The Speed of Sound
by Thomas Dolby
Jason Landry, contributor
Preface
I was at a lecture in 2017 at Berklee College of Music to hear Thomas Dolby talk about his memoir The Speed of Sound: Breaking the Barriers Between Music and Technology. I remembered Dolby from his 1980’s hit “She Blinded Me With Science”. That song was originally released as a single before being included in the re-release of his album The Golden Age of Wireless. It’s pretty amazing that he used such an interesting title in 1982. Most of the wireless devices and technology that we currently use like laptops, iPhones, wireless headphones and speakers, and TV remote controls, were not even invented or widely used yet. If you think about it, we now live in the golden age of wireless technology.
The other funny thing: Everyone in the lecture room at Berklee were not even born when the song was popular…..but I was!
Review
Thomas Dolby’s memoir opens with a gripping foreword detailing an encounter with Michael Jackson after a gig—and the lingering sting of a missed opportunity to pitch songs to the King of Pop. It sets the stage for a book packed with vivid, entertaining stories about an artist who continually found himself at the epicenter of pop culture and technological innovation.
The first half of the memoir tracks Dolby’s formative years in London, immersed in the rising punk scene and inspired by bands like The Police and the Sex Pistols. By age 19, Dolby was tinkering with a synthesizer salvaged from the trash and mixing sound at local gigs. Watching Brian Eno perform with Roxy Music sparked a realization: tweaking sound on stage was a craft he could master. After placing an ad in Melody Maker, Dolby joined a band, toured the U.S., co-wrote a song that landed him a spot on Top of the Pops, and eventually launched a solo career.
Dolby’s early career was a wild adventure. After a bad manager deal sent him busking in Paris, he got a call from Foreigner's Mick Jones, leading him to hop on a flight to NYC and straight over to Electric Lady Studios to record synth parts on what would be the album Foreigner 4. With his earnings, he recorded his debut album, developed a music video concept, and penned the synth-pop classic "She Blinded Me With Science," which became an international smash hit.
Dolby shared accounts of visiting Michael Jackson's home in California, joining David Bowie on stage at Live Aid, hanging out on a boat with George Clinton, and even weathering a name-change lawsuit from Dolby Labs. Alongside these high notes came industry headaches—disappointing record sales for Aliens Ate My Buick, label shifts, and a difficult launch for Astronauts and Heretics despite guest appearances by Eddie Van Halen as well as Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.
The second half of the memoir takes an inspiring pivot as Dolby transitions into the tech realm in 1992. Recognizing the potential of digital audio, he founded Headspace, Inc. (later renamed Beatnik) to pioneer ways to play music over the internet. Supported by visionaries like Paul Allen, Dolby navigated the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley alongside figures like Bill Gates. Despite early setbacks with Netscape and a failed IPO, Beatnik scored a massive breakthrough by partnering with Nokia, placing their audio synthesizer into millions of cell phones and helping launch the modern ringtone era.
Dolby eventually stepped down from Beatnik, went on to serve as musical director for the TED Conferences, returned to making music in England, and ultimately became a department head at Johns Hopkins University—I bet he never saw this one coming on his bingo card.
Ultimately, The Speed of Sound is a fascinating read. Beyond the behind-the-scenes rock lore and Silicon Valley hustle, it demonstrates that when you have a genuine passion—in his case, music, your career path can take many unexpected and rewarding directions. You just need the stamina and follow-through to realize them all.