In the 1940s, two famous vagrants were meandering through the streets of New York City. Both of them were willfully homeless. Both were artists. The first man, Joe Gould – subject of a notorious New Yorker profile – claimed to have written the longest book in history, entitled The Oral History of Our Time. In reality, he wrote no such book.
The other man, though, was named Louis “Moondog” Hardin, a musician, who, unlike Gould, actually produced the art he claimed to make. He wrote and played music on the streets for twenty-five years, and he eventually made two names for himself: one in the music world of New York, where people began to discover his music; the other name was given to him: “The Viking of 6th Avenue,” named after the corner at which he could be found playing.
Oh, and one more thing about Moondog: he was blind.
So, this blind, musical vagabond recorded many albums, composed music in Braille, and influenced many artists. For example, Janis Joplin covered a Moondog song in 1967, and, in 1989, Philip Glass asked him to conduct the Brooklyn Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
Moondog’s was an unlikely life, and now his music is featured in an unlikely event. This Thursday through Sunday, the Charlestown Working Theater is once again putting on “The Moondog Madrigal Puppet Show,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a puppet show set to Moondog’s music.
Still with me?
Good, because, despite the seemingly improbable nature of the pairing, An Exciting Event, the 12-piece orchestra performing in the show, fits perfectly with Moondog’s street-based, Bohemian life style. They use, to quote their own description, “overlooked materials such as glass bottles, plastic milk jugs, and yard waste; vintage forms such as rounds, iambic couplets, themes and variations; and unconventional systems of tuning, rhythm and communication.” In fact, many of their instruments are created using found objects, including an amplified Big Gulp and the udderbot, a flexible-pitch instrument composed of a rubber glove and glass bottle. Fitting, as Moondog also invented instruments, most notably the Trimba, a percussion instrument.
Marjorie Gere, the writer of the show and the director of An Exciting Event, began writing the piece when she noticed the variety of voices appearing in Moondog’s rounds. So, she attributed each distinctive voice to a character (e.g. a professorial voice to a Professor character) and created a story around the music. Moondog also composed rhyming couplets, which are featured in the show. “The Moondog Madrigal Puppet Show” explores the themes that preoccupied Moondog in his songs: self-education, love, mortality, and mythology.
So, altogether you have the innovative music of the Viking of 6th Avenue, an unconventional orchestra, found objects for instruments and sets, colorful and inventive puppets, and complex themes. Sounds like a weird, wild show.
Oh, I almost forgot: there’s also a giant earthworm in there, too.
[The Moondog Madrigal Puppet Show. 1.13.11-1.16.11. Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown, MA 02129. $15-$18. charlestownworkingtheater.org]
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