Television - Marquee Moon

Now come on! Get real! Hearing this wasn’t like one of those moments when I thought ‘Oh I can play guitar.’ I could never play the guitar! It’s another one that many people would file under punk but it’s not really punk. It’s technical, melodic, interesting, almost jazz influenced guitar - with great lyrics and a great singer who’s got a dead unusual voice. I suppose it’s labelled punk because it was new and coming from New York. I think the American punk scene could play a lot better. And this lot could really play, which is what I am sort of against in a way! I mean, I love The Fall. But this is just a great record. And I really like the other one from that time, Adventure. People slag that off but it’s still interesting and intricate and has some great tracks on it. I learnt all the wobbly guitar sounds you hear on the Bunnymen records from this. I’ve been living off that ever since, really.

Years ago I had a Television t-shirt with the spiral on the back cover. And I have ‘Little Johnny Jewel’ on a seven inch too, I think there are only about 500 of them made, on the Ork label. It was given to me by a bloke at an American radio station called Rodney Bingenheimer. And he was on a station called KROQ, he was their John Peel figure if you like. He said, “Will, I’d like you to have this.” And it was like this legendary release, I couldn’t believe it! Mad giving that away. What a geezer.