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We're listening to Sound Opinions and this week we've got a new batch of musical

very treasures to share with you. I'm Jim D. Wurgatis and I'm Greg Cutt, but first we have

to pay tribute to television's iconic guitarist, Tom Burlain.

That guitar, what an iconic riff, it's the opening of Markey Moon, the title track of the

debut album by Television.

Television was one of those bands that came up in the CBGB punk explosion of the mid-70s

but it was never really a kin to most of those other bands. We're honoring Television because

at the age of 73, Tom Burlain, its founding guitarist, has died.

Yeah, it's a sad note, Jim, it's been a terrible month of iconic figures dying and in some

ways, Burlain isn't a household name but I was pleased in a way at the outpouring. I wasn't

aware of how many people knew of him and I did see some people that never heard Markey Moon saying

what's the big deal about this guy and they learned a lot about him. He was one of those figures

that if you knew you were a huge fan and if you didn't know, it was kind of like a revelation,

I think stumbling upon this music. Now, he was so influential and not necessarily a big name,

artist. You know, Greg, I think it is not an overstatement to say that since the release of Markey Moon

in 1977, on electoral records, no truly inventive guitarist anywhere in the rock idiom

hasn't taken something from Burlain. That's true. His name came up a lot when I talk with guitar

players about influences and you can hear it in some really obvious places like you too,

Neko and the Bunyman and Teardrop Explos, they were not shy about saying, hey, you know,

just as we were forming our band television hit us between the ice and we were like,

...