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Butthole Surfers drummer Teresa Taylor has died following a lengthy lung illness

Taylor toured and recorded with the Surfers from 1983 until 1989 and also appeared in the movie Slacker.

By Sanford Nowlin on Tue, Jun 20, 2023 at 10:44 am

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Pat Blashill

Teresa Taylor (right) was half of the double-drum sound that helped define the early Butthole Surfers sound. The band is pictured here in a 1984 promo shot.

Teresa Taylor, one half of the double-drum kit attack that defined the early Butthole Surfers, has died at age 60.

The band — which formed in San Antonio and later relocated to Austin — shared the news on its Twitter account, noting that Taylor died over the weekend "after a long battle with lung disease."

"She will live in our hearts forever. RIP, dear friend," the message said.

Originally from North Texas, Taylor joined the Surfers to drum alongside King Coffee, whom she'd played with in high school marching bands. The pair's propulsive tribal drumming was a pillar of the band's frenzied, hard-to-categorize sound.

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Taylor also appeared in the 1991 film Slacker.

Taylor toured and recorded with the Surfers from 1983 until 1989. She left after she began experiencing seizures, some of which were reportedly triggered by the band's mind-melting light show.

The Butthole Surfers went on to mainstream success following Taylor's departure, including the chart-topping hit "Pepper." However, its output after dropping to a single drummer tended to sound more like conventional rock music than the odd amalgam of psychedelia and post-punk noise that marked its early work.

Beyond her time in the Surfers, Taylor made a memorable appearance in director Richard Linklater's first film, Slacker, and appeared on the poster for the 1991 film. During her brief appearance, Taylor plays a woman trying to sell what she claims is Madonna's pap smear.

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