If you live near Asheville (or are happy to travel) …. come to the Moogseum on Tuesday, May 23 as the downtown Asheville museum celebrates what would have been the late Bob Moog’s 89th birthday.
“Bob’s Electric Birthday” includes Moogseum tours at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. guided by our executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa, and at 7 p.m., “An Evening With Patrick Gleeson,” a live demo of the Moog modular heard on the soundtrack to “Apocalypse Now” from legendary synthesizer pioneer, composer, producer, and Herbie Hancock collaborator Patrick Gleeson — a lifelong friend of Bob Moog. This is followed by an interview with Michelle Moog-Koussa about Gleeson’s storied career, and a short DJ set from Dr. Gleeson.
An electronic music icon, Gleeson was personally invited by Herbie Hancock to join Hancock’s band, served as the master synthesist for the soundtrack to “Apocalypse Now,” and co-engineered “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,” David Byrne and Brian Eno‘s influential 1981 album.
Gleeson resigned from a job as a university professor in the mid-’60s to experiment with electronic music, eventually founding San Francisco’s Different Fur Studios, and by the ‘70s, touring with Herbie Hancock. Now 88 years old, he returns to live performance as a DJ, solo artist, and as part of a trio.
This event offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Dr. Patrick Gleeson demonstrating the Moog modular he used as master synthesist for the “Apocalypse Now” soundtrack.
“Bob’s Electric Birthday” includes tours of the Moogseum, the museum dedicated to sharing exhibits that bring Bob Moog’s legacy to life, guided by the Moogseum’s executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa — Bob’s daughter.
Moog-Koussa has not guided a public Moogseum tour since 2019. This event marks a rare opportunity to gain special insight into the Moogseum’s exhibits, the Moog Family Archives, and Bob Moog himself.
During the tours, Moog-Koussa will share historical photos from the Moog Family Archives, a private archive of materials unavailable to the public, and read from the new Bob Moog biography from Oxford University Press, “Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution.”
Tours include birthday cake, coffee, champagne, and a gift bag from the Moogseum store.
A Q&A with Moog-Koussa follows the reading, followed by time to continue exploring the museum and enjoy birthday refreshments in honor of Bob’s birth in 1934.
At 7 p.m., Patrick Gleeson demonstrates the Moog modular heard on “Apocalypse Now.” Afterward, Moog-Koussa interviews him about his storied career and his lifelong friendship with Bob, followed by a short DJ set.
Dr. Gleeson has a deep connection to the instrument: He’s its original owner.
Later owners included Don Preston of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, who used it on recordings and on tour; and Walter Holland of Holland Synthesizers, a founding member of Amber Route.
An Evening With Patrick Gleeson includes a gift bag of Moogseum swag, admission to the Moogseum, and birthday cake and beverages.
The Moogseum is located at 56 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.
Read more about tickets and program at Moogseum.