Was found dead in his apartment in NYC yesterday, he committed suicide. He was sixty years old and had played with Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Lou Reed, Matthew Sweet, Lloyd Cole, Materia, Eno and others, he also cut an LP with Jody Harris (Escape), and one with Fred Maher (Basic). He was depressed over the death of his wife Alice last August. He also recorded the Velvet Underground on a hand held cassette deck, the highlights were issued last year as The Quine Tapes a three CD set.
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― poop (poop), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― frankE (frankE), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Monday, 7 June 2004 01:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Ellison, Monday, 7 June 2004 02:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Monday, 7 June 2004 02:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 7 June 2004 02:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 7 June 2004 02:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 7 June 2004 02:38 (nineteen years ago) link
np quine/maher "basic"
― msp, Monday, 7 June 2004 02:56 (nineteen years ago) link
While doing some recording a couple weekends back we got stumped trying to figure out a guitar part on one song. I played the solo on 'Love In Spurts' to explain the feel for my friend to try on the part and it ended up influencing what we recorded.
RIP.
― earlnash, Monday, 7 June 2004 03:39 (nineteen years ago) link
there is quite an informative site here.
― william (william), Monday, 7 June 2004 03:59 (nineteen years ago) link
Even if he hadn't been a damn good guitarist, for the VU set last year alone he deserves credit. RIP.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 June 2004 04:16 (nineteen years ago) link
RIP
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 7 June 2004 05:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 7 June 2004 05:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― willem (willem), Monday, 7 June 2004 06:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― NickB (NickB), Monday, 7 June 2004 08:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 7 June 2004 08:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― mentalist (mentalist), Monday, 7 June 2004 08:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― lovebug starski, Monday, 7 June 2004 09:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Monday, 7 June 2004 09:34 (nineteen years ago) link
― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Monday, 7 June 2004 09:51 (nineteen years ago) link
His squeals and weals, his steers off-road and up-neck. His lurches and car crashes of sound; his conjured explosions and high twang drifters.
― the quinefox, Monday, 7 June 2004 10:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 7 June 2004 10:38 (nineteen years ago) link
Terrible news...
― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 7 June 2004 11:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― briania (briania), Monday, 7 June 2004 11:17 (nineteen years ago) link
it is.
― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 7 June 2004 11:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Monday, 7 June 2004 11:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― jesus nathalie (nathalie), Monday, 7 June 2004 11:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 7 June 2004 12:11 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, let the anecdotes begin: anyone else hear the story of the '74 or '75 Richard Hell tour with the Ramones in the UK, where - older and crankier than his tourmmates - Quine allegedly throttled whatever gobbers dared spit on his nice guitar?
― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Monday, 7 June 2004 12:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― the quinefox, Monday, 7 June 2004 12:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 7 June 2004 12:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Fr4ncis W4tlingt0n (Francis Watlington), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:22 (nineteen years ago) link
(message ends)
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Monday, 7 June 2004 13:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― kjoerup, Monday, 7 June 2004 16:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 7 June 2004 17:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― King Kobra (King Kobra), Monday, 7 June 2004 18:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― the quinefox, Monday, 7 June 2004 18:10 (nineteen years ago) link
'Don't Look Back', 'Sweetheart' (1990)
'Tell Your Sister (The "L" Word) (1991)
'Like Lovers Do' (1995)
'Man on the Verge' (2000)
or many others.
