freydo: moby, beings that you live in ny i was wondering if you listened to opie & anthony, or have even heard of them? they are two drive time dj’s on wnew 102.7. their on from 3-7pm if you don’t, and ever wanna tune in…they put on a hilarius show.

no, i’ve never heard of them. but i’ll try to check them out.

honez: what do you think of napster? also don’t simpsons reruns just rock!

i answered this a couple of times in earlier updates. put simply, i like napster. and i love the simpsons.

barry2: here is a question. what are the lyric for “”honey”” and “”my weakness””? two beautiful songs, but i just can’t make out the lyrics.

‘my weakness’ i don’t know. it’s in some strange african dialect, so i have no idea what’s being said. and ‘honey’ is an old field holler that’s too dirty to print here…

moody: moby, i was brought to tears by your post “”kazoo””.is it your bittersweet childhood and your respctable mother that help you make such beautiful music?

as i’ve said, i don’t know why i make music the way that i do. i attribute it to some strange combination of genetics and upbringing.

claireone: which city you visit during your tour have you prefered for having you “”concert””? can we hope to see you again in france,

oh, it’s hard to pick favourites, cos there are so many cities that i like. and i hope to be in france very soon.

perimee: could you describe yor living room? what kind of atmosphere degage of your place?

my living room is quite simple, with lots of light, and scandinavian furniture from the early 1960’s. the atmosphere is…clean and simple, i guess.

ladyangelstarbuck: so… moby, i was wondering what goes through you head when you read things like “”moby’s hot, sexy, etc etc””? do you feel embarassed, flattered, boost your ego or just makes you laugh your ass off?

i think that it’s very flattering. but it’s not how i see myself, so i do take it with a grain of salt. i know lots of men and women who are ‘hot’, and i certainly wouldn’t include myself in that category.

marlita: just reading your response to the question about chopin vs. satie made me wonder what you think of the relationship between an artists personal beliefs and thier output. how much of an influence do you think ideologies have on music, i.e. can music itself be racist, homophobic, etc., or just its composer?

well, lyrics can certainly reflect the ideologies of the writer, but can music itself be racist, etc…i don’t know. one of the things that i love about ambiguous art is that the intentions of the artist can often have no relevance to the way in which the art is perceived.

infoblues: moby, if you weren’t a musician/artist, what profession who you undertake instead?

i answered this earlier. i said that i would like to be an architect or a city planner, like eero saarinen or oscar niedermayer.

webchica: moby — i was reading your posts about why you’re not supportive of the green party and it really shocked me — why do you think the green party is extreme? they only want the same things you want: ecological wisdom, equality, nonviolence, democracy, social and economic justice… surely you don’t believe our government is perfect, so what’s wrong with fighting to open up the two party system

i don’t want to be contentious, please accept that this is just my opinion. i’ve said earlier that i’m in complete support of a lot of the legislative aims of the green party. but the green party is too extreme to ever hold any power in our political system. so if the green party siphons votes away from the democratic party, then we’re looking at a united states that will be dominated by republicans. and i’m horrified by the legislative aims of the republicans. i would rather take the great intentions of the green party and incorporate them into the democratic party. in my heart, i’m green, but in my head i’m a democrat. if we had a power-sharing political system i would feel differently, but we have an ‘all or nothing'(the winner gets everything, and the loser gets zip) political system. and if the democrats and the greens are left out, then the republicans will control everything (as they kind of do now). i do believe that people need to see that a political system dominated by the republicans runs counter to everything that the green party stands for. so in the interest of battling the republicans i urge everyone to come together and support and influence the democratic party. i applaud the idealism of the green party, but what is the utility of idealism if it’s never actually turned into legislation? i know this might sound contentious, but it’s not. it’s just my opinion. and please, to the people who are tempted to attack me for my opinion, why not just quietly think about what i’ve written? if i’m wrong then i’m wrong. but if you’re completely right, what’s the harm in taking a few minutes to objectively consider what i’ve written? we certainly don’t need any more nasty political posts in the ‘boards’ section. i think everyone knows what everyone else believes at this point. so please, no flame wars over my simple political opinion.

greedyzora: my question is this: do you have any collections? like simpsons figures? my collection of female action figures is over 200 btw, i can make you a dominatrix doll if you’d like.

i have a few simpsons figures. i don’t really collect anything, except dr. seuss books. and that’s not so much of a collection, it’s just that i love them more than i can express, especially ‘the lorax’. i would love a dominatrix doll, mistress, but i’m not worthy…

kali: in the mid-80s (before norman cook joined them) the housemartins did a uk tour when they stayed at fans homes instead of in hotels. does the idea appeal to you??

yes. especially if i could eat real food.

voodoo107: moby, would you ever consider to release some really obscure stuff again under a different name like lopez or dj cake?

i would love to. but right now i’m completely focussed on making records under my own name. i might take some songs that aren’t appropriate for a ‘moby’ record and release them under different names.

mobyangel: what was like to make a video with gwen steffani?

it was really fun. she’s a remarkably smart and sweet woman.

losersangel: moby, have you ever been to buenos aires? i heard that you had family in argentina,

mi tio es de argentina. deseo ir a argentina.

electricblue: which songs make you cry/touch your very soul with its music/lyrics???

more than i could possibly list here…sorry.

holywater: moby, what is your favorite movie and why?

umm…’man facing southeast’ is one of my favourites. it’s really remarkable and otherworldly. and it’s argentinian! ‘fast, cheap, and out of control’ is pretty great, too.

paulwright: moby, in a webchat a while back you said you lived in broadway, and gave an adress, do you still live their? and if so can i write you a letter?

i live in nyc, but i’ve never lived on broadway. broadway was originally a path used by native americans before whitey came in and fucked shit up (urban colloquialisms employed in the interest of sounding tough…).

laura: i was just wondering what is your favourite animal or animals and do you have any pets?

this is a wishy washy answer, but i have pretty much unconditional love for every animal i’ve ever met. and i have no pets cos i travel too much.

avoidingentropy: moby, do you support the exploration of space? would you support a manned mission to mars?

well…i would rather focus on the unmanned exploration of space at this point because it’s so much cheaper and more practical. but for a human being to actually put a foot on another planet (the moon isn’t a planet, at least insofar as i know) would have great symbolic value, so maybe it’s worth it.

princessbubble: who is your favourite simpson character?

umm…probably homer. he’s a zen master.

zapatista: hi moby. i am an electronic artist that greatly respects your skill and music, and i was wondering if there was some place people like myself could get samples from some of your tracks to remix them?

i’m thinking of making samples available, but at present the only things available are: ‘natural blues’ ‘bodyrock’ ‘everytime you touch me’ you can probably find them on napster. or some nice person here might have them.

turnaround: why didn’t you dress up as santa @ deck the hall ball in seattle? you wore an orange shirt…*sniffle*

the orange shirt was all that i had…sorry.

amour: but what i want to know is who/what is your inspiration?

oh, more things than i could possibly list. sorry.

martin: moby, how do you feel about the fans you have attracted? perhaps a better question would be: what do your perceive of your fans/how do you perceive your fans?

i think that the majority of my fans are extremely smart, open-minded, decent people. and i’m proud to be acquainted with them.

joewebb: i’m going to las vegas tomorrow for 3 days (i’ve never been and it’s my birthday), so what should i check out while i’m there?

the dancing fountains at the bellagio, and the blue man group. and the desert.

ivictor: what is your music setup (main favorites) and where did you get the drawers for the synths? (noticed your digidesign break out box, are you mac based?)

i’m mac based. i run cubase and pro-tools. the drawers were custom built by a great carpenter friend of mine. favourtie things…juno 106, matrix 1000, roland 5080, korg tritons, virus synth, yamaha sy-85, akai s-3200, eventide dsp-4000, etc. etc…

ashley915: if you wanted people in general to know one thing about you, what would it be?

i try to be as open-minded and non-judgemental as possible.

fraulein: did you always know that you wanted to be a singer/music maker/dj person?

originally i wanted to be a scientist, when i was very young. cos scientists get to use all sorts of cool equipment. luckily as a modern musician i get the best of both worlds…i can make music and use lots of cool equipment.

carpepa: i gather from watching “”cribs”” that you like architecture/designers. i’m particurlary interested in how architecture can shape our own behavior and culture. have you read tom wolfe’s “”from bauhaus to our house?”” it’s a great critique of modernist architecture.

i haven’t read ‘from bauhaus..’ but i will. thanks for the advice.

iamafanofman: i entered a yahoo! broadcast contest to win a special edition moby cd, and surprisingly enough i won. when i recieved the cd however the mailman placed it in my screen door and let the door shut on it, which much to my dismay split the poor thing in half. i humble myself before moby and selfishly ask if there is any way of getting the songs on that cd or a copy of it, because the yahoo support people told me there were no replacements available and the post office said they couldn’t do anything unless the delivery was insured?

oh boy, i’m sorry. i don’t know what to say…my advice would be to download the songs and then burn a cd for yourself…but pretend i didn’t say that if you work at a record company or naras…

benignkoala: in ilts you said: “”i’m not going to say that the polar opposites of these clichå½s is true. that would be one of the failings of the radical left.”” interesting statement. could you tell me what you think the other failings of the “”radical left”” are?

