quine NYC ’70s greatest guitarist argument remains a fulsome one for the troubled. 

I wrote about the Hell-Verlaine relationship over at the Ringer a few years ago, in a Marquee Moon context. Too close to the sun. Too much friction.

I tweeted this too, about Adventure, which I stand by. If people want to get into a whole argument in the comments, I am 100% up for that, but you have to pay to comment so consider that before you formulate your cunning gambits.

Happy birthday, Richard Hell! The revolution was televised (the kicker in my Ringer piece)!

In case you did not know this, I’ve been thinking a lot about Dylan lately, for a change, so I chose this song to highlight.

Here’s just a photo of me thinking about Marquee Moon while wearing short pants. For you fashion fans out there, those shoes are Tretorns and they are too big for me.