Moondog: The Viking of Sixth Avenue
An Authorized Biography

by Robert Scotto

Preface

Acknowledgments/Photographs

Introduction

Roots (1916-1943)

Chapter One (1916-1929): Archdeacon Prettyman's Animated Doll

An account of Louis Hardin's childhood prior to his blindness;
the various places he lived, his earliest proclivities and adventures;
the family life that explains so many later developments will be explored.

Chapter Two (1929-1943): The First Violin

The accident causing his blindness; Louis's coping with his handicap; his discovery
of his life-long vocation of music; the dissolution of his family, his schooling, his first
marriage, his growing independence, his decision to go to New York.

The Tree of Life (1943-1974)

Chapter Three (1943-1953) Snaketime

Louis's first decade in New York; his association with the New York Philharmonic;
his pen-name, Moondog, in 1947; his cross-country trip; his earliest successes,
his earliest music and records, his life-style and growing reputation; his second marriage.

Chapter Four (1953-1960): Moondog Symphony

His first albums, some on prestigious labels; the birth of his daughter; his court case with Alan Freed and WINS; the evolution of "the man with the face of Christ"; his ideas and opinions; his New Jersey and New York retreats; his separation.

Chapter Five (1960-1969): The Viking of Sixth Avenue

The emergence of Moondog as a striking New York personality of the sixties;
the evolution of his dress, image, work and reputation.

Chapter Six (1969-1970): Annus Mirabilis

The year of his Columbia album, with the attendant publicity and excitement.

Chapter Seven (1971-1974): Making the Rounds

The second Columbia album and its aftermath; his last cross-country tour;
his final years in America at Candor prior to his trip to Germany.

Chapter Eight (1974-1996): The Viking Returns

His first year in Germany on the streets; after 1975, with Ilona Goebel, the foundation of Managarm (Moondog Management) Musikverlag; his latest albums and publications (The Creation, Thor the Nordoom and The Overtone Tree, among others); his reception and reputation in Europe, his many accomplishments; his death on Sept. 8, 1999 in Munster.

Appendices:

1) Chapters on Moondog's career as a composer.
2) Texts of Moondog, including Thor, his Perpetual Calendar,
"Around the World of Sound," sections from The Overtone Tree.
3) Photographs.

Bibliography/Discography

Index


© 2002 - Robert Scotto
Todas Derechas Reservadas

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