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Patti Smith, New York, and the guitarist who sounded “like a thousand bluebirds screaming”
Patti Smith admired Television as fellow pioneers of New York’s 1970s music scene, seeing the band as both contemporaries and heroes. Her praise for guitarist Tom Verlaine captures the force and originality she heard in his playing, and reflects how the city’s interconnected artistic circles shaped her musical world.
Television’s line-up included Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, Billy Ficca and bassist Fred Smith, and the band became a standout presence at CBGB amid a wider revival of New York rock. Smith described Verlaine’s guitar as sounding “like a thousand bluebirds screaming”, a vivid image for music she felt resisted ordinary description.
In short
- Patti Smith regarded Television as heroes as well as contemporaries.
- She likened Tom Verlaine’s guitar to “a thousand bluebirds screaming”.
- Television helped define New York’s early punk-era music scene.