| Ono Soul |
08.07.2007 12:36 PM |
When I was 16 I published a couple issues of a little xeroxed zine called "Sound And Vision". I was really into Lou Reed and David Bowie at the time so that's what most of the zine dealt with. For the second and final issue I was able to score an email interview with Moe Tucker, who was very sweet. I copied and pasted it below. It was originally published in September of '97. Almost exactly ten years ago now..... :)
Q: Of all the Velvet albums what's your personal favorite, why?
A: The first one. It's just so "alive" or something. It still gives me chills.
Q: Warhol. Did you two ever talk much? What's your fondest memory of him?
A: We didn't philosophize with each other, but we talked as friends. Not a lot, not a little. I have many fond memories of Andy but I guess I would have to say that the fondest is just him!
Q: These days the Velvets are pretty much considered "supreme innovators", "legends", however you want to put it. When did you feel this deep set appreciation start to kick in?
A: In 1981 when I was fooling around with a four track recorder and working on "Playing Possum", I decided I should start looking at some music magazines (Creem, Musician etc.) just to see what the hell was going on. I was stunned to see that in every issue of every magazine we were mentioned 4, 5, 6 times.
Q: What's your personal favorite piece of your drumming on record?
A: I guess "Sister Ray". Although if "Heroin" had ever been recorded right, I know that would be my favorite.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about the Velvet Underground?
A: Everything you read is true. (?)
Q: Is Lou Reed really as hard to get along with as his reputation would have us believe?
A: Lou is a perfectionist and has no patience with imperfection- which would make anyone tough to get along with! I've always gotten along more then very well with Lou and I know he can be a horror but he can also be a very, very sweet guy and I love him very much.
Q: Doug Yule appears on half of VU's recorded material. And from what I understand he contributed a lot to those albums. Yet he seems to be the forgotten VU member. Do you agree that the press has left him in shadows (maybe John Cale's) so to speak?
A: Absolutely. When anyone thinks of VU they think of Moe, John, Lou, Sterl (although certainly not necessarily in that order!). He is in the unenviable position of having been the Cale replacement and who the hell could replace Cale? NO ONE!!! So Doug has just gotten lost in the shuffle sort of. Doug is an excellent musician and singer, but I think most of the stuff people are/were floored by is the first two albums.
Q: Is there any chance that Lou, John and yourself will record again in the future? What about the new song you performed together at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame?
A: Well, you never know, but I doubt it. I wrote the lyrics to the song we did at the hall of lame and Lou and John quickly wrote the music the night before the event. I plan to do it on my next album.
Q: What are your immediate plans for the future?
A: I'll be doing a 3 week tour with Magnet starting mid-September. Just before that I'll be in the studio for a couple of days and after the tour I'll be in the studio. I also have plans to press and sell some VU shows from 1968. A guy named Robin had taped them and kept the tapes all these years and sent them to a mutual friend (Sal). Sal contacted me and if Lou agrees, we're going to press them up because they do sound great. You can really hear the music and get the feel of a live VU show.
Q: Just out of curiousity, are your kids fans of VU and your solo music?
A: They like some, they don't like some.
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