She was the original drummer for the Beastie Boys and has commanded the kit for Luscious Jackson from the band's beginning. But don't expect Kate Schellenbach to take success for granted. World tours, Gap ads, and soundtracks aside, she's amazed by what an amazing year she's had: playing drums for Blondie (at Debbie Harry's request), taking part in the Suffragette Sessions Tour (at Indigo Girl Amy Ray's request), and recording with WNBA diva Kym Hampton (Kate and LJ bandmate Gabby Glaser are ardent fans). Meanwhile, Luscious are working on their fourth album, due out in May 1999. On a brisk November day, she stepped outside the whirlwind and into a cozy diner to talk to drummergirl. Our conclusion? It's great to be Kate.

age: 32
birthplace: New York
favorite color: green
favorite book: a book of Alice Neel's artwork
favorite movie: "Hotel New Hampshire"
favorite actor: Lily Taylor
favorite candy: Tootsie Rolls
favorite TV show: "Sabrina: The Teenage Witch"
favorite city: New York
favorite country: America
favorite food: guacamole
favorite drummer: Budgie

The music business is mostly business and not so much music.

I think anyone who has been in a … band signed to a major label, you realize that, like, about a third of it is playing music and about two-thirds of it is business and publicity, and that's the reality … When [music] becomes a job, [you realize] how much of the job is nonmusical, and you can kind of resent that. But you're better off understanding the business aspect of it ... understanding what a manager does and a business manager and a lawyer. And, like, how the contract works and what a booking agent does, and everyone gets a part of your pie and why. It's better to know what that's all about. I think also when you're young, or not even when you're young, when you hear bands on the radio that you like, you automatically assume that they're making money, they're rich. And the reality of how they make money via record sales or record play, airplay, … or touring is pretty bad. It's not set up for artists to make money at all. It's not that I'm in rock to make money, but it's like becomes a job ... That's something you don't see. When I first started seeing bands or getting interested in music, it's like Blondie was my favorite band and they were all over Top 40 radio, and you just assume that they're millionaires and stuff. And then you learn the reality of it all.

Things to know in order to succeed at success.

[Luscious Jackson are] luckily pretty adjusted. We found success sort of later in our life and careers ... We didn't become famous when we were 18 or 19. We were already adults and knew how to manage our time and money and health. We weren't drug addicts or alcoholics. But it really, like, the way it's set up it really encourages drug addiction and alcoholism (laughs) ... The amount of time you spend on the road or the environments you're in … are set up for people to kiss your ass and give you alcohol. A lot of people who are artists have really big egos and really low self-esteem, and the combination…is deadly.

The year in review, Part 1: the Suffragette Sessions Tour.

This year, actually, I've done a lot of great projects … It's been a dream come true for me, musically. I don't know what that means. (laughs) I guess I have to come up with new dreams. [The Lilith Fair] was just great because everyone was really open and everyone had their dressing room doors open … It was like summer camp or something … I ended up hanging out and talking to Amy [Ray of the Indigo Girls]. They were about to start up touring again, I guess, … she was…talking about [if Luscious Jackson wanted to tour with them] ... We had just had this kind of tortuous tour, and we were over it. And she was like, "Don't you play in your time off? We were, like, burnt out at that point … And the more I talked to Amy the more I felt like, God, they're really IN this … She's like, "We play all the time when we're off." And ... I started feeling really lame. So something about the conversation made me think, Well, you know what? I should really examine my attitude … And a month or two later Amy called me and said, "We're putting together this tour. We don't want to do a typical club tour. We want to put together a bunch of female musicians playing each other's stuff." Originally, it was going to be called the Rolling Thunder Pussy Tour. It's based on this Bob Dylan tour called the Rolling Thunder Review ... She was like, "We think you would be a really good drummer, we'd really like you to do it" … I was like, "Okay, here's my opportunity to like get back [into playing]." … And the more people that came aboard the more and more excited I got about it. … I felt like it was a good way to be challenged musically, because if you play the same songs every day, … your level of playing gets lower and lower … There were ten musicians on the tour. Everyone picks like three or four songs to learn. We each have tapes of these songs. We have three days to rehearse them. It was insane, it was great … It was one of the funnest things I did. That, and we got to play Lilith Fair.

The year in review, Part 2: the rapture of playing for Blondie.

I did Fraggle Rock [a weekly rock-and-roll tribute show hosted by a New York City nightclub] a couple of times. And that was a really, really fun thing to do ... What that means I you're given a tape of like 9 songs to learn in a week with one rehearsal and then you play ... I did Blondie and the B-52s. And the Blondie one was great because Blondie was, like, my first favorite group … I already knew the songs because I had listened to them so much ... And Debbie Harry and Chris Stein came to the show … And that was really cool, it was really exciting. And then, like, two months later I get a phone call. "Hi, Kate, this is Debbie Harry." "Really? What can I do for you?" (Kate's clearly abashed) "I hope you don't mind me calling at home. Theo [from the Lunachicks] gave me your number. We're doing a secret show for the Intel Music Fest, and Clem can't come. He's on the West Coast … We're just going to do like four or five songs. We figured maybe you could do it because we know that you know the songs -- and we have rehearsal tomorrow and then we're playing on…" It was the same kind of [rushed] deal. It was like, "Okay…" And she was like, "Yeah, you know, the usual songs." Whatever that meant. So I went to rehearsal the next day, and it was Debbie and Chris and these two guys ... And we were playing my all-time favorite songs (laughs incredulously). With, like, DEBBIE HARRY there. And she looked incredible, and she sounds incredible, her voice has never been better.

