Angus MacLise

Angus MacLise (1938 - 1979) was a percussionist, composer, mystic, shaman, poet, occultist and calligrapher. He is probabaly best known as the first drummer for the Velvet Underground, but had an intriguing career outside of that group.

Biography

MacLise was as an early member of The Velvet Underground, having been brought into the group by flatmate John Cale. MacLise played bongos and hand drums during 1965 with the first incarnation of the band. Although the band regularly extemporised sound tracks to underground films, MacLise never officially recorded with the group, and is often considered something of a shadowy, legendary figure in the band's history. When the opportunity of the band's first paying gig in November 1965 arose, Maclise promptly quit, suggesting the group had sold out.

Related Topics:
The Velvet Underground - John Cale - Bongo - Hand drum - 1965 - November - Sold out

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Maclise was replaced by Maureen Tucker, resulting in the "classic" lineup of The Velvet Underground. In 1966 when Velvet Undergroud singer Lou Reed was in hospital with hepatitis, MacLise rejoined the group for a few performances. By this time the Velvet Underground had found some noteriety (if not great financial success) and MacLise was anxious to rejoin the group, but this was explicitly refused by Reed.

Related Topics:
Maureen Tucker - Lou Reed - Hospital - Hepatitis

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After leaving the Velvet Underground for good, Angus traveled around between North Africa, India, Greece, the Middle East and finally finding his place in Tibet. A student of both La Monte Young and Aleister Crowley(he was working a script for a film version of Crowley's Diary Of A Drug Fiend before he died), he would begin to blend Tibetan mysticism with his music to create magickal forms of transcendent sound through various drone techniques. He died of tuberculosis in Kathmandu in 1979.

Related Topics:
North Africa - India - Greece - Middle East - Tibet - La Monte Young - Aleister Crowley - Diary Of A Drug Fiend - Mysticism - Magickal - Drone - Tuberculosis - Kathmandu

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Music