HOW DID YOU FIRST START PLAYING WITH THE VELVETS?
I had known Sterling since I was ten. He was my brothers best friend. Sterling met Lou through my brother, Jim, who met and became good friends with Lou at Syracuse University. A couple of years after meeting Lou, Sterl ran into him on the subway in NYC and Lou told him about this guy (Cale) he was playing with and invited him to come play and Sterl subsequently joined the group (called the Falling Spikes). Soon after (Im not sure how long, maybe a year or so) they got a job to play at a high school auditorium in Summit, NJ. Angus, who was playing drums with them (Indian drums-sort of like bongo's), felt that you shouldnt be paid for playing music, so he quit. They needed a drummer FAST! Sterl remembered that I was thumping away at the drums in my room and suggested me. Lou came to my house to see if I could make both hands work at the same time, and I was "hired" to play that one show. This was the first time they played using the name The Velvet Underground. They got a job at the Cafe Bizarre in Greenwich Village right after that show and asked me to go along and play tambourine (no drums allowed in this place because the neighbors complained of noise) and my tenure continued from there.

ARE YOU STILL IN CONTACT WITH JOHN AND LOU?
Sure! I love them both!

WHAT WAS NICO LIKE?
I can't pretend to have known her at all! Nico and I had nothing at all in common--she was worldly, gorgeous, and guarded. I was this schlep from levittown wearing t-shirts and dungarees, having no self-confidence whatsoever, trying not to be seen! We didnt dislike each other, we just had nothing to talk about. I found out after seeing Nico Icon (excellent movie!) that she didnt really talk to ANYONE! That was a huge surprise to me. The last time I saw her was in 1981 or so. I was in Los Angeles and found that she was playing at the Whisky so I decided to go say hello. I assumed that would be it--Hello, how are you? Goodbye. However, I was VERY pleasantly surprised when she greeted me very enthusiastically and asked me to meet her after the show. We went to her hotel and drank beer and talked for hours. She seemed so genuinely happy to see me! My last memory of her is very pleasant.