The Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker is having a party: A tea party

I got deluged with e-mails this morning from old music biz pals who are (pick one) outraged, depressed or scandalized by the news that Velvet Underground drummer Maureen (Moe) Tucker, an undeniable icon of cool in the 1960s, is now a "tea party" zealot. According to the Huffington Post, whose story is basically a rewrite of a piece from England's Guardian newspaper, a woman identified as Tucker was interviewed on TV earlier this year, complaining that Barack Obama is leading the country toward socialism. (When the Huffington Post reached Tucker at her home in Georgia, she confirmed her identity but wouldn't discuss her political views.)

Of course, in the '60s, pretty much every rock musician was in favor of socialism, not just because he or she was a share-the-wealth style outsider and idealist, but because he figured that at least under socialism he'd get paid some money (under music industry capitalism, virtually all of the moolah went straight into the record company coffers). Still, it comes as a shock to imagine that someone like Tucker, whose band was the epitome of counterculture cool, could now reemerge as an angry protester being quoted as referring to the president as "King Obama," adding that "I have come to believe (not just wonder) that Obama's plan is to destroy American from within."

It's startling, just as it would be for people on the right if a staunch conservative such as former Reagan administration cabinet member Bill Bennett suddenly surfaced, advocating legalizing drugs and raising taxes on the rich. I mean, the horror! I'm sure that the right will embrace Tucker as one of its own, taking great pleasure in seeing such a lefty cult hero having joined the tea party ranks. But if I were a liberal, I wouldn't be so surprised. After all, Tucker fits the tea party profile, being older, white and living in a small town. It turns out that the people who lost faith in the system when they were young are just as likely to lose faith again now.   

Photo: Maureen (Moe) Tucker, second from left, with Velvet Underground members Sterling Morrison, Lou Reed and John Cale. Credit: Gerard Malanga / Polydor Records

Comments

[Gee]

Tom: A friend of mine went to see Lou Reed in the 70's. He came on stage, played 40 minutes and left......not cool.

But I agree, Moe who?

[Bruno]

The tea party is counter-culture. They are against the dominant, mainstream culture of political correctness, personal wealth destruction, authoritarian statism and the erosion of individual liberties. This is what has people agitated. You clowns in the MSM are part of the mainstream culture and whether you realize it or not, you never were and you never will be kewlll.

This coming election is going to blow your minds. Better stock up on your favorite benzos.

[i got it]

is the LA Times trying to somehow blacklist this guy and his band/business for his personal political beliefs? i find this appalling.

P.S. i'm not a dem, repub, or a teabagger

[moe tucker]

patrick; the HORROR!! MOE TUCKER ISNT A LIBERAL!!!!!
OUTRAGED, DEPRESSED, SCANDALIZED?? Yikes!
Me angry? Youre damn right I am. Im angry because I dont want to be taxed to death to pay for the pie in the sky dreams of ANYONE -- REPUBLICAN,DEMOCRAT,OR INDEPENDENT.
I am angry because although there seems to be no money available to help, for example, autistic kids there's PLENTY of money to build turtle tunnels!
Im angry at every bum in DC and always have been but until now there really was no way to be heard or counted. When the opporunity came to show my anger, I took it and went to-- GASP -- a Taxed Enough Already Party!
When Obama was first being mentioned as possibly being nominated by the Dems to run for Pres I was truly delighted. I knew nothing about him at that point but I thought "what a great step for america to have a black person run for president. wouldnt that be wonderful"?
I proceeded to try to learn more about him so I started paying attention. Well, the more I listened to him, the more I thought "okay, wonderful. BUT HOW THE HELL WILL ALL THIS BE PAID FOR". obvious answer -- TAX TAX TAX TAX TAX.
My vote against him was made purely on the basis of fearing being TAXED TO DEATH! Period.
Im neither liberal nor conservative -- my decision/opinion about an issue is based on my opinion of THAT ISSUE, not on the basis of being right, left, or center.

My slogan -- throw them all out--dem,rep,ind !
Moe Tucker

[Jeff]

An old white woman whose better days are behind her digs the tea party??? Shocker!

[Johncaletitmouse]

If you want to hear some of Moe's best post-Velvets work, check out the 1999 album THE LIVES OF CHARLES DOUGLAS released by No.6/Broken Horse records. Her final studio recordings with Lou!

[Jamie]

Cool....now she can join the ranks of the other washed-up wing-nut rockers. The Nudge, Lynard Skynard(SUCKS), Hank (meth) JR....that dude from Kansas and Charlie Daniels...who has always been a red- neck douche. Wing nuts are devoid of any real creativity. Moe Tucker's drumming sucks.

[Windfall]

So Moe Tucker grows up and learns his basic economics and now the LA Times is horrified.

Well, at least the Times as much as admits its Marxist agenda.

[Windfall]

How about the LA Times recognize that people are entitled to hold various opinions without regard to their supposed group membership?

What, all musicians are drug addicts and Marxists?

My wife gets pigeon-holed the same way.

She's black and from Africa so most Los Angelenos assume she's a Marxist Democrat or at least a Clueless Comrade Barry fan.

However, having grown up in a grass hut, no phone, no electricity, no running water, no plumbing' having a traditional African view of marriage; and having lived under a corrupt Marxist government, her politics are slightly to the right of Ann Coulter and she considers our current president nothing more or less than a completely, corrupt and incompetent despot, again, something with which she has experience.

You can imagine our Marxist Democrat friends' reactions when she sets them straight.

[jojo]

Crass world on parade in comments....Cr-ass.

W sold amerika out to its corporate interests.
O has sold amerika out to its corporate interests

what am i missing here?
Oh yeah, Partisan FOOLS of both parties too stupid to realize we live under fascism now.
"The first stage of fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power"-Benito Mussolini

vote out all amerikan incumbents this Fall.
If that means Tea Party, vote Tea Party.
yes, even if they're crazy.....