Angus MacLise was an American percussionist and poet who was born as Angus William MacLise in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1938. He achieved early professional recognition in 1961 as a member of La Monte Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music and is famous for being the original drummer for the Velvet Underground. MacLise was brought into the ensemble by John Cale and performed on bongos and hand drums in 1965. He abruptly left the group in November 1965 due to a dislike for fixed schedules and professional commercialization, being replaced by Maureen Tucker. MacLise briefly returned for performances at Poor Richard's in Chicago in 1966. Following his departure, he traveled through regions including North Africa, Greece, and India before settling in Nepal. His music combined drone techniques with elements of Tibetan mysticism. Much of his work remained unreleased during his lifetime, with posthumous studio recordings including The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda (1999), Brain Damage in Oklahoma City (2000), and The Cloud Doctrine (2002). MacLise died in 1979.
