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We take a moment to remember the synth pioneer Robert Moog (pp. 74-75 in The Rock Snob*s Dictionary), who died yesterday. Neither rock nor Rock Snobbery would have been the same without this gentle fellow–think of the stately BWOMP-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp-BWAAAH that follows the line “Love is old/ Love is new” in the Beatles’ “Because,” or the Buh-buh bup-bup-BUP! bassline of Devo’s “Whip It,” or just about anything on Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions–all Moog-driven (or Mini-Moog-driven) songs. And if you must, think also of Keith Emerson’s contributions to the prog canon. Whatever your musical persuasion, your raw nerves have been salved by this man at one point or another, and, if the obits are anything to go by, he was a lovely, thoughtful man as well. Rest well, Bob–and make sure all the Snobs in Snob Heaven know it’s pronounced “MOAG.” August 22, 2005 More Rock Snobbery »
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Nyro, Laura. Bronx-born progenitor of soulful Rhoda-rock. The precocious Nyro released her debut album in 1966 at the age of 19, and shortly thereafter saw the Fifth Dimension and Barbra Streisand score hits with her free-swinging compositions “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Stoney End,” respectively. Snapped up by aspiring agent David Geffen, she signed a $4 million contract with Columbia Records—putting both herself and Geffen in the big leagues—and released two SEMINAL albums, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, before growing fed up with the music industry and the limitations it placed on her free spirit and eccentric habits. (She demanded, for instance, that one of her albums be pressed on perfume-infused vinyl, and named her publishing company Tuna Fish Music, after her daily lunch choice.) At the age of 24, Nyro moved from Manhattan to New England, and flitted in and out of retirement until her death in 1997.