― the quinefox, Monday, 7 June 2004 18:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Monday, 7 June 2004 19:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 7 June 2004 20:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 7 June 2004 20:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 09:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 10:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― shookout (shookout), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 11:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 12:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 12:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 14:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam (adam), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 16:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 01:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― Palomino (Palomino), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 08:33 (nineteen years ago) link
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation (1977) Lydia Lunch - Queen of Siam (1979) Material - Temporary Music 1 (1981) Robert Quine - Escape (with Jody Harris) (1981) Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Destiny Street (1982) Lou Reed - The Blue Mask (1982) Material - Red Tracks (1982) Get Crazy - film soundtrack (1983) Lou Reed - Legendary Hearts (1983) Lou Reed - Live in Italy (1984) John Zorn - The Big Gundown (1984) Richard Hell & the Voidoids - R.I.P.: The ROIR Sessions (1984) Robert Quine - Basic (with Fred Maher) (1984) Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985) Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985) Wiseblood - Dirtdish (1986) John Zorn - Spillane (1986) Marianne Faithfull - Strange Weather (1987) Matthew Sweet - Earth (1989) Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Funhunt (Live at CBGB & Max's) (1990) Lloyd Cole - Lloyd Cole (1990) Lloyd Cole - Don't Get Weird On Me Babe (1991) Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (1991) Dim Stars - Dim Stars (1992) Brian Eno - Nerve Net (1992) Lou Reed - Between Thought and Expression (1992) Suzanne Rhatigan - To Hell With Love (1992) John Zorn - Film Works 1986-1990 (1992) Hal Willner - Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus (1992) The Odds - Bedbugs (1993) Matthew Sweet - Altered Beast (1993) Sion - I Don't Like Myself (1993) Matthew Sweet - Son of Altered Beast (1994) They Might Be Giants - John Henry (1994) Lloyd Cole - Love Story (1995) Mike Mainieri - Come Together: Guitar Tribute to the Beatles, Vol. 2 (1995) Richard Hell - Go Now (1995) Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (1995) Matthew Sweet - We're the Same (1995) Mikel Erentxun - El Abrazo Del Erizo (1995) John Zorn - Film Works V: Tears of Ecstacy (1996) Material - Secret Life (1996) Corin Curschellas - Valdun—Voices of Rumantsch (1997) Ikue Mori (with Marc Ribot) - Painted Desert (1997) John Zorn - Film Works III (1997) John Zorn - Film Works IV: S&M (1997) John Zorn - Film Works VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour (1997) John Zorn - Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach (1997) Reiss - Vibe of Life (1998) John Zorn - Bribe (1998) Material - Best of Material (1999) John Zorn - Godard/Spillane (1999) Richard Hell & the Voidoids - 'Oh' - MUSICBLITZ.com (2000) Kazuyoshi Saito - Cold Tube (2000) The Odds - Singles—Individually Wrapped (2000) Sion - Songs (2000) Wayne Kramer Presents Beyond Cyberpunk (2001) Andre Williams - Bait and Switch (2001) The Velvet Underground - Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes (2001) Lloyd Cole - Etc. (2001) Richard Hell - Time (2002) Michael DuClos - Lustro (2002) Tom Clark and the High Action Boys - Cross-Eyed and Bow-Legged (2002) Lys Guillorn - Lys Guillorn (2003)
― louis firbank, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 09:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― the quinefox, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:29 (nineteen years ago) link
I saw this today for the first time ("A Night With Lou Reed", from 1983). Lou Reed's playing is good (the vocals are nothing special), but the band pretty much pwns him. Quine looks badass in his dark glasses, sloppy-collared shirt and open jacket. Lou Reed is supposed to be the tough guy with the poses and a leather jacket, but Quine is the cold-blooded killer.
― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 31 October 2005 00:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 31 October 2005 01:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 31 October 2005 04:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― the quinefox, Monday, 31 October 2005 14:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 31 October 2005 23:04 (eighteen years ago) link
loving this record, just heard it for the first time last week: Ikue Mori (with Marc Ribot) - Painted Desert (1997)
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 17:40 (thirteen years ago) link
think i need to put together a quine mixtape, with the best of his sideman stuff, or something.
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 17:41 (thirteen years ago) link
also been listening to an audio rip of that night with lou reed video mentioned above -- quine pretty much walks away with the show. every solo he plays is rad.
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 17:42 (thirteen years ago) link
please do put that together
― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 March 2011 19:39 (thirteen years ago) link
looking at that discog posted above, there's a lot I don't have!
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 19:40 (thirteen years ago) link
― tylerw, Friday, March 25, 2011 12:40 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark
This is a fabulous record, that I'm guessing many haven't heard. Great use of cheap rhythm box.
― Partyin', partyin', fun fun fun fun (Dan Peterson), Friday, 25 March 2011 19:55 (thirteen years ago) link
this sounds interesting: did another thing like that with Zorn and Bill Frissell. We jammed together a lot. It was a concert at Harvard in '87 at a chapel. We cleared the place. There was no discussion as we walked out to the stage. Bill and I had loop machines so we had four guitars and a sax playing. They made a recording of it and it'd be nice to come out.from here: http://www.furious.com/perfect/quine.html
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 20:02 (thirteen years ago) link
i also love this quote from the same interviewAfter that, what would you say about the time you played with Lou Reed?
Musically, the first week and a half was really great, out of the four years.
