Richard Lloyd

No Use for Perfection

originally published July 23, 2008

Like many musicians of his generation, Richard Lloyd, former guitarist for the band Television, picked up his instrument after watching groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. However, unlike many musicians of his generation, instead of getting caught up in the hysteria of the British invasion, Lloyd approached the scene anthropologically, wondering how a band of innocuous-looking young men could create such a phenomenon.

“I sought out the influences of the first British invasion,” remembers Lloyd, “which took me to two places: harmonies like The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly and the American blues of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Buddy Guy. By 1967, I had figured out that the magic wand behind all of this was the guitar. Early classic rock really emphasized the electric guitar.”

After determining the modus operandi of the bands he watched as a youth, Lloyd developed his own unique style of guitar playing - a style that was raw and straight from the garage - complex and lyrical. But, Lloyd never strove for technical perfection on his instrument.

“There is something about perfection in the performance of the guitar which is deeply unsettling,” says Lloyd. “One goes to the circus because although one hopes that no one is going to be hurt, there is always an inherent danger in the tightrope walking and wild animal trainers. Nowadays when you go and see an acclaimed guitar player who [has] reached a certain technical perfection, although they can perform spectacular athletic activities on the guitar, there is no danger or real chance that they might fall off the edge.”

In Television, Lloyd and guitarist/songwriter Tom Verlaine willfully pushed the boundaries of their craft, helping to define both a location (New York) and an era (the '70s). Of all the so-called “punk” bands that cut their teeth in New York’s Bowery neighborhood, Television was the most accomplished at its instruments and arguably the most inventive.

In fact, at first the group even had to invent places to perform. The paucity of live music venues forced Television to rent out theaters and other unconventional stages. Lloyd says the band’s goal at the time was to find a regular place to play, a place where the group could become the house band and develop both audiences and its own material.

The group’s luck changed after encountering a man on a stepladder putting up an awning in front of a building in the Bowery. Verlaine approached the man and asked if he planned on having live music at his venue. Although the man answered "yes," he expressed disdain at the idea of allowing the rock and roll element into his establishment.

“We told him that [our music] was original rock music but like nothing he had ever heard,” remembers Lloyd. “We tried to convince them that our music was nothing like what he thought of rock music - that it was completely original and different and not even that loud.”

Lloyd and company persuaded the man, Hilly Kristal, to give them a chance on Sunday - his slowest night of the week.

“Luckily, we drew a pretty good audience,” says Lloyd, “and so [we] convinced him to give us four Sundays in a row. That was the beginning of CBGB.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Word about the venue grew, and in no time bands such as The Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie helped turn CBGB into ground zero for the burgeoning music scene.

“Even though CBGB was underneath a flophouse, and there were always bums passed out in front of the doorway,” says Lloyd, “it was like posting a four year-long New Year's Eve party. Even though it closed last year, it is without a doubt the most famous rock and roll club in the history of rock and roll, and I was very excited to have been part of its founding.”

Having etched its name permanently on the great rock and roll scroll, in 1977 Television further solidified its stellar reputation by releasing the critically acclaimed debut full-length album, Marquee Moon. Like many albums ahead of their time, it failed to reach a wide audience. The group’s second album, Adventure, released in 1978, sold better but didn’t elevate the band to Led Zeppelin-like status, either. A year later, the group disbanded, and Television was relegated to a permanent status as cult heroes residing just below the broader cultural radar.

Years later, Lloyd again briefly entered into the public consciousness when he lent his guitar prowess to Matthew Sweet’s 1991 debut record, Girlfriend. Since that time, Lloyd has contributed to nearly all of Sweet’s albums.

“I did a good deal of touring with Matthew in the beginning. Once on the tour bus he wrote 56 different songs in a week, and all of them were good. It blew my mind, because writing songs for me has always been like pulling teeth. Once in a while a song writes itself; those are the best, but usually you get a little bit of it and then have to work the rest with a lot of sweat and tears.”

Lloyd is currently touring in support of his most recent solo album, 2007’s Radiant Monkey. Also last year, Lloyd recorded an album of Jimi Hendrix covers, using no effects whatsoever - not even the ones Hendrix himself used - and limiting each track to a maximum of three guitars.

“Right now we are waiting for the mechanical licenses from the Hendrix estate,” says Lloyd, “and hopefully the record will be out early next year.”

These days, Lloyd’s immense talent is still apparent, though his style of fretwork quickly is becoming a lost art in the world of music.

“The modern guitarist has turned himself into a machine,” says Lloyd. “You can hear that kind of perfect guitar playing on beer commercials. It’s of no use to me.”

John Seay

WHO: The SufiMonkey Trio, Richard Lloyd
WHERE: Melting Point
WHEN: Saturday, July 26
HOW MUCH: $14