Television Personalities is an English rock group with a varying line up. The only person common to all the line ups is singer/songwriter Dan Treacy . One of the original punk groups, their first release was the EP Where's Bill Grundy Now? in 1978, which featured one of their best known songs Part Time Punks. Their first album And Don't The Kids Just Love It was released in 1981. It set the template for their subsequent career: neo-psychedelia , an obsession with youth culture of the 1960s, a fey, slightly camp lyrical attitude, and the occasional classic pop song. Their second album Mummy Your Not Watching Me demonstrated increased psychedelic influences. Their third album, ironically entitled They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles showed Treacy's sense of irony: the TVPs (as they are affectionately known) were never to have any major commercial success. Various line up changes prevented their next album (Privilege) from appearing until 1990. Their next album Closer to God was noticeably darker than previous work and tracks such as My Very First Nervous Breakdown hinted at previously unsuspected mental problems. Their latest (and so far, last) album Don't Cry Baby, It's Only A Movie was released in 1998. Since then Treacy has battled mental health problems, and (it is rumoured) drug problems . He has been homeless on various occassions was briefly arrested and imprisoned in 2003/2004. However, since his release, Treacy has attempted to get his life back together and there is even talk of a new TVPs album. Despite their small sales the TVPs were very influential on British music in the 1980s, especially the so-called C86 generation and many of the bands on Creation Records. Morrissey and Kurt Cobain amongst others were fans.

External Links

A Day in Heaven: An Unofficial Television Personalities Website