“Oh, there he is! Hello, my goodness sakes,” I said, greeting Thomas Dolby with the same enthusiasm I’d had more than 40 years ago when I first heard “She Blinded Me with Science.”
“Wow,” he replied, laughing. “That’s going back a bit.”
“Actually, it’s been 43 years,” I told him. “That was the first year we got MTV in our neighborhood. I remember seeing your video for the first time—it was like nothing else.”
Now, all these years later, Dolby is preparing to return to the Pacific Northwest with a new creative project, one that fuses his pioneering electronic sound with storytelling and symphonic depth.
A New Kind of Symphony
“Yes,” Dolby said, “as you may know, I’ve been teaching at Johns Hopkins University for the last ten years, working with students on film, music, and game composition. I’m currently on sabbatical, and my project is a new work—a kind of symphonic memoir that tells my story through music.”
Most of Dolby’s students were born after the 1980s. “They say they love ‘80s music,” he explained, “but when I ask what they mean, they mention Pat Benatar, Journey, Twisted Sister—artists that meant something very different to me. Growing up in England during the Thatcher years, there was also a darker, more introspective side of the ‘80s—The Smiths, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, New Order, Depeche Mode.”
Dolby’s symphony will pay homage to that era, using riffs and textures as motifs. “There’s a wonderful orchestra at Peabody where I teach,” he added. “I see this as a way to both educate students about that musical period and celebrate it.”
The Sound of Innovation
Talking about Depeche Mode led us deeper into how electronic music evolved from niche experimentation to mainstream influence.
“At the turn of the ‘80s,” Dolby recalled, “synthesizers and drum machines became accessible for the first time. Before that, they belonged only to studios, universities, or wealthy rock stars. Suddenly, regular people could make music at home. And then MTV arrived—giving us a whole new way to reach an audience. If you had a cool video, people would stay home on a Saturday night to watch it.”
Dolby was one of the artists who saw music videos not just as marketing tools but as a new medium for artistic expression. “I was very lucky,” he said. “I came along at the right time—when the technology, creativity, and audience all converged. Timing was everything.”
That convergence helped define an era. “Bands like Depeche Mode and New Order took it further,” Dolby continued, “blending darker, machine-like sounds with pop sensibility. That led to what came after—Nine Inch Nails, for instance. It was a fast-moving, pivotal time to be making music.”
From Pop Star to Tech Pioneer
In the 1990s, Dolby made another leap—this time into the world of software and technology with his company Beatnik.
“I’d been using computers for years to make music,” he said. “I’d beta-test software and send feedback to the developers. Eventually, I thought, why not start my own company?”
At that time, the internet was still young, and sound was a luxury few could transmit efficiently. Dolby saw an opportunity. “My music was made using MIDI and samples—a very efficient way to deliver sound,” he explained. “So we built technology to make music possible online even with the slow connections of the day.”
Beatnik eventually licensed its audio engine to Nokia, powering the iconic polyphonic ringtones that defined early mobile culture. “It was a huge deal,” he said. “For a few years, our software was in over 40% of the world’s mobile phones.”
Though the technology was eventually replaced by full MP3 playback, Dolby remains proud of that achievement. “It was a limited window, but an incredible one,” he said.
I told him I loved the irony—that the man who gave us “She Blinded Me with Science” went on to do something truly scientific. He laughed. “I’m not really a scientist,” he said. “I’m more of a dreamer. But I see science as a creative outlet.”
On Life, Love, and Longevity
Dolby has been married to actress Kathleen Beller—familiar to many as Kirby Anders on Dynasty—since 1988. “I assume she made you watch Dynasty?” I asked.
He smiled. “I’ve actually never seen a single episode. That’s what she’s best known for, but she did much more interesting work. These days, she works for Johns Hopkins as a standardized patient—playing medical scenarios to help train doctors. It’s the most fun she’s ever had acting.”
The Rise of the Nerds
In the ‘80s, being a tech-loving dreamer wasn’t exactly “cool.” I asked Dolby about the cultural shift that made geeks and innovators today’s rock stars.
“Honestly, I always thought they were cool,” he said. “But yes, it was in the ‘90s when geeks started becoming billionaires and building rockets. And science became a kind of rallying cry. I even performed ‘She Blinded Me with Science’ at the Science March in D.C.—which felt fitting.”
Why the ‘80s Still Matter
So why does ‘80s music continue to endure—40 years later?
“It was such a fertile time,” Dolby said. “There were no rules, or at least the rules were made to be broken. There were so many new sounds, new technologies, and pure originality. It was the Wild West of pop music.”
He added that while today’s access to all music online is liberating, it also changes the relationship people have with it. “When we were young, music was precious,” he said. “You held an album in your hands—it was an experience. Maybe that’s why vinyl is making a comeback. People want to hold something again.”
I told him I feel the same about newspapers and magazines. “Exactly,” he said. “There’s something about the physical connection that can’t be replaced.”
Coming Home to the Northwest
Before wrapping up, Dolby mentioned his excitement about returning to the Pacific Northwest. “I’m looking forward to Seattle and Portland,” he said. “My brother and his family live in Oregon, so I’ll get to visit them. The Seattle show’s sold out, but there are still tickets for Portland.”
As our conversation wrapped up, I thanked him for his time. “Wonderful,” he said with a smile. “I hope to see you in Portland.”
See Thomas Dolby in Portland’s Revolution Hall on Sunday, November 23rd at 7:30p. The show at Seattle’s Triple Door is Sold Out.
