Former Butthole Surfers Drummer Dies at 60 – Billboard

Teresa Taylor, a former drummer for Texas psychedelic noise retailers Butthole Surfers died of issues from lung illness on Monday at age 60. The group introduced the information in a publish wherein they wrote, “Teresa Taylor passed away peacefully this weekend after a long battle with lung disease. She will live in our hearts forever. RIP, dear friend.”

The information was additionally confirmed by Taylor’s companion, Cheryl Curtice, who wrote, “Teresa passed away clean and sober, peacefully in her sleep, this weekend. She was so brave, even in the face of her horrible disease. We were all fortunate to have her beautiful, strong spirit in our lives. She will be forever missed. We will have a memorial service sometime in the future. I love you, beloved Teresa.”

Taylor was additionally well-known for showing on the poster for director Richard Linklater’s breakthrough 1990 movie Slacker, wherein she was famously depicted standing along with her fingers in her entrance pockets, staring into the gap whereas sporting a baseball hat and sun shades. She additionally appeared within the movie, enjoying a personality named “Pap Smear Pusher” who enthusiastically tries to promote a jar she claims comprises Madonna’s pap smear.

The percussionist — who additionally glided by the stage identify Teresa Nervosa — was born in (*60*), TX in 1962 and met future bandmate and fellow Surfers drummer King Coffey once they each performed in a highschool marching band. She later joined the San Antonio-bred punk band fronted by Gibby Haynes with the identify not secure for mainstream TV and radio whose sonic assault blasted followers with waves of chaotic noise, disturbing surgical procedure movies and strobe lights.

Taylor performed drums alongside Coffey from 1983-1985 after which once more from 1986-1989, taking a go away after affected by seizures she mentioned have been brought on by a mind aneurysm; she underwent mind surgical procedure in 1993 and got here again for a short interval to play reside with the Surfers in 2009. For a band recognized for confounding audiences with their pummeling, generally disorienting visible and audio assault, the sight of the 2 percussionists enjoying their respective stand-up kits subsequent to one another grew to become a significant a part of their stagecraft, as did their long-running fib that they have been truly siblings and never simply bandmates.

She joined the band within the studio for a run of their beloved early albums, together with 1984 full-length debut, Psychic… Powerless… Another Man’s Sac, in addition to 1986’s Rembrandt Pussyhorse, 1987’s Locust Abortion Technician and 1988’s Hairway to Steven, amongst others.

In Nov. 2021, Taylor revealed that she had been identified with end-stage lung illness in a Facebook publish.

See the Surfers’ and Curtice’s posts, and Taylor’s Slacker scene, under.