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Everything Is Combustible

Richard Lloyd

3.64 · Rating details · 88 ratings · 19 reviews

Written in Richard Lloyd's inimitable, frequently humorous style, Everything is Combustible chronicles, through vignettes, Lloyd's colorful early life, starting in Pittsburgh and soon moving to New York City, and then details his teenage travels and encounters with music legends including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and Keith Moon.

Lloyd recounts ...more

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Hardcover, 416 pages

Published October 24th 2017 by Beech Hill Publishing

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Nov 11, 2017 Tosh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-bought

The band Television means a lot to me. Even before I heard a note of their music, they had great importance to me. I saw a photo of the band when Richard Hell was in it, and I was intrigued by their visuals. I liked the haircuts and their clothing. It was no frills and all attitude. I must have been around 18 or 19 when Television hit my consciousness. Not long after, but for sure after Hell left the band, I purchased their single on Ork Records, Little Johnny Jewel" at my local punk rock record The band Television means a lot to me. Even before I heard a note of their music, they had great importance to me. I saw a photo of the band when Richard Hell was in it, and I was intrigued by their visuals. I liked the haircuts and their clothing. It was no frills and all attitude. I must have been around 18 or 19 when Television hit my consciousness. Not long after, but for sure after Hell left the band, I purchased their single on Ork Records, Little Johnny Jewel" at my local punk rock record store, Bomp Records in the Valley. I heard a sound that matched their vision. To this day, and we're talking 40 years later, Television is still a mystery to me.

I have read a lot of books regarding the New York music explosion of the 1970s, including "Please Kill Me" (an excellent book) and various memoirs by musicians of that period (all of them are pretty good). Still, what is Television? And on top of that, who is Tom Verlaine" Richard Lloyd who was one of the remarkable and fascinating characters that came out of the "Please Kill Me" book and even more important, a brilliant guitarist in Television. Verlaine and Lloyd were the bookends, and Billy Ficca (drums) and Fred Smith roamed between those two. Verlaine was and is the primary composer for Television (Hell, when he was in the band, shared songwriting duties, and is brilliant), but that group is constructed like a piece of architecture. Lloyd was part of the building blocks to build this magnificent sound that is Television.

"Everything Is Combustible" is a remarkable memoir, due that Lloyd is a good prose writer and a fascinating guy. Very straightforward, yet metaphysical in his approach to his life, and even with his addictions. He has a mind like a scientist, who wants to analyze the things and people in front of him or in his sights. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Lloyd tries to look at his drug addiction clearly and showed frustration when a medical doctor tries to get him to a 12 step program. At the time, Lloyd wasn't interested in quitting drugs; he just wanted to know in detail the nature of addiction and how it affects the brain/body. In such fashion, he reminds me of William S. Burroughs. To investigate the 'unknown' and somehow try to make it more 'known.'

Lloyd writes his memoir as if it's an original science paper. When he attaches to something, he doesn't let go, until Lloyd masters whatever he desires. His guitar obsession is singular and it's his devotion to the instrument that made him such a remarkable musician. He's egotistical in a sense he knows what he can do, yet his appreciation of other artists are quite open and in its way, a strong focus on him as well. He casually knew Jimi Hendrix as a teenager. I gather he wanted to know what made him such an iconic and fantastic musician. He doesn't look at Hendrix as a fanboy but like a scientist studying in a laboratory. For the mystery part, that is still a mystery to me. The reader gets facts regarding the inner-workings of Television, but what made Tom Verlaine be such an odd fellow? Richard Hell in his memoir wrote about Verlaine, and they were great friends, yet, I didn't feel Hell could penetrate the mystery that's Tom Verlaine. Lloyd doesn't get any closer to Verlaine's character, but you do get great stories about him not using luggage, but laundry or store bags to keep his clothing. The fact is Verlaine is a very strange being and somewhat guarded. One gathers he is a control freak and wants to be in control of Television, but what was it in his background that turn him out that way? Lloyd doesn't answer that question, nor do other memoirists/music historians.

