Tracy + the Plastics is a low–fi techno–punk band from Olympia, Washington (via Brooklyn) following in the footsteps of Le Tigre and The Need. It’s also a fractured multimedia video art experiment in the politics of identity and sexuality. The bandmembers—Tracy, Nikki, and Cola—are all the brainchildren and alter–egos of lesbian feminist provocateur Wynne Greenwood. When they perform live, Wynne is Tracy—singing and beat–slinging with her Boss DR–5 drum machine, Akai 612 disc sampler, and whatever bargain–basement keyboards she can get her hands on. Nikki and Cola back her up, but they’re only on stage in two dimensions—as pre–recorded video projections. Rising from the chill mists of the Pacific Northwest like a slap in the face to get your ass shaking, Tracy’s art–punk manifesto is something refreshingly different from today’s suddenly ubiquitous purveyors of apolitical electro. Take notice.
DiSCORDER: To start off, how long have you been performing as Tracy + the Plastics? How and why did you get started?
Wynne: I’ve been performing as this band for almost 3 years now. It started as The Tooth and then became The OK Miss Suit and then Tracy + the Plastics. Nikki just wrote all these songs and then asked me to sing them for her because she has a really awful singing voice, talking voice too actually. We just got really stoned one night and ended up making all these 4–track recordings and the first Tracy tape came out.
What were you involved in before this project?
My band with Sally Scardino called Meme America, where we played live soundtracks to silent movies I made. The soundtrack to Meme America: Part 2 is available on Toyo Records. I used to run this movie house called the Murdra where we showed independent videos/films by women.
Could you maybe introduce “Tracy” and her bandmates and explain a little who and what they are?
Well, right now Tracy is in a big argument with Nikki and Cola and coincidentally Nikki is in a big fight with Tracy and Cola and all around they’re having some problems. Like, they all think the other ones are crazy—totally looped—but really they’ve just all been touring too much…
Nikki won’t stop painting—she paints anything, like a walking zombie with a paintbrush in each outstretched hand. Whatever gets in her way becomes her weird art. Cola yells too much—her mouth is open and she never brushes her teeth and she talks too much about smoking weed, which she quit doing, but she really is the genius. Tracy is the believer and the feeler.
Do you find it limiting or restrictive at all to be performing with pre–recorded video projections?
Yes! I’m trying to figure out ways right now to make the videos more live and spontaneous. Maybe do some live editing?
Your press release says “a Tracy + the Plastics performance attempts to destroy the inherent heirarchical dynamic of mass video’s say/see spaces by placing as much importance on the video images as the live performer.” Could you elaborate on that a little?
Here I’m talking about the actual form of video as an artistic and informative medium, as well as the culture that’s historically claimed it as their platform (the money that buys the ads and the money that sees the ads and buys the product) etc., etc. Lots of people talk back to their TVs. Lots of people yell, even scream at their TVs. But whose TV in turn responds to them? I’m creating a dialogue with the medium of video, a medium that is used mostly as a tool of mass media that we’re supposed to just watch and believe and never talk to or create.
Do Tracy + the Plastics have an agenda?
I used to have all these mottos, let me see if I can think of them.
“Kick ‘em in the teeth”—I think that was one.
“All the modernists, drop a beat…”
“Lesbo–for–disco and VHS–ready!”
Was I on drugs? But really, our agenda is simple: to destroy the systems of domination and discrimination present in American culture. We started where we were: suburban America in front of a TV, pissing our pants when we heard Black Sabbath on the radio of the car that just drove by.
You’ve featured a number of Olympia musicians on your albums (i.e. Carrie Brownstein from Sleater–Kinney, Sarah Utter of Bangs). I guess it’s safe to assume you’ve got strong ties to the Olympia scene. Any hometown bands you’d like to give a shout–out to?
Beth Ditto and The Gossip! Jeri Beard and 1774! The King Cobra! Thrones! Thrones! Growing! Anna O.! Donna Dresch! Panama!
What’s in your CD player right now?
Missy Elliot, Under Construction. (It’s my roommate’s.)
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