― tylerw, Friday, 25 March 2011 20:05 (thirteen years ago) link
Would have been 70 today.
― Albee Thousand (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 30 December 2012 22:48 (eleven years ago) link
I remember when Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" was in heavy rotation on MTV, and it was such a wonderful mindfuck that you could hear Robert Quine multiple times a day on TV.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Sunday, 30 December 2012 23:00 (eleven years ago) link
mindfuck that you could hear any good music on TV.
But yeah, RIP Bob Quine. I remember feeling pissed off on his behalf when I read in Victor Bokris's book (hatchet job?) "Transformer" that Lou Reed mixed Bob Quine so low on one of his albums (Blue Mask or Legendary Hearts, I don't remember) that Bob repeatedly drove over the tape in his driveway after putting it in his cassette deck.
― Poliopolice, Sunday, 30 December 2012 23:40 (eleven years ago) link
the woman on the right is j@ne quine, either mother or aunt of robert quine (i can't remember exactly, but i know she was related)she was super cool http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6p23avsDm1rzge1ho1_1280.jpg
― passion it person (La Lechera), Sunday, 30 December 2012 23:45 (eleven years ago) link
A friend of mine just told me that Robert's uncle was William Van Orman Quine.
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Sunday, 30 December 2012 23:58 (eleven years ago) link
― Poliopolice, Sunday, December 30, 2012 6:40 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'm gonna guess Legendary Hearts, only because he's all over The Blue Mask (as he should be). Ironically, he stuck around to tour with Lou (cf. Live In Italy).
― Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Monday, 31 December 2012 00:01 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx7bXk4N5no
― Albee Thousand (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 31 December 2012 00:17 (eleven years ago) link
Try again, with http instead of https:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx7bXk4N5no
― Albee Thousand (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 31 December 2012 00:21 (eleven years ago) link
i still don't know his subsequent work very well, but even just the first voidoids album is enough to make him one of my all-time favorites.
― it burns when 1p3 (goole), Monday, 31 December 2012 00:29 (eleven years ago) link
he was able to take the contradictory impulses of (what became) punk rock -- to revisit earlier forms of rock music and to wreck them all -- and make them materially real, as a player. he could play the whole corpus of traditional american guitar playing upside down and backwards. and so, he did.
― it burns when 1p3 (goole), Monday, 31 December 2012 00:34 (eleven years ago) link
Total throw down by Quine here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzl3AB5tw-w
― john. a resident of chicago., Monday, 31 December 2012 00:37 (eleven years ago) link
Also, wow! Had no idea he was on Scritti Politti's Cupid and Psyche.
― john. a resident of chicago., Monday, 31 December 2012 00:43 (eleven years ago) link
dennis miller is the most annoying man on the entire planet
― "reading specialist" (Z S), Monday, 31 December 2012 01:04 (eleven years ago) link
His cousin Tim Quine has a good blog, Rubber City Review, where he posted a couple commentaries on Bob several years ago--this one is about the music, incl mp3s of several things I hadn't heard; think they all still work, but haven't checked the l0u lately (most likely to be removed?) http://rubbercityreview.com/2010/05/robert-quine-the-hits-2/
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 01:20 (eleven years ago) link
Here's Tim's first post: close encounters and some music links as well: http://rubbercityreview.com/2010/03/encounters-with-quine/
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 01:23 (eleven years ago) link
ha pretty sure the drummer in that clip is the guy from Mr Mister
Big session dude IIRC
― Master of Treacle, Monday, 31 December 2012 04:22 (eleven years ago) link
Def the Mr. Mister guy, who has spent the past 15 years or so in king crimson. Bassist is sara lee, who played in gang of four and b-52s. Dunno the other guy.
Quine is on the Scritti Polliti because the band was basically Material. That album was produced by Fred Maher, who also produced girlfriend.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 31 December 2012 05:32 (eleven years ago) link
those blog posts are great, thanks for sharing...quine was known for a certain type of guitar playing, but he really was super versatile -- as those blog posts note about his solo on that reed's "betrayed" (from live in italy), he was an amazing country rock guitarist, too.
― tylerw, Monday, 31 December 2012 15:43 (eleven years ago) link
Oh yea, forgot Quine was in Material--did he ever play on a track w Sharrock? Or Frith?
