In the mid-sixties, Long Island native Maureen "Moe" Tucker replaced Angus MacLise as the drummer in the fledgling Velvet Underground. With a beat-up four-piece drum kit and minimalist aesthetic, Moe brought an important like-mindedness to the VU. She shared, among other things, a disdain for hippiedom and a hatred for high hats. Her distinct, cymbal-less drumming style propelled the Velvets' abrasive three-chord rockers, and anchored the band's free-form sonic mayhem.
Strictly self-taught, Moe drew on her Bo Diddley and African Olatunji influences to create primal, mesmerizing backbeats. Just audit her playing on anything from "Venus In Furs," to "Sister Ray," and its easy to understand how vital her contributions were. Moe inaugurated the very idea of the female-as-instrumentalist into the collective rock n' roll consciousness, and set a lasting precedent. Rrrriot Grrrls, Schmmrriot Grrrls. If it wasn't for Moe, they'd still be playing with Barbie dolls and filling high school detention halls. But in 1971, after six years as the rhythmic backbone of the immensely influential-- yet hardly successful-- Velvets, a frustrated Moe Tucker departed from the ranks of what had become the Doug Yule-fronted "Velveteens." Moe got a job, got married, moved to phoenix where she lived for 8 years, and, in 1984, moved to Georgia where she still lives. Moe worked at a Wal-Mart distribution center and in 1989 quit that job to do a tour of Europe with the able assistance of her friends, Half Japanese. Happily, she has been able to survive and support her family as a musician ever since.
Moe is featured in the acclaimed mock-documentary, "The Band That Would Be King," humorously chronicling the career of Velvets disciples Half Japanese. In the film, Moe discusses the adverse effects of MTV on children. Then Moe, Don Fleming, Jad Fair and company rip into a frenzied version of the Velvets' "I Heard Her Call My Name." Moe now has five excellent solo albums to her credit. On these quirky, energetic, and often nostalgic efforts, Moe fires up her electric guitar and wears her Bo Diddley influences on her sleeve. Along the way, Moe's joined by a stellar cast of guest musicians, including the late Sterling Morrison, Jad Fair, John Cale, Lou Reed, and Don Fleming.
Sterling joined Moe's band in 1992 and they did 3 or 4 tours together (one in America) with Morrison on guitar, John Sluggett (Half Japanese) on bass, Sonny Vincent on guitar and former Violent Femme Victor DeLorenzo on drums. These days, Moe is re-exploring her love affair with the drums, touring with Georgia indie-rockers Magnet, and the experimentalist Kropotkins. Moe and her family reside in Douglas, Georgia. -- Michael Sandlin