1-demonizing anyone who disagrees with them.
2-judging people whose lives and experiences are different than theirs.
3-believing fervently that they’re correct beyond a shadow of a doubt.
4-arguing amongst themselves.
5-running the risk of irrelevancy.
6-alienating possible supporters by being mean-spirited and didactic.
keep in mind that these are the failings of any ‘radical’ demographic, political, religious, musical, etc. which is why the first essay in ‘play’ is a warning against fundamentalism, and why fundamentalists of any kind scare the shit out of me. they’re all so rigid and unflexible.

mengeye: i guess i’ve been wondering what are your flaws? also, are you worried that the simpsons will get cancelled one day?

flaws? taking myself too seriously, not working enough, being defensive, being impatient with people, knowing what’s right and not doing it, hurting peoples feelings, and many more. the simpsons will never be cancelled. i’m sure of it…

taciturnboy: when and if i have a show in nyc, would you dj it? (art show ~ sculpture)

only if i can be surrounded by friendly spider monkeys and only if i can play slow, romantic songs, and only if there’s a flotation tank at the opening, and only if your sculptures make sound. am i too demanding?

mobyrich: how did you like working with gwen stefani on the south side video?

see earlier answer, it was great. she’s a wonderful woman.

ruben: do you ever listen to belle & sebastian, or do you like them at all?

yes, i like them. i don’t love them, as lots of people do, but i think that they’re really good.

kellyanne: have you ever read any of michel foucault?

no…i’m ignorant. i’m sorry. should i?

rizzit5: are you currently in love with anyone? and did you ever have your heart broken.

am i in love? i don’t know… i’m a bad judge of that sort of thing. i really don’t understand the expression ‘to be in love’. yes i’ve had my heart broken. but that’s good, isn’t it?

wags: moby, what are your favourite keyboards and why?

juno 106, it’s easy to program and it sounds lovely. yamaha sy-22. it has really nice old digital sounds.

loki: do you befriend fans?

sometimes. sometimes i just get their email addresses and harass them for money and sexual favours. (dry new england wit rears its ugly head again…)

mariana17: if matt groening were to draw you, would you be yellow, and who would be your super friends?

yes, i would be yellow. or maybe green. my super friends would be a mangey dog and a little japanese baby with laser beams coming out of her eyes.

littlepinkstar: if you were to make a mix tape right now, which songs would you put on it and why?

oh, so many songs…’first time ever i saw your face’ by roberta flack. ‘i only have eyes for you’ the flamingoes. ‘gimme some more’ black flag. ‘banned in dc’ bad brains. anything by massive attack, maybe ‘unfinished sympathy’. ‘station to station’ by david bowie. ‘pink moon’ by nick drake. ‘all apologies’ by nirvana. ‘fortunate son’ by ccr. ‘neon lights’ by kraftwerk. ‘anytime’ by brian mcknight. ‘larger than life’ by b.s.b. ‘if i was your girlfriend’ by prince. ‘miss jackson’ by outkast. ‘my only love’ by roxy music. ‘scenario’ by tribe called quest. ‘house music anthem’ by marshall jefferson. ‘one’ by u2. ‘been caught stealing’ by janes addiction. ‘joan of arc’ by omd. ‘ordinary world’ by duran duran. ‘oh girl’ by the chi-lites. ‘the rain’ by missy elliot. ‘californication’ by rhcp. ‘atmosphere’ by joy division. ‘killing moon’ by echo and the bunnymen. ‘blueberry hill’ by fats domino. ‘wonderful world’ by louis armstrong. ‘john hardy’ by leadbelly. ‘if i can’t have you’ by yvonne elliman. ‘barracuda’ by heart. ‘gimme shelter’ by rolling stones. ‘you were always on my mind’ by willie nelson. ‘rainy night in georgia’ by brooke benton. ‘in the ghetto’ by elvis presley. ‘your love’ by the prodigy. ‘chime’ by orbital. ‘rez’ by underworld. ‘new york, new york’ by grandmaster melle me, and lots of others….

mobyishme: what is your inspiration? where does your beautiful lyrics and music start?

see the answer to the previous question…:-)

dancer1009: what do you think of madonna? would you ever work with her? do you own any of her records? what’s your opinion of her and her music?

i love madonna. i think she’s amazing. i love ‘music’.

yogagrrrl: what is your opinion on religion, organized or otherwise and what part does it play in your life, if any?

wow, big question. i think it depends upon the religion in question and how it’s practiced some are benign. some are downright malignant.

andrea: i once posted on the boards that i would like to paint your pet for you, but then i found out from the moderator that you presently had no pets. i love painting animals, and especially those that people feel/felt connected to. photographs are great for capturing the moment and creating memories, but a painting lets us really appreciate those animals as little works of art. so my question is: do you have a picture of a pet that you would like as a watercolor painting? if not, would you tell us about a special pet you had?

‘tucker’. was my cat for 16 years. i found him at the dump when i was 11 years old. he was a newborn with his eyes still closed, and he was in a box with 4 dead kittens and they were all covered in beer. he was barely alive but my mom and i took him to the vet and he went on to live a good, long healthy life. he was a remarkable cat. and my grandmothers dachsund, george, adopted him and used to clean and mother him. and now everyone involved in that story, tucker, my mom, my grandmother, and george, are all dead. sometimes life is unspeakably sad. but hopefully beautiful at the same time…

hambone: if you could work with one other contemporary musician, who would it be and why?

bowie. cos he’s a great singer and a phenomenal talent. and i have worked with him. i’m a lucky man.

coma: what is your opinion of artists like eminem, insane clown posse, marilyn manson, slipknot, et cetra?

i appreciate their theatricality. and i appreciate their shock value. but i have a problem with any artists who advocate misogyny, homophobia, or abuse.

sydneycarton: moby, how’s life going for you?

fine. i’m kind of sad thinking about my old cat tucker.

nunontheru: i have to do a presentation for my degree course and i have chosen to do “”the glastonbury festival””. it was my aim to put a bit in about the musicians i saw perform there in 2000. i know you had a hectic tour schedule at that time, but do you have any specific memories of glastonbury that i could quote in my presentation?

it was amazing. we played at dusk and it was clear and the sunset was subtle and beautiful. and i watched the guys in nine inch nails cover each other in baby powder or flour, and that was entertaining.

jadis: did you always know? when you were younger, i mean. was it there, in your mind? is this what you thought it would be like? do you have any regrets?

no, i never imagined that i’d be writing answers to fans questions while sitting on a plane flying to italy for 22 hours. my only regret is not working harder. and i regret not using my brain in more interesting ways.

ghettoblaster: how do you feel about beck and radiohead?

i really like both of them a lot. the world is a better place for having them in it.

hickstar: anyway, how do u rate your contemparies and their music, particulaly banco de gaia?

i like banco de gaia. i like more music than i could ever possibly list here.

tracey: my question is – if you were going to take a few months off to travel, what countries would you visit and why?

i answered this earlier, sorry. i’d answer again but my wrists are getting sore.

lisalisa11: you inspire so many people. who inspires you?

again, i answered this earlier. i’d love to answer again, but my wrists are achey.

warbler: moby, do you like chocolate?

no. i love chocolate. and thankfully there’s lots of vegan chocolate to be had.

jsoy: moby, i was just wondering your opinion on some of my other favorite bands or artists. so how bout: green day, foo fighters, beck, rancid, bad religion, blur, operation ivy, and mighty mighty bosstones?

everyone you mentioned in your list is wonderful. i don’t know ‘rancid’ very well, but i’ve heard a couple of songs of theirs that i liked. but all of the other artists are awesome.

dilating: i am a teacher of little kiddos with big big minds (second and third graders). to get their minds moving, we listen to you and draw/write what we feel. we compare songs, come up with personal meanings, etc. would you be interested in seeing their creations?

i love childrens art. i can’t even begin to tell you how much i love it.

badgrrrl: should i get breast reduction surgery?

if your breasts are a hinderance then sure, you probably should. what’s the point in going through life with giant breasts if they give you backaches and keep you from being comfortable? but if your breasts are not giving you problems then you probably shouldn’t get surgery. but i do know 2 woman who had breast reduction surgery and it made them happy.

andrethevampire: i believe that you are pro-choice. how do you reconcile that belief with your belief in aninmal rights?

this is just my opinion, and i might be completely wrong, but i believe that while a fetus is inside the woman it is hers. i’m not saying that i’m right, but that’s my opinion.

stevenshreve: would you be interested in submitting an original essay to my website?

i would like to, but i’m kind of busy submitting essays to my website…feel free to borrow some if you want to.

ericaw: as a pre-service teacher (elementary mathematics), i’m focused on education reform. what should be done to make education here in the us better and how should we go about it?

big question…first off i think that more money should be spent on education, specifically on teachers salaries. i would like to live in a world where teachers are held in the same social and financial regard as doctors and lawyers. and schools should never want for money. every school in the united states(and the world) should be be a technological marvel, with great computers, quick internet access, great music and art programs, etc.

ddonk: i am very taken by drum and bass. what are your thoughts/feelings on dnb, or do you ever listen to it?

i love dnb.

mobes: firstly, do you have a recurring dream or nightmare?

when i was younger i used to have a recurring nightmare about an evil presence in another dimension pursuing me. now i don’t have recurring nightmares… and i kind of miss them…

torifan: moby, what, other than the simpsons, makes you laugh/giddy?

dogs. always dogs.

juwles: what kind of influence do you feel your parents had in making you the person you are today? was it positive or did you do whatever you could to become the opposite type of person than what they were? also – when you have children, what do you feel will be the most important thing (things) you can teach them about life?

my mother was a wonderful parent. she was encouraging without being suffocating, and she made art and learning and music seem like the wonderful things that they are. i really think she would’ve been disappointed if i’d gone on to have a ‘real’ job.

vincedaman: i was just wondering if you ever got that video i did for honey that i sent your management? i hope you did, and if not is there anyway that i could get it to you?

i don’t remember receiving it…sorry.

uselink: i was wondering what some of your favorite comedy movies are?

south park, mars attacks, tommy boy, hmm…

erased: which band is the most under-rated band ever,in your opinion? i think it’s depeche mode.do you like them,by the way?

under-rated? but depeche mode have sold more than 20 million albums. that’s a lot of album sales for an under-rated band…i would have to say: esg & liquid liquid

stanlj: as a deep rooted christian i am curious about your feelings towards christ. do you believe in him in the aspect of being god’s son sent to earth for us, as just a prophet, etc?

i’m only 35 years old on a planet that’s 6 billion years old in a universe that’s older and bigger than i could ever imagine. so my thoughts on who or what god is, or might be, are inherently flawed and subjective. i love christ and in my very naive and simpleminded way i see him as being the son of god. but just cos that’s what i believe doesn’t make me right.

mcostanzo: actually, i do have a question: could you suggest a nice first-dance song (or songs) for a wedding (it can be your music or other music you like).

‘rock your baby’ by george mcrae(at least i think it’s george mcrae)

vixengirl: hi moby, how are you? you know the other day i saw you wearing your glasses and i wander why do you wear them? what’s wrong with your eyes? i’m curious about it… i wear glasses too because of myopia and sometimes it really bothers me but… not always…it’s good to see the world in blurry vision once in a while

i’ve got mild myopia that is getting less mild as i get less young…

elf518: do you have guest lists for shows that allow people to visit you backstage, and if so, how would one go about adding one’s name to a list if you are ever in the cleveland, oh area again?

there’s an update from months back that addresses this…my pointers on getting backstage.

beccabelleville: if i come to new york this summer, (i live in the baltimore area), is there anyway that we can meet at a restaurant or something. i’m not a psycho and just think that you are a wonderful human. you can bring a bodyguard if you’d like.

maybe we’ll run into each other on the street. manhattan is a small place, geographically.

hopelessromantic: what’s the craziest/sweetest thing that you ever made for someone’s love?

when i was 15 i wrote a poem where the first letter of every line spelled out “”moby loves louise”” cos i was in love with louise. she wasn’t in love with me, though. sigh.

cac280: do you believe in the supernatural? (i.e. esp, telekinesis, even ghosts…)

yes. and i get scared easily.

thwomp: what album(single, vinyl, cd, etc) is your most prized possession? you know, the one that you scoured the earth to find and now your not going to let it go.

