TV Party

Fab 5 Freddy

Acting

Debbie Harry

Acting

Amos Poe

Directing

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Acting

Seasons

TV Party

7 episodes

Premiered Dec 18, 1978

Episodes

1–6 of 7

Ep 1

Premiere Episode

Dec 18, 1978

This was the premiere show. Regulars included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fab Five Freddie, Deborah Harry, John Lurie and Tim Wright of DNA. Extras: John Lurie, David Walter McDermott, Kate Simon, and Mick Jones of the Clash.

Ep 2

The Sublimely Intolerable Show

Jan 8, 1979

The first 10% of this show sums up what we don’t get on TV anymore. Technical difficulties. TV Party was live and improvised, and this meant casual disaster. This early episode gets off to an artistically agonizing start–the sound person is late, overdosing on drugs or both. Or it was the broken down equipment. Once the sound kicks in the show gets lively. Compton Maddux, a droll singer songwriter, is backed up by Debbie Harry and Glenn; the unique futurist countertenor Klaus Nomi does one of his post-modern arias; Adny Shernoff, of the Dictators, plays the Beach Boys’ “Be True to Your School” backed up by pom pom girls Tish and Snooky, the Manic Panic designers.

Ep 3

The Halloween Show

Oct 30, 1979

Halloween ’79 - Glenn is dressed in a casual Dolly Parton lesbian look. With Chris Stein, Debbie Harry,Richard Sohl, Fab Five Freddy & more. This is TV Party at is most dense and abstract, filled with cross-talk, double entendre and obscure information.

Ep 4

The Time & Makeup Show

Aug 19, 1979

This episode plays with ideas of time and space, (“time is money” and “dead air”) alternating between aggressive boredom and quick wit. The TV Party Orchestra (Walter Steding on violin, Lenny Ferrari on the New Yorker magazine, and Tim Wright on guitar) jams while host O’Brien performs the sublime feat of rolling a joint blindfolded while smoking a joint.

Ep 5

The Heavy Metal Show

Apr 8, 1980

55m

There were two TV Party Heavy Metal Shows: one taped at the Mudd Club, now lost, and this live studio sequel featuring a “Mock Penis Envy” backdrop by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and a guitar line up of Chris Stein, Lenny Ferrari, Patrick Geoffrois of the Contortions, plus Glenn, Basquiat, Snuky Tate and Walter Steding on guitar and vocals, and Bradley Field on electronic drums. As Glenn and Walter send up rock clichés and discuss the nature of electricity, the band churns out a harrowing electronic miasma. Highlights include an actual fight between Fab Five Freddy and Jean-Michel Basquiat over a guitar and Walter Steding destroying his “extra wide deluxe” guitar.

Ep 6

The Crusades Show

Feb 17, 1981