Louis Hardin

From Philosopedia

Hardin, Louis [Moondog] (1916-1999)

“He was the most famous street person of his time, a hero to a generation,” according to his New York Times obituary.

“The gaunt, blind musician known as Moondog, who was celebrated among New Yorkers for two decades as a mysterious and extravagantly garbed street performer,” wrote Glenn Collins, “went on to win acclaim in Europe as an avant-garde composer, conducting orchestras before royalty.”

No matter the weather, Moondog could often be seen from the late 1940s to the early 1970s standing in mid-Manhattan around 54th Street and the Avenue of the Americas. He dressed in a homemade robe, sandals, a flowing cape, and a horned Viking helmet, the tangible expression of what he referred to as his “Nordic philosophy.” At his side he clutched a long spear of his own manufacture.

Hardin had recorded jazz-accented compositions, usually for small wind and percussion ensembles. One, “All Is Loneliness,” became a hit when recorded by Janis Joplin. He also wrote soundtrack music for Drive, He Said, a 1972 movie with Jack Nicholson.

Hardin was celebrated by Beat Generation poets and late-1960s flower children. According to Glen Collins, he wrote Bohemian broadsides against government regimentation, against the world monetary system, and against organized religion.

{Glenn Collins, The New York Times, 12 September 1999; WAS, conversations}