For more than twenty years he has been releasing, to only marginal commercial and critical success, playful and transgressive albums on labels in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. In his lyrics and his other writing he makes seemingly random use of decontextualized pieces of continental (mostly French) philosophy, and has built up a personal world he says is "dominated by values like diversity, orientalism, and a respect for otherness." He is also known in certain circles outside the U.S. as a producer. He is fascinated by identity, Japan, the avant-garde, time travel and sex. Live Momus shows are rare but when he does perform he often sings the crowd favourite 'maf' from the Stars Forever LP.
He wears a patch over his right eye because he lost the use of it after contracting acanthamoeba keratitis from a contact lens case washed with Greek tap water.
Nick Currie currently resides in Osaka, Japan.
Walter Carlos
Momus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's in Elysium
But let us imagine him in our space-time continuum
Walter Carlos!
International transsexual composer of that glorious epoch,
The high analogue synthesizer
Baroque!
Known as Wendy
Had a gender operation done
Just after making Switched on Bach, Volume 1
And when travelling through time is possible,
Wendy can enter a wormhole and go back to the future to marry Walter
A few baroque summers earlier
A couple of models of Moog back in time
(Sung in a round:
Fine fine fine
In the summertime
Singing tra-la-la-la-la
And be fine in another time)
Unfortunately,
Einstein informs us
That when time travel is finally possible,
There will be no returning to periods previous to the point at which time travel first became possible!
So like Walter Carlos until such time as it's feasible,
We'll have to restrict time travel to the realm of the musical
The song "Walter Carlos" by musician Momus is both a tribute and a commentary on the career and personal life of composer and synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos. Wendy was known for her groundbreaking work in the 1970s, including the album "Switched-On Bach," which used Moog synthesizers to create detailed renditions of classical works. The song begins by acknowledging that Walter Carlos (as Wendy was known at the time) is now deceased and has passed into the afterlife. However, the lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world where Wendy's contributions to music and technology are still present in our current space and time.
The song goes on to reveal that Wendy had a gender reassignment surgery shortly after the release of "Switched-On Bach." Following this operation, Wendy began living as a woman and became known as Wendy Carlos. The lyrics imagine a future where time travel is possible, allowing Wendy to travel back in time and marry her former self, Walter Carlos. However, the song also acknowledges that the concept of time travel is complex and may not be possible in reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Walter Carlos no longer exists
Walter Carlos is deceased.
He's in Elysium
He is in the afterlife, specifically Elysium – the ancient Greek paradise for heroes.
But let us imagine him in our space-time continuum
Despite his passing, let us place him in our world, as if he still existed in the present timeline.
Walter Carlos!
A shoutout to the late musician, Walter Carlos.
International transsexual composer of that glorious epoch,
Walter Carlos was a transsexual musician who produced music during a significant era.
The high analogue synthesizer
He was known for his work with the analogue synthesizer, specifically during its peak.
Baroque!
A reference to Walter Carlos's album 'Switched on Bach,' which contained music from the Baroque era.
He is now to be
Walter Carlos is now identified as
Known as Wendy
Walter Carlos underwent a sex reassignment surgery and now goes by 'Wendy.'
Had a gender operation done
Walter Carlos underwent a surgical procedure to change their gender.
Just after making Switched on Bach, Volume 1
This surgery happened shortly after the album 'Switched on Bach, Volume 1' was released.
And when travelling through time is possible,
In a hypothetical scenario where time travel is made possible,
Wendy can enter a wormhole and go back to the future to marry Walter
Wendy has the ability to travel through time using a wormhole and meet and marry Walter in the future.
A few baroque summers earlier
Several summers before the present moment, specifically during the Baroque era.
A couple of models of Moog back in time
A reference to the Moog synthesizer, which was used by Walter Carlos during their career.
(Sung in a round: Fine fine fine In the summertime Singing tra-la-la-la-la And be fine in another time)
Lyrics intended to convey a desire to experience a pleasant summer season and hope to enjoy time in another era.
Unfortunately,
It is regrettable to learn that,
Einstein informs us
Albert Einstein's study tells us
That when time travel is finally possible,
When time travel becomes feasible,
There will be no returning to periods previous to the point at which time travel first became possible!
However, it would be impossible to go back to the past beyond the time time-travel became possible.
So like Walter Carlos until such time as it's feasible,
Until time travel can become a reality, we must act like Walter Carlos.
We'll have to restrict time travel to the realm of the musical
As a result, we must limit our time travel to solely musical compositions and performances.
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tabuu9
In awe both at her knowledge and her Lupin the 3rd boymode
@sethwick8348
She was terrified of the public realizing she was a trans woman, so this was her in disguise as a man. Thus the fake side burns. She also drew on facial hair sometime. Didn't come out as transgender until the late 70s.
@scunts
Lmfao Lupin you're so right. I can't unsee that now.
@JelloFluoride
Missing the iconic jacket(s) but I appreciate this comment.
@alexc4924
There were always non-binary people but they were ostracized
@wubcarp3319
According to Wikipedia Wendy did this because although by this time she was on hrt and identifying as female she was still terrified of public perception, and would wear those fake sideburns and wig in order to appear male.
@omnito
Wendy is probably one of the biggest unsung influences on modern music. Respect is due.
@80ssynthfan48
She gets plenty of kudos at the start of the documentary Synth Britannia.
@LordMarlle
Unsung hero? Where have you been hiding
@cubdukat
If it weren't for her, electronic music would still sound like it was composed by R2-D2.