Summary of contents of Moondog cassette tapes
Tapes reviewed by: David Heetderks
date: 2 May 2001
The Moondog cassettes appear to be from two sources: 8 tapes are recorded interviews conducted by Robert Scotto in 1979 with Moondog and, briefly, Ilona Goebel. The location of these interviews is Moondog in Goebel’s home in Germany. Another tape contains recorded interviews made for a radio show on Moondog hosted by Gordon Spencer. The final tape is a dub of the radio program.
Interviews with Robert Scotto:
tape label: “Moondog 2/2/79 @ home Tape 1/2”
interview with Moondog by Scotto. Recorded at Moondog’s home in Germany. Fair sound (some background noise, sound is slightly murky at some points)
Side 1: older languages--use of rhymed couplet--background noise--working habits--memories-...--marches--possibility of collaboration--interest in history--style--etc.
Side 2: Moondog’s integrity--role of artist in society--high vs. low art--etc.
tape label: “Moondog #3/#4. No date on box”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. Fair sound. No date given, but most likely date is 2/2/1979.
Side 3: discussion of ideas for book--“Thor” poems--long poems--Moondog as combination of poet, musician, and composer--discussion of the layout of a poetry/music booklet--Moondog’s childhood--his father--his sister as a mentor--brother Creighton--training as a musician--reminiscences from childhood--etc.
Side 4: Madrigals--composers with whom he feels kinship--Changing and passing notes as only voice-leading rules--interest in literature--views on Modernism--older English poetry--Greek and Nordic poetry--etc.
tape label: “Moondog #5/#6. 2/2/79”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. Fair Sound.
#5: recording--recording at church--favorite composers--interests in reading--Canterbury Tales--Moondog’s words--types of poetry--dialects and class--history of Northern European tribes: Normans, Goths, Hittites--Einhardt [sp?] and other sources--more on Vikings and Nordic history--Christian conquests.
#6: Thor--discussion of memorial program--etc.--more on plans for publications, etc.--concert plans, etc.--plans for biography--more on Thor book or program, etc.--other logistical issues…
tape label: “Moondog home. Side 7/8. 2/3/[1979]”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. Fair sound.
Side 7: interest in percussion as child--first record--Alan Freed [sp?] controversy over Howling Wolf recording--name Moondog--sister’s tutelage--pianist Paul Jordan--concert in Germany--staying in Germany--Ilona Goebel--recent life and work--...--adjusting to blindness--etc.
Side 8: only time seeing an orchestral performance--instruments studied--schooling--marriages--relationship with mother--trouble with 2nd marriage--etc.
tape label: “Moondog home #9/#10. 2/3/[1979]”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. Fair sound; some tape speed problems.
Side 9: Moondog’s old cottage--childhood memories--early sexual experiences--getting into trouble--rift in relationship with mother--Paul Jordan, etc.--Mary Whiting [sp?], etc.--Bernstein and Rodzinski, etc.--interests in jazz, etc.--famous people Moondog met: Marlin Brando, Bobby Derrin, etc.--feature in Sunday Times in 1960s--women, etc.--appearing on TV and radio.
Side 10: dislike of vibrato in orchestral playing, etc.--thoughts on religion, etc.--Thor cult--“fish” analogy of drive to find ethnic identity, etc.--rejection by American Indians--disillusionment with lower-class African-American culture--more on ethnicity (humor, etc.).
tape label: “Moondog Home #11/12. 2/3/[1979]”
Ilona Goebel and, later, Moondog, with Robert Scotto. Fair sound; some tape speed problems.
