HOW I GOT HERE

I moved to New York at the beginning of maybe my favorite decade I have had here - 1980. I had been to 3 different art schools (Atlanta College of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art and Kansas City Art Institute). My plan was to go to the Art Institute of Chicago to get my MFA after deferring for a year.

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In 1981, I left the Lower East Side to move to Chicago. But I quickly spun on my heels and came back because I didn't want to get into student loan debt. By this time I was pretty dug into NY even though I had never planned to move here permanently.

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 I decided that I could get my own art education by staying in NY.  I worked at Printed Matter where I collected Jenny Holzer zines. I helped Sol Lewit hang a show at Franklin Furnace. I got involved with I the collective called P.A.D.D. (Political Art Documentation and Distribution). I worked with Lucy Lippard, Gregory Sholette and Group Material.

I had an all girl band called Noch Nichts (Nothing Yet in German) and we played a benefit show for P.A.D.D. at Club 57 in the early 80's. My other band at this time was 3 Teens Kill 4 and we played a benefit show for P.A.D.D. as well. It was at a Union Hall in Midtown and we wore "blood" stained shirts.

I had met 2 of my future bandmates from 3 TEENS KILL 4 - David Wojnarowicz and Jesse Hultberg at the Peppermint Lounge where they worked as busboys. They mentioned that they needed to find a drummer for their new project that they had put together for the Staff Infection Show at Danceteria. I volunteered my services and subsequently rushed out and bought a KORG Rhythm Machine. I said I would help them practice. I didn't play any instruments at that point in time. I saw Talking Heads as an 'art school band' so it seemed doable.