A year after the passing of Bob Moog, Moog Music and the Bob Moog Memorial Foundation are remembering his legacy.
In musical memorium, Moog Music is encouraging radio stations to play a twenty second Moog Voyager composition. I’ll be interested to hear how many radio stations take them up on the offer; if they’re pressed for time, they might consider one of Corky Berger’s Moog Voyager ring tone. The idea is nice, but I fully expect most of us will hear far more than twenty seconds from Moog instruments or inspired by Moog instruments during the course of the day.
The bigger news is the new website for the promised Bob Moog Foundation. (The image above from their site is pictured here; it really says a lot to me.) Itsorganizational goals will include:
- Scholarships at institutions “close to Bob’s heart”: University of North Carolina-Asheville, Berklee School of Music and Cornell University
- Electronic music outreach programs
- Special event sponsorships
- The Bob Moog Memorial Museum
That last item ought to get your attention. Just imagine this:
The Museum will house Bob’s personal and professional archives, which include: writings, photos, instruments, schematic drawings, articles written by and about him, an extensive collection of electronic music, and other Moog artifacts. The goal is to make this an educational, interactive museum open to students, researchers and music historians, and for all people interested in engaging with the Moog legacy. We are also considering an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Heck, with a museum like that, most of us would have no reason to even go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’d be fantastic if these collections grew to encompass other technologists, too, from people like Leon Theremin, Raymond Scott, Don Buchla, and others. But I can’t think of a better place to start than Bob Moog, particularly with Moog Music already having many of the resources needed.
Can you say pilgrimage?
Lastly, the foundation is working on Moogcasts. In a way, I’m almost disappointed that they’re limited to Moog instruments; I use lots of non-Moog technology that I’ll always see differently having learned synthesis on a Moog modular. But this is nonetheless great stuff, and raises the important issues of passing electronic musical legacies into the future. (See also the Electronic Music Foundation.)