Moby Assaulted Outside Boston Club

12/12/2002 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Mark Armstrong

(12/12/02, 6 p.m. ET) -- Moby was assaulted by three men outside Boston's Paradise Club after having performed there Wednesday (December 11). Writing on his own website (moby.com), the New York artist explains that he was signing autographs when he was punched several times by what he believed to be "three men with mace," first from behind, and then in the face. He was "bloody and beaten up," he wrote, but suffered no serious injuries.

"I'm not angry," he said. "I don't feel vindictive. Not to sound weird or wimpy, but I'm a pacifist and I believe in forgiveness. I just hope that at some point in these guys' lives they come to realize that hurting other people is wrong."

He also appealed to the aggressors to contact Moby via his website and explain their motives. He says he has little understanding for the attack, pointing out that he's "hardly the most physically threatening person in the world."

"I'm left very confused as to why these guys wanted to attack me in the first place. Maybe they don't like skinny bald guys who play cover songs? I'm sure that's it. It's my fault, I should've posted a warning on the entrance to the club, 'Warning: tonight's show will at time be comprised of cover songs poorly played by Moby, a skinny bald musician.'"

"We're all a little bit wiser now, aren't we?" Moby mused. "It's like The Lion King, we laughed, we cried, we ran the gamut of emotions."

Further information from Moby's spokesperson was not available at press time. He is still scheduled to play at radio-sponsored festivals in San Francisco on Friday (December 13), Los Angeles on Saturday (December 14), and Chicago on Sunday (December 15).

Moby is touring in support of his latest album, 18.

-- Neal Weiss, Los Angeles

For more news at LAUNCH, click here.