VERLAINE DENIES HEROINE ADDICTION

TELEVISION rocker TOM VERLAINE insists he has never been a heroine addict, despite longterm rumours to the contrary.

The MARQUEE MOON hitmaker refutes claims he previously suffered narcotic dependencies, and blames the reports on a confused employee.

The 56-year-old says, "That's completely untrue. I never had a drug problem. That rumour came from a record company promo person who confused me with another New York musician.

"Another record company spread the rumour that I was afraid of success. That's not true either. It's just that I don't know what 'commercial' is."