‘marquee moon’ by television.

redmars7: why did you chose to be a singer/musicain?

quite simply, i love music and i don’t know how to do anything else.

psyche: just wanted to say hi hows your day going.

pretty good. i’m flying to nice and i’m on a plane full of sleeping people.

spock: do you like star trek? i am a huge fan!

i love star trek. next gen and original. favourite episode? when the probe locks onto picards mind and he lives an entire life on another planet in 15 minutes. i think it’s the one where he learns to play the flute. that episode makes me cry.

lovisa: do you think we should keep sanctions on countries like iraq who have no other purpose then to control and hurt their own people?

i’m sorry, but that’s just too complicated of a question to answer. i would ultimately love to live in a democratic world wherein everyone has complete autonomy. and i support all non-violent means in achieving this.

porcelainheart: i’ve heard that you are a new order fans.. so i’d like to know which is your favourite new order song?

‘your silent face’.

blizzardqueen: happiest/saddest memory that you have?

oh, gosh, i don’t know…’happiest’? walking off stage at the grammy’s after my performance there last week. ‘saddest’? i just can’t think of any one saddest memory right now.

cinderellaposh: what inspires you to write porcelain and what its mean to you?

for me ‘porcelain’ is about being in love with someone and knowing that you shouldn’t be in love with them and the biological factors that compel humans into such situations.

jester: could we hang out sometime? i would like some orange juice, wait…sunny delight or tropicana?

i don’t have sunny d. it’s not really orange juice, is it? i have fresh samanthas, it’s better:-)

angelelectrico: do you believe in angels? why?

i don’t know…i definitely believe that there are more things in heaven and earth than we’ll ever imagine.

lilalaila: how about oscar wilde? i sometimes get scared how percise he is in describing peopleâ«s essence and how his ideas are still valid 100 years after his death. which of the modern writers or performers do you think have this gift?

there’s a british writer whose name i can’t remember…sorry. walker percy was pretty close, in a very american way.

cirque8: can you come to my party? it is on march 16, 2001 at club velvet in st. louis and is a benefit party for the starbright foundation and st. louis children’s hospital. this party means a lot to me because children’s hospital saved my life when i was diagnosed with lupus several years ago and now i have a chance to give back to them.

i would love to, but i won’t be in st. louis on the 16th. but good luck!

losergirl: what was high school like for you?

it was complicated. i was a depressed and self-involved little teen ager. you know, lots of long nights listening to depressing music and wondering why girls didn’t like me.

purpleneckties: hallo, i just wanted to say that i think you are just lovely. and to ask: what made you smile or laugh today?

thanks. ‘almost famous’ made me smile and laugh today. i watched it again on the plane.

earlgirl: hello… a frightening paradox: health conscious/ vegetarian / vegan people form the majority of consumers who are protesting against genetically modified food, and the single most genetically engineered food product is soy, the foundation of many a vegetarian diet… 60% of produce currently in markets is genetically modified. it seems almost too far gone to be rectified–what do you think can be done about it???

i’m of the opinion that gm food is a complicated issue. i don’t think that all gm foods are bad, nor do i think that all gm foods are good. i would like to see a balanced inquiry into the nature of gm foods. but that probably won’t happen. too many impassioned voices can muddy the waters.

freaksonik: what is your opinion on government?

it can be good. it can be bad. i think that most politicians are lunatics.

sebastien: two of your songs have been used in two different episodes of the previous season of the x-files (7th season). “”my weakness”” was used in the episode where mulder finds the truth about his sister’s fate, and “”the sky is broken”” is used in the episode named “”all things”” which was wrote and directed by gillian anderson. both songs play an important part in these episodes. my question is who is the moby fan on the x-files staff? were you askedabout the use of these songs in these episodes, and were you asked to write music for the x-files?

gillian told me that she was the one who chose ‘sky is broken’ for her episode. she and i met in l.a. she’s very nice.

handmaiden: may i come find out what’s in your pockets?

you might be disappointed…i have a strange predilection for emptying my pockets. when i get on an airplane the first thing i do is take everything out of my pockets. but you’re more than welcome to come and have a look around.

krazymazy1: if you had a child and their school was going to cut the all-important arts program, what would your argument in favor of keeping the program be?

that not everyone who does sports will go on to become a pro athlete, but yet sports are deemed important for character development. same thing with the arts, not everyone who studies art in school will become a professional artist, but it’s important for character development. and peoples brains need to be exercised in interesting ways, and art is aninteresting way to exercise peoples brains.

mrcupp: how would you feel about doing a full acoustic set?

i would love to. it is one of my dreams.

3m5on: if you were given the “”o.k”” to do a movie, what would the movie be about? who would be in it?

it would be about sex and love and outer space and dogs and dancing. and it would have fairuza balk, tim robbins, kevin spacey, and frances mcdermot as the leads.

wgh: i implore you to give as much advice as possible on how to make great elecrtonic music.

just be open minded and love what you do. work hard. and make stuff that you love and that other people can love.

tully: i was wondering what process you use to find musicians to play with. also, do you have need for a fiddler?

i’ve managed to find musicians through the recommendations of friends. are you a good fiddler?

zmaya: when are you going to come to belgrade, yugoslavia?

i was there 4 years ago. i hope to come back soon. i love the balkans.

poingly: if we send stuff to your management (the address inside play), what are the chances you’ll actually get it/use it? (ie, if i was to send a cd, what are the chances you’d actually listen to it?)

sad to say, i don’t know…they receive a lot of mail on my behalf and only some of it actually reaches me…i’m very sorry. but send it and maybe i’ll get it!

atabet: what’s the difference between a duck?

the duck knows no difference. if a duck had 7 things going for it, the least important would be it’s not knowing the difference. and then it would have some great stories to tell. on my planet ducks are revered as gods.

amanda shaw: i was just wondering if you had any regrets and if so what are they?

well, i answered this earlier…but i mainly regret not working more and not using my brain in more interesting ways.

tamtam: which event of your life would you like to change if it would be possible?

strangely enough…nothing.

lupins: which unconventional instruments would you consider using in your work?? and if you ever feel like using hand or tower bells…i’m your gal.

i would consider using any and all unconventional instruments. tower bells are cool, aren’t they.

whisperingwind: it just occured to me that no one has written a book on you. would you authorize me to write your biography? i promise that i have impeccable credentials

a man in the u.k has just finished writing a book on me. and he’s a friend and it’s a nice book but it’s ‘unofficial’. so send your credentials through and let’s get to work. but keep in mind, i’m very dull.

renata: are you married, or do you have a girlfriend, something like that?

i’m single. i like being single. i like the idea of marriage, but i also really like the freedom and flexibility of being single.

redturtlegirl: richard- what do you know about native america? your beats also resemble native american music–traditional as well as contemporary–the drum represents the people’s heartbeat–the life force that keeps us going.

it makes me sad to say that i’m woefully ignorant regarding native american music. sorry. i’ll try to change that.

shadyfeline: who was the first celebrity you had a crush on (that you can remember) and what attracted you to this person?

first? hmm…i don’t remember. my current celebrity crush (although i’ve never met her and probably never will) is on anna paquin. at least i think that’s her name. she was in ‘almost famous’ and ‘x-men’.

ygstri: what is the most relevant type of music being created today?

most relevant? i would have to say hip hop and r&b. with dance music(house, etc) being a close second(or third as the case is).

kidfaithless: am i right about this (have you written a lot of your songs at night)?

yes. that is correct.

digitalmuzak: can i send you a drawing c/o management?

sure. and you could post it on the site, too.

grlavenger: i’m doing a project for my marketing course on a successful marketing campaign… and my topic is you!

wow. keep in mind that the marketing campaign for ‘play’ was pretty accidental. everyone involved just worked very hard and took advantage of every opportunity that was presented to us.

k8trae: do you sleep with your socks on or off?

i sleep completely naked. it feels weird to sleep with clothes on.

infoblues: do you like one of my favorite music groups, erasure? i know that you made a remix of chorus a while back and was wondering if you like the group.

yes, i like erasure. thanks.

slimfast96: as a christian, i’m very impressed with your “”i’m not right and others aren’t wrong””-type attitude. it’s a very similar line of thinking to what the head pastor at my church preaches. i was wondering if there was a church in nyc that you attend every now and then?

i haven’t been to church in years. churches make me uncomfortable cos i find myself having debates with the pastors in my head.

curiousjustin: have any jehovah’s witness ever talked to you? what do you think of them?

i’ve never spoken to a jehovah’s witness, at least not that i was aware of, so i can’t have too much of an opinion regarding them. thanks.

karel: do you like, or approve of the beastie boys? would you ever collaborate with them?

i’ve known the beastie boys since their early punk rock days in the early 80’s. i like them, and, in fact, we have sort of collaborated. i did a remix of ‘alive’, and mike d has done a remix of ‘natural blues’.

kimberlyann: what do you think about life. like not to ask the age old question of what is the meaning of life but what does being alive mean to you?

being alive…to be honest with you i don’t have a clue as to what the meaning of life might be, apart from simple things like being open minded and trying to appreciate all of the remarkable things that fill the world.

mattisgod: i have a question, and i’d like to know if there is any way to write moby a letter. and if he’d really respond or not?

i’m responding right now. hi.

xyennyx: who is your favorite philosopher of all time? which one intrigues you the most, and why? … also, have you ever thought about writing a book?

favourite philosopher, i sort of answered this earlier, but i would have to say ludwig wittgenstein. in part because of his work, but also in part because he led a really interesting life. i’ve thought about writing a book, but i think i’d rather focus on making music.

hero: why do you have such low self-esteem? honestly.

i don’t think that i have low self-esteem. i just think that i have a relatively realistic understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. of course i’m probably wrong… (that last bit was supposed to be funny. dry new england wit again.)

firefly: what is your vision of heaven and hell like?

heaven is nice, hell isn’t.

hildebh: what is your favorite clothes, and why?

i like a nice pair of jeans and an old t-shirt, and i also really like a fancy suit or tuxedo.

bobalou: my question for you is what advice can you give to me as a person trying to get a start in making music?

i answered this earlier for someone else. my advice is to work hard and enjoy what you do and be open minded.

agustone: i read somewhere that in the abandon factory where you lived there was no water, so my question is where did you do your needs, i mean the bathroom needs?

there was a bathroom, it was about 300 yards down a long empty hall from my apartment and it was pretty disgusting. so i just learned to love disgusting toilets. and occasionally i peed out of my window.

rockstar34566ra: “”are you planning on coming to memphis, tn any time soon???””

hopefully this summer.

