To those in the know, Robert Quine is one of the most original and influential guitarists of the past 25 years. A founding member of the groundbreaking punk rock ensemble, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Quine has gone on to collaborate with a diverse array of musicians during his career, including: Lou Reed, Brian Eno, John Zorn, Matthew Sweet, Tom Waits, Lloyd Cole, They Might Be Giants, and Marianne Faithfull. Quine's guitar speaks with a distinctive and versatile voice that immediately identifies him. Shrieks of feedback, throbbing drones, fractured chords, and keening lead lines are all part of Quine's sonic vocabulary - one that often leaves the listener feeling assaulted, yet enlightened. Despite the sheer intensity of Quine's playing, it always strives to serve the music first and foremost. "I try to be spontaneous and creative, and generally pull it off," he says. "I've had a lot of influences but somehow have managed to come up with my own touch, my own style." Born December 30, 1942 in Akron, Ohio, Quine took an early interest in music. He began listening to Brazilian folk music and Gene Autry records as a young boy, and his parents encouraged his interest by presenting him with a Django Reinhardt album. He studied piano briefly in the early '50s, but was transformed by the sounds of rock and roll when it hit in 1955.