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
I don't think so. Not sure Quine was a Material regular, either, but he was in the same orbit as Laswell. I know Quine and Maher did an album together called Basic.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 31 December 2012 21:09 (eleven years ago) link
Those Manhattan bohos of the mid to late eighties all knew each other. Maher and Matthew Sweet played on Lloyd Cole's good 1990 eponymous record; he returned the favor by playing on Girlfriend.
He makes just one appearance on C&P '85 but he makes it count: a solo on "Don't Work That Hard"
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 31 December 2012 21:17 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I've got Basic, and I used to buy everything I could find w Quine in the credits. Haven't heard the first Cole, but got the second, Don't Get Weird On Me, Babe, with Quine-Sweet-Maher. He and Maher are always worth hearing, though he did do a lot of one-offs, like C&P 85. Consult your local yard sale.
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 22:23 (eleven years ago) link
He had a good column in Guitar World (or was it Guitar Player). Thought of that recently when Mickey Baker died.
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 22:24 (eleven years ago) link
Is that his solo on "She's a Girl and I'm a Man"?
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 31 December 2012 22:26 (eleven years ago) link
sounds like it. Love that song.
Think so, yeah.
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 22:27 (eleven years ago) link
That whole album is good! I'm a Lloyd Cole apologist, but I would like to know who encouraged his sleazy makeover right before the first solo album.
― passion it person (La Lechera), Monday, 31 December 2012 22:30 (eleven years ago) link
long bangs and stubble!
He did look dissolute by mid decade though.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 31 December 2012 22:33 (eleven years ago) link
btw I asked my mom about the woman in the picture and her relationship to Robert Quine and we decided she was probably his aunt. I knew her before I ever knew who he was. Akron's a small place!
― passion it person (La Lechera), Monday, 31 December 2012 22:35 (eleven years ago) link
Do you know Tim Quine? He's also like the uncle or something of Dan Auerbach, who wrote about finally meeting Bob, during a family get-together. He was shy at first, but then they got into talking about guitar music. Some thought of asking him to play on a Black Keys album, but then he died. (Patrick Carney's Uncle Ralph, of Afterbirth of the Cool etc., did play on a Black Keys record, I think--small world indeed!)
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 22:59 (eleven years ago) link
Oh yeah, Ralph was in Tin Huey too!
― dow, Monday, 31 December 2012 23:00 (eleven years ago) link
Not personally, but I'm sure friends of mine do -- it's a pretty small town when you avoid all of the boring people. Jane is Dan A's grandmother, so I think she is related to Robert through her husband's side of the family, which would make her his aunt I think? I'm awful with family tree terminology -- I don't even know what a second cousin is tbh.
― passion it person (La Lechera), Monday, 31 December 2012 23:07 (eleven years ago) link
<3 Tin Huey!Rubber City 4 eva
>I don't even know what a second cousin is tbh.
Put simply, your second cousin is the son/daughter of your mom/dad's first cousin.
― Poliopolice, Monday, 31 December 2012 23:09 (eleven years ago) link
so a stranger, then? ;)
― passion it person (La Lechera), Monday, 31 December 2012 23:19 (eleven years ago) link
Whoa. That's the big time. Maybe one of these days I will read a fraction of what I want to read, including Quine.
― _Rudipherous_, Monday, 31 December 2012 23:26 (eleven years ago) link
Willard Van Orman Quine >>>> Robert Quine.
― _Rudipherous_, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 00:06 (eleven years ago) link
listening to a lot of Lou Reed in the last week has made me miss Quine as well. his strangled, gasping, desperate tone was a big gateway drug for me in terms of sonics - when I was in high school I found a copy of Richard Hells' Blank Generation LP based solely on Lester Bangs' 5-star RS record guide interview, and the solos were what resonated with me first. his album with Fred Maher is also good, and he is probably on a shitload of records I don't even know about like that Ribot/Mori one.
also just his contribution to that whole NY scene, his recordings of the VU getting released, and that great long interview quote from the Lou Reed RIP thread about playing guitar with Lou... can't find it now.
― sleeve, Saturday, 2 November 2013 16:30 (ten years ago) link
Did you check those Tim Quine blog links upthread? And this is Bob central, or close as we've gotten, I think: http://www.quine.org/robertquine.html
― dow, Sunday, 3 November 2013 00:08 (ten years ago) link
Also The Hound's blog (but his claims about his longtime running buddy RQ's demise are---well, you might not wanna go to that part) http://thehoundblog.blogspot.com/
― dow, Sunday, 3 November 2013 00:14 (ten years ago) link
That interview at Perfect Sound Forever with Quine is the best thing ever, especially his comments about the late Lou Reed.