rdmassuch: my son (14) and i are both fans (actually to brag, i turned him on to your music. we saw you in concert in detroit. my question is, do you always have such energy as you did that night?

my feeling is that if i’m going to put something on stage it should be as passionate and energetic and entertaining and etc as possible. didn’t i meet you and your son? no?

elnino: what do you think your ideal place in the world spiritually physically mentally emotionally etc. would be?

in my studio. but maybe with a big lake outside and waterfalls and rope swings and a gaggle of jack russel puppies and a nice house with a nice kitchen with friends and a great, smart, beautiful romantic partner.

apu: what does homer say into the air plane radio has he flies to some island to preform missionary work?

oh, good one, i don’t know…i’ve missed a lot of the recent ones. what does he say on the monorail? ‘i call the big one “”bitey”” ‘

musik2384: okay–i have been playing the piano for about 7 years now (i’m 16), and i really enjoy the piano parts i hear on “”play.”” however, i am not good at playing be ear, so i was wondering: are any of the piano parts to any of your songs available anywhere? it would mean so much if i could actually play something thought up by you.

hmm..at present i don’t know of any transcriptions that exist for my music. they’re all pretty simple. like ‘southside’, it’s: verses: b to d flat minor, chorus: e to a flat to a, bridge: b to a to e. like i said, it’s pretty simple.

groenfast: do you know much about mennonites, your views seem to kind of align with that of mennonites? i am one(not old-style with women wearing caps and such). matt groening is from the area i live. groening is a mennonite name, and i think he has mennonite ties.

no, as an ignorant new yorker i don’t know much about mennonites. but i will make an effort to find out now.

cleancity: i love your essays on christianty…i am a born again christian and i feel you make a lot of great points. however, the one thing i am not sure of is, what is your policy on sex?

sex? hmm…i know what the bible says. i know what christ says. i just have a hard time living up to those teachings. i’m wary of saying what my thoughts are regarding this cos i don’t want to be accidentally heretical. but here goes…some of the biblical edicts regarding sex seem a bit arbitrary and culturally contextual to me. i understand the idea of abstinence as a way of possibly facilitating enlightenment, but i personally don’t feel called to be abstinent. and it does seem as if christ focusses more on the causes than the symptoms, if you know what i mean. as in focussing on anger as opposed to murder. and greed as opposed to wealth. but what do i know? i’m just thinking out loud.

scotchy: what kind of software do you use to assemble/record your music? are you a windows or mac person? have you found that your fame has allowed to buy you more recording toys, or are you going to stick with the equipment you have for your next cd?

i’ve got lots of new toys. all sorts of cool new synths. my favorite is this ‘virus’ virtual synth. and the roland 5080. and i use cubase, by the way.

antigone: do you like chai?? (itã•s an indian tea). i was just curious, cos i think a good cup of chai fills me with the essence of your music.

yes, i do like chai. but vegan chai.

roma258: i’m not sure how familiar you are with what’s going on in israel, but how would you solve this on-going situation?

oh boy, how to invite trouble…ok, here’s me being very arrogant and attempting a solution to a very complicated problem…but i would establish a palestinian homeland and give back some of the occupied territories. that’s just my naive opinion. israel deserves peace and security and autonomy, as do the palestinians. a compromise needs to be arrived at. and it’s a given that the crazy right wing israeli’s won’t like any compromise, and neither will the crazy right wing palestinians. but a compromise does seem like the only practicable solution.

erok: i know all that talk about you being the 5th member of u2 was just a joke, but would you/are you guys considering doing something together?

we’ve talked about it. bono and i played some songs in the lobby of our hotel in l.a. that was nice. i love them. the nicest people on the planet.

everworldgirl: moby, what do you think of the talking heads? how about the replacements? pavement?

i like all of the above. but especially the first 4 talking heads albums. i saw them play live in 1981. cos i’m very fucking old.

ej1hall: what is the extent of your knowledge of the baha’i faith?

i don’t know much, sorry to say. so i wouldn’t want to advertise my ignorance and write about a faith that i’m not too familiar with.

aerith: you have the choice between 2 women. the first one is very pretty, sexy, but is not a good conversationalist, not very smart. and the second one is not pretty, as sexy as a yoghurt, but you really like to talk with her, you and her are on the same wavelength. so, who would you date, miss pretty or miss yoghurt ?

conversationalist. easy choice. conversation and same wavelength are the two sexiest things about a person.

rainh2o: will you be coming to nashville, tn any time soon??

i hope so. next summer, maybe.

ultraviolette: do you know serge gainsbourg ? his daughter ask madonna to sing a song as a tribute “”he died 10 years ago.”” it would be nice to do a remix with one of his songs !

yes, i love his music. i just don’t understand the lyrics cos i’m an ignorant yanqui.

djten: what does it feel like to perform in front of millions of people when you’re on tour?

it. is. wonderful.

megan: i wanted u to come visit me on my birthday (i live in ct) thats why i asked….i mean it is a question isnt it?

where in ct? i’ve lived in danbury, storrs, stratford, darien, greenwich, stamford. you should leave connecticut while you still can…ha ha ha. i’m kidding, it’s a nice place. but i’m glad that i left. the suburbs can get a bit, um, cloying after a while.

pangaea: why aren’t you married?

i guess the right answer is that i haven’t met the person to whom i should be married.

shamelesz: what shakespeare character to you identify with the most(please say one that i actually know!)

prospero and caliban, if they had kids. maybe hamlet, cos i’m a bit self-involved.

funksoulsista: who do you think has been the most significant leader in the world? why?

hmm…good question. umm…i’m sorry, i can’t think of just one. sorry.

bjorkdoll: have you ever been to alaska?

no but i would love to go. and please thank your sister for the ceramic pin, i love it.

badtz: what’s your favourite colour?

i’m sorry, i don’t really have favourites…sorry.

mehdi: what do u think of ur own music?

i love it, but i always think that i could make it better somehow. and i always think that there are about a million musicians better than me.

cappiello: what is your favorite vegan dish?

seitan fajitas at real food daily in l.a.

resavage: have you ever been mugged on public transportation? have you ever mugged someone on public transportation? if not, are you planning to?

no, to all 3. well, does being forced to sit in a teeny coach seat for 18 hours count as being mugged? it felt like it.

smsmissy: would you ever consider doing a collaboration with tori amos?

yes. i think she’s great.

jkitty: do you have any regrets? have you ever been in love?

regrets…not working harder and not pushing my brain more. in love? well, in my understanding of the word, yes, but for very brief periods.

bex: without thinking too hard about it, what is one thing that comes to mind that makes you smile whenever you think about it?

dogs.

voodoochiid: *did you go to your prom? did you enjoy it?

i went to my prom. i enjoyed it an ennui-laden, postmodern sort of way… in other words, no.

fransesca: i wondered if you have a favorite artist (painter/sculptor/photographer etc)?

painter? edward hopper. maybe willem dekoonig. sculptor? hmm…i can’t remember his name…scandanavian guy, i think. photographer? wolfgang tillmans.

lunasea: moby, at some of your concerts you do this thing where you stand up on a keyboard, hands streched out in a deific manner, lighted in half nakedness alone on stage with the crowd roaring. do you think this ostentatious display may seem incongruous to your preaching humility?

it’s theater. i don’t think i’m deifying myself. i’m just giving my lighting guy a chance to do something really cool.

ericjs: what is it that has kept you inspired from day to day, and has helped you write such wonderful music?

a: i love music
b: i can’t do anything else
c: i don’t like not doing things

dahnacat: “”do you make it a point to connect with your fans at concerts, and is there any chance that you will be coming to maine any time soon?

i would love to come back to maine. i try to connect with people. that’s the whole reason that i tour, actually.

peaceapple: moby, this isn’t a question, i just couldn’t help giving you a book recommendation: ava by carole maso

thankyou.

nosanityxf: have you ever read e.e. cummings? his poetry and your music seem to go so well together. if so do you have a favorite poem? ‘the sky is broken’ reminds me a lot of cummings poetry, so would you ever put a cummings poem to music?

yes.
i have read ee
cummings.
in high
school he was my favourite po
e
t
.

laugh: any questions for us?

can i borrow some money?

louisewilliams: have you ever swum with a wild dolphin? and i mean a truly wild dolphin, not one that’s “”fenced off”” in a bit of the sea.

no. but i would really love to.

gidget21: anyway, is it true you will have a home video coming out soon? and, what exactly is the song “”when it’s cold i’d like to die”” about? for some odd reason i think it’s about accepting god in your life, am i right?

dvd coming out in the summer, if we get our act together and actually make the thing. ‘when it’s cold’ is a simple song about loneliness and weariness with being alive.

pinndersshllott: this is not pinn. this is pinn’s friend larry. i was wondering, how do you think the earth began, moby?

monkeys.

ludacrisp12: what advise would you give to someone like myself who is shy and ever given the chance to meet you would probably not have the courage to talk to you?

umm…a good stiff drink might help…i’m kidding. ha.ha. i would just give you the open invitation to come up and talk to me. there. invitation given.

jenniferlynn: would you marry me? i will be quiet and i am relatively small and i will live under yer table and you wont even have to feed me or anything and im house broke lol just kidding have you ever had a crush on someone and then realized they simply werent what they seemed to be?

