Moby's Extreme Ways

12/26/2002 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Lyndsey Parker

There are many conceptions, preconceptions, and misconceptions surrounding the career of Richard Melville Hall, aka electronica superstar Moby (he got his nickname because he's the great-great-great nephew of Moby Dick author Herman Melville). He's been labeled a rigid fundamentalist Christian, the king of electronica, a vegan militant, a pretentious intellectual, an advertising-agency sellout, a musical genius, and, by foe Eminem, a "little girl." But the real Moby, who recently visited LAUNCH's Santa Monica's studios to chat with managing editor Lyndsey Parker, is really just a soft-spoken, down-to-earth artist with a dry sense of humor and an all-encompassing passion for all types of music. Read this transcript of his conversation with Parker as he deflects the stereotypes that dog him, discusses his love for K-Ci & JoJo and Mariah Carey, and reflects on his unexpected superstardom.

LAUNCH: How did you first come up with the idea to use Alan Lomax pre-war field recordings on Play and then on your latest effort, 18?

MOBY: I wish I had a good story or a good anecdote as to how I found these old recordings--like traveling through the Deep South and recording people singing in churches or prison or whatever--but the truth is a lot more mundane. I'd just been sent a boxed set called Songs Of The South and it had these old recordings.

LAUNCH: So what attracted you to these those amateur recordings in the first place?

MOBY: Normally when I make records, I save everything for myself and we put it through this processor that gets rid of noise--it just sounds like a slick L.A. recording. Perfection can be really boring; so many records made these days are so sterile. As long as the overall song is good, so what if there are mistakes? The goal of music is to make something powerful.

LAUNCH: Has anyone given you any flak, saying it's in bad taste or even blasphemous for this skinny white electronica guy from New York to use such recordings, or whatever?

MOBY: Thus far the response to me using the old vocals has been really positive. So far the only negative response is from old white guys. Look, I'm 35, and I've been playing music since I was 8 years old; I love a lot of different types of music and I'm not trying to alienate anyone and I'm not trying to be "weird "or "quirky," I'm just trying to make something that I think is passionate and that I love. A lot of people don't appreciate different musical genres in the way that I do.

LAUNCH: What are some musical genres that you're really into these days?

MOBY: When I'm at home in New York, I'm listening to hip-hop and rap. I bought my first hip-hop record in 1982, and I've loved hip-hop ever since, but I couldn't stand gangsta rap--but now that it has thankfully died off, when I'm in New York I listen to Hot 97. I also like anonymous R&B, like I love that ballad by K-Ci & JoJo. If I ever end up revealing the true perversity of my musical tastes I think then I would end up alienating a lot of people!

LAUNCH: You've already collaborated with people like Gwen Stefani, and 18 has guest stars like MC Lyte and Angie Stone. So would you ever want to work with a real pop-R&B artist like K-Ci & JoJo?

MOBY: Well, I've worked with a lot my heroes, so I do think it would be interesting to take someone like Mariah Carey, rather than slick generic pop, and make it sound "messy."

LAUNCH: How does it feel now to be a pop radio star in your own right, being played alongside artists like Mariah? Is it weird?

MOBY: Well, I started making records years ago, and in those years I've had radio success in Europe, but I assumed it would never happen here. It's just interesting to have friends of mine in Montana say they've heard my songs through radio!

LAUNCH: It seems you've always tried to incorporate unexpected musical elements into electronica--like you're almost deliberately going against the grain...

MOBY: You know, I do believe that right now there's lots of great bands out there, there but my favorite records from the past five years have been made in fairly unconventional ways, not just four white guys onstage...

LAUNCH: I'm thinking specifically about how when you were being hailed as the leader of the burgeoning electronic movement, you put out Animal Rights, a mostly guitar-oriented rock album, which went against what people expected from you and did alienate some fans...

MOBY: Yeah, it was strange in the mid-'90s when I was being called the "king of techno," because there are a lot of people who make electronic music who did it better and longer, and my musical output has always been pretty eclectic. It seemed weird to be singled out.

LAUNCH: OK, so obviously it's a common misconception that you're some techno button-pusher. What are some other misconceptions about you?

MOBY: The biggest misconception is that I'm a rabid, dogmatic fundamentalist. Actually, my worldview is very flexible; I strive to be as open-minded as I can be. I think a lot times when you mention Christ, people just assume you're a crackpot, a crazy person. But I can't call myself a Christian; my opinions change all the time. New facts lead me to change my mind about things, and there's a good chance I'll change my mind six months from now. Fundamentalists make me nervous.

LAUNCH: Another stereotype I've read about you is that you're a very militant vegetarian.

MOBY: A lot of these clichés that follow me around--that I'm a vegan militant environmentalist, whatever--some of those things are true. When you make a CD, you have to put a CD booklet, and I just like to fill the booklet with information that's important to me. I don't choose to eat meat, but I'm not a judgmental vegan.

LAUNCH: Well, you did record an album called Animal Rights. Do you think you'll ever do another guitar-rock album like that one?

MOBY: You know, pretty much every record I've ever made is me playing instruments. I have some friends who are honest-to-goodness gearheads and techheads, but my favorite equipment is stuff you can plug in. I just want stuff that works.

LAUNCH: Earlier you said you started playing music at age 8. So I take it you always knew you wanted to be a musician?

MOBY: Actually, when I was really young, I wanted to be a scientist. I remember an ad for a technical college, and that was the stuff I wanted to be around. So now I'm a musician and a scientist at the same time!