Cover of Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography

Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography

"Moondog is one of America's great originals."—Alan Rich, New York Magazine

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.

Read more

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 is the noted inspiration for the contemporary freak folk movement led by Devendra Banhart.

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.

The CD tracklisting is as follows:

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

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 280 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Dave Grohl: Foo Fighters, Nirvana & Other Misadventures Shares biography, nonfiction, music
  2. Lady Gaga: Looking for Fame Shares biography, nonfiction, music
  3. A. R. Rahman: The Spirit Of Music Shares biography, nonfiction, music
  4. The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, YaHoWha 13, and The Source Family Shares music, nonfiction, biography

“People who read Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Space is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra
  2. Cole Porter
  3. Genesis of a Music
  4. Eye Mind: Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators

“If you want more of the same (biography about music), start with these.”

  1. The Beatles: Fifty Fabulous Years
  2. Boys in the Trees: A Memoir
  3. Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson
  4. Good Morning Nantwich: Adventures in Breakfast Radio

“If it was the music that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Everybody's Brother
  2. George Michael: The Biography
  3. Lady Gaga: Behind The Fame
  4. Nice to Meet You

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians
  2. The music of black Americans
  3. For the End of Time: The Story of the Messiaen Quartet
  4. Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-95