1-i could only marry someone who wasn’t housebroken. i find cleaning up pee to be really sexy. (there’s that dry new england wit again…)
2-every crush ends in realizing that they’re not what they seemed to be.

nakano83: was the idea of sampling african vocals in ‘play’ a innovation from wit? or was it something that was up your sleevs long time ago (you had used some similar vocal samples in “”everything””)?

i just wanted to use vocals that were really wonderful and beautiful. i wasn’t thinking about where they came from.

tgonyc: have you ever thought about running for office? you have a wonderful soul that would impact on many people life.

i would love to. but there are too many compromising pictures of me that have been taken over the years.

zooropa: i had the pleasure to interview you for a radio station here in champaign during the mtv campus invasion leg of your tour. my question is actually about all of these interviews that you do. my friend that you talked to that night told me you said you had done thousands of interviews by that point. do you see these sort of things as necessary evils? or what do you take from complete strangers asking you what sometimes are repetetive questions.

if you can’t tell, i love doing interviews. when my career is over and i’m a big fat has-been i might pay prostitutes to come to my house and interview me. i’m a bit addicted to talking about myself…

bornonbord: at your chicago concert at the aragon last october, i threw my shirt up on stage that said “”why would my heart feel bad?”” on one side and “”when i’m seeing moby live!!!”” on the other. you showed it to your drummer and i didn’t see what you did with it. what did you do with it? i don’t blame you if you threw it out, it was kinda sweaty (towards the end of the concert).

it lived with us on tour. it started to move under its own power towards the end of the tour. in fact it ended up getting jiggy with a lovely young woman in kansas. it disappeared one night, talking about getting a trailer and settling down.

comapink: i love you. will you marry me?

it would be nice, wouldn’t it?

wolf: i am a hear (human environmental animal rights) activist here in toronto. “”do you think you will ever record a politically charged song now that you have the worlds attention.

as sad as it is, i’m terrible at writing issue oriented songs. i’ve tried, and trust me, they stink. they end up being all sophomoric and didactic, and that’s not a good way to reach anyone.

gingerdiva: okay, moby, there are so many ways to describe your music….unique, diverse, soulful, powerful, sexy, spiritual, trance inducing, fun, past, present and futuristically masterful, erotic. where did you receive your musical training and what has helped to inspire you to create your music?

well, my family was quite musical. my mother played piano, my great grandmother taught violin, my fathers mother played piano and violin, my great uncle richard played french horn, my uncle joseph plays guitar and recorder, etc. and i started studying music(on guitar)when i was 9 years old. what inspires me? a simple love of music and it’s ability to communicate things that can’t otherwise be communicated.

kannabeachgirly: have you got a perfume ?

eau de stinkyboy.

ruby rue: any guilty pleasures? (besides ‘cops’…but along that line…)

oh boy, lots. some benign, and some not so benign…

lee: ever heard of a band called the autums? check them out at www.theautums.com, think you might enjoy….

as i’m a simpleton i can’t listen to music over the net. sorry.

rynn: so, moby, do you like hermit crabs? i find that they are the best pets. you can take them anywhere as long as the weather is warm. i love hermit crabs. that is all.

i have some crawling in my pants right now.

feelingsoreal: i apologize profusely. i know moby will be reading this thread. today is my birthday, and also my best friend “”blue””s. us two are always in a constant mock battle on these boards and it would be the best blow if i could get moby to say that blue had a big booty or something. ha!

blue has a big booty or something. ha.

dpmfloyd: ok, in the game of monopoly what is your game token (game piece for some) of choice? yes this is a silly question, but it’s different!

the little dog. obvious, i know. and i even make little dog noises as he makes his way around the board.

mine: i was wondering how i would go about getting permission to use your name and part of the song “”porcelain”” in my story? its going to be published and the publishers need a piece of paper that says they won’t get sued.

i don’t know…um, you should get the publishers lawyers to contact warner-chappel publishing. hopefully you can use it for free.

headblanket: i really want to know what you thought of the harry potter books.

i love them.

dwinkl: moby, what would it take for you to be happier?

oh, i’m happy. i’m just a loser:-)

kimboho: not to be a downer or anything, but while i’ve enjoyed your music for a while, i was extremely disappointed with a show you did in chicago at metro (with aphex twin and some other groups) in 1993, where you did about 2 songs or so, threw a fit because some of the equipment wasn’t working, knocked some stuff over, and walked off stage. what happened that night?

wow. i don’t remember that. didn’t i come back on stage? i never leave and stay gone. i apologize if i did that. it won’t happen again. chalk it up to touring adolescence.

ahab: how many and what types of tattoos are inked on your body?

just one, a cross on my neck.

netdiva: what are your thoughts on pet sounds (assuming you have listened to it-will cry if not)?

i need to go back and listen to it again before i pass comment.

princessbubble: moby, your performance at the grammys was unbelievable. i think you jill scott, and the bluemangroup did an outstanding job of coure i watched it on tv so it must have been better there. what singer or group do you think is a legend?

david bowie, u2, bb king, bjork, oh, i could go on all day…lots and lots and lots of them.

michicachangacabesa: i have an obsession. i’m a cereal fanatic. what’s your favorite cereal? if you don’t have one now, what was one when you were little?

when little i loved crunch berries. now i think i love hot cereal with raisins. i’m such a boring adult, i know.

mobygirl1985: i know you meet quite a few famous people now so who was the best/most intresting famous person you met in your life and why?

christina ricci. she’s got a remarkable mind. and i miss her.

poppy: when you include your essays in your liner notes, what purpose do you have in mind?

i grew up buying punk rock records wherein it was quite common to include little tracts and manifestos in the artwork. so it just seemed kind of natural to use cd booklets as a vehicle for my thoughts. i’m certainly not trying to convince anyone of anything, just conveying my thoughts about certain issues at the time.

oohalcyonoo: i am going to be in the city the next few weekends ahead. would you like to come and meet me at teh met and wander around for a while?

a blind date? hmm..why the met? it is a beautiful building, but on weekends it’s quite crowded.

tangerine: what kind of feeling or what event made you create ‘everloving’ and ‘memory gospel’?

just a love for atmospheric, emotional and melodic music.

junglelist: how do i get booking information?

go to the tour section of the site.

nadathecat: do you believe in the idea of a soul-mate?

in theory, yes. but, as far as i know, i’ve yet to meet mine, if in fact she exists.

foelite: what made you decide to not use gwen stefani’s vocals on south side on the cd?

one simple reason: live drums. there were new live drums on the mix that had her vocals and i felt they were mixed too loud and that they upset the balance of the song (there are other live drums on the song, but mixed very quietly). the drummer, joey, did a great job, but i just didn’t like the overall mix. so we took her vocals and added them to the original mix that i had already done.

kylebond13: i listen to a lot of dave matthews. have you ever spent time listening to any of his work and what do you think of it?

funny, i just met him tonight. at the tibet house benefit. he was very nice. i’m not that familiar with his music, but i do like that song ‘crash’.

peachiepeach: last night i dreamt that i was doing laundry with moby…and i had to lend him two quarters..it was strange. what (or who) does moby dream about?

oh, too many things to go into here….

nee: i am a huge kraftwerk fan. i was wondering if you have been influenced by them and if you would ever sample any of their music.

yes, i love kraftwerk. i’ve never sampled anything of theirs, but the drums on ‘computer world’ are pretty tempting….

fsprenger: what do you feel when you see people here asking very personal questions?

depends upon what sort of personal questions are being asked. some are fun to answer, and others are a little too close to home…

panda: i’m not a vegetarian but someday i hope to make the transition. what do you eat on a typical day, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

oh, difficult to answer, every day is quite different. living in nyc is a vegans dream, cos there are so many great vegetarian and vegan restaurants here.

ljaesch: back in 1999, you participated in a program that aired on vh-1, ‘vh-1’s karaoke cabaret,’ doing barry manilow’s ‘i write the songs.’ another one of my favourite performers, deborah gibson, was also part of this program (she was the young woman who did barenaked ladies’ ‘one week’). did you get to meet her at all, and what did you think of her rendition of ‘one week’ (if you remember)?

yes, we met. she was very nice but i don’t remember her performance. sorry.

roelchen: did i awfully get on your nerves while being in bremen (germany) and on the way to leipzig?

no, not at all. if i remember correctly you needed a ride and we gave you a ride and you were very nice and you slept the whole way.

perdurabo: what is your interpretation of your song ‘my weakness’. rather, what did you feel spiritually or religiously for that song?

on one hand it’s ambiguous and emotional, and on another hand it’s quite specific in that it speaks to some particular weaknesses that i have (and that anyone might, subjectively, have).

ok, before i start again let me apologize if peoples questions are accidentally deleted. if your question is deleted it’s an oversight, an accident. so try to resubmit it. thanks.

blabla: would you use medication that is tested on animals?

given the complicated and composite nature of most of the things that fill our lives, it’s hard to avoid products that don’t contain some ingredient that was at some point tested on animals. you might buy a shampoo that says ‘not tested on animals’, but there’s a good chance that some of the ingredients in the shampoo were tested on animals. to answer your question, if i know that something has been tested on animals i will do my best to avoid it.

tien: hi, moby! if you were to teach children something–something that you felt would make a lasting impression–about your beliefs, what you know to be your “”truths””, what would that be?

i would try to teach children/people to be more open minded and more compassionate and more forgiving. i would also try to teach them to love their work. a life spent doing work that you loathe is a great tragedy, imo.

sazirich: where do you see yourself in five years?

i really don’t know. hopefully making music. hopefully playing with dogs. hopefully figuring out the secret to time & space travel. hopefully enjoying yve’s fake meat products. maybe living by some trees.

buliwyf: moby, what do you think of my music? http://www.mp3.com/buliwyf

i’m ignorant…i don’t have an mp3 player, and my internet connection is too slow to download one…sorry.

machete: in the southside video,what did you do to have such bright teeth?

are you referring to the gold teeth? i have fake gold teeth for part of the video. my regular teeth aren’t very bright, they’re pretty average and cavity ridden, actually.

damagetwins: did you ever listen to the cd i gave you at the black crowes release party?

yes. i enjoyed it. keep up the good work. thanks.

jstaf99: moby, i just wanted to know what kind of “”sounds”” you have planned for your next album. everyone knows that your musical styles are ever-changing and you are not one to repeat yourself. does the popularity and acclaim of “”play”” affect the way you approach new material?

i would really like the next record to be good. that’s all i know at this point. i wish i could answer your question in more detail, but i don’t have any more details with which to answer your question. sorry.

anne19: hi. i was wondering if they’re any musical artists or groups that you look up too? what kind of music were you into as a child/teenager?

there are so many musicians that i admire that it would be impossible to list them here. when i was a teenager i was really into what was called ‘post-punk’. and i was also into hardcore punk. and new wave. bands like joy division, killing joke, omd, bad brains, echo and the bunnymen, liquid liquid, etc.

jello: when you come back to minneapolis, can i come back stage and hang out or something?

ok.

junkfiend: where do you think you stand on a personal level with respects to the [lack of] integrity in your work/art?

the ‘lack of integrity’ in my work? hmm..perhaps we disagree. i see my work as having a good deal of integrity. i may have to do some dirty things to promote my work, but i don’t think that i make dirty, or compromised, work.

stillkristi: what are your thoughts on marriage?

i think that in the right circumstances it can be a remarkable, sublime thing. unfortunately those right circumstances are hard to come by.

sultan: would you like to go out some evening?

sure.

cheekysjl4: could you listen to my music?

as i said, i don’t have an mp3 player. i’m ignorant. sorry.

pammypam: hi moby! just wondering if you got the flowers i sent to you at the el rey theater in los angeles a few months ago??

yes. as far as i can remember the flowers were received. thank you very, very much. that was very sweet of you. they had a nice home on our tour bus.

daynty: would you consider collaborating(make music) with a gospel act?

oh, yeah, i would love to. i love working with people who can really, really sing.

denise: how did your ‘love-of-jesus’ idea take over, after studying so many many other world religions and how does it agree with intellectual support for bombing (kosovo) as a means of conflict solving?

