Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker Explains Tea Party Connection

[meegbear]

Former Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker, now living in a small Georgia town, shocked generations of liberal music nerds by appearing at a Tea Party rally last year. Now she's finally granted a (pretty great) interview explaining her political gripes.

A "Maureen Tucker" was filmed railing against the Obama administration in a local news segment during a Tifton, Georgia Tea Party rally in April 2009, but few noticed. About 18 months later, however, someone finally made the connection that this was the Moe Tucker — the drummer who made a few beyond-legendary Velvet Underground albums with Lou Reed and Andy Warhol and other fancy people in '60s New York City.

Tucker eventually agreed to be interviewed by St. Louis' Riverfront Times (over email) about the whole thing: Here's one delightful snippet:

Mike Appelstein: In the now-infamous videotape, you indicated that you're furious about the way we're being led toward socialism and "incredible waste of money" being spent. Could you elaborate a bit on these sentiments?

Moe Tucker: No country can provide all things for all citizens. There comes a point where it just isn't possible, and it's proven to be a failure everywhere it's been tried. I am not oblivious to the plight of the poor, but I don't see any reason/sense to the idea that everyone has to have everything, especially when the economy is so bad. I see that philosophy as merely a ploy to control.

My family was damn poor when I was growing up on Long Island. There were no food stamps, no Medicaid, no welfare. If you were poor, you were poor. You didn't have a TV, you didn't have five pairs of shoes, you didn't have Levi's, you didn't have a phone; you ate Spam, hot dogs and spaghetti. We all survived! I am not against food stamps, welfare or Medicaid, if only they would oversee these programs properly!

I am also against the government taking over the student loan program, car companies, bailouts and the White House taking control of the census (what the hell is that all about?); (about) any First Lady telling (I know, I know, "suggesting to") us what to eat, the mayor of New York City declaring "no salt" (screw you, pal!), the mayor/city commissioners of Anytown, U.S.A. declaring you can't fly a flag, can't say the Pledge of Allegiance and can't sing the National Anthem.

<snip>

http://gawker.com/5668926/velvet-undergrounds-moe-tucker-explains-tea-party-connection

[devilgrrl]

1. She has a right to her opinion but I still don't see her point.

eom

[tridim]

2. She's an idiot, just like the rest of them.

[EC]

3. She belongs with the tea people

her reasoning is just as screwed up...poor Lou Reed - he's got to be shaking his head...

[HuckleB]

4. She is clearly just a typical tea partier. She's bought into a lot of pointless cliches.

It's actually quite pitiful.

[HughBeaumont]

5. Yes, Scandanavia and Europe - models of total failure.

Moe-ron. It's called Democratic Socialism. When you're through with your empire worship and Horatio Alger dreams, come talk to us. Having an early retirement after years of a living wage that keeps up with the cost of living and healthcare that doesn't bankrupt you when you most need it . . . I dunno, I'm gonna have to go with THAT plan over Crapitalisn't and it's Free-Market snake oil you obviously still cook with.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. The White House took over the Census? Who knew?!?!? n/t

[FSogol]

9. Keep the Gubermint out of my Census!

:crazy:

[The Wielding Truth]

12. Not true, and a ridiculous concern compared to the former whitehouse that finances these

lemmings. Isn't it funny that those not poor now can romance their past!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

13. I know. Where do these people get this shit from? A black man in the White House

and people lose their goddam minds!!!! :(

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. Moe is the sort of person that won a lotto & believes it happened by merit

A has-been.

[The Wielding Truth]

8. Flimsy reasons to be with a senseless branch of the party that has ruined this nation.

[BlueIdaho]

10. Another fucking sell out. nt.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. She Was A Crappy Drummer Too

As uninspiring musically as she is as a thinker and interviewee.

This is just pathetic. Why anybody would any longer care what she thinks says volumes about us as a people.
GAC

[opiate69]

15. Exactly, Prof...

A no-talent imbecile who was once a mediocre member of a mediocre band 30+ years ago, which nobody outside of Greenwich Village ever gave a fuck about is still an imbecile, and we're supposed to care what she has to say?

[Stevenmarc]

14. .

[Hannah Bell]

16. she was born in levittown. at the time a bastion of the striving middle-class.

moe, you don't know "damned poor".

oh, & moe? welfare (afdc) began in 1935, about 10 years before your birth at the end of ww2, which put you in position to cash in on the best economic period in the history of the nation -- the period in which a large section of the poor & middle were able to improve their situation, even relatively talentless ones like yourself -- because of new deal provisions that equalized access & protections.

i agree, won the lottery & thinks she did it on merit.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. Ironically, guys like Moe are the first to shout "Love it or leave it."

[Warren Stupidity]

18. I'm missing the 'pretty great' part of this crapola.

What a pile of thinly veiled racist horseshit. The comments at gawker are hilarious.