Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell, two school friends, collaborated as singer and bass guitarist in the Neon Boys and Television, a prominent musical duo in New York City during the mid-to late 1970s. Many individuals attribute the creation of the "look" of punk rock to Hell, characterized by ripped clothing and spiky hair, which he claims was inspired by a portrait of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
Hell's tenure in Television was cut short due to his alleged musical incompetence and independent thought, leading to his expulsion from the group. He briefly joined the Heartbreakers, a band featuring Johnny Thunders, a former member of the New Yorks Doll, before going on to form his own band, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, with a talented lineup consisting of Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, and Marc Bell, also known as Marky Ramone, on guitars and drums, respectively.
