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Synth genius Wendy Carlos studied physics & music at Brown & Columbia. She helped develop the 1st Moog synthesizer & her 1968 classical album Switched-On Bach went platinum. She brought #music & tech together & composed soundtracks for A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Tron & more.

Carlos was assigned male at birth & transitioned to female. Unfortunately, many journalists focus more on her gender than her accomplishments that changed music forever. http://www.wendycarlos.com

Wendy Carlos HomePage

The Official Wendy Carlos HomePage. The definitive Web collection of information about the pioneer synthesist and composer (and solar eclipse photographer), including a "Write Wendy" Maildrop.
www.wendycarlos.com
#music
This entry was edited (6 months ago)
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

John Breen
John Breen
• •
Walter->Wendy Carlos was inspirational to me. Gender identity aside, a true pioneer and creator of things we don't deserve, as with Bach.
#SwitchedOn
#switchedon
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

PunkLawyer
PunkLawyer
• •
Yeah well it's that old joke -- like a dog walking on hind legs, it's not that women do it [insert "music" or other activity] well, but that they do it at all.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Bob Davidson
Bob Davidson
• •
I’m old enough to have listened to Switched-On Bach on my reel-to-reel tape recorder back in the day (1968). It was awesome then, still is. I recently had to purchase a CD to listen to it because, for some reason, it is not on iTunes.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Steve Cromwell
Steve Cromwell
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TRON! And cool to read how it was composed: "No sooner had I tucked myself into bed and turned out the lights that the answer just drifted into my inner ear, unbidden. As I was about to nod off this was annoying. But then, many of my best ideas, probably 30 to 40% of them do seem to pop into my head when it's most inconvenient."
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Brian Dawson
Brian Dawson
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She was an inspiration for me, long before I knew I was queer! 💛
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Kirk
Kirk
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I literally wore her LPs out growing up in the 70s. Influenced me becoming a musician.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Fladdle
Fladdle
• •
What about this one? There’s no mention of her name that I can on the cover.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

wayward
wayward
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It's so sad when peoples' legacy gets so overshadowed by their immutable traits when their contributions to society are so massive. Thanks for the history lesson!!!
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Sablebadger
Sablebadger
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I was fortunate then, when I had heard of her and her music and no one mentioned the gender thing. I didn't actually learn of it until just now.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

AngrySexagenarian
AngrySexagenarian
• •
she was an exceptional artist and contributed very significantly to the evolution of synths and everything that came from them.
#Respect
#respect
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

AvvieLanche
AvvieLanche
• •
I have never heard anyone focus on her gender over her accomplishments until now. In fact, I rarely ever hear her gender mentioned at all. I have heard her referred to as Walter/Wendy Carlos back in the 70s but never since.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Horqua
Horqua
• •
the album Switched On Bach came out when I eas a freshman in HS. I wore out the cassette. I don’t care that Walter became Wendy. THEY are musical genius!
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Rihards Olups
Rihards Olups
• •

I’d love a compilation of transgender artists, scientists etc, which I could casually pull from when somebody starts talking about “those” people, as if they had never met or enjoyed their contributions.

Like when somebody goes that way, “oh, you really liked Clockwork and Matrix, is that right?” 😀

in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

David P
David P
• •
I didn't know that about Wendy Carlos. I've only known her for her music. I mean Tron is a classic.
This entry was edited (6 months ago)
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Erik Larson
Erik Larson
• •
If you haven't seen it, this 1970 interview with Wendy is worth checking out: https://youtu.be/UsW2EDGbDqg?si=zqIY3B8ACeY1cKhq

1970: WENDY CARLOS and her MOOG SYNTHESISER | Music Now | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

Electronic music composer Wendy Carlos - whose debut album Switched-On Bach has introduced a new audience to classical music - explains the fundamentals of e...
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