Side 11: [recordings of instruments]--Ilona first meeting Moondog--Moondog’s manner--learning more about Moondog and his lifestyle--buying Moondog record--Moondog’s stubbornness and sensitivity to criticism--first discussing politics with Moondog--Moondog’s sensitivity leading to rift with people and learning to live with frequent rifts--position as outcast as conscious choice from stubbornness--first helping Moondog--Ilona’s humanitarian views--Viking dress as, initially, an affectation--changes in Moondog’s views over years--finding “Viking” identity later as way to find identity and justify position as outcast--helping Moondog write music--bringing Moondog to her home, etc.--finding record producer, etc.--points of disagreement with Moondog--Moondog finding need for religion in middle age--[speed problem cleared up]--lifestyle a result of loneliness and violent reaction to past--increased output as a result of living in a home--poetry and music as first priority--evolution of Moondog’s style--etc.
Side 12: madrigals as easy and practical way to put together work--“making a good thing out of necessity”--necessity as major factor in many of Moondog’s decisions.
[Scotto with Moondog] response to Ilona’s interview: using canon and couplet in earlier works for efficiency--use of “exotic” rhythms in earlier works and moving back to conventional meters--working with musicians--use of sound effects, etc.--defense of Viking expression--desire to be original, etc.--Moondog’s defenders--other opinions of Moondog, etc.--making decision to settle in Germany.
tape label: “Moondog Home #13/14. 2/3/[1979]”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. Fair sound; some tape speed problems on side 14.
Side 13: more on feeling at home in Europe--looking for success in Europe as opposed to U.S.--sacrificing freedom of New York--necessity of having transcriber, etc.--reconstructing Thor--decrease in poetry output--ease of writing canons and couplets in New York--more on living in New York, etc.--Al Brown--Julius Baker--Bernstein and Helena Rodzinski, etc.--Boulez--Lukas Foss--trip to Niagra Falls, etc.--more on living in New York--tour of 1971.
Side 14: Moondog gives a demonstration of his voice leading rules: passing note--changing note (i.e., neighbor note)--importance of following voice leading--bad voice leading in classical music--dominant 7th as limit of dominant sonority due to voice leading rules--classical composers--Tchaikovsky’s voice leading errors in the first piano concerto--irritation with voice leading of other composers--possibilities of dissonance with voice leading--Stravinsky as purveyor of “unresolved dissonances”--Moondog’s madrigals.
tape label: “Moondog #15. No date, but cont.”
Moondog with Robert Scotto. No date on tape, but most likely date is 2/3/1979, a continuation of the interview on tape 13/14.
Side 15: more on madrigals--more discussion of publishing project--discussion of content of biography--Boswell’s Life of Johnson--more on biography, etc.--indifference vs. hatred--concluding remarks.
Interviews with Gordon Spencer:
tape label: “Moondog 1”/”Moondog 2” [no date or ID given]
recorded material for a radio show on Moondog, hosted by Gordon Spencer. Good sound.
Side 1
1. interviews conducted by Gordon Spencer about Moondog with random passer-bys on a street [in New York City?]
[audible, but some background noise]
2. Interview with Moondog by Gordon Spencer. No ID or date given. Interview covers Moondog’s name--growing up with Indians--musical elements--living on the streets--etc.
Side 2:
more of interview with Moondog by Gordon Spencer.
tape label: “Moondog 1 Sept. 29-81”/”Moondog 2 Sept. 29-81”
Dub of a radio show on Moondog: “Sounds of the 20th Century” on WRFM (105.1 FM), hosted by Gordon Spencer. Good sound. Note that the show appears to begin with Side 2 of the cassette, then end with Side 1 (i.e., it appears that the sides are mixed up)
Side 2:
1. Audio Clips of pieces by Moondog (from a book of Madrigals?)
2. Brief introduction and ID by Gordon Spencer
3. Audio Clips of pieces by Moondog (“Hard Shoe”)
4. an introduction to an interview with Moondog given by Gordon Spencer
Side 1:
1. Interview with Moondog conducted by Gordon Spencer (contains excerpts from the “Moondog 1/2” tape.
2. More Audio clips of pieces by Moondog
3. More excerpts from the interview with Moondog by Gordon Spencer.