Drumming has almost always been a part of her life.

I started playing when I was, like, 13 or 14. I started playing along with records … When I got into music was when I found my social group … I think that circumstance really led to my playing drums. Part of it is that I grew up in a loft, where you can make a lot of noise. We had a lot of space, and somebody asked my mother if they could leave a drum kit at my house. I had gotten interested in drums [a snare drum and high hat] … and the drum kit was up at our house for like a year or two. I played on that. I just played along to my favorite records. I started to go out to see bands when I was 14. I was going to clubs and meeting all my friends … There were a lot of women playing, too. One of the first bands I ever saw had a woman drummer. It seemed easy and looked normal …

After 10 years of playing, Kate decided she had a lot to learn.

I'd been playing for a while and basically learning by listening and copying what I heard. But then I kind of reached a plateau where I couldn't learn anything more … I was frustrated with my level of playing … You start meeting more and more musicians, and they're just like kicking your ass. Not that I'm competitive, but just, like, How come I can't really like do fills…time signatures, jazz, or blues? … So I just started looking through the "Voice" randomly at the music section. [And there she spotted drum instructor Paula Spiro's ad.] I saw an ad for the Female Drummers Workshop … So I called up this drummer Paula Spiro, and we talked for like an hour … She was like, "Why don't you just come and check it out? … She was really open, she respected that I had been playing for years. She totally figured out where I was at … I was really nervous when I first went … She has this interest in honing your skills no matter what level you're at, even if you may never be a big-time drummer. She became a real mentor for me. She convinced me that I could do this as a career, if I really worked hard, that I could be one of the great female drummers… [which Kate had never considered because "I never thought I was good enough"].

She also made me realize that I had to make the time to practice, and I did. I was really, really disciplined … It was really good and made this incredible difference…

The confidence problem.

Just about a year and a half ago I called [Paula Spiro] and was like, "I'm having a crisis, let's start again." I was having really specific…confidence problems. I'm in this band, we're touring all over the world, I'm playing every night, and I just feel like my levels… And she explained it to me, like, "If you play the same shit every night, you're going to get worse because you're not challenging yourself." … I feel like I should be better… It's hard to push yourself unless you're super, super …motivated or have self-esteem … Self-esteem is a big issue for women … So if you're in an area that's not a typical area that women are in, … you are going to be having an extra battle. Even as liberated and lucky as my upbringing was, there are still self-esteem issues that you have to battle with.

On life after Luscious.

Who knows after Luscious if I'm going to be, like, this is my career. I don't know if I have that in me … I just don't know if I could deal with the lifestyle if I wasn't in a band that I was an essential part of. If I was just a hired gun… I don't know, I'm not there yet…

If she could play drums for any band for one night, who would it be?

Definitely Blondie. I'd like to do that again… Another one of my favorite bands is the Lunachicks. [She played drums for them for about 6 months, another "dream come true." She also mentions Joan Jett, who she has jammed with before, and Aerosmith.

Sound advice.

I always just tell people to play along with their favorite records … Just really be influenced by the things that get you excited … Also, certainly when I started I was really afraid to ask questions because I didn't want anyone to know that I didn't know what I was doing. But that's definitely something you learn as you get older, the value of asking questions, in all aspects of life. Don't pretend you know something, because it's the stupidest thing you can do.

Regrets, she's had a few - like turning down Sarah McLachlan. The scene: a Lilith Fair show. Luscious had organized a giant drum solo for "Citysong" that every drummer on the tour was invited to take turns playing…

There was a line [of drummers] out the door. (She laughs.) It was like everybody and their mother came up … It was kind of like going on and on and on, and it was like, Hmm, I'm gonna have to end this, and … my big regret is that Sarah McLachlan was back there … and I was in the front, and she was like mouthing, "I wanna play drums," and I was like, "What? Is she saying that she wants to play drums?" And I was just, "No way is she saying that." [And so Kate brought the drumming to an end.] … Then Sarah came up and was like, "I wanted to play." I couldn't believe I turned down SARAH MCLACHLAN. I felt bad.

All About Kate's Drum Kit

Silver Sparkle Ludwig Super Classic: 51/2 x 14 chrome-plated brass snare; 9 x 13 tom; 16 x 6 floor tom; 16 x 22 kick drum

Zildjian cymbals: 14-inch high hats; 2 crashed (usually 18-inch A Custim type, but recently she's been using K Dark Thin crashes)

Cutom A 20-inch ride

Zildjian 3A Woodtip drumsticks, Pro Mark Lightning Rods

LP percussion (cowbell, tambourines, congas, bongos, timbales, shakers, etc.)

Remo heads, coated Ambassador on snare, clear pinstripes on toms and kick, clear Ambassador on bottoms, Muff'lers on kick drum (front and back), nothing in kick