a conversation with Amaury Cornut | Celebrating Moondog

25 years ago, Moondog died. The ideal occasion for Flagey to celebrate the work of this exceptional composer. For many, this pioneer remains a mysterious figure. Not so for Amaury Cornut, Moondog specialist par excellence, who published his biography 10 years ago. He gives lectures and artistic advice to orchestras and musicians.

What fascinates you about Moondog? What makes him unique in your eyes?

Moondog was a pioneer in the art of blending different types of music. In the 1940s, he combined Native American tribal music with his fascination for European classical music, particularly Johann Sebastian Bach. His mother was an organ teacher and his father a priest who evangelised on Indian reserves. He was also associated with some of the great names of the 1950s New York jazz scene, such as Charles Mingus and Charlie Parker. His music brought together artists from completely different worlds. He rejected all modern music, such as the serial and dodecaphonic music of the 20th century. Moondog's music is very tonal and melodic.

How was he influenced by the Amerindians? How close was he to them?

As a child, he travelled to Wyoming with his father, who was trying to evangelise the American Indians. During these visits, at the age of six, he witnessed a sun dance ceremony in an Arapaho tribe. It made a particularly strong impression on him. The chief invited Moondog to sit on his lap and play the drum that accompanied the ritual. It was this pulse that really inspired his work.

He was friends with artists from the New York jazz scene who had a strong influence on him. Does this explain the jazz influences in Moondog's music?

His friendships and the dynamic New York jazz scene were indeed a major influence. But there is also a link with Native American music. According to Moondog, its drum rhythm was the origin of swing in the 1920s. This link has also been verified from a musicological point of view. Jazz and blues are African-American music, and they are also mixed music.

At the same time, Moondog shares similarities with Minimalism. Steve Reich and Philip Glass have called him the ‘father of minimalism’. Why so?

Minimalism is a reaction to the modern and atonal music of the 20th century. It originated with Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Terry Riley. They wanted to return to simple principles, such as pulse and tonality, and wrote short melodies that were repeated over and over again. Their music is influenced not only by medieval European music but also by non-Western music, particularly Javanese, North African and Middle Eastern.

Moondog had already assembled all these components of minimalist music before minimalism officially began in 1964 with Terry Riley's musical work In C. Besides that, Philip Glass and Moondog were roommates at one point, so these influences manifested themselves spontaneously.

His personality and life are also unique. In New York, he was homeless, sold poetry to passers-by and walked the streets dressed as a Viking with a horned helmet and a medieval spear. How can we understand this?

We have to go back in time. At the age of 16, Moondog went blind when he picked up a piece of dynamite and it exploded in his face. In losing his sight, he also lost his Christian faith. At the same time, his parents were separating, which wasn't easy, even less so with a priest as a father. And all this happened at the time of adolescence. He fell into a deep depression. He started dressing eccentrically. He grew a beard and hair.

When he arrived in New York in the 1940s, people compared him to Christ. Since he no longer believed in God after losing his sight, and in reaction to all these Christ-like comparisons, he decided to become a Viking and dress accordingly. He immersed himself in Norse mythology, which has been a major source of inspiration for his poetry. As a result, he earned the nickname ‘Viking of the 6th Avenue’. He used to say: ‘I don't live and dress like this to attract attention, I attract attention because I live and dress like this’.

Moondog became an icon in the 1950s and 1960s in New York; he was very visible on the streets of New York where photographers Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz photographed him. At the same time, he remained a marginal figure.

Fifty years ago, Moondog left the United States for Europe. His work in Europe marked the beginning of his career as a composer.

In New York, he realised that he had pushed the boundaries of marginality too far and that he would never make it in the world of classical music. In 1974, thanks to a friend, he was given the opportunity to come and play in Frankfurt. Setting foot in the place where Johann Sebastian Bach had lived attracted and inspired him. Moondog stayed in Europe because of European classical music, and especially because of Bach. But when his friends returned to the United States, he found himself alone and once again living on the streets of Hamburg.

He hung out in the Black Forest, and then made friends with people who were going to help him, and very quickly everything went well for him, he settled down and achieved a comfortable life that enabled him to continue working. He started a relationship with Ilona Sommer who became his caring partner and manager. From then on, he abandoned his horned helmet and began to take care of his image.

Still, he is more often programmed in Europe than in the United States. At Flagey for example, François Mardirossian will be playing solo piano works by Moondog. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

François dedicated his first album to Moondog and has become a great interpreter of his music. He will be playing some of Moondog's great piano pieces recorded on several albums throughout his life, from the 1950s onwards, as well as previously unreleased works for which Moondog didn't have time to record himself.

In addition, the Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by George Jackson, will perform the 1969 Moondog album.

George Jackson is, in my opinion, the best possible conductor for Moondog's music. He has a vast knowledge of the classical repertoire, but also a particular curiosity for minimalist music, of which he is an expert. This is necessary because orchestras generally struggle to interpret Moondog. At first glance, his scores seem simple, but the difficulties are hidden.

Finally, Ill Considered will perform a jazz interpretation of a selection of songs. What do you think of the programme?

Jazz musicians like Ill Considered have already improvised around Moondog's melodies, but in theory, this music leaves no room for improvisation. It's very strict. But these jazz interpretations make his work more accessible to a wider audience.

At Flagey, everything comes together and the programmes provides an elaborate panorama. There is a piano recital that presents Moondog's melodies as they are, an orchestra that plays Moondog, which is quite rare. And finally a jazz interpretation showing how Moondog's melodies have been revisited by jazz musicians over the years.

And perhaps one last question. Where does the name Moondog come from?

It's a tribute to a dog he had as a child, Lindy. This dog howled at the moon more than any other. It became his Indian name, his pseudonym. He brought it back from a trip to the Indians in the late 1940s.

Interview by Hanna Karalic and Nine Louvel

Discover Moondog's life and work at ‘Celebrating Moondog’, on 29 November at Flagey. The full programme is available here.