Moby:
Sometimes, if it's in an "anti-performance" ethos, it
can be interesting... but, I remember I went
to
see the Chemical Brothers a few years ago--and I love
their music-- and I was looking on stage but I couldn't
see them. There's this big wall of equipment and occasionally
you see a little head bob up, and I was like, "And
I paid $35 to see the top of someone's head?" I felt
a little cheated.
Skipping ahead, as we talked about music more, some
of Moby's musical bias became keenly obvious...
Moby:
What I have to say to you legions of Limp Bizkit and
Korn fans is that there is life outside of angry white
people. There is indeed a lot of music made by people
that are not angry, with little patches of facial
hair, and some of it's actually pretty nice; so broaden
your horizons.
DJA:
You never seem angry.
Moby:
Oh, I get angry sometimes.
DJA:
Well, Animal Rights, wasn't that an angry album?
Moby:
That was kind of an angry album, a little bit self
involved.
DJA:
The punk departure I think sort of took everyone by
surprise.
Moby:
Well, I spent many years in the early 80s playing
in hard core bands, and the seminal moments of my
life were spent seeing Black Flag, The Misfits and
Bad Brains... and I love loud, noisy punk rock and
heavy metal; it's possible to like all of that and
like delicate R&B as well.
DJA:
Interesting. I never would have figured that; I wouldn't
have pegged you as a Black Flag fan.
Moby:
Oh yeah, I even have a scar on my face from a Black
Flag show; you see this?
DJA:
Wow. What happened?
Moby:
It was during the song "Give Me Some
More"
off of Damaged, and I was, as they say, "moshing
in the pit," and accidentally bumped heads with someone.
DJA:
You're not exactly the tallest or largest guy in the
world; I couldn't imagine you moshing in a pit.
Moby:
Oh, when I was 15 or 16, that's all that I did...
I'd even stage dive; I've got this scar on the top
of my head... not a big one, but, from diving off
the stage... and you expect people to catch you and
suddenly... oof! They just all suddenly disappear.
So, I have my war wounds from the early hardcore days.
DJA:
Have you seen The Beach?
Moby:
Yes.
DJA:
How did you feel about how your song "Porcelain" was
used in that film?
Moby:
I went and saw the movie at 3:00 in the afternoon
in the Beverly Center--it's this mall in Los Angeles--and
I was one of three people sitting in the theater.
And it didn't do much for me, but I thought that when
they used "Porcelain" it was pretty gorgeous. It was
the sort of one utopian idyllic moment in the movie.
DJA:
Do you ever get worried about how people are going
to use your music in soundtracks or commercials?
Moby:
I've had pretty good luck in the past. Most of the
time when people have used my music in movies or TV--the
X Files used a bunch of my music, as you know...
DJA:
Yes.
Moby:
For the most part, people tend to use the music that
I make really well, and I don't worry about it too
much.
DJA:
You don't threaten to beat them up or anything like
that?
Moby:
I'm a small person. I can't threaten to beat
anyone
up. I'm a pacifist as well. I'm not going to pull
a hip-hop move and go into someone's office and
beat them up with a bottle of champagne; that's
just not my style.
After a little more of this banter about bludgeoning
instruments, Moby waved goodbye to me and the unseen
audience out there in FM rock land. After all, he
had a concert coming up in our fair city. The sold-out
show at the Roseland that evening delivered everything
that Moby had promised during our time on air. Sandwiched
in among the sweaty masses, I was treated to the
delightful Rave anthems of "Every Time You Touch
Me" and "Next is the E." High points were definitely
"Go" and a wonderful acoustic rendition of "Porcelain"
that he played as an encore. Little Moby was a bundle
of energy with constant arm waving and onstage aerobics,
pausing only now and again to hit a sample on a
keyboard, or to make light conversation with the
crowd about how hot the room was. Complete with
a Black Sabbath cover, energized dance hits, and
slower melodic moments of introspection, the show
found me wishing that Moby had exposed more of his
own wisdom that night from the stage. Surprisingly,
the show was devoid of preaching about animal testing
or the destruction of the rainforest. Has his sensitivity
left him? Later, it occurred to me that he had delivered
what he promised. He had avoided the cliches he
spoke of and staged a show of fun and enchantment.
Despite being on the road for 14 months now, this
could have been mistaken for one of his first shows.
No preaching, no agendas. Just the hits. Just Moby.
"What the public reproaches you for, take precious
care of; it is you." --Jean Cocteau
