R.I.P=rest in peace

Kentucky-born Richard Meyers migrated to NYC in the mid-60s, later followed by his old friend Tom Miller; they soon changed their last names, respectively, to Hell and Verlaine. Their first band, The Neon Boys, underwent its own rechristening, becoming television, and thus NYC's punk scene was born with their legendary CBGB shows. Hell founed several other groundbreaking groups: The Heartbreakers, the impeccable punk outfit The Voidoids, and most recently, Dim Stars. One of the most literate and musically intelligent auteurs of the genre he helped to launch, Hell's work sounds as fresh and complex today as it did when it emerged three decades ago and changed the face of music.