The NYC/CBGB scene of the 1970s has now taken on almost-mythical proportions, with endless arguments over who was there first and who invented what… and what it all meant! Acts as musically diverse as Blondie, the Ramones, Jayne/Wayne County, Pere Ubu, Suicide, The (original) Heartbreakers, Mumps, Talking Heads and, of course, Television are all crammed together under the general heading of “NYC punk” or “New Wave”. There are a number of great books published over the last 30+ years that try to make sense of it all.
There’s no definitive history of Television, but as fans we’re fortunate to have terrific memoirs by two members of the band (Lloyd & Hell) and a growing number of deep-dive histories into the scene. And now that both Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine’s estate have made their papers available through public institutions in NYC, we can only hope for many more books to come.
This reading list was compiled and organized by Keith and Phil.
Heylin chronicles the American punk/new wave music scene from its roots in the 1960s through the end of the 1970s. His (controversial!) approach is based around repurposing countless vintage interviews with key participants, meaning you’re hearing about events in the first person. As a result, you’ll get compact histories of not just Television, but the MC5, the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, Modern Lovers, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, Talking Heads, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Pere Ubu, the Dictators, the Dead Boys and many more. There’s also a good (if slightly dated) discography including essential unreleased recordings.
Excellent, thorough examination of the events leading up to, and the recording of, Marquee Moon. In fact, it may be the longest book ever published in the 33⅓ series: it’s absolutely packed with details. Practically works as a Television bio, at least through 1977. Waterman is the first author (that I know of) to make extensive use of Richard Hell’s papers, now available to the public at NYU.
The Memoirs of an Alchemical Guitarist. Richard puts his astonishing memory to use to tell his own story, in his own words. “Easily surpasses most of its rivals in giving a full sense of a creative life” – MOJO. “The tales are spectacular” – Classic Rock Magazine.
Hell spares no feelings, including his own, and the result is a very readable, frank and fascinating account of his life and his ill-fated early friendship with Verlaine. “A rueful, battle-scarred, darkly witty observer of his own life and times.” – New York Times. “Charming and impossible, Hell is the first (and best!) name in punk rock.” – Thurston Moore.
Edited by two of the three people behind the original Punk magazine and written entirely in quotes from interviews with major (and minor) players. Concludes very definitely that punk began in New York and that we English came in at the end of it. Yes, it focuses on the seedy and the glamorous, but isn’t that what you want? (Richard Lloyd wore the infamous “Please Kill Me” T-shirt – designed by Richard Hell – for only one Television show, at Max’s Kansas City.)
The memoir of Blondie’s co-founder and guitarist. “A fascinating yet cautionary account regarding the hazards of rock ’n’ roll and celebrity.” – Kirkus Reviews
Rifkin’s book takes you through a detailed history of NYC’s key music venues over a half century of change and innovation, and provides possibly the best answer I’ve ever read to the question “Why CBGB?” (Also, if you’re visiting NYC, Rifkin offers rock-n-roll walking tours ↗!)
Pete Astor, an academic and musician, dives into the making of Richard Hell’s debut LP with the Voidoids. Don’t miss the abecedary ↗ the publisher put together back in 2014 to promote it.
Blondie’s bassist (after Fred Smith left for Television) and author of several key early songs offers an unvarnished look at what it was really like to be part of a young band in NYC in the 1970s (spoiler: not glamorous!)
Opinions are divided on this hefty (and not cheap) one. Too obsessed with Malcolm McLaren and the Pistols for some tastes.
Black-and-white images by six photographers, each picture accompanied by a short description from the photographer that helps to place it in context. What the early days of New York punk looked and felt like.
A visual record of the punk years in New York City – “a documentary film in stills” – by one of the great rock photographers.
Lucid, articulate and honest autobiography from Cope. Not about New York at all, but check out all the soon-to-be-musicians in Liverpool sitting around listening to the original 7-inch “Little Johnny Jewel” single and then going out and starting the Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen et al. An essential and wonderful read.
Primarily about the British punk scene, but Savage explains how what was happening in New York had a direct influence on what happened in London. The lengthy, annotated discography in this book is what led Phil to Television back in 1993, which alone earns it a place on this list.
An early history of CBGB, the Bowery club where Television and much of the NYC scene got started, illustrated with photographs by Ebet Roberts.
22 numbered poems, the odd-numbered ones written by Patti and the even-numbered ones by Tom. Published in Britain (Aloes Books, London, limited edition of 500) and Paris (Edition Fear Press).
A collection of 17 poems. Theresa Stern (as a close look at the cover photo will tell you) was actually Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell, although this isn’t mentioned anywhere in the book.
Linked titles open the book’s page on Goodreads.com.