Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker Explains Tea Party Connection
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.
There's much more. This is easily the best thing the Tea Party has going for it aside from all the elections they're going to win in a couple of weeks. (Although Tucker does say that she's not officially "involved" with the Tea Party, really, and had voted Democrat her entire life before the Obama administration.)
White Light/White Heat/White Power: Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker = Tea Partier 
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