Moondog

The Viking of Sixth Avenue

The Authorized Biography by Robert Scotto
Preface by Philip Glass

6 x 9 • 320 pages • photographs • CD included • 978-0-9760822-8-6 • $24.95

Price: $24.95

Press Materials

6 x 9 • 320 pages • photographs • CD included • 978-0-9760822-8-6 • $24.95

“Moondog is one of America’s great originals.”
—Alan Rich, New York Magazine

*WINNER 2008 Independent Publishers Book Award*

Here is one of the most improbable lives of the twentieth century: a blind and homeless man who became the most famous eccentric in New York and who, with enormous diligence, rose to prominence as an internationally respected music presence.

Born Louis Thomas Hardin in 1916, Moondog first made an impression in the late 1940s when he became a mascot of The New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. His unique, melodic compositions were released on the Prestige jazz label. In the late 1960s the Viking-garbed Moondog was a pop music sensation on Columbia Records. Moondog has been noted most recently as an inspiration for the contemporary experimental folk movement.

Moondog’s compositional style influenced his former roommate, Philip Glass, whose Preface and performances of Moondog works appear in the book. Moondog’s work transcends labels and redefines the distinction between popular and high culture. A CD compilation with a variety of Moondog’s compositions is bound into the book.

CD TRACK LISTING:

1: Caribea (1:32) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
2: To a Sea Horse (1:43) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
3: Trees Against the Sky (.51) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
4: Oo Debut (1:09) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
5: Autumn (2:07) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
6: Moondog Monologue (8:24) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
7: Moondog’s Theme (1:53) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
8: Trimbas in Quarters (1:47) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
9: I Came Into This World Alone (1:19) | Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson | Composer: Moondog
10: Be a Hobo (1:22) | Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson | Composer: Moondog
11: Why Spend the Dark Night With You (1:40) | Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson | Composer: Moondog
12: All is Loneliness (1:38) | Performers: Moondog, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jon Gibson | Composer: Moondog
13: Organ Rounds (2:04) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
14: Canon in F Major, Book I (.43) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
15: Canon in B Flat Major, Book III (1:36) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
16: Canon in B Flat Major, Book I (.43) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
17: Canon in B Flat Major, Book II (.28) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
18: Canon in G Sharp Minor, Book I (.44) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
19: Canon in C Sharp Minor, Book II (1:32) | Performer: Paul Jordan | Composer: Moondog
20: 5/4 Snakebite Rattle (3:41) | Performer: Stefan Lakatos | Composer: Moondog
21: Trimbas and Woodblock in 5/2 (1:26) | Performer: Stefan Lakatos | Composer: Moondog
22: When I Am Deep in Sleep (2:17) | Performer: Stefan Lakatos | Composer: Moondog
23: Rabbit Hop (2:25) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
24: Dog Trot (2:25) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
25: Bird’s Lament (2:00) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
26: Viking 1 (2:55) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
27: Heimdall Fanfare (3:06) | Performer/Composer: Moondog
28: Intro and Overtone Continuum (2:22) | Performer/Composer: Moondog

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Scotto is a professor of literature at Baruch College, CUNY. Among his publications are a Critical Edition of Catch-22 and several monographs and articles on 19th and 20th century fiction.

HIGH-RES AUTHOR IMAGE [ZIP compressed TIFF]