I've never seen the Chryser advertisement. I am however a big fan of his music. I came across him digging up information using the website www.allmusic.com I was randomly searching and somehow I ended up arriving to his description. (Moondog was linked as a similar artist to Harry Partch). I don't think I've ever discovered music through a television advertisement, maybe it's because I don't watch much television, and normally if I do a put the mute on during the advertisements! However I am fascinated to hear what song Chrysler used. I've heard Moondog's Prestige music, and the albums he recorded on CBS (Moondog i/ii) and the album 'Sax Pax for A Sax'. Moondog was quite a character, he was never interested in money, in fact he spent a lot of time on the streets of New York, so much so that the place he used to stand became known as Moondog Corner. In fact sometimes Moon Dog used to live on the streets as he revealed in an interview in 1992. Quote: Q: How much of your time on the streets were you actually homeless? MOONDOG: I had a choice. If I kept a hotel room, then I wouldn't have enough money to hire a copyist to copy the music or to go up to my place, because to make a trip up there would cost around $50, including carfare and food for a couple of weeks. I couldn't have the room and the music copying and the trips up there, so I had to make a choice: either keep a room and not go up there, or not have a room and go up there once in a while. So some of the time I would just sleep on the streets to save money. I could have a room all the time, but I wouldn't then be able to do all the other things. Q: How big a hassle was that life for you? Were you ever assaulted or robbed? MOONDOG: Yes, I've been kicked when I was sleeping, and pissed on, and abused and robbed sometimes. But never stabbed in the chest - I mean, they could have killed me if they'd wanted to. One night a cop came up to me and said, "Are you all right, Moondog?" And I said, "Yes." He said, "Here's a couple of bucks." He gave me two dollars. But dealing with the facts, would Moondog allow for Crysler to use his music. Well maybe another section from an interview might give the answer. Janis Joplin of all people covered a Moondog composition called 'All is Loneliness' *on Moondog ii on CBS. QUOTE: Q: Did Janis Joplin ever get your permission to use "All Is Loneliness"? MOONDOG: No, she just did it. The piece was written in 5/4 but she sang it in 4/4. She took great liberties, but as long as she called me "beautiful cat" then I don't mind. Q: No royalties though, I take it. MOONDOG: No, I didn't get anything. As you can see poor old Moondog didn't have much say when it came to people using his music without asking. Since he was blind, and due to other factors he probably could have done nothing to stop the advertisement had he been alive. Moondog has to be one of the most under-rated composers I've heard of. He used to hang out with Steve Reich and Phillip Glass, met Dizzy Gillispie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker (it is said that Parker offered to do an album with him, of course this never came true in fact Bird died shortly after meeting Moondog). Even Stravinsky respected Moondog, when Moondog was being trialed for being homeless I believe Stravinksy said to the judge 'Take care of this man. He's a serious composer. Do him right." I can talk for hours on Moondog, but I'll leave it there! Thanks, Geoffrey Balasoglou ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 12:14:51 -0700 From: "jim & nika" <ultimatefrog@attbi.com> Subject: commercials To: zorn-list@mailman.xmission.com Message-ID: <E1998VZ-0003I9-00@mailman.xmission.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" And I'm guessing that most people's only exposure to the music of Moondog is through the auto (Chrysler?) ad. Any speculation as to how he would have responded? jim mcauley ------------------------------