Author: CJB
Date: 10-23-01 18:28
Moby expresses thoughts on terrorist attack
Robert Hilburn
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 16, 2001 03:05:15
Moby is at the creative center of pop music, an influential pop auteur who brings a Beckian sense of adventure to his work.
Through such stirring tracks as "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" from his best-selling 1999 album, "Play," the 35-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist laid a blueprint for how musicians can inject soulful, spiritual touches into electronic excursions by drawing on classic folk, blues, rock and gospel strains.
In an era of little substance in pop, Richard Melville Hall (yes, he is a descendant of "Moby Dick" author Herman Melville) is also an advocate of social debate. His liner notes for "Play" consist of essays on issues ranging from vegetarianism to violence in the name of religion.
Hilburn interviewed Moby by phone in his apartment in Manhattan.
The events of Sept. 11 left everyone in Los Angeles sort of shellshocked, but I'm sure we can't begin to imagine how traumatic the day must have been for those of you in New York and Washington. What was that morning like for you?
I live about two, maybe three miles from the World Trade Center, and Sept. 11 was my birthday, so I now have the most infamous birthday in the history of the United States. I had been out quite late the night before with friends, so I was sleeping late. Suddenly the phone rang and it was my friend, Damian (Loeb), who is an artist, and he was real disoriented. He was screaming that we were under attack.
The same moment the second plane hit and I heard all these people on the rooftops around me screaming - a sound of anguish and disbelief that I'll never forget. I'm not the first to say it, but the whole thing looked like special effects from a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. My brain just wasn't prepared to deal with it.
How would you describe your mood in the days after the attack: angry, frightened, confused?
I think I went through the predictable reaction of someone who is experiencing grief - you go from anger to denial to numbness to melancholy to depression to where, now, things are a bit more normal.
Did music or art help comfort you during the days after the attack?
Musically, I found myself only able to listen to classical music, and very soothing, melodic, baroque music - although I did have a few friends over and we dug out a bunch of old punk-rock records and had this nostalgic, middle-age-guy look at our punk-rock days. I'm talking Black Flag and such.
When did you go back into the studio, and how hard was it to concentrate on your music?
I went back the next day, but not with the intention of working on the next album. Making music is one of the most enjoyable and most therapeutic things that I do, so I just wanted to go into the studio for the sheer joy of it - to try to regain some sense of normalcy. I have this very nice little monastic studio with a skylight, which makes the room very bright and sunny. It's also the only room I have with air-conditioning, so it's the only room that didn't stink from the smell of the smoke.
Do you think the events of Sept. 11 have had any effect on you as an artist?
I think the role that culture serves in people's life has changed. I think it seems a lot more vital, especially living here. There is still the sense in New York of waiting for another shoe to drop - not knowing if there is going to be another attack and maybe one that is even more severe.
One theory in the pop world is that this kind of social crisis will encourage artists and audiences to return to the activism and commentary of the '60s. Do you see that happening?
I definitely think it will be an effect. Over the last few years, I think popular music has become kind of irrelevant for a lot of people. In times of crisis, people turn to music because it does have the ability to communicate, soothe and comfort. I just hope this will force people to reevaluate their priorities so that they create music that speaks to people on a more profound level.
What role did pop culture have in shaping your beliefs?
It's such a broad subject, but basically who I am as a person is almost completely defined by the music I grew up listening to and the books I read, the art I looked at and, to a lesser extent, the movies I saw.
You're not known for putting politics into your music, but have you been tempted to write any overtly political music because of what happened?
No. I admire people who can write subtle or overtly political songs, but whenever I tried over the years to write political music, it ended up really strident or didactic. Trust me, I've written political songs, but thank goodness I've never released any of them.
Is that why you put the essays into your album packages - as a way to express your political feelings?
Yes. Political and analytical discourse are both very important to me, but whenever I've tried to incorporate that in my music, it has been disastrous. So the essays became a vehicle for me.
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