Moby

by Alan Wood

Few artists can claim to have such a diverse musical and social background as Moby, born one Richard Hall in New York, 1965. Adopting his nickname as a nod to his great-great-grand uncle and Moby Dick author Herman Melville, Moby's early talent for music took the form of extensive classical guitar training. Brought up by his widowed mother and grandparents, Moby easily became accomplished on drums, keyboards and bass as well as various percussive instruments. This multi-instrumental approach has always been reflected in his richly colored music, initially playing in numerous post-punk outfits before becoming immersed in the fledgling dance culture. DJ work and high profile remixes for people such as Michael Jackson and Brian Eno placed him firmly in the upper echelons of dance superstars, but his 1996 release, Animal Rights, was so bereft of dance and full of guitar-thrash that many doubted he could ever be taken seriously again. Yet, against the odds, he returned with an instrumental and dance-infected side-project called The Voodoo Child which was later followed by his utterly compulsive 1999 return-to-form, Play. This Grammy-nominated artist has also written scores of film soundtracks, played some of the most eclectic and striking live shows of recent years and, from the pages of numerous album booklets, fervently espoused his ever-changing but always proudly-voiced opinions on all manner of subjects from drug abstinence, animal rights, religion and, of course, music.

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2000