VENUS: The oldest song on Television's Marquee Moon album is about the arms of Venus de Milo. I heard a "true story" about a Greek restaurant owner in Chicago who was loony over this doll. He kept a life-size replica of the armless statue in the middle of his dining room, and had small copies scattered over all the tables. All his life he plowed the restaurant's profits into expeditions looking for the actual missing arms of the famous statu6—this guy was out on two limbs. Naturally, he died without having the pleasure of making their acquaintance, but he lived as a hero in his own dream: he wanted to know what the broad's attitude was! Do those amputated arms beckon? Or repulse? Do they modestly try to cover her privates? The high ones or the low? Suppose she were giving us the invisible finger all these years? Tom Verlaine says: "The arms of Venus de Milo are everywhere. It's a term for a state of feeling. They're loving arms." (I bet they're hugging the head of the Winged Victory.)

ABSTRACTED: (ab.strak'tid) adj. 1. Lost in thought. As a child, Tom Verlaine loved listening to symphonies. Half asleep and half awake, it was like dreaming. In sleep alone one sees such festivals. He sleeps light on these shores tonight. A warrior can tell, all kinds of things from the shadows.