"Everything Is Combustible" is a must-read for those who are fascinated with the CBGB's New York rock world. For whatever reason, or what was breathed in that Manhattan air, concerning that generation of musicians, they left a lot of great literature for us to read (and music too) and for us fans to comment on. Lloyd's book is pretty wonderful in that sense. Superb read. ...more

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Apr 05, 2018 Bob Schnell rated it liked it

Shelves: music-biographies

I like the band Television but was never a huge fan. However, I'm a sucker for a musician autobiography that takes place mainly in NYC during the gritty years. Richard Lloyd experienced the grittiest parts of the city in the 1970s and 80s, feeding his addictions while still maintaining his cred as an excellent guitarist and cult rock-n-roll star. From the pre-CBGBs days to the reunion of his band Television, we get a good look in "Everything Is Combustible." Richard Lloyd has had more drugs than ...more

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Nov 26, 2018 Marti rated it liked it

Shelves: music

This might be one of the weirder rock bios out there because Lloyd seems to be a bipolar, manic depressive, with a photographic memory, and an unshakable belief that he is either some sort of extraterrestrial trapped in human form, or at least someone who remembers living a previous life (because he claims to remember his confusion over where he was on the day he was born). Therefore we get a lot of musings on his philosophy of life as sort of an "anthropologist" observing the lives of selfish, ...more

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Feb 03, 2018 Ray rated it liked it

Are you a fan of the elusive and legendary band Television? If so, get this because Richard played guitar in it and provides many anecdotes about the band, the early CBGB's scene and his interactions with Hendrix, Keith Richards, Led Zep. Like most rock band memoirs, somebody involved has to be a jerk (milder word choice for the reader in mind). In this case it's Tom Verlaine. Whenever I read these kind of books, I often wish I hadn't so that my memory and appreciation of the music is tempered w ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Puma Perl rated it liked it

Could have used a lot of editing. But the writer's view of himself is clearly that he is much more of a genius than anyone else in the world so doubt that he would accept many suggestions. He clearly is a genius but for good or evil is the question. ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Jason Das rated it it was ok

Reminicenses from the arrogant and disorganized mind of a profoundly prickly and petty mystic. Lloyd thinks he’s got it all figured out but repeatedly reveals himself to be extraordinarily narrow-minded. I’m not sure if he’s a total asshole or a decent person with no filter. At least he know what he likes; points for honesty, I guess.

Why did I bother? I am interested in 1960s urban public schools, Velvert Turner, Jimi Hendrix, Marquee Moon, Keith Richards, CBGBs, etc. A lot of the stories here a ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Mark Mellon rated it liked it

Richard Lloyd’s most notable accomplishment was being one of the dual guitars in Television, arguably the first band to break big from the Noo Yawk Punk Rock scene in the mid ’70’s. I still think the two Television albums are really excellent guitar rock. Lloyd was indeed pivotal enough to help build the stage at CBGB where Television and many other, now storied acts like the Ramones and the Dead Boys headlined.

This is also the primary justification for his autobiography, a rather overlong and r Richard Lloyd’s most notable accomplishment was being one of the dual guitars in Television, arguably the first band to break big from the Noo Yawk Punk Rock scene in the mid ’70’s. I still think the two Television albums are really excellent guitar rock. Lloyd was indeed pivotal enough to help build the stage at CBGB where Television and many other, now storied acts like the Ramones and the Dead Boys headlined.

This is also the primary justification for his autobiography, a rather overlong and rambling work that reads like other Boomer accounts of youth misspent through interludes of substance abuse and mental illness. Speed, by William Burroughs, Jr., old Bill Lee’s tragic son, is a notable early example of the subgenre, the Boomer junkie confessional. Lloyd had mental incidents from an early age and details a number of stints in one bin or another. Add to that his predilection for getting mind numbingly screwed up by any means necessary and you can see that he was a parents and teachers’ delight. Like many Boomers (raising my hand while I write this), Lloyd was excessively devoted to music and spent much time going (or trying to go) to shows in New York during the late ’60’s and early ’70’s and also learning the guitar. This was the most interesting part of the book for me, particularly when Lloyd discusses his experiences with Valvert, an oddball black kid from Harlem who actually did turn out to be super tight with Jimi Hendrix just like he claimed.

Most of the book is devoted to Lloyd’s history with Television. This ground was already covered to some extent in Richard Hell’s autobio that I’ve previously reviewed. Lloyd really didn’t add much, other than to corroborate that he doesn’t like Tom Verlaine either and for the same reason, namely Verlaine’s tendency to draw completely into himself. He also isn’t a big of fan of Hell, for reasons that I can understand. Like Hell’s autobio, Lloyd focuses on the protracted rounds of heavy drinking, hard drug abuse, and polyamorous sex he enjoyed back in the day, even getting so far into the weeds as to dispute Hell’s particular account about who did it to whom. For Pete’s sakes, guys! Will any of this really matter when we’re all dead in our graves?

