Michael Hearst is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and writer, whose vast output is characterized by a fascination with extremely specific themes.

Whether he is writing books about Unconventional Vehicles, hosting a PBS series on Unusual Creatures, or composing the soundtracks for films like To Be Takei and Hunky Jesus, Hearst consistently finds the extraordinary in the niche.

In his most ambitious musical feat to date, 80 From The 80s, Hearst reimagines eighty songs from the 1980s with the help of an incredible roster of guest vocalists including John Linnell (They Might Be Giants), Ezra Furman, Martha Wainwright, and many more. He is also a founding member of the band One Ring Zero, known for The Recipe Project (singing top chefs' recipes word-for-word) and collaborations with literary icons like Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, and Dave Eggers.

From touring with The Magnetic Fields to lecturing at museums worldwide, Hearst's work has been featured on Fresh Air, The Today Show, and in the speakers of ice cream trucks across the globe.


Albums

  • Schwa — Footleg Room (1991) (Joe Lee Records)
  • Schwa — Phoney Karate (1992) (Joe Lee Records)
  • Fashion Central — Underwood (1994) (Brilliant Records)
  • Maud Gonne — Buff Silky (1996) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Maud Gonne — Bonus Songs (1997) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Anon — Anon (1998) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Tranz Party (1999) (Planetary Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Alice (2001) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Interludes and Out-takes from The Pumpkin Pie Show (2001) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Memorandum (2002) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — As Smart As We Are (2004) (Soft Skull Press)
  • Rick Moody & One Ring Zero — Rick Moody and One Ring Zero (2004) (Isota Records)
  • One Ring Zero — New York Spleen (2005) (Naïve Records-France)
  • Sophie Auster — Sophie Auster (2005) (Actes Sud / Naïve Records)
  • One Ring Zero — As Smart As We Are (2006) (Barbes Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Wake Them Up (2006) (Barbes Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Wake Them Up (2007) (Moor Works-Japan)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Ice Cream Trucks (2007) (Urban Geek Records / Bar-None Records)
  • Beat Circus — Dreamland (2008) (Cuneiform Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Live At Barbes (2008) (Barbes Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Ten Years Of Extra Stuff (2009) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — Planets (2010) (Moor Works-Japan)
  • One Ring Zero — Planets (2010) (Urban Geek Records)
  • One Ring Zero — As Smart As We Are (2010) (Moor Works-Japan)
  • One Ring Zero — The Recipe Project (2011) (Urban Geek Records / Black Balloon Publishing)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Unusual Creatures (2012) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Michael Hearst — To Be Takei (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2014) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Fearful Flyers (2014) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Extraordinary People (2017) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Unconventional Vehicles (2021) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Mean Marcus — Say Hello To The Party (2023) (Urban Geek Records)
  • Michael Hearst — 80 From The 80s, Vol. 1 (2025) (Urban Geek Records)

EPs

  • Schwa — Schwa (1993) (Brilliant Records)
  • Fashion Central — Fashion Central (1995) (Spin Art Records)
  • One Ring Zero — The Sirens of Red Hot (2004) (Isota Records)
  • One Ring Zero & Rick Moody (2004) (Isota Records)
  • Michael Hearst — Songs For Curious Constructions EP (2019) (Urban Geek Records)

Singles (80 From The 80s)

  • "Voices Carry" (feat. Syd Straw) — September 10, 2024
  • "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (feat. Stephin Merritt & Xavier Smith) — September 24, 2024
  • "In My Room" (feat. Tanya Donelly) — October 8, 2024
  • "You Make My Dreams" (feat. Eli "Paperboy" Reed) — October 22, 2024
  • "Pressure" (feat. John Gotschalk) — November 5, 2024
  • "Sledgehammer" (feat. Jamie Lenman) — November 19, 2024
  • "You Can Call Me Al" (feat. Krystle Warren) — December 3, 2024
  • "Tele-Tele-Telephone" (feat. John Linnell) — December 17, 2024
  • "Kids in America" (feat. Amber Martin) — January 7, 2025
  • "Sweethaven" (feat. Huffbunnies) — January 21, 2025
  • "Radio Ga Ga" (feat. Greta Gertler Gold) — February 4, 2025
  • "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" (feat. Jeremy Lydic) — February 18, 2025
  • "Africa" (feat. Allyssa Lamb) — March 4, 2025
  • "Love Is a Wonderful Colour" (feat. A.C. Newman) — March 18, 2025
  • "99 Luftballons" (feat. Olivier Conan) — April 1, 2025
  • "Our Lips Are Sealed" (feat. Melody Aberg) — April 15, 2025
  • "The Love Cats" (feat. John Cameron Mitchell) — April 29, 2025
  • "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (feat. K. Carter, David Payne, Heather Redman) — May 13, 2025
  • "Abracadabra" (feat. Leo Sidran) — May 27, 2025
  • "Hold Me Now" (feat. Michael Hearst) — June 10, 2025
  • "Eyes Without A Face" (feat. Claudia Gonson) — June 26, 2025
  • "Don't Dream It's Over" (feat. Jonathan Coulton) — September 9, 2025
  • "Take My Breath Away" (feat. Laura Ann Singh) — September 23, 2025
  • "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" (feat. Walter Salas-Humara) — October 7, 2025
  • "Wild Wild Life" (feat. Emily Casey) — October 21, 2025
  • "Pop Musik" (feat. Jonathan Lethem) — November 4, 2025
  • "I Won't Back Down" (feat. Joanna Sternberg) — November 18, 2025
  • "Here Comes the Rain Again" (feat. Martha Wainwright) — December 2, 2025

Film Scores

  • Late Bloomer (2004), dir. Craig Macneill — with One Ring Zero
  • The Good Mother (2009), dir. Sarah Klein
  • Nicht Lustig (2010), dir. Gerd Schneider
  • The House of Suh (2010), dir. Iris K. Shim
  • Magic Camp (2012), dir. Judd Ehrlich
  • Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger (2013), dir. Sam Feder
  • To Be Takei (2014), dir. Jennifer M. Kroot
  • Chicken People (2016), dir. Nicole Lucas Haimes
  • The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (2017), dir. Jennifer M. Kroot
  • The Good, The Bad, The Hungry (2019), dir. Nicole Lucas Haimes

Books

  • As Smart As We Are (2004) (Soft Skull Press)
  • New York Spleen (2005) (Naïve Records-France)
  • The Recipe Project (2011) (Black Balloon Publishing)
  • Unusual Creatures (2012) (Chronicle Books)
  • Extraordinary People (2015) (Chronicle Books)
  • Curious Constructions (2017) (Chronicle Books)
  • Unconventional Vehicles (2021) (Chronicle Books)
  • Insect Anatomy with Julia Rothman (2025) (Storey Publishing)

Video

  • One Ring Zero — Addendum (2005) (music video collection)
  • One Ring Zero — As Smart As They Are (2006) (documentary film)
  • Songs For Unusual Creatures (2013–2014) (PBS Digital, 10-episode series)
    • The Aye-aye
    • The Jesus Christ Lizard
    • The Elephant Shrew
    • The Giant Anteater
    • The Glass Frog
    • The Magnapinna Squid
    • The Blobfish
    • The Sea Pig
    • The Tardigrade
    • The Chinese Giant Salamander
    • The Bilby

info@michaelhearst.com

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