Moby - Still Going

This month Moby releases his 'Best Of' compilation, chronicling the impact he's made on music over the years. Forty-something Moby is known to most as the multi-million selling, advertising man's dream, but is there something more to this short, bald nerd who loves dance music?

Born in Harlem, New York, Richard Melville Hall is nicknamed Moby after his great-uncle Herman Melville, author of the famous whaling tale 'Moby Dick'. Raised by a bohemian mother after his father died, the young Moby found solace in music by learning classical guitar aged nine, then progressing onto drums and piano when eleven. After dropping out of college he began his musical career first in punk bands then DJing at various New York clubs, before releasing 'Go' in 1991, and signing to leading London independent label Mute in 1993. He has since produced various albums; 'Everything is Wrong', 'Animal Rights' and 'I Like to Score', encompassing a hybrid of techno, metal, house, rock, hardcore, thrash and jungle, along with compositions for movie scores. In 1999 came his seminal LP 'Play', gaining Moby worldwide acclaim and respect. Sampling recordings of indigenous black music from the early twentieth-century, these songs were haunting and different. For months, it seemed as if not a day went by when the British public weren't exposed to at least one of the many hits from 'Play,' due to the whole album being sold to advertisers; a licensing venture so staggeringly lucrative that the album was a financial success months before it reached its multi-platinum sales total. After the phenomenal 'Play' Moby went on to release '18' and 'Hotel,' before putting out his 'Very Best Of', featuring classics such as Go, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, Feeling So Real and new single New York, New York with veteran New Yorker Debbie Harry on vocals.

On a personal level, in Moby's words; "I was a rigid punk-rock Marxist. Then I was a rigid vegan dance-music Christian guy." When first on the scene he was known for his extremist views, and being a non-drinking, vegan, celibate Jesus-worshipper earned him the reputation of a preachy fundamentalist...“ not much fun by anyone's standards. Whether it was the rise to fame, getting older or simply chilling out, over recent years he has mellowed somewhat: athough still a carrot-muncher (owning successful vegan coffee shop TeaNY in his home town), he has lived a more rock and roll lifestyle since the success of 'Play' - including Hollywood romances (reportedly with Natalie Portman), celebrity parties, an appearance in a porn film (Alien Sex Party), and inventing the legendary game of "knob touch", which Moby describes as "the funniest thing in the world". Basically, if you're at a party with your mates, get your cock out and see how many people you can brush up against “ apparently he's never been caught in the act himself, but one can only imagine how many fans have been waving their dicks around trying to emulate the bald New Yorker. To further enhance his celebrity status, there is a long-running feud with Eminem, who mocked Moby in his hit 'Without Me,' with Moby retaliating by labeling the rapper a ''a misogynist, a homophobe, a racist, and an anti-Semite.'' All this and the two haven't even met. Aside from making music, other ventures include t-shirt design company Little Idiot, campaigning for animal rights, and his award-winning website (www.moby.com).

Speaking of his latest album on his web-journal (he writes almost every day), Moby states "I feel kind of dirty writing 'Moby Best of.' It seems egregiously immodest. But that's what the record's called. You see my dilemma," displaying his usual self-effacing, humble way of describing himself and his music. The album is bound to be a commercial success, and will certainly keep the masses happy. New single 'New York, New York' is what's now become standard from the geeky tree-hugger, but with Debbie Harry on vocals, one would have expected better. A more appropriate title than 'The Very Best Of' would have been The Greatest Hits, as this better explains the compilation “ a showcase of his best-known songs which have also been exceedingly chart-friendly. It would have been perhaps more exciting to hear some older tracks, to gain insight into what Moby before 'Play', and how he has progressed as an artist, rather than the same old tunes we've all heard a million times before.