rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Tom Snyder, while being both stiff and a bit of a blowhard, nevertheless gave ample audience to members of the burgeoning punk and new wave movements on his late night “Tomorrow Show.” Regardless of the fact that he often had them on in order to ridicule their clothes or approach to music, Snyder nonetheless deserves credit for introducing a lot of the giants of the genre to a mainstream audience. The Ramones, Elvis Costello and Patti Smith all showed up on his couch to be questioned by the chuckling, eyebrow wagging Snyder, who usually sat, visibly perplexed, in a cloud of cigarette smoke while these artists tore through their live sets. When he interviewed them it was often uncomfortable and confrontational: in other words, classic television. Out of either naiveté or gentle gibing, his “genuinely curious” line of questioning evoked some of the greatest sound bites of rock and roll. (On why he cut himself during a performance, Iggy Pop says, “Because I’m on your show.”) Finally rescued from grainy bootlegs, you can now see all of these indispensable bits of punk history on one DVD. I guess you’re all right after all, Mr. Snyder.
– sean o’neal
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