Thanks for the input. I don’t know much about Television as far as the personalities go. I don’t really read into band dynamics for the most part, or even general biographies. I don’t take Lloyd as necessarily a reliable narrator here, but it’s informative to hear other perspectives. It is interesting for me to hear about Bob Ficca - who I think really glues everything together on Marquee Moon, and his characterization as a self-indulgent, flashy drummer. I mean, he does say they tried other drummers out when Ficca went back to Boston for a spell, and that nobody fit like he did, but his drumming on Marquee Moon is anything but self-serving. It can get a little busy at times, but always serving the song. I adore his drumming, and it’s somewhat odd for me to imagine him as someone who would be characterized to play solos such that the band can go out to Chinatown, have lunch, a couple smokes, and be back with him still playing.
Yeah and he has also played on solo albums by Verlaine, Lloyd AND Richard Hell over the years, so I think whatever criticism they may have had is obviously tempered with a fair degree of respect. I’m in agreement on his quality. On that live track (and album) I linked above, he is a bit loose and jazzy but I still think very much in sync with the rest of the band. And honestly Verlaine was usually fairly loose and improvisational himself, so he should talk (Lloyd is definitely more grounded and precise). I think it all works beautifully.
Ficca was also with the Washington Squares, a folk revival group, that I originally thought was intended to be ironic, but it turns out it was quite serious. It was impossible to find their albums, but with streaming you can hear them in all of their folksy glory.