hmm…my ‘love of jesus’ came about after reading the gospel of matthew and then experiencing christ in my daily life. that might sound like nutty religious talk, but it’s true. and i didn’t support the bombing of kosovo. i supported the idea of justice and autonomy for the people of kosovo. i don’t support anything that might result in pain, suffering, or loss of life.

kannabeachgirly: do you read the letters which arrive at the management ? ohhh… when do u coming in france ?

i try to read the letters, but there are a lot of them. sorry. and i’ll be in france for a few hours next week, in the airport in nice. and then on to san remo.

maitreya: hey moby, are you single?

oh yes. i like being single.

ellen: since you’ve travelled so much, what’s your favorite place that you’ve been to (city, country, region, street, whatever), and why?

i love: l.a, new zealand, australia, scotland, hawaii, scandanavia, south of france, anything on the meditteranean, canada, new york, block island, arizona, new mexico, etc etc. and i don’t know why i love these places, i just do. they’re all really special. and baden-baden, and maine, and etc.

lou67: what part of your childhood do you look back on the most?do you have a photo of youself when you were a child(well as little moby)for us all.

i don’t think about childhood all that much. and when i do i tend to remember little snippets of things. like sitting in the back of my grandfathers car when it was snowing in april. the way the water collected in this rock on my grandparents property. eating grapes off of the vines in the woods on my grandparents property. making a kleenex red with a magic marker and pretending i had a nose bleed. the smell of a new litter of kittens. hiding food that i didn’t want to eat. driving with my mom past truck stops on i-95 late at night. being happy doing my multiplication tables when i had to do ‘0’. wearing a clip-on tie. etc.

kassin99: what kind of feel is this new album gonna have? dance, techno, instrumental, etc… and do you ever get bored/tired of writing music all day?

i answered this earlier for someone else…i don’t know what the new album is going to sound like, i just hope that it’s nice. i don’t get bored of writing music. i get frustrated and exasperated but never bored.

jon: how does one go about, or start the process, of forgiving?

think of all of the things that you’ve done that are awful. then realize that whatever bad thing someone’s done to you you’ve probably done the same thing or something similar before. and realize that if you want to be forgiven for your mistakes you should probably extend the same courtesy to others.

jnnathan: what would be your advice to musicians, specifically aspiring producers and mixers, with regards to getting heard and noticed in the music industry?

1-work very hard.
2-work harder.
3-figure out your strengths as a musician(ask your friends, they’ll let you know…)
4-listen to lots of other peoples music
5-work hard.
6-play your music for people and listen to their comments.
7-meet people in the music business.
8-work hard.

kcraig85: how do you manage to fill your music with such emotion and atmosphere???

well, probably because i love music with emotion and atmosphere. the secret lies in melody and timbre, two things that most musicians don’t spend too much time with.

dompisco: i’ve got a musician question for you (i’m sure you get lots of these) i’ve been producing my own cd for a couple months now and am starting to worry that no one will get to hear it. i’ve never had to try to sell a band before so what would you suggest i do to start and still be able to retain my integrity in such a nefariously plastic industry?

just make music that you love and that other people can love. as i said earlier, i’m a bit of a whore when it comes to promoting my music, but i’m extremely precious when it comes to the music itself. i will compromise left and right when it comes to doing promotion (which i enjoy, actually), but i will not compromise when it comes to the music that i make. that’s why i let my music be used in movies and advertisements, for i love my music and i want people to hear it and i’ll be a bit of a promo whore if that means that more people can hear the music that i’ve made. and maybe that’s arrogant of me. if so, i’m sorry. but i won’t write music that is compromised. at least i hope i won’t.

colinita: has it sunk in that the democratic party has sold its soul to corporate influence just like the republicans and that perhaps you’ve been speading mis-information in your updates on this website?

you’re an idealist, but a very naive idealist. your big mistake is in judging things that you don’t have much experience with, the nature of corporate influence, for example. it’s extremely dangerous to judge something that is foreign to your day to day experience. it’s almost a form of imperialism. unless you’ve worked in a corporation or sat on a corporate board you should possibly be tentative in your judgements. i’m not saying that you’re wrong. i’m just saying that it is erroneous and unfair to take your judgements too seriously until you’ve intimately experienced the thing that you are judging. you should also look at the history of the institutions(political parties, etc) that you’re judging before you judge them so severely. it’s a sad truth that in order for a political party to have any sort of viability in this country they have to be involved with some institutions that might be unsavoury. it’s the same for all of us. that’s the strange reality in which we live. to pretend otherwise is to doom yourself to a life wherein your actions have no impact. i don’t agree with everything the democratic party stands for, but i certainly feel more comfortable with democratic policy than with republican policy. and there are big differences between the two. as i’ve said before:
democrats are pro-choice, repubs are not
democrats are more worker friendly than repubs
democrats are more eco friendly than repubs etc

spaz: ..uh.. so.. you like.. stuff?

my cat’s breath smells like catfood.

littlemantis: i made a t-hsirt to give to you at the cancelled boynyon beach fl. show. where can i send it so you get it?

to mct management. their address should be on the ‘play’ cd. thank you!

kiersten: what causes do you support and belive in?

an incomplete list: animal rights, human rights, civil rights, prisoners rights, environmental protection and preservation, judicial reform, drug policy reform, educational reform, oh boy, i could go on all day, maybe i’ll get back to this one in a future update…it’s a tall task you’ve asked me to undertake here…

mfqs: when are you going to come to south america?????.

hopefully next year. a mi me gusto mucho la america del sud(oops, is that right?). deseo ir a sudamerica.

southsideblues: would you want or are there any plans in the works for you to appear on the simpsons?

i really, really hope so. i might even get to play a pirate…

starladear: i’d be curious to find out if moby has ever read any james joyce works and what he thought of them. if not, would he be averse to trying out a few short stories from the collection “”dubliners,”” if only for my sake.

i tried ‘ulysses’ when very young, and, not surprisingly, didn’t get too far. i also tried, with much greater success, ‘a portrait of the artist..’ i should go back to ‘ulysses’. and i’ll give ‘dubliners’ a shot.

knobtouchme: do you want to get married and have children?

yes. it seems like a beautiful idea.

badgrrrl: when was the last time you cried(and not from physical pain)?

today i was doing a dj-mix of the remixes from ‘play’ and the katcha remix of ‘natural blues’ brought tears to my eyes. the last time i actually cried was late at night after the grammy performance. tears of relief and thanks to god.

peaceapple: what are you afraid of?

wasps. being buried alive. posession.

mobyfan24: hey i wanna be a dj and you’ve inspired me and i was wondering could you offer any tips

well, work hard and play music that you love and play music that other people love and then work harder and harder and be pushy and give people tapes and work hard.

hippigrl96: what’s your favorite scary movie??

hmm…either ‘them’ or ‘dawn of the dead’

jered: if i was to be a christain how do i know that buddhism doesn’t believe in the same god, but just in a different format, or way of practicing that religon?

i don’t think that any of us can ever know anything about the objective nature of god. at least it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever know anything objective about god.

tribble: there have been some somewhat negative posts from the likes of ihm and kelvin (we would call them wind-up merchants over here) how do you view these? i find that humour can diffuse this sometimes. what do you think?.

they were pointed out to me and i thought they were kind of interesting. it’s nice to have a little bit of contentious drama every now and then. and yes, humour is the best weapon against jerks.

wendie: can i dress you? i am a textile/clothing designer and seamstress.

ok. i’d be flattered.

mikebolger: does it bother you that no other celebrities or artists have really spoken out against what eminem has been preaching ?

yes. immensely. from my perspective misogyny and homophobia are always wrong. always. my question to the music community is: how would you feel if instead of saying “”fags? hate them”” eminem had said “”jews? hate them””? would the music community be defending him if he was anti-semite or a racist instead of a homophobe and a misogynist? and if so, does that mean that there’s some perverse hierarchy of hate and discrimination?

rosemerry: what artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?

oh, anyone who can sing really, really well.

purplelaura: i was wondering if there was any “”classical”” composer that has had any influence on the music that you create. i’m particulary interested if you have been lnfluenced by any composer such as john adams or other who were really into minimalism.

the melodicists: bach, gorecki, vivaldi, gershwin, rodrigo.

smsmissy: if you had to choose would you give up your music, or give up the simpsons?

i would give up the simpsons in a heartbeat if the alternative was to give up music.

tracyp: why don’t you write more about animal issues in your updates?

hmm..good question. because i too easily get caught up in day to day minutiae and i sometimes forget about bigger, more important issues.

rainconspiracy: have you ever considered working with god lives underwater? are you a fan of theirs?

i remember a record of theirs from 1995, but i haven’t heard anything since.

compassion: what is the most postive aspect of your success? most negative aspect?

being able to make music and actually have people listen to it. negative: hmm…over-exposure to weird rays from flying so much.

feelingsoreal: where do you find your inspiration to make your songs? i.e. what makes you tick?

the pure and simple love of emotional and atmospheric music.

saragranier: will you write me email, please? saracatherinegranier@hotmail.com

i would love to, but what if you’re a big huge psychokiller posing as a nice woman? don’t laugh, it’s possible…isn’t it?

mandi08901: i have always wondered whether it is particularly freaky to know that there are women and men out there who would love to be intimate with you because of what you represent to them, not necessarily who you are in reality. in other words, does having people see you as a “”sex object”” ever bug you out?

as a balding and not particularly attractive 35 year old man i find it to be delightful that there’s anyone who would find themselves attracted to me. and to some extent i understand that people who listen to my records experience me on a very intimate level, and experiencing that sort of intimacy through someone’s very personal work can be attractive. so, no, it doesn’t bug me out. and i don’t think that there are too many people who see me as a sex object…although if i’m wrong i’d be overjoyed:-)

chillin: i was wonderin.. are you a christian? i’ve heard from a few people that you were.

a christian in a very strange and non- judgemental sense. i love christ and the teachings of christ, but i don’t think that i’m right and that anyone else is wrong.

nadathecat: do you ever visit theme parks like disneyland? if so which park is your favorite and what ride was your favorite?

i like playland in rye new york, cos the rides are so old that half of the thrill is wondering if they’re going to fall apart while you’re on them. and i like ‘pirates of the caribbean’ at disneyworld. and any water based ride. a good water park is a thing of beauty.

musiciansmuse: have you ever written the majority of a great song in one continuous non-stop stream?

yes, that’s how i write most of my songs. it’s finishing them that’s the problematic part.

zetarose: you seem to be a pretty spiritual person from what i’ve read about you, have you always been this way? so my real question is what was your turning point, describe your epiphany?

oh, lots of epiphanies. usually my epiphanies involve me realizing what an idiot i’ve been. or seeing the world as much more complicated than i’d previously imagined it. and i did have a good epiphany the first time that i read the new testament.

