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Ministry Sideman William Tucker Commits Suicide
Longtime Ministry
sideman and prolific
industrial guitarist E.
William Tucker killed
himself at his
apartment in Chicago
this past Friday (May
14). He was 38. Initial
reports indicate that he
had taken pills and
afterwards slit his own throat. His body was
discovered by his roommate, along with a
10-page suicide note, which has not been
made public at this time.
Many around Tucker speculate that he may
have been looking to escape from the pain of
an unknown illness that had hounded him for
the past few years. Dannie Fleisher of
WaxTrax! Records is currently planning a
memorial in his name.
Known primarily for his session work for Al
Jourgensen and Ministry, Tucker had enjoyed
a long and fruitful career on his own. Growing
up in New Jersey, Tucker formed Regressive
Aid with future Rollins Band members Andrew
Weiss and Sim Cain, a brilliant progressive
rock/funk group that still retains a loyal
fanbase. He gave guitar lessons in the area,
most notably to Mickey Melchiondio, aka Dean
Ween of Ween. In an interview, Aaron
Freeman, aka Gene Ween, declared that
Tucker taught Mickey "everything he knew
about the guitar, as bad as it could sound and
as good as it could sound."
Enjoying a local hit with "(I Love) The Sound
of Machines" under the name the Swinging
Pistons, he caught the attention of
Jourgensen, who invited Tucker to play guitar
on The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste.
Tucker moved to Chicago, and toured at
points with the Revolting Cocks and My Life
With The Thrill Kill Kult.
Collaborating with Revolting Cocks vocalist
Chris Connelly, Tucker revealed a softer side
of himself on recordings released under
Connelly's name. He was scheduled to tour
with Ministry for their upcoming album, The
Dark Side of the Spoon, at the time of his
death.
-- Justin Hampton |
OBITUARY
