Tequila Mockingbird: Hollywood’s Queen of Punk Rock

Interview by Five

(Note: To see the complete video of this interview click here)

Not only is Tequila Mockingbird one of the busiest women in Hollywood, she is also one of the most creative, eclectic, and diverse. A singer, songwriter, music critic, poet, actress, entrepreneur, former model, you name it she’s done it. In fact, “Busy” may as well be her middle name.

She recently opened up the Punk Museum near downtown L.A., a colossal tribute to the music scene she has been intimately involved in since the late 1970s. According to Tequila, the motivation behind creating the museum was based upon a promise with former Germs vocalist, Darby Crash, “to keep punk rock alive,” an exchange they had just days before he died from a heroin overdose in December, 1980.

In addition, Miss Mockingbird has a brand new EP coming out, one which may transform the landscape of rock music forever. Along with her collaborator Chris Rael who lives in NYC, the duo have covered some of their favorite songs and given them a Hindu flavor, a process which involved sending files back and forth from New York to LA. Already gobbling up several hits on YouTube is their sitar-laden version of Led Zeppelin’s MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP.

Never one to shy away from controversy and downright shaking things up, Tequila is in the process of writing an autobiography which, if she has the final say, will be titled ROCK AND ROLL NIGGER. By all indications it will be an excitingly salacious read, chock-full of true to life stories from the never ending stream of Tequila’s memories involving her wild child lifestyle in the Hollywood underground and beyond. And yes, Tequila admits even Robert Plant tried to hit on her during their 1971 tour in support of Led Zeppelin III, when she was just a sweet youth thing living in Cleveland.

Tequila is also very excited about the new Batman movie, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Unfortunately, the film has gotten off to a morbid start based on the tragic events that recently took place at a midnight premiere showing in Aurora, Colorado, when a young man opened fire and killed at least 12 moviegoers and wounded some 50 others.

What Up Hollywood recently got a chance to talk with Hollywood’s very own Punk Princess at the foot of Johnny Ramone’s memorial about her upcoming appearance in her third Batman flick and a whole lot more.

WH: Tequila, I really admire your work ethic. Other than caffeine, what drives you?

Tequila: Well, I like to proceed as if my hair is on fire and get a lot of things done because I see a lot of people talk about things they’re going to do and I never see those things manifest. I’m all about making things happen.

WH: Tell us about your part in the new film THE DARK KNIGHT RISES?

Tequila: I live in Gotham City and I’ve lived in Gotham City for pretty much four Batman films, but I’ve been in three. Tim Burton cut me out of one, Joel Schumacher gave me a cameo role playing bass guitar in BATMAN FOREVER with Val Kilmer, and in this one Christopher Nolan has me as part of an angry mob and I kind of act like I’m in the French Revolution… AHHHHHHH! That’s always fun.

WH: What actor has been your favorite onscreen Batman?

Tequila: You know, I don’t think they’ve had a Batman that I really like. I would like to see Batman be more like James Bond, then Daniel Craig would be my favorite Batman.

WH: Earlier this year you opened up the Punk Museum. What inspired that undertaking?

Tequila: Well, a number of stars aligned at once… and Darby had asked me before he killed himself if I would keep punk rock alive because he knew that I was the only one within our social circle that wasn’t on massive amounts of drugs and that I had my head together, pretty much. So what happened was this woman, I talked her into letting me use her art gallery and then it turned out she was a bit flaky. But the owner of the building liked my idea and he remembered me from the eighties… and he was down for it. So he gave me the whole building.

WH: What bands have played at the Punk Museum so far?

Tequila: Well, I’ve had Alice Bag and The Bags, Romeo Void, The Bitchfits– which are an all-girl Misfits cover band with big kazombas, the Radioactive Chickenheads have played…

WH: I’ve heard a couple songs from your upcoming EP and they sound great! Who came up with the idea to play a sitar to Led Zeppelin and David Bowie songs?

Tequila: I went to a garden party about five years ago and I saw this sitar player and he and I just immediately clicked because I like boys that look like Hare Krishnas. And he was bald, just like a perfect egg…the perfect man. He had been at the Krishna temple playing sitar and had studied in India. His name is Chris Rael, and we recently decided to do an album which will be called THE SUN NEVER SETS.

WH: What songs are the two of you going to cover?

Tequila: Let’s see… PRETTY VACANT by The Sex Pistols, JUMPING JACK FLASH, MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP by Zeppelin, WILD IS THE WIND by Bowie… We’re going to do a Marc Bolan (T.Rex) song next. It’s pretty much going to be my favorite greatest hits, greatest hits album.

WH: I know that you have a huge crush on Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols (aka John Lydon of PiL). How’s he doing these days?

Tequila: Yeah, he just called me his favorite stalker… He said I was the oddest stalker he ever had in New Musical Express last month which I thought was very clever because I’m the only stalker I ever heard of that gets guest list passes to every show.

WH: What’s next on your itinerary?

Tequila: Well, the Punk Museum will be doing lots of functions. You can reach us as at www. punkmuseums.com . We’ll be opening up in London after the Olympics. And we’re in San Francisco. We just had an opening there two weeks ago. And here in LA we’re open Tuesday through Saturday from noon till six. We’re also open by appointment only. So come on down…

WH: Thank you Tequila and good luck with everything!

More Video!  Click here for Inside Scoop! Tequila tells more about the crazy history of the Punk Museum.

Click here to go to the post listing the Punk Museum tour videos.

 

 

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