cliener: is there any chance of a moby remix of a u2 song in the future?

they keep asking…nag nag nag:-)…i would love to do a u2 remix, but right now i’m just too busy working on my own music.

xodarap: who are you?

a little bald guy who stays up late. who are you?

onemandog: i was wondering what your “”chicken soup”” to a friend might be?

it would be vegan, if i understand the question correctly.

chuckingpennies: do you have any little silly hidden talent? like making fudge or putting on socks with your teeth…

i can pick things up with my feet and i can speak like a space alien.

samuel: if you could change one thing you’ve done in your life, what would it be and why?

i think that i would like to have spent more time working on music. because that’s what i get the most satisfaction from.

beckles: hi! i want to know which 3 people, living or dead, would you love/d to have picked their brain and talk about their opinions and beliefs?

christ. alexander the great. the first human to stand upright.

ivey: are u ever coming to hongkong for a concert or something?

i would really love to. i would like to tour around s.e asia, but it might have to wait until next year. so i’ll see you then, hopefully.

blue: who is your favorite superhero?

maybe rohrschach from the watchmen.

spforever: are you still mad at the smashing pumpkins (well, even though they are broken up and all now) for not remixing one of your songs after you did that sick remix of 1979 for them??

no i was never mad. i was just trying to be funny. oftentimes when i think i’m being funny other people take me way too seriously. that dry new-england wit, i guess…

fozzybear: moby, what is your favourite book and why?

oh boy, so many favourites…’once and future king’ ‘jungle books’ ‘stranger in a strange land’ ‘enders game’ ‘a good man is hard to find’ ‘the moviegoer’ ‘dune’ etc..

tecknomonk: i’m going to be in nyc next week to see you at the tibet concert. is there a way we can meet up or something?

i would love to, but unfortunately i’ll be quite busy performing and getting ready. sorry, mr. monk.

teamblondie: do you ever see yourself settling down reading the morning paper with your wife by your side as your kids eat their cereal with soy milk of course?

i would hope that if i find myself at a breakfast table with my future wife and children that i wouldn’t be so self-involved as to spend my time reading. i would rather talk to them and find out about their lives.

lizzie: can i come & keep you company?

o.k. when?

imajesty: do you think that you are a genius? you are always very modest, but your music is so remarkable that i know that you are a genius, do you? what do you think is different about your creative process?

i don’t think that i’m a genius. i just think that i work hard and that i love music. perhaps i’m a strange combination of genetic and cultural influences, but i don’t think of myself as a genius, more like i’m a weirdo.

more later.
moby

melissaclaire: from your last north american tour, did you have a favorite venue?

hmm…red rocks was pretty amazing, as was the greek in l.a, and i really loved being able to play at the hammerstein ballroom in nyc, and i guess i loved almost all of them, even the weird anonymous ones.

lisawoj: can you please explain the meaning behind the lyrics to “”honey””?

oh, boy…i knew this day would come…i should probably keep the meaning of the lyrics to ‘honey’ to myself…they’re really, really dirty. i didn’t write them, however. a lot of people would definitely be offended if they knew what the song was about.

rainbow: if you had to chose one philosopher that you agree with most of his opinions who would it be?

hmm…ludwig wittgenstein? maybe bertrand russel? christ?

seekingwhat: why?

that’s good, tag team questions…all three of them deal with the limits of objective knowledge and then propose practical ways to get around our inability to understand things on an objective level.

faith: moby what is your favourite colour?

i’m wishy-washy, i like all of them.

kanna: what would you do if you werenâ«t making music?

i would love to be an architect or a city planner/builder. architects are my heroes. like eero saarinen or oscar niedermeyer.

californiadream: how did you become such a deep, intelligent, understanding, and compassionate person? is it from all the reading you do or were you just born that way?

well, assuming that i happen to be any of those things i would imagine that it’s the result of genetics and circumstance. if i’m deep, intelligent, etc it’s probably cos deep down i’m a loser and if i were arrogant and dumb i wouldn’t have any friends..

bt: “”could you possibly send me an autographed picture of yourself?””not for me,but for “”rock for tots””,which is an annual event to raise money to buy christmas presents for children from very poor households in the local area(chillicothe,ohio).your autographed pic could be auctioned off at that benefit concert,all the proceeds go to local charities (i can provide a list for you).

yes, of course. please send the information to the moderator and they’ll get it to me. i’d be thrilled to help out. thanks.

daisyo: which third world country would you like to change if you were to rule a third world country? and what or how do you think you could help it?

i already answered this…see my earlier answer about madagascar.

manifest: if someone in the know offered you the knowledge of what happens after we die, would you accept it and why/why not?

oh yes, i’d love to know. why? it might change the way that i lead my life now. in fact, i’m sure it would change the way in which i lead my life now, but i’m not sure how.

kaasi: last summer, when you performed at arvikafestivalen in sweden, in between to songs, you said something short about your guitar – but at the time it all went to quickly, i didn’t catch what you said… but last november, swedish radio broadcasted a recording of the concert, and this time i got it! you said something like (before bodyrock) “”..and i sat down with my thrusty carlo robelli guitar, which anyone can afford because it costs 150$…”” carlo robelli! aha! but…there are many different carlo robelli’s…so my question is: which carlo robelli guitar was it that you were talking about?

i don’t know…it’s black and it works pretty well and it’s really inexpensive. i don’t know much about guitars, i just like it when they sound nice.

laurence: moby, will u performed unplugged on stage ?

one of my dreams is to do an mtv unplugged.

spark: who is singing in “”why does my heart””?

oh, it’s in the liner notes…’the shining light gospel choir’

willisgirl2: are you straight, gay or bi?

i’m straight. but as i said in an earlier update, i wish it wasn’t an issue. i want to live in a world where everyone is comfortable with their own sexual orientation, and where no one is judged by their sexual orientation. but for the record, i like women.

asianlonghornbeetle: in your interview with “”interview”” magazine (july, 2000), you spoke briefly of women, and how we seem to be attracted to public and quasi-public figures. a phenomenon, not a character flaw, i think is how you stated it. as a result of this phenomenon, do you find it difficult to make ‘meaningful’ connections with women who may be outside of your work environment?

the way i see it is that attraction is based on many things, fame or public-figuredom included. i’m attracted to beauty, but beauty alone can’t sustain a relationship. so, thusly, if someone is only attracted to me cos i’m a public figure then it’s not necessarily going to sustain a relationship. and a good rapport can be based on many things and it can happen with many people, regardless of work environment.

kerianne: i think that the best thing about this site is the wonderful loving community of intelligent people who share ideas. it is getting harder and harder to find that sort of a community.

thanks. me, too.

brakywaky: have you ever been to the finger lakes? are your neighbors nice?

no, but my mother and step father used to go their a lot back when she was alive.
yes, very. a bit odd at times, but very nice.

sonicsin2001: i would like to ask moby what his thoughts are on multi-channel music recordings such as dolby digital 5.1 or dts.

you mean multi channel surround sound? i think it’s fascinating, and i’m excited about a time when it becomes an audio standard.

nanenitte: do you need someone who improves your sleep? perhaps i can help you.

i sleep quite well when i’m home. but i’m curious to know how you might help.

vlkswagen: is it wrong to like a musician’s music but not agree with that person’s lyrics?(not yours…)

no, not at all. i feel that way about a lot of hip hop artists.

suzieq: i was wondering what an average day was like for you? (e.g. what kind things do you like to do? where do you like to hang out?)

wake up around 3 or 4 p.m
make breakfast
check email
go into my studio and work on music
have lunch/dinner(9pm)
meet up with friends and go out to do stupid things come home(2 a.m)
work in studio until 8 a.m
sleep.

sandy: when faced with an exciting yet overwhelming personal challenge, how do you handle fears of failure and the unknown?

like most people. i get nervous and excited and afraid and excited. overall it’s a positive thing.

shatteredsunshine: where the heck did you get that vocal loop on “”my weakness””?

i wish i knew…i honestly don’t remember.

carolyns: moby- would a one-legged duck swim in circles in a pond? or would he find a way to make himself go strait?

i’m sure that he would eventually learn how to swim straight.

nitebird: ive always wondered if you had any pets growing up or any now?

lots of pets when i was growing up, dogs, cats, rats, gerbils, hamsters, etc. but none now, sadly. i do love to play with my neighbors pit bull, peanut.

belou: think back to your montreal show on october 17th, 2000. layoma and i weren’t able to get a pass to your after party so we waited outside in the cold for you. you finally came out at about 1:30am or so. we were the only 2 people waiting outside for you and you signed our posters and my cd (and you were really very nice to us, by the way) and you posed for a picture with us. so, this is my question: do you remember us?

yes, of course. and i remember my guilt at realizing that people had been waiting in the cold for so long. if i had known you were there i would’ve come out much sooner.

tracey: what coutries would you like to visit if you ever took a long ( ie several month )vacation ?

patagonia. antarctica. scotland. tibet. nepal. new zealand. micronesia. sri lanka.

jcubed: do you track modules to create your music, and have you ever released any under another name, perhaps online, to “”test the market””?

i’ve put out lots of records under different names, but usually just for fun, never to ‘test the market’.

anicechianti: was there a defining moment in your life that compelled you to adopt veganism?

hmm…not one defining moment, per se. just the cumulative weight of lots and lots of evidence that compelled me into veganism.

hifi1: my question for moby is what are the chances of playing music with him? i am an accomplished drummer and would love the chance to play with him, and not as a job opportunity for me, i have a job.

right now i have a great drummer with whom i work, scott frassetto, but who knows what might happen in the future?

konzi: how did you become/why do you are such a lovely, understanding, intelligent, inspiring and fascinating human?

someone else asked a very similar question. and my answer was, basically, i don’t see myself in those terms, but i find it very flattering that you do. if i’m any of those things it would be as a result of genetics and upbringing. and the fact that if i weren’t relatively nice and interesting i wouldn’t have any friends, cos i don’t really have all that much else going for me.

frobiaz: what or who inspired you to write ã‡the sky is brokenãˆ?

lots of situations kind of rolled into one song…the first half of the song is me imagining the apocalypse hitting new york. and the second half is me imagining waking up next to someone in the middle of the night and feeling that otherworldly connection that you can have with someone when you’re sleeping next to them.

anyonehearing: do you believe in fate?

hmm…i think that to some extent i do. but a qualified and non-absolute fate, perhaps. more like a biological and ontological pre-disposition.

cayla: how do you feel about the priest that went on a shooting spree in the abortion clinic?