This is probably my main problem with the book. Just as repeated experiences with hard drugs steadily wear off the edge and excitement, leaving only a dull, stupefied blur where individual events become difficult if not impossible to recall, Lloyd’s account of endless drinking and drug abuse is similar to a lot of other wastrel Boomer musician/celebrities’ bios to the point where much of the book wasn’t very memorable or interesting, particularly when Lloyd gets to his post-Television years. Lloyd’s distinct heavier-than-thou tone doesn’t help either. A self described “old soul,” Lloyd frequently takes a dismissive tone toward common human behaviors like mourning, pretty much saying “What fools these mortals be.” Coming from an admitted (recovering) drug addict and ex-mental patient, this is more than a little rich.

I recommend this book specifically to Television fans and generally to anyone interested in the ’70’s Noo Yawk Punk Rock scene on the Lower East Side. ...more

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Jun 19, 2020 Catriel Fierro rated it really liked it

Muy, muy bueno. Como dice Tweedy en la contraportada (o como se llame), el género de memorias parece hecho a medida de Lloyd. Con un estilo muy fluido, tomando viñetas pequeñas concatenadas, yendo y viniendo en el tiempo, Lloyd describe en partes iguales sus vivencias y su cosmovisión del mundo. Coherente con su idea de que nació como un alma vieja que acumuló sufrimiento, Lloyd describe su paso por manicomios, internados, desintoxicaciones, hospitales, así como por shows, teatros y ciudades. El ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Sean rated it really liked it

Right from the get-go, it's obvious that Richard Lloyd is tuned to a completely different wavelength than the rest of us. He opens his memoirs with a short passage about how boring he finds memoirs, then plows straight through a nutty series of memories concerning his own birth, a conscious decision to act like an infant because that's just what everybody expected at the time and an out-of-body experience before his first birthday. Things somehow get loopier from there. It all sounds totally out ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 John Spiller rated it really liked it

Richard Lloyd tells his life story through a series of vignettes, including encounters with Hendrix, Keith Moon,Buddy Guy, and Keith Richards. He also shares stories about his shared past with other interesting folks like Velvert Turner and Al Anderson (Bob Marley & The Wailers). The stories are entertaining -- and very odd. If you believe one of the vignettes of his pre-school days, Lloyd could meditate and feel his consciousness leaving his body. Even as a pre-schooler, he sensed a danger to t ...more

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Jan 30, 2018 Anders rated it really liked it

That Richard Lloyd is a fantastic storyteller with a great sense of humor comes as no surprise. Neither that he has a lot of hilarious story’s to tell. But that he actually also manages the craft of also telling them in writing so well was good news to me. It was inspiring to read his passionate writing about guitar playing, music, musicians, the era and more. The book also gave insights to painful pieces of his life that I had not really understood the extent and depth of. There was a surprisin ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 Indah rated it liked it

Experience. No matter how disoriented your path seemed to be, or at least in the eye of the observer, keep going for you have carried a lodestone with you, that is a true wish. That's all that Richard wanted to say. There is nothing new to say, but this is such a fun reading and I am a big fan of Television.

Personally, this is one among the books that inspired to go out more, stay curious, humble, and live the life to the fullest. Probably strange to say, but I got the similar feeling whenever I ...more

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Jan 20, 2018 Gerry LaFemina rated it really liked it

Like many (most?) rock n roll memoirs, Lloyd's book has some moments of "oh, please" self-agrandizement, but there's a real mind at work here, one with a quirky world view, a spiritual self, and a story to tell. I wish, sometimes, there were more details about the music, about the how and why of his guitar sound, etc, and sometimes I wish the timeline were clearer (we jump back from time to time, and sometimes there seem to be inconsistencies). That said, the writing is quite fine, something I c ...more

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Nov 25, 2017 John rated it really liked it

This memoir delves into the the life of Richard Lloyd from birth, through his time with Television, and his solo career. Like most music memoirs one is impressed with his singular devotion to playing the guitar. What separates this from others is his photographic memory and his search for the meaning of everyday life. His relationship with Tom Verlaine is explained in detail and gives us insight into this brilliant but short lived band.

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Sep 13, 2018 Raymond Rusinak rated it it was ok

An enjoyable enough book. Richard definitely has a pleasant and entertaining writing style. My issue with this book was its credibility, especially stories about his younger years. His having detailed memories of things that happened to him when he was 2 years old left me with a disbelieving attitude for the rest of the book.

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Jan 20, 2018 Chip Saam rated it liked it

Wow, some great stories from one of my favorite guitar players of all-time. The development of the NYC scene at CBGB’s is covered nicely. Had hoped for more intimate details of making all three Television records and his solo releases as well.

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