PITCHFORK: Moe Tucker: pioneering self-taught drummer for the Velvet Underground, Tea Party supporter. Tis true. The 66-year-old Georgia resident was apparently interviewed at a rally for the controversial conservative offshoot party last April, and you can watch the news report below (fast forward to the 2:40 mark if you dare). MORE
RELATED: In the mid-sixties, Long Island native Maureen “Moe” Tucker replaced Angus MacLise as the drummer in the fledgling Velvet Underground. With a beat-up four-piece drum kit and minimalist aesthetic, Moe brought an important like-mindedness to the VU. She shared, among other things, a disdain for hippiedom and a hatred for high hats. Her distinct, cymbal-less drumming style propelled the Velvets’ abrasive three-chord rockers, and anchored the band’s free-form sonic mayhem. Strictly self-taught, Moe drew on her Bo Diddley and African Olatunji influences to create primal, mesmerizing backbeats. Just audit her playing on anything from “Venus In Furs,” to “Sister Ray,” and it’s easy to understand how vital her contributions were. Moe inaugurated the very idea of the female-as-instrumentalist into the collective rock n’ roll consciousness, and set a lasting precedent. Rrrriot Grrrls, Schmmrriot Grrrls. If it wasn’t for Moe, they’d still be playing with Barbie dolls and filling high school detention halls. But in 1971, after six years as the rhythmic backbone of the immensely influential– yet hardly successful– Velvets, a frustrated Moe Tucker departed from the ranks of what had become the Doug Yule-fronted “Velveteens.” Moe got a job, got married, moved to phoenix where she lived for 8 years, and, in 1984, moved to Georgia where she still lives. Moe worked at a Wal-Mart distribution center. MORE
ALSO: CNN’s Rick Sanchez made controversial comments on a Sirius radio show Thursday, calling Jon Stewart a “bigot” and saying that CNN and the other networks are all run by Jewish people. MORE
RELATED: Cuban-American anchor Rick Sanchez came on Stand Up! with Pete Dominick today for a loose exchange on current events, media, and journalism. Throughout much of the interview, the discussion touched on race. To our surprise, at various points, Sanchez took aim at Daily Show host Jon Stewart, and even referred to his (and Pete’s) employer CNN as being “run” by Jews. MORE
UPDATE: Rick Sanchez has been fired from CNN following his controversial comments on a radio show Thursday. “Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company. We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well,’ a CNN statement said. Sanchez did not appear on the air Friday. MORE