disgusted and sad. he obviously was either a lunatic or possessed by some scary demons or both. i’m pro-choice but i don’t like abortion. but even though i don’t like abortion i would fight tooth and nail to protect a womans right to choose. these insane right to life people (‘anti-choice’, as they’re often called these days) worry me and frighten me and i don’t see much christ-like compassion in their actions.

bjorkdoll: you’ve mentioned in one of your updates what you consider one of the episodes in your simpsons’ top ten (war of the simpsons). what are the other nine?

ok, little tree house of horrors where homer goes back in time-5, little tree house of horrors where the big signs come to life-6, the one where homer is reunited with his mom, the one where homer is banned from mo’s and marge goes to a shrink, the one where they have a party and homer gets drunk(marriage retreat), marge in ‘streetcar named desire’, homer quits church and burns down the house, mr. plow, duff gardens(where lisa drinks the water), the story of maggies birth, bart sells his soul(one of the all time best, without question), lisa becomes a vegetarian, sideshow bob steals a nuclear bomb, where kirk and lou-anne van-houten get divorced, where homer meets his spirit guide after eating the psychedelic peppers, frank grimes episode
ok, that’s more than 9…

djsum: i am a starting up dj and was wondering if i was ever up in your neck of the woods, could we maybe meet up and you could teach me some crazy dj skills?

i’m not much of ‘crazy skills’ kind of dj. in fact i don’t really dj all that much anymore, even though i do enjoy it. but good luck.

adi: got any good pancake recipes?

whole wheat flour, some baking powder, soy milk, blueberries, organic maple syrup and that’s pretty much all that you need.

horsewhisperer “”if you could sing a song in front of the god, what would it be?””

i think i would ask him/her for a request.

frostedflake20: i heard rumors a while back that you might make a version of play with guest musicians and vocalists on the various songs (including the kelis, gwen stefani, and elton john stuff). will such a version be released?

i’ve done versions of songs with the aforementioned musicians, but these versions will only available on singles(with gwen’s ‘southside’ being the only exception).

arrows: if you had to go on a desert island…. what would the three things you bring with you and why?

i’m sorry if this is an annoying answer, but: 1-a shipping container filled with food and seeds. to eat and then be able to grow more food. 2-a library with thousands and thousands of books. to read and then read some more. 3-a piano that would never go out of tune. to play music when i’m not busy eating or reading(which kind of sounds like my life now).

amanda: what is it like to be you?

umm. it’s odd. i still have a perception of me that was formed over 35 relatively normal years(insofar as a year can be normal), so it’s strange for me to adjust to a world where i’m a quasi-celebrity. when i say that it’s strange i don’t mean that it’s unpleasant, it’s just that i feel as if my perception of myself is at odds with how other people might perceive me. i still think that other people are celebrities, not me. and i still feel like a loser(really), and i probably will feel that way for the rest of my life(because in my heart of hearts i know that’s what i happen to be).

cyberscot: moby would you ever consider doing a private concert for board members ?

i would love to. the difficulty there would be the logistics of trying to put together such a thing. problem one is that most of the board members seem to live in far-flung places. if everyone lived in gibraltar and i lived in gibraltar then it would be easy. but we don’t. problem two is that to put on a concert is such a huge endeavor, involving around 40 people and lots and lots of equipment. and it’s expensive. so maybe we could just do a little concert where i play the tin-whistle and you all throw garbage at me.

jakerohode: what do you think the most important thing in life would be?

it’s a toss up between honesty, humility, striving, dogs, swimming, forgiveness, pianos, hmm… i’m sorry, i just don’t know. being nice to people is always a good default answer, though. the old cliche: ‘its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice’

picosecond: which of your own songs do you like the least and why? which do you like the most & why?

oh, i don’t know how to answer that. there are so many different types of songs… i wish i had a good answer, but i’m sorry, i don’t. sorry.

pinndersshlott: are you happy? what are your goals and dreams? what do you have to do before you die?

happy? yes.
goals? to figure out a way to travel through time and space at will and to live as long as i choose to live. to spend a lot of time swimming and playing with dogs. to understand things better. to make nice music.
before i die? see a whale in the ocean. see the northern lights. see a tornado. see the earth from outer space. fall asleep mext to someone that i really and truly love.

annefrank: could you help me get joni mitchell to perform in the memory of a friend of mine who died?

i don’t know joni mitchell personally, so i don’t know how i would be able to help you with this. i’m very sorry. and i’m sorry about your friend.

pearly: i wondered what general area in which you lived was, so me and my best friend could go to the city, and just hang out near your block?

under strict orders from my managers i’m not allowed to answer questions about where i live. i’m sorry, if it was up to me i’d tell you in a second, cos i remember you and you seemed like a nice person. but my managers have this crazy idea that if i let my address be known that i might attract lunatics who might think that shooting me will quiet the nasty voices in their heads…
p.s-i’ve also been told that shooting me definitely will not quiet the voices in a crazy persons head.

thenavigater: ok, my high schools jazz band is most likely going to play in new york city at some festival during the second or third week of april. the details are still being worked out, but if we do play, would/could you come down to watch us?

well, if you post the information i can certainly try to come and see you perform. if i don’t see you guys perform, good luck anyway.

cosmogirl: is fame really difficult to handle?

well, i don’t know. it’s quite possible that fame is corrupting me even as i write this. i don’t feel corrupted, but then again, who does? i’ve always thought that fame on the madonna/brad pitt/eminem level would be very difficult to handle, but on my little level it’s actually kind of nice. it enables me to meet more people and it provides me with a larger audience for the music that i make. i spent so many years making music that no one ever listened to. now it’s nice to be able to put out a record and actually have people listen to it. and one of the really nice things about fame is that it demystifies itself. by that i mean that it’s kind of difficult to romanticize celebrities too much when they become your peers. famous people only seem so attractive cos on one hand they’re so intimate (through their work) and on the other hand they’re so remote. ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, as it were. trust me, if i came to your house for a few days i would suddenly seem a lot less interesting.

emibean: if you could be incontrol of any 3rd world country, which would it be and what would you do to make it a better place?

umm…madagascar. i have a strange affinity for madagascar even though i’ve never been there. i would work as hard as possible to put an end to clear-cutting, and try to implement policies that would encourage sustainable farming practices, tourism, and light industry. i would tax tourism and tourist spending and use the money to improve education.

ixsabrinaxl: boxers of briefs?

i’ve been trained by every woman i’ve ever dated to wear boxer shorts. for some reason women seem to have a great aversion to briefs. so, boxers.

estrella: frederic chopin or eric satie?

well, probably eric satie, because he wanted to make music to blend in with the sound of people eating dinner. and i love chopin’s music, but he was a virulent anti-semite, and that makes it a bit difficult for me to like him too much.

princess: i was wondering if you would be willing to do a benefit concert for my development project in south america?

this is a hard question. it’s hard because the truth is that benefit concerts almost never make money for the cause that’s supposedly being benefitted. more often than not people try to put on a benefit concert and then after renting the venue, renting the p.a, paying the crew, paying security, paying insurance, paying for promotion, etc. there’s nothing left but new debts. this is one reason that i would almost rather donate money to a cause than play a benefit concert for a cause. the main goal of a benefit concert should be to raise awareness. and you should try to get sponsers to pay for it. so, to answer your question, maybe , yes.

kiya: does moby shave his own head or does he have it professionally done?

oh, i do it myself. but it’s not really ‘shaving’, it’s more ‘clipping’. i use clippers, and not a razor. i used a razor this summer. just once. and it felt so weird that i vowed never to do it again. with clippers you still have stubble, which is normal. with a razor you just have skin. weird, soft, scalp skin. which feels really strange.

octo: would you consider doing an entire film score?

maybe someday. right now i just want to make music for my own records. and regarding contemporary film scores…most of them dissapoint me. so many contemporry film scores sound alike, and i find that to be a big dissapointment. obviously there are some great film scores being made that serve as the exception to my disappointing rule.

krystal: do you like the pet shop boys??

yes. they’re a great electro-pop band. i have to say that my favourite psb song is their medley of ‘where the streets have no name/and that other song i can’t remember right now’

elissabird: what kind of shoes were those you were wearing in cribs…the red and white ones.

oh no, were they really ugly? uh-oh. i think i was wearing these weird hip-hop basketball shoes that were pretty hoffifying. i was wearing them cos someone gave them to me and they seemed like the last thing in the world that i would ever actually wear, so i wore them as a challenge to my narrow-mindedness. i haven’t seen cribs yet. so i don’t know if i was wearing the ugly shoes that i’m thinking of.

petra777: what would be your 3 favourite female singers if you based it only on vocal ability and not composition (music) and why?

hmm…umm…elizabeth fraser, donna summer, patti paige. cos they all move me with their beautiful voices.

blaisebaileyfinnegan: moby, why do you think so many americans (comparatively) are so apathetic when it comes to issues and questions of political, economic, and social importance in their lives? in other words, why is hedonism the value of the age?

well, to make sweeping generalizations:
1-we live in times of unprecedented peace and prosperity. peace and prosperity are soporifics. benign soporifics, but they’ve put us to sleep ethically.
2-we are all so disconnected from the actual world that surrounds us that we have, objectively speaking, lost our minds.
3-the pursuit of biological life is always subjective well-being. one of our problems is that we’ve gotten too good at it and eliminated the basis for juxtaposition with which well-being has traditionally been defined (i.e- a warm home in winter meant a lot more when having a warm home was hard to accomplish)

paws: how did you come to hook up with jill scott (incredible voice!!)? and the blue men group?

i’m sorry, it’s a good question but my answer might be dull…ken ehrlich, a man brings musicians to the grammy’s, came up with the idea of this strange collaboration. so it’s really his doing.

radish: what do you think of u.s senator strom thurmond’s likely departure after serving 46 years in the u.s senate? do you believe the democrats have a chance at the vacant senate seat?

now if only jesse helms would leave…i don’t know what sort of chance the democrats will have when strom thurmond leaves. last i heard he was grooming a relative of his for the seat. good old nepotism.

louiseangel: do you ever feel like your intelligence is a burden, for example you can’t ‘switch off’ or stop thinking when you’re trying to have fun and so this causes you to get stressed out, or what about when you are speaking to people who do not have the same level of intelligence and this poses a communication barrier?

well, i think that my brain is ok when it comes to analytical things, but i don’t think of myself as being particularly intelligent. almost everyone i know is smarter than me in many ways. my brain is really slow and obtuse when it comes to lots of regular, everyday things. and i don’t feel troubled speaking to people with a different level of intelligence. i’ve kind of resigned myself to the fact that no one else is all that interested in the odd things that i’m interested in. which might be kind of sad, but in my mind it’s not. i just have a conversational world with everyone else, and my own little solipsistic world with myself.

more later….
moby