Richard Hell was the first bass player, singer and songwriter for Television. He played in the Neon Boys as well, which was basically Television before they were called Television. He originally came to New York to become a poet; he thought joining a rock and roll band would be an effective way of getting his poetry out to a larger audience, in the form of song lyrics. Television was one of the first bands (if not the first) to play in the famous club CBGB, the spawning grounds of punk rock. Hell was fired from Television before they released their first album. He joined the Heartbreakers and then went on to form Richard Hell and the Voidoids. After a couple of albums he pretty much retired from music. Hell is a very literary guy, having written poetry, novels, and nonfiction. He is also notable for having started punk rock fashion, with his haircut and clothing; Malcom McLaren supposedly spotted him in New York and copped his style and brought it back to England and the Sex Pistols.