In his essay, “Here Is New York,” E. B. White writes, “New York is the concentrate of art and commerce and sport and religion and entertainment and finance, bringing to a single compact arena the gladiator, the evangelist, the promotor, the actor, the trader, and the merchant.” Mr. White might have added that the city brought another participant to the arena — the eccentric.
Not too long ago eccentrics added a bright color to the city’s palette. Louis Harden, the blind and brilliant composer known as Moondog, stood near 6th Avenue at 53rd Street, dressed as a Viking, with a cape over his shoulders, horned helmet on his head, and holding a spear. Why do you carry the spear, I asked. “I’m defending culture from the barbarians,” he said.