Recent Coverage of Bob Moog

Bob MoogBob Moog’s death has led to an explosion of coverage of his life and work. Here’s a sampling of recent coverage:

  • From circuitry, a symphony – “What Stradivarius was to the violin and Les Paul and Leo Fender were to guitars, Robert Moog was to synthesizers.”
  • The magic of invention – Robert Moog gave the music world tools for the ages
  • Caring Bridge Site for Bob Moog, features communication from family and memorials.
  • USA Today Obit – Robert A. Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound and opened the musical wave that became electronica, has died.
  • Influential synth pioneer Robert Moog dead at 71
    Some influential or memorable albums featuring the Moog:
    • Cosmic Sounds, the Zodiac
    • Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, the Monkees
    • Switched-On Bach, Walter Carlos
    • The Well-Tempered Synthesizer, Walter Carlos
    • Moog Power, Hugo Montenegro
    • Abbey Road, the Beatles
    • The In Sound from Way Out, Perrey and Kingsley
    • Christmas Becomes Electric, the Moog Machine
    • Popcorn, Hot Butter
    • A Clockwork Orange (soundtrack), Walter Carlos
    • Star Wars (soundtrack), Patrick Gleeson
    • Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
    • Ricochet, Tangerine Dream
    • Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
    • X, Klaus Schulze
    • Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, Parliament
    • Who’s Next, the Who
    • Pet Sounds, Beach Boys
    • Beggar’s Banquet, Rolling Stones
    • Moving Pictures, Rush
  • Brain Tumor Claims Life of Synthesizer Inventor Moog – “He’s like an Einstein of music.”
  • Washington Post Obit – “Sure, I like the idea of my name becoming a generic term for the synthesizer,” he told the New York Times in 1969. “But I don’t like the fact that cruddy records are being put out with my name attached.”
  • Salon.com profile – Moog admits he didn’t have much of a head for the business end; his main goal has always been creating useful technology. “My transition from scientist to entrepreneur?” he asked in an e-mail. “Some would say that I still haven’t made that transition.”
  • MIT Profile
  • Digital DIY – Interview with Bob Moog
  • Interview at ThereminVox
  • American Mavericks – From Moog to Mark II to MIDI to Max
  • IEEE Virtual Museum – article on Moog music
  • Bob Moog interview at Perfect Sound Forever
  • Vinyl Vulture revisits the heady days of Moog fever
  • Interesting account of a presentation by Moog in his older days
  • NPR profile of Moog – Bob Moog is a Geek. “He’s the uber-Geek!”
  • Minnies and Pollies: My work at Moog Music, Inc. – personal account of working at Moog Music
  • WikiPedia article on Moog
  • Director Hans Fjellestad on Moog – “Bob never brought up his work unless asked, and even then, he was quick to credit everyone else but himself. He was much more interested in listening to the ideas of others, often “synthesizing” seemingly unrelated bits of information into the genesis of a new design. He preferred to tell an old joke over a beer to talking about his many patents. And he loved to watch from the wings as a musician created something interesting and unexpected on one of his instruments.”
  • Modular synth designer Paul Schreiber on Moog – My biggest “Moog highlight” though was at my second NAMM show, and there was this really big, noisy and over-crowded ‘reception’ in a tent. The place was absolutely jammed, and I wandered by myself way off to the far corner by this potted plant and there were 4 chairs empty. I sat in one, grabbed a beer, and PLOP, here sits Bob Moog. Now, his booth was 20 feet from mine, and we waved at each other but I never really talked to him that much. We chatted for like 20 seconds, and then here comes Roger Powell, Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith. Here are all these famous synth designers and one of the best rock keyboard players ever and *ME* (the former chemistry nerd that shot Estes rockets) sitting around and chatting.
  • Times Online Robert Moog Obituary – From the ringtone of a mobile phone to the bleeps and thuds of the latest dance hit, electronically generated sound is now all pervasive. Yet though instruments to make electronic music had been devised as early as 1900, it was not until the 1970s that electronic music was widely heard — and it was played on the keyboards invented by the US engineer whose name became synonymous with the synthesizer, Robert Moog.

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