History Music / ThomasDolby

Thomas Dolby has also worked as a producer and a soundtrack composer for both films and video games, most notably "The Gate To The Mind's Eye", the third installment of the CGI collection, ''WesternAnimation/TheMindsEye''. Dolby also wrote the songs for the 1986 George Lucas film ''Film/HowardTheDuck'' and chose the members of the film's fictional band, Cherry Bomb. Dolby wrote and produced three tracks for the 1992 soundtrack of the animated movie ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. He also created the score for the 1993 Sega CD interactive movie "Double Switch". Additionally, the song "Hyperactive!" is featured in the 2002 UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 videogame VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity as part of the New Wave radio station Wave 103.

* DumbBlonde: Played with in one of the lines of "Airhead" - people only ''think'' the girl in the song's subject is a dumb blonde, "But they don't know she dyes her hair".

* ObviousBeta: [[WordOfGod Dolby]] says that the original mix of "Urban Tribal" (B-Side of "The Jungle Line" single under the alias Low Noise) was rushed out before he could put his planned harmony vocal on it. When it came to doing ''The Golden Age Of Wireless'' remaster, he asked his son Harper to add the harmony vocal.
** Dolby says in ''The Flat Earth'' remaster booklet that he rushed the album out after only completing 7 songs to his satisfaction, due to having to run off to the US to do a tour for his breakthrough hit "She Blinded Me With Science".

Thomas Dolby has also worked as a producer and a soundtrack composer for both films and video games, most notably "The Gate To The Mind's Eye", the third installment of the CGI collection, ''Animation/TheMindsEye''. Dolby also wrote the songs for the 1986 George Lucas film ''Film/HowardTheDuck'' and chose the members of the film's fictional band, Cherry Bomb. Dolby wrote and produced three tracks for the 1992 soundtrack of the animated movie ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. He also created the score for the 1993 Sega CD interactive movie "Double Switch". Additionally, the song "Hyperactive!" is featured in the 2002 UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 videogame VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity as part of the New Wave radio station Wave 103.

* ExcitedShowTitle: "Hyperactive!"

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Happens halfway through "The Key To Her Ferrari" as he drives closer and closer to 100mph...[[MoodWhiplash at least until he suddenly thinks of his mother the moment he finishes]].

** Simone is about a male to female transexual. A short time after he recorded the song (but before he released it) his son Harper announced that he was transgender. The song carries special poignancy for him now.

* BilingualBonus[=/=]CriticalResearchFailure: The latter of these two tropes is invoked in "Airhead" - after the line, "Quod Erat Demonstrandum, baby", a voice can be heard saying, "Oh! You speak French!", ignoring the fact that the statement is Latin. This highlights that the titular Airhead is unable to discern any foreign language apart from French.

* RearrangeTheSong: Dolby and Ryuichi Sakamoto's collaboration "Field Work" was released in two versions. The 'London' (or 'LON') mix is a bombastic, synth-driven mix that was the single A-Side; whereas the 'Tokyo' (or 'TYO') mix is a minimalist synthpop mix that Sakamoto mixed himself, and is a B-Side. Both use exactly the same vocal track. The 'London' mix has appeared on albums by both parties.

** The line "Good heavens Miss Sakamoto, you're beautiful" in "She Blinded Me With Science" is a reference to Music/RyuichiSakamoto's wife Akiko Yano who was in the studio at the time (she had previously sung backing on "Radio Silence", and Dolby would collaborate with Ryuichi Sakamoto on Field Work a couple of years later).

He was born Thomas Morgan Robertson on 14 October 1958. His father, Martin Robertson, was an internationally distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archeology at the University of London and Oxford University, and in his youth Thomas lived or worked in France, Italy and Greece. He attended Abingdon School in 1975-76, completing his A Levels whilst there. He later married actress Kathleen Beller in 1988; the couple have three children together. He is best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", his {{Steampunk}} aesthetic, his [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly eclectic musical style]], and his ability with electronic instruments. And [[GogglesDoNothing his goggles]]. He has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician. He took his stage name from a nickname his friends gave him in the 1970s, for his habit of fooling with keyboards and recording tapes.

He was born Thomas Morgan Robertson on 14 October 1958. His father, Martin Robertson, was an internationally distinguished professor of classical Greek art and archeology at the University of London and Oxford University, and in his youth Thomas lived or worked in France, Italy and Greece. He attended Abingdon School in 1975-76, completing his A Levels whilst there. He later married actress Kathleen Beller in 1988; the couple have three children together. He is best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", his {{Steampunk}} aesthetic, his [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly eclectic musical style]], and his ability with electronic instruments. And [[GogglesDoNothing his goggles]]. He has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician. .

* 2011 - ''Ocenaea'' (EP)