Minimum orbit intersection distance

March 29, 2010 1:24 PM

In the loosely related fields of planetary science and apocalyptic fiction, the phrase “minimum orbit intersection distance,” or MOID, describes the closest point of contact between the paths of two orbiting objects. Most vividly invoked whenever an asteroid encroaches on our corner of the solar system, that bit of jargon also has its aesthetic uses. Consider the coordinates of Neil Young and Miles Davis on the evenings of March 6 and 7, 1970, at the juncture of East Sixth Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan.

Mapping the intersections of Miles Davis and Neil Young.
posted by shakespeherian (21 comments total)

Also, consider the coordinates of Neil Young and Rick James in 1965.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:31 PM on March 29, 2010

Neil Young as the Zelig of post-1960 popular music.
posted by tommasz at 1:40 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

One also considers the intersection of Brewer and Shipley, which some observers place somewhere downtown in a railway station, an obscure unit of measurement beyond some notional "line".
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:40 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

From Miles: The Autobiography:

"I remember one time - it might have been a couple times - at the Fillmore East in 1970, I was opening for this sorry-ass cat named Steve Miller. Steve Miller didn't have his shit going for him, so I'm pissed because I got to open for this non-playing motherfucker just because he had one or two sorry-ass records out. So I would come late and he would have to go on first and then we got there we smoked the motherfucking place, everybody dug it."
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:53 PM on March 29, 2010 [7 favorites]

This is a rad article I would otherwise have totally missed. Thanks much for posting it.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 2:43 PM on March 29, 2010

Neil Young. Devo. 1982.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:48 PM on March 29, 2010 [11 favorites]

Sys Rq, I cannot favorite that hard enough.

This thread rules.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 2:52 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Rock's strangest double bills.
posted by philip-random at 2:57 PM on March 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I saw the Eagles open a show once, followed by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and then Yes.
posted by rodii at 3:32 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Danny Whitten given his props. I approve.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 4:10 PM on March 29, 2010

Oh, and I once saw Bob Seger open for Kiss. One of them sucked.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 4:12 PM on March 29, 2010

Neil Young. Devo. 1982.

Wow. Just...wow.
posted by marxchivist at 4:15 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

The Sex Pistols and Merle Haggard

(well, not on the same night...)
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:26 PM on March 29, 2010

Neil Young. Devo. 1982.

You win.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:30 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yay!

(Seriously, though, if you haven't heard Neil Young's synthpop masterpiece Trans, you're really missing out.)
posted by Sys Rq at 4:41 PM on March 29, 2010

Neil Young's synthpop masterpiece Trans,

Bought it when it was new. Definitely NOT a masterpiece. Thought the version of Mr. Soul was notable. Taped it, then returned the album claiming it had a warp (it did, sort of) and grabbed Echo + the Bunnymen's Heaven Up Here in exchange. No regrets at all there.
posted by philip-random at 6:15 PM on March 29, 2010

One of those Neil Young shows on March 6th, 1970 streams for free on Wolfgang's Vault.

All of the Miles Davis shows from the 6th and 7th are available to stream.
posted by euphorb at 7:14 PM on March 29, 2010

Bought it when it was new. Definitely NOT a masterpiece.

as much as i've liked what he's done since, i'm still kind of disappointed he never followed up with trans 2 - it was a cool record, and i wasn't put out by it, as i was also listening to a lot of electro hip hop at the time - he did it well
posted by pyramid termite at 8:40 PM on March 29, 2010

That brief mention of the My Funny Valentine recording from 1964 brought back memories of jazz theory class. It's not just technically flawed. His playing on that take is barely coherent, even if you give him the benefit of the doubt in terms of his completely out of control dynamics. "Coherence" goes out the window to great effect in the Live at the Plugged Nickel recordings and etc., but here it just sounds like drunken rambling. Funny thing is that it's one of Herbie's standout solos, a worthy candidate for transcription. It's always funny when you get a stinker and a gem in one tune and the stinker is the fault of the band leader!
posted by invitapriore at 9:57 PM on March 29, 2010

philip-random: Rock's strangest double bills.

One of those famous-stories-in-our-family things: my dad's little sister was determined to go see the Monkees on that tour, but my grandmother wasn't going to let her little go to a rock-n-roll concert by herself (she must have been in middle school or so?) and my dad absolutely refused to go to something as square as a Monkees show.

Anyway, so my grandmother and aunt go to the concert, and Jimi Hendrix opens for the Monkees. They come home that night and of course somebody asks: "How was the show?" My gram, "Well, the band was Ok…but that first fellow who came out, I don't know what that was…"
posted by paisley henosis at 10:47 PM on March 29, 2010

I generally enjoy nate Chinen's articles in the NYT, and I like both Davis & Young, but I'm damned if I can see much connection other than perhaps Graham's or Clive Davis' desire to promote a wider audience for Davis, as his transitional music was driving away his cool-era fans. That there is a planetary event description seems an overwrought device that made me wonder when we might get anything other than speculation. Although to be fair, with Davis unable to confirm and Troupe's apparent embellishments, speculation is as close as anyone might get.

Interesting FPP, though. I knew about the Steve Miller--Miles Davis dates & have heard other (unconfirmable) stories about why Davis agreed to be the opener that are at odds with Troupe, but I didn't know the details of just how fragile Crazy Horse was a that time.

After all, since I lived through all of those times, I can't really remember them.
posted by beelzbubba at 4:32 AM on March 30, 2010