― Blecch Dreieinigkeitsmoses (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 November 2013 01:04 (ten years ago) link
Looking again for his own columns in that guitar magazine, found instead another interview with RQ, re even more stuff I didn't know he did: http://www.vintageguitar.com/2918/robert-quine/
― dow, Monday, 19 May 2014 22:30 (nine years ago) link
Thanks. Listening to those Lloyd Cole songs he singled out now. Miss this guy and am always happy to read any interview with him.
― Pentatonic's Rendezvous Band (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 20 May 2014 01:31 (nine years ago) link
awesome. i made a playlist:
http://open.spotify.com/user/elishasessions/playlist/7suPRxt8JDKgu4UleqYCig
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 20 May 2014 11:23 (nine years ago) link
Recently read an interview with Ivan Julian in which he said that he, Quine and Richard Lloyd were never around except singly with Matthew Sweet- he could only handle one of these characters at a time.
― Pentatonic's Rendezvous Band (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 20 May 2014 12:15 (nine years ago) link
This finally appeared on xgau's site:
Robert QuineTo me the most striking thing that Robert Quine has done in two decades is to die. I liked him tremendously and, as an uxorious man, think the story of his last year unspeakably tragic. We got to know each other in the wake of Lester Bangs's death, always as mutually respectful casual acquaintances. I ran into him on the street every few years, although it occurs to me that the last time I saw him something in me held back and I didn't greet him; I don't know whether he saw me, but his body language must have told me not to approach. So the last time I spoke to him was in the Village two or three years ago, I think his wife was with him, and he told me nobody wanted to play with him anymore. I said I'd spread the word to the few musicians I know, and I did, but nothing came of it. When I first heard of his death I wondered whether he'd even get an obituary anywhere. Yet here two days later is a big one with a photo in the Times, and the next day someone on Fresh Air is playing "Waves of Fear" and telling listeners what DVD's they can buy to see him in action. I think Quine would have been astonished by this response, and sardonic about it. But it's clear that those who were touched by him were touched deeply. I would say that his tiny body of work makes him one of the great rock guitarists, kind of like Pete Cosey's work with Miles, and that many many people know that. Moreover, quite a few of them are intelligent and articulate people with media connections. So he won't pass unnoticed. Good.
The other thing I would mention is that Quine, while a very decent man, was also a very dour one--more dour than I think the state of music or the world ever fully justified. He was bitter with me about both Richard Hell and Lou Reed. And indeed, these were and are difficult and egotistical men, as artists with something to say tend to be. To make your mark as a sideman, which was clearly Quine's appointed role, you have to be able to shrug off the temperament and selfishness of those whose role is to be leaders. Quine couldn't do this. On one level you say, Good for him, he was better than them anyway. But on another level it's also temperament, and an important part of why he left this world the way he did. Now the way is open for him to become a legend. Oddly enough, he may just make it.
Postscript Notes:
For the rest of Perfect Sound Forever's Robert Quine tribute, see the index.http://www.furious.com/perfect/quine/index.html
Perfect Sound Forever, 2004http://www.furious.com/perfect/quine/robertchristgau.html
― dow, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 17:33 (two years ago) link
Surely he'd been around the neighborhood---starting as a tax preparer, for other musos, for inst---long enough to be well aware of Hell's and Reed's reps as employers (and colleagues), but I guess figured they were worth a shot, as who would not. I think the filmed concert mentioned on here several times was where I saw Reed actually throw back his head and laugh, as Quine played some succinctly outrageous interjection---"I saw my head laughing, rolling on the ground"--but also remember a quote from Fernando Saunders, re Reed taking away his solo in "New Age," after it was mentioned in concert reviews---and another quote from somebody about Reed's insecurity about Cale's musical proficiency, why they kept falling out, supposedly--maybe this had something to with his treatment of Quine as well.
― dow, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 17:44 (two years ago) link
Given Quine's fruitful tenure with the likes of Reed, Lloyd Cole, Matthew Sweet, Laswell, Zorn, etc., I find it hard to believe that no one wanted to work with him, unless he was truly hard to work with.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 18:02 (two years ago) link
Maybe he just got that way, or more that way, toward the end; the drug problem got pretty bad, judging by his running buddy The Hound's account, still posted maybe.
