Moe Tucker on the “beautiful melodies” of The Velvet Underground
As one of the most influential groups of the 20th century, there is a seemingly endless amount of discourse surrounding The Velvet Underground. Although much of the discussion centres around the partnership of Lou Reed and John Cale, the other band members that made up the Underground should certainly not be forgotten.
Maureen ‘Moe’ Tucker, for instance, was an essential element of The Velvet Underground and their signature sound. Drafted into the group in 1965, following the departure of Angus Maclise, Tucker became known both for her androgynous image and her unconventional playing style. Rather than playing with a traditional drum kit, Moe would play standing up with a simplified version of a kit. This allowed her drumming to take on a more experimental and impactful style, thanks in part to easier bass-drum access.
Dave Grohl once questioned if ‘the best drummer in the world’ was “Someone who’s technically proficient, or is it someone that sits in the song with their own feel?”. Moe Tucker was undoubtedly an expert at imbuing tracks with her own feeling and style; it would only take you a few notes of a track to identify whether it was Tucker behind the sticks or not. Her talents were not exclusively drum-based either; she also showcased her vocal talents on the beautifully innocent track ‘After Hours’ as well as ‘The Murder Mystery’.
By the time the 1970s rolled around, The Velvet Underground were a shadow of their former selves. The departure of John Cale had taken away much of the experimental brilliance that made the early years of the group so fantastic. Although the band managed to produce the seminal Loaded in 1970 – largely without Tucker, who took maternity leave from the band – it ultimately could not survive the subsequent departure of Lou Reed.
Tucker retired from the band, and music in general, in 1971 to focus on raising a family in Phoenix, Arizona. That was until 1989, when she began touring once again, notably with the art punk outfit Half Japanese. Embarking upon a solo career, Tucker clearly still held a candle for the years she spent with the Velvets, regularly employing her former bandmates and covering old tracks.
For the drummer, one song stood out among the storied discography of Reed’s band. In a 1998 interview, she revealed, “‘Pale Blue Eyes’ I think is one of the most beautiful melodies.” Before discussing the criteria a track has to meet for her to cover it, “A big factor when I decide if I want to cover something is if I can actually sing it and not murder it. I try to make them a little different than the originals.”
Tucker received some criticism for covering her work from decades prior, but the drummer was quick to hit back. “I do those Velvet songs because I like them.” She explained, “I have people ask ‘why do you cover Velvet songs?’ and I say ‘wait a minute- you mean Velvets aren’t allowed to cover Velvet songs?’ That doesn’t seem right.” Showing once and for all that you can take the drummer out of The Velvet Underground, but you can’t take the Velvet’s fearless non-conformity out of the drummer.
