MAUREEN TUCKER

MAUREEN TUCKER

FEATURES

Thomas Anderson

Maureen Tucker is probably the only person working for K-Mart who was once a member of the Velvet Underground. She has released two solo singles (one a duet with Jonathan Richman), spent six months recording an album in her living room, and has released a rockin’ EP which she cut with a hot band in a garage studio outside of Disney World, imagine what her employment application must have looked like: “Former Employers: Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable, The Balloon Farm; References: Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison...”

After leaving the Lou-less Velvets circa 1972, Moe settled with her husband and daughter in Phoenix, where her musical efforts consisted of a few shows with an outfit called Paris 1942, sitting in one night with the Violent Femmes, and releasing the aforementioned vinyl. Four kids later, she got a divorce and took the kids to the wilds of southern Georgia. With some new Floridian friends, she put together the totally fab EP, MoeJadKateBarry. Kate is Kate Messer of the Velvet Underground Appreciation Society, while Jad and Barry are various friends who also contributed to the record.

Other than the EP, Moe’s primal drumbeat most recently made it to vinyl on the two albums of Velvets outtakes, V.U. and Another View, released in ’85 and ’86, respectively. “Y’know, the first time I listened to V.U., I thought, ‘Oh how nice. You can hear the drums.’ I was pretty much listening with that in mind the first time or two that I played it. But then when I sorta got used to that idea and listened again, I suddenly realized, ‘Shit, this is a little too tidy!’ It’s a little too clean for my tastes, but I still think they did a real good job with it.”

As for the songs, Moe states, “I don’t particularly like the one Doug sings— what is it?—‘She’s My Best Friend’? I think they could’ve used something else.

“I think most of the songs we did are very tremendous, really good songs and well written. I’m not even talking about our performances, but just the songs themselves, There’s very few of our songs that I don’t like. I do remember specifically getting very bored playing ‘Beginning To See The Light’ (laughs), and ‘Venus In Furs.’ ”

Her faves? “ ‘Heroin.’ I think ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ is beautiful, and I love ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties.’ ”

Moe’s best memories of life as a Velvet are of the everyday things, such as “sitting around watching football or playing pool. Being onstage, of course, was the most fun. Sitting around bullshitting really is my fondest memory. We had a lot of fun just being together.”

Being among the first women to function in a rock ’n’ roll band as a genuinely integral member, rather than as a miniskirt with a tambourine, Maureen is offered the suggestion that she may be responsible for female rock musicians like Tina Weymouth. “Well, not responsible, but I suppose the fact of me being in a band of value had a lot to do with a lot of people—a lot of women—taking up instruments other than piano.”

Now to dismantle a couple of myths: First, the one about how she took up drums because she was a Ringo Starr fan. “No, I started playing drums because I liked (African drummer) Olatunji. I’d been listening to him since I was 15, I guess, and I just loved the drumming going on in there. I was really fascinated by it. And when I started enjoying rock ’n’ roll with more than just a listening enjoyment, I wanted to play something—something to smack on. So I bought one snare drum—that’s all I had—to beat on while I listened to my favorite records. I liked the way Ringo played. I liked Charlie Watts, too. But, no, Ringo was not my reason for playing drums.

“I remember when I was in junior high—you know how you can play an instrument in school? My friend and I signed up for drums. But, in those days, a girl playing drums was like, forget it! When the teacher would say, ‘It’s time for music lessons,’ and whoever was supposed to would get up and to go to class, she and I were too embarrassed to get up and say we were taking drums. So we never went! But I’ve always had an interest in drums. I guess it wasn’t until I had my own money to go buy one that it occured to me it was something I could try.

I didn’t take them up with the idea, ‘Well, I’ll be a drummer.’ I bought a drum for the fun of playing along with the records I liked.”

Myth #2: Brian Eno trying to reunite the Velvet Underground in the mid-’70s with himself as the frontman. “Not that I know of. Who told you that? Now see, if he had, we might’ve done it!”