Just came across this recently!https://sorcererrecords.bandcamp.com/album/escape
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3080446209_10.jpg
― dow, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 18:08 (two years ago) link
I saw him around pretty consistently for 20 years, as I lived a few streets over from him, and his body language was always "do not approach," which is also true of fucking Xgau, Jarmusch, Glass and nearly every single notable person to live the East Village from 1975 to 2000.
― veronica moser, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 18:20 (two years ago) link
not hard to imagine him being too proud to chase after work in those later years as well, the kind of person who laments that no one calls but never picks up the phone
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Wednesday, 8 September 2021 18:34 (two years ago) link
yeah, he didn't have a management/PR structure of any kind that would get his name out there…and not that I knew him, but certainly I knew enuff people who knew him to attest that his pride, combined with his dogged belief that Raw Power and Agharta were the last remotely good records ever made, would have prevented him from working steadily… he was surly as fuck, and Lou Reed (or Sylvia) signs the checks, so he would have been the one that gets to be surly… I don't imagine Mike Rathke would get awfully testy…
― veronica moser, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 18:45 (two years ago) link
xpost - one eye open i bet that is exactly right
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 September 2021 19:05 (two years ago) link
I fucking love that Harris/Quine LP, very cool and unique sound
definitely one of my favorites, I didn't know the ending of the story was this sad though.
― sleeve, Wednesday, 8 September 2021 19:32 (two years ago) link
I sold my copy of "Escape" back when it was way out of print and going for good money, it was interesting but kinda not my thing, but different strokes.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 8 September 2021 20:09 (two years ago) link
Basic and Escape sound a heck of a lot more contemporary to me now than they did when I heard them back in the late 90s for the first time. Back then I kept thinking - you know this would sound so much better with a full band - now it kinda just sounds like how more like how music is made. You got to pay to get sample packs that sound that grungy, that's an upgrade now.
― earlnash, Thursday, 9 September 2021 16:21 (two years ago) link
Sorry, thought I'd already linked this, which incl. lots of Quine talk, esp. lately:Lou Reed: The Blue Mask
― dow, Saturday, 25 September 2021 20:38 (two years ago) link
Hadn't seen this interview before!https://www.vintageguitar.com/2918/robert-quine/
also:For this feature we spoke with Quine’s bandmates Richard Hell and Ivan Julian, his longtime collaborator Fred Maher, songwriters Matthew Sweet and Lloyd Cole, disc jockey and author James “the Hound” Marshall, and others. Times good quotes from The Man Himself:https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/forgotten-heroes-robert-quine
― dow, Saturday, 25 September 2021 20:48 (two years ago) link
that vintage guitar interview is fantastic. what an articulate, self-aware guy he is there. and what a scholar of early rock guitar. tremendous.
― Tracer Hand, Saturday, 25 September 2021 21:22 (two years ago) link
That’s a great interview. His mention of Mickey Baker brought to mind Andrew Hickey’s “A History Of Rock In 500 Songs” podcast episode on “Love Is Strange”: https://500songs.com/podcast/episode-49-love-is-strange-by-mickey-and-sylvia/I was listening to that episode while driving. My surprise at hearing that Baker had studied with Xenakis — and hearing one startling result of those studies — almost made me drive off the road.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 25 September 2021 21:53 (two years ago) link
wonderful, thank you for posting
― brimstead, Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:00 (two years ago) link
Speaking of Quine and guitars, I remember reading eons ago that during the Voidoids tour of the UK (opening for the Ramones, maybe?) he would get into fights in the audience with gobbers for spitting on his vintage Strat.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:36 (two years ago) link
just another thank you for that Vintage Guitar interview, really cool
― sleeve, Sunday, 26 September 2021 02:54 (two years ago) link
like, I love how he casually drops this
After the Velvet Underground, there hasn’t been much that influenced my playing. There are three, however – Iggy & the Stooges, Raw Power; Miles Davis from ’72 to ’75, and Brian Eno’s On Land from ’82.
(can you spot the one that's different?)
― sleeve, Sunday, 26 September 2021 02:57 (two years ago) link
Thanks to sleeve for recent Television thread remynder of this one!
Ikue Mori | Robert Quine | Marc Ribot – Painted Desert [Full Album]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vGHBqept3Q
― dow, Thursday, 2 February 2023 00:50 (one year ago) link