I am musician, dj, photographer and director Moby, ask me anything!

hi, i'm here a few minutes early. which is not something cool musicians ever say. so, clearly i'm not cool.

...so this isn't the Dean from Community?

actually no, it's michael stipe.

Thanks for doing this AMA. Do you hate Eminem for dissing you!?

no, i think apart from his misogyny and homophobia he's an amazingly talented rapper. and it's amazing to me that he's had such a long and successful career. so, kudos to him.

I'm guessing you've seen the Not Moby episode of How I Met Your Mother. How did you feel about it?

i'im all in favor of criminals pretending to be me.

Hey Moby! Big fan of your music. I'm curious - what inspired you to go vegan?

mainly the fact that i love animals and don't want to be involved in anything that causes or contributes to animal suffering. also i never really liked meat that much, unless it neither looked or tasted like meat. like taco filling. but mainly because i love animals and don't want them to suffer. death is unavoidable, suffering is avoidable.

Hi Moby. No question, I just want to say that as a chronically depressed individual, making a remix of "Almost Home" for the past month has been extremely helpful to me as very few things make me excited to get out of bed most days. So thank you for the music, it's a really great song.

thank you! this means a lot to me. please take care of yourself. eat well, get plenty of sleep, spend time with people you like, do work that you love.

Hello good sir. For my entire life I have thought 'Extreme Ways' is one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the world. What was the inspiration that created that gem? Best of luck to you in all endeavors.

at the time i wrote i was being way too social...drinking too much, going out 6 or 7 nights a week, staying out until 7 a.m every night(morning). so 'extreme ways' was written about that time and the exciting but soul ravaging degeneracy that was a big part of my life then. thanks.

How did South Side go from being a Moby solo track to Moby featuring Gwen Stefani?

oh, someone from my label played it for her and she liked it. i wish i had a better answer.

Hey Moby, long time fan here.

If you could use only one synth for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

Also just wanna thank you for your fantastic music and for you being a great guy. Your music got me through some tough times.

Cheers :)

one synth...probably the roland jupiter 6. or the juno 106. nope, the jupiter6. i bought mine from joey beltram back in the 50's when eisenhower was president. actually in 1992.

I’m sure many will say this, but your music and writing was very influential in my teens/early twenties, and remains so today. I would sit in my room and listen to Animal Rights and rock out harder than I’d ever done before, dancing around with headphones, only to sit down in somber reflection while reading the essays you wrote inside the liner notes to your albums while listening to “God Moving over the Face of the Waters”.

While I am not personally a Vegan/Vegetarian, seeing how you view the subject in the things you’ve written + things you’ve said in interviews has definitely given me a better appreciation of the situation with how animals are treated today. My favorite song you have ever created, “Everloving” (it became my favorite while watching you play it live on the Jools Holland show from your Play DVD), was beautifully used in a documentary I watched on YouTube about that very subject. Thank you for opening my mind in that regard. I like to think that I make better choices now in regards to what I eat because of that.

Seeing your DJ set live last April at Coachella was nothing short of astonishing. I’d seen you perform in concert before, but the DJ set just felt so electric, so… alive!

All in all, I just want to say thank you for the music you create, the words you write, and the photographs you take. I’m sure you realize it, but in case you don’t: you have a HUGE positive influence on SO MANY people’s lives, mine included. Thank you so much.

Sorry for the long buildup – it’s just that you’re a major icon of mine, and have been for almost half of my life – but here’s my actual question:

What single artist/band has been your favorite choice to open for you in concert? I saw Buck 65 open for you in Seattle years ago, and was blown away. But who has been your favorite?

it's a hard question, as i want to be polite and diplomatic. but years ago i went on tour with hybrid and we had more fun than was humanly possible. oh, and years ago goldfrapp opened up for me and i really love goldfrapp. and my high school punk rock band, vatican commandos, once had agnostic front open up for us. that was our claim to fame...

What are your favourite films?

And food?

films: godfather2, southpark bigger longer uncut, starship troopers, dead man walking, lost highway, inland empire, strictly ballroom, apocalypse now. food: vegan tacos at real food daily. vegan ravioli at sage. the vegan chili at angelica's. the vegan deserts at gratitude. the kale salad at crossroads.

What's your honest opinion on dubstep music?

i love it. some of those sounds and basslines when heard loud are just amazing, even if they make me have to go to the toilet.

Mr. Moby! You're amazing on two levels: Not only is your music great, but the fact that you've made a huge selection of your songs available to license for free for independent movies is really something that I and a lot of other independent filmmakers treasure and really appreciate. Mostly I just want to make sure that this gets even more attention, but I'm also curious about a couple of things:

1. What was the inspiration behind this project?
2. And loosely related: If you had the opportunity to remake the soundtrack for an already existing movie, which one would you choose?

1-i grew up with a lot of indie and experimental filmmakers and i wanted to be of service to the indie and experimental film community. plus it's a way to get some of my stranger music heard... 2-hm. andy warhol's 'empire state'?

Why does my heart feel so bad?

trans fats?

Hey! Just want to say I'm a big fan of your stuff! My question is what do you believe someone needs to become a musician, specifically in your field, electronic music?

1-the inability to do anything else. 2-a huge love for electronic music. 3-a computer. 4-a midi keyboard(although this is optional for many producers).

Hi Moby,

You've been around to see some of the more exciting changes in electronic music. Many of the changes that we've seen as listeners and fans have been on the distribution side.

What are some things that you can do when producing a record today that you couldn't do, say, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago?

20 or 30 years ago in order to make electronic music you needed a big room full of complicated equipment and the ability to somehow make it all work together(midi, din sync, patch bays, sysex, etc). now all you need a laptop. it's a huge change, and incredibly egalitarian. also 20 or 30 years ago you needed someone at a label to pay to have your music put on vinyl and shipped to stores. now you can upload your music to soundcloud and beatport 30 seconds after you finish mixing it.

What was the inspiration behind your song "Porcelain"?

another in a long string of sad, failed relationships...

Hey Moby what is your favourite hardware sampler?

hardware sampler...the akai s950. but mine is currently in storage collecting dust, sadly...

Hello Moby! Do you