# Louis Hardin AKA "Moondog"



## violadude

Louis Hardin or Moondog as he named himself, was a homeless, blind composer that lived on the streets of New York dressed as a Viking for a lot of his life. I just bought this CD of his.










I'm really excited to have found this composer. The more I listen to his music the more I like it. I'm especially excited because I think he is a composer who might appeal to a lot of people on this forum. His music is very fresh and inventive, but also very simple and melodic and it won't scare off anyone with more conservative tastes.

A lot of his music sounds like street music with a blend of other more sophisticated musics such as Jazz, 14th century Madrigal, minimalism. His music actually reminds me of a lot of different things thrown together.

His Madrigal pieces have words that are sometimes clever and sometimes downright silly. Such as "Coffee beans make the finest coffee around" or "this student of life is enrolled as a student for life." One thing he does in almost every piece is build lots of layers of music at once.

Anyway, why am I talking when I could be giving you guys youtube examples.

This piece is one of his more dissonant ones. Reminds me a lot of minimalism and maybe some spiky jazzish harmonies.






This one kind of reminds me of big band music, or something like that.






Here's one of his "20th century Madrigal" pieces.






And finally, this last one is just downright pretty.


----------



## violadude

Aww  51 views and no replies? No love for Moondog here, I guess.


----------



## Manxfeeder

Sorry for the late response. I saw this yesterday as I was leaving for my grandson's 6th birthday party but, as you probably know, 6-year-olds won't wait. 

I first heard of Moondog from listening to the old radio program Schickele Mix. Peter Schickele was a big promoter of his music. I've meant to explore his music but never got around to it. Thanks for the videos. They are definitely interesting.


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for posting about this, *violadude*, and I will definitely hear those clips within the next few days and give you my opinions. He sounds very eclectic & eccentric...


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

Very easy on the ear. Doesn't sound terribly original. Enjoyable four clips above.


----------



## lou

These are quite interesting.

That last one IS especially pretty.

Thanks for bringing him to our attention Viloadude.


----------



## samurai

Having just listened to some Philip Glass on Spotify {*Glassworks}*, this fit in very nicely with my "minimalist" mood tonight. Thanks!


----------



## Sid James

Thanks for posting about Moondog, member *Violadude*. I liked the first two pieces the most. The first one reminded me not only of the USA minimalists as you & others have said, but also of classical pieces imaging trains (eg. the finale of Villa-Lobos' _Bachianas brasileiras #2_, Honegger's _Pacific 231_, Jehan Alain's _Litanies_ for organ, etc.). The second one had a folkish vibe for me, esp. maybe English, & the fast-slow-fast structure made me think of it as a mini symphony or concerto. I like his use of percussion & perpetual motion, propulsion, which is not unlike Steve Reich or the late jazz pianist George Shearing (his pioneering use of Latin beats). I agree with HC, these works do come off more as an amalgam of things rather as being "original" or whatever, but I wouldn't say it's rehash, it's stylishly done & quite sophisticated, etc...


----------



## violadude

Thank you for the replies.  Yes, even though his music is not particularly innovative or revolutionary, somehow I still hear a certain freshness and creativity in his music.


----------



## clavichorder

First I want to say he looks really cool, like a Klingon! He sounds like he could be an excellent composer for an art film. Its definitely of a mixed stylistic modern sort of formal composition, it really freshens up the sometimes generic sound that you find in American commission composers for the Seattle Symphony to have all this rhythmic and tonal blending with it. I like the second one best perhaps, based on a cursory listen.


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm a longtime Moondog fan; I bought the album when it came out in 1969.

Moondog was a familiar figure in New York during the 1950s, being part of the "beat" movement. He was known as "The Viking of 6th Avenue," and worked the same corner for years, where he busked, selling poems & songs. It was nearby to the jazz clubs, so he was known by & befriended many jazz musicians, including Charlie Parker.

Enter Columbia Records producer James William Guercio. Guercio produced and arranged horns on a late _Buckinghams_ record, then helped the group _Chicago_ shape its distinctive horn sound; he's the one who got "that sound" you hear on their records, due to his knowledge of horns and innovative ways of miking and mixing them.

In 1969, Guercio took Moondog into the studio to make that first LP.

It, and the second one, consisting of rounds or canons, were both released on one CD in 1989. Twenty-plus years after buying the LP, I saw the CD in a Hasting's cut-out bin for $4.99, and was very pleased to reacquaint myself with this old friend.

There were many cartoons inspired by his presence, if you look at old issues of _Life_ and _Look_ magazines, where a bearded guy with a "repent" sign seems to always crop up. He was blinded by a dynamite cap as a youth.

His music "Bird's Lament" was remixed and used in a car (Buick, I think) commercial. In 1974 he moved to Germany, and has put out CDs from there.


----------



## Kleinzeit

I too bought the albums when they came out. Companies like Columbia had no precise fix on what the kids wanted. They threw stuff out there and flooded the country with stuff like Conlon Nancarrow, Harry Partch, Nono, Berio, Morton Subotnick... I loved Moondog's rounds, still do. See if you can find his duet with Julie Andrews (that Julie Andrews) singing 'I'm a Hophead'.

My local Nova Scotia bus station at the time offered direct bus trips to NY City, and Moondog was on the poster. They were selling us on the idea of NYC being Oz.

Here's some JA featuring Moondog at yr own risk.


----------



## millionrainbows

That clip is a trip, Kleinzeit! Thanx! I never knew that existed.

I've got the remix of "Bird's Lament" by Mr. Scruff on CD, but I see it listed on Amazon in vinyl only, for over $50.

I just checked, and your Julie Andrews thing is available on CD!


----------



## millionrainbows

I'm thinking of Moondog again, and thought I'd refresh this thread.I found this old pre-Columbia CD in the used bin, and thought I'd talk about it here, and on the "current listening II" thread.*

More Moondog* (second album); *The Story of Moondog* (third album) (Prestige, both on 1 CD)

















*Moondog* was actually* Louis Thomas Hardin (1916-1999).* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moondog

This is all street recordings. There is interesting stuff here for hard-core fans, but lo-fi. There is some of his aphoristic one-liner "poetry", and various other instrumental examples. *Andy Warhol's mother* did the calligraphy on *Story* (see above), which I never knew. Basically, this just fills in some gaps for those who only have the Columbia albums, also both on one CD:










An "outsider" composer, his music is "world" music which comes from his own "world," and features complex rhythms, hand-made instruments, drones, and elements of jazz (his_ *Bird's Lament,*_ in remix form, was used in a Chrysler car commercial). I haven't heard the very first Prestige album which precedes these, or the German albums which came later, after they welcomed him in.


----------



## tortkis

This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Moondog (aka Louis Hardin, 1916-1999). New World Records released _Round The World Of Sound_, a collection of songs called _Madrigal Book 1_. The songs are composed in all the major and minor keys, like WTC. Very nice, engaging music.


----------



## millionrainbows

God bless Moondog!


----------



## Pugg

I am still learning some new things every day, on his forum.


----------



## Xenakiboy

I got the self-titled Moondog record a few years ago, I really liked it but can't say I've returned to his music much over the past few years. I probably should!


----------



## Casebearer

Tonight I had a conversation with someone mentioning Moondog. Never heard of him before. Fascinating life story. I looked him up here and there this topic was. I agree wit Violadude (topic starter) that although his music is easy to the ear it sounds refreshing and is original is some respects.


----------

