Everything about Robert Quine totally explained
Robert W. Quine (
December 30,
1948 –
May 31,
2004) was an American
guitarist, known for his innovative
guitar solos.
A native of
Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison. Critic Mark Demming writes "Quine's eclectic style embraced influences from jazz, rock, and blues players of all stripes, and his thoughtful technique and uncompromising approach led to rewarding collaborations with a number of visionary musicians."
His collaborators include
Richard Hell & the Voidoids,
Lou Reed (notably on
The Blue Mask),
Brian Eno (on
Nerve Net),
John Zorn,
Ikue Mori,
Marc Ribot,
Marianne Faithfull (
Strange Weather),
Lloyd Cole,
Tom Waits (
Rain Dogs),
Matthew Sweet,
Odds,
Jody Harris, and many more, including a rare 7" by
Lester Bangs.
Rock critic and friend
Lester Bangs once said of him:
» "Someday Quine will be recognized for the pivotal figure that he's on his instrument — he's the first guitarist to take the breakthroughs of early Lou Reed and James Williamson and work through them to a new, individual vocabulary, driven into odd places by obsessive attention to On the Corner-era Miles Davis."
Quine is number 80 on
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list.
Quine was a nephew of the
philosopher W. V. Quine and cousin of
The Black Keys' guitarist/vocalist
Dan Auerbach.
Biography
After graduating from
Earlham College in
1965, and then earning a law degree from
Washington University, Quine practiced tax law for several years before abandoning it. Quine was enrolled in the
Berklee School of Music for the 1967-68 semester.
In 1969, Quine made a series of amateurish cassette recordings of
The Velvet Underground performing live. These saw official release in 2001 by
Polydor Records, titled . Though rather
lo fi in sound quality, the album is an important document of the group. In the liner notes, Quine writes: "I got a lot of pleasure and inspiration from these performances. As a guitar player, they were an important element in shaping what musical direction I wanted to take."
Quine then worked in a movie memorabilia store in
New York City with
Richard Hell and
Tom Verlaine. Later, he was invited by Hell to join his new band
The Voidoids, thus making
punk rock history and beginning his musical career. Hell's two Voidoid albums feature Quine's distinctive guitar work; guitarist
Marc Ribot once said about Quine that "in terms of
punk rock guitar soloing, [Quine] could definitely be called the inventor," while critic Ira Robbins describes his work as "stunning and underrated".
The Voidoids dissolved, and Quine's next recordings were with
Lydia Lunch,
Jody Harris and
Material. From September 1979 to July 1980, Quine and Harris recorded various guitar improvisations with a drum machine. In 1981, some of those experiments were released as the Harris/Quine album,
Escape. With Material bandmate
Fred Maher, Quine recorded his only other solo album,
Basic, released in 1984.
In the early 1980s, former Velvet Underground frontman
Lou Reed drafted Quine to join his group. He appeared on Reed's
The Blue Mask (1982), acclaimed as one of Reed's best albums. The Reed-Quine guitar work is exemplary -- arguably among the best either man had to offer -- crafting interlocking duels that blur the lines between
rhythm and
leads. 1983's
Legendary Hearts featured most of the same group, but Quine eventually quit the group due to tensions with Reed. Reed persuaded Quine to rejoin for a world tour; Quine disliked touring, but agreed to the tour for financial reasons, ending his partnership with Reed for good in 1985.
Throughout the remainder of the 1980s, Quine made scattered appearances as a session player on records by
Tom Waits,
John Zorn,
Marianne Faithfull and
Scritti Politti.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Quine began collaborations with a few musicians who would introduce him to new audiences, and who would raise his profile a bit. Genre-smashing saxophonist/composer
John Zorn hired Quine for several experimental projects; while pop songrwiters/singers
Lloyd Cole and
Matthew Sweet both made good use of Quine's skills. Sweet's biggest hit song, "Girlfriend," is anchored by Quine's frenetic, squealing guitar work.
Depressed after the death of his wife Alice in August
2003, Quine committed
suicide by
heroin overdose in his New York home on May 31, 2004.
Quotes
» "You gotta hear this new box I got, it creates the most
offensive noise ..." (to Lester Bangs)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Robert Quine'.
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