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Before he made his breakout film Dazed and Confused in 1993, Richard Linklater’s first full-length feature film was 1990’s Slacker, an indie comedy that took place in Austin, Texas, and featured an ensemble cast of weird slacker-types as they go about their day.
One of the most memorable characters in the film, a woman named Stephanie who is more popularly referred to as the “Pap Smear Pusher,” was played by drummer Teresa Taylor, and she eventually became the face of the film, appearing on posters and packaging for the movie.
Taylor, who also went by the stage name Teresa Nervosa, died at age 60 this weekend after a battle with lung disease, Deadline reports.
Her death was announced by the Butthole Surfers’ Twitter account, which shared yesterday (June 19), “Teresa Taylor passed away peacefully this weekend after a long battle with lung disease. She will live in our hearts forever. RIP, dear friend.”
Taylor was born in Arlington, Texas in 1962 and joined the Butthole Surfers in 1983 as one of their two drummers. Taylor took some time off from drumming in 1989 after a brain aneurysm prevented her from touring.
During her time away from the band, she filmed her now-infamous Slacker scene where she stars as a woman trying to sell a jar that she claims contains the specimen taken from Madonna’s pap smear. Her role became so identified with the film that Taylor’s likeness was used to promote the movie when it came out on video.
When discussing the film on its 15th anniversary, she said, “I don’t get recognized. Nobody recognizes my face, but when I’m in public, and I’m going off on something, people will be, ‘Are you the chick from Slacker?’ But it’s always because I’m ranting and raving about something.”
