It was this Native music, along with contemporary jazz and classical, mixed with the ambient sounds from his environment (city traffic, ocean waves, babies crying, etc.) that created the foundation of Moondog's music. In 1949, he traveled to a Blackfoot Sun Dance in Idaho where he performed on percussion and flute, returning to the Native American music he first came in contact with as a child. He developed a lifelong interest in Nordic mythology, and maintained an altar to Thor in his country home in Candor. Already bearded and long-haired, he added a Viking-style horned helmet to avoid the occasional comparisons of his appearance with that of Christ or a monk, as he had rejected Christianity in his late teens. In addition to his music and poetry, he was also known for the distinctive fanciful " Viking" cloak that he wore. He partially supported himself by selling copies of his poetry and his musical philosophy. He was rarely if ever homeless, and maintained an apartment in upper Manhattan and had a country retreat in Candor, New York, to which he moved full-time in 1972. By 1947, Hardin had adopted the name "Moondog" in honor of a dog "who used to howl at the moon more than any dog I knew of." New York City įrom the late 1940s until 1972, Moondog lived as a street musician and poet in New York City, playing in midtown Manhattan, eventually settling on the corner of 53rd or 54th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. One of his early street posts was near the 52nd Street nightclub strip, and he was known to jazz musicians. ![]() In 1943, Hardin moved to New York, where he met classical musicians including Leonard Bernstein and Arturo Toscanini, as well as jazz performers such as Charlie Parker and Benny Goodman, whose upbeat tempos and often humorous compositions would influence Hardin's later work. Although he was largely self-taught in music, learning predominantly by ear, he learned some music theory from books in braille during his time in Memphis. He then moved to Batesville, Arkansas, where he lived until 1942, when he obtained a scholarship to study in Memphis, Tennessee. He studied with Burnet Tuthill at the Iowa School for the Blind. Īfter learning the principles of music in several schools for blind young men across middle America, he taught himself the skills of ear training and composition. Up to that point he had been interested mainly in percussion instruments, but from then on, he became obsessed with the desire to become a composer. ![]() One book in particular, The First Violin, inspired him to pursue music. Here he had his first encounters with philosophy, science and myth that formed his character. His older sister, Ruth, would read to him daily after the accident for many years. While he was handling it, the explosive detonated in his face and permanently blinded him. On July 4, 1932, the 16-year-old Hardin found an object in a field which he did not realise was a dynamite cap. He also played drums for the high school band in Hurley, Missouri. At one point, his father took him to an Arapaho Sun Dance where he sat on the lap of Chief Yellow Calf and played a tom-tom made from buffalo skin. His family relocated to Wyoming, where his father opened a trading post at Fort Bridger. Hardin started playing a set of drums that he made from a cardboard box at the age of five. Hardin was born in Marysville, Kansas, to Louis Thomas Hardin, an Episcopalian minister, and Norma Alves.
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