Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine circa 1978
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Miller
Born	(1949-12-13) December 13, 1949 (age 67) Denville, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock, art punk, post-punk, new wave
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano
Associated acts	Television, Neon Boys
Notable instruments
Fender Jazzmaster Fender Jaguar Danelectro Shorthorn Deluxe

Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television.

Tom Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey, and moved to Wilmington, Delaware at age 6. He began studying piano at an early age, but switched to saxophone in middle school after hearing a record by Stan Getz. Verlaine was initially unimpressed with the role of the guitar in both rock and jazz, and was only inspired to take up the instrument after hearing the Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown" during his adolescence. at which point he began a long period of experimentation to develop a personal style. Verlaine also had an interest in writing and poetry from an early age. As a teen he was friends with future bandmate and punk icon Richard Hell (Richard Meyers) at Sanford School, a boarding school which they both attended. They quickly discovered that they shared a passion for music and poetry.

After one failed attempt, Verlaine (with Hell) succeeded in escaping from school and moved to New York City. He then created his stage name, a reference to the French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine. He is quoted as saying this name was inspired by Bob Dylan's name change and was a way of distancing himself from his past. He and Hell formed the Neon Boys, recruiting drummer Billy Ficca. The Neon Boys quickly disbanded after failing to recruit a second guitarist, despite auditions by Dee Dee Ramone and Chris Stein. They reformed as Television a few months later, finding a guitarist in Richard Lloyd, and began playing at seminal punk clubs like CBGB and Max's Kansas City. In 1975, Verlaine kicked Hell out of the band for his erratic playing and behavior, and they released their first single with Fred Smith replacing Hell. Verlaine dated poet and musician Patti Smith when they were both up-and-coming artists in the burgeoning New York punk scene. Television released two albums, Marquee Moon and Adventure, to great critical acclaim and modest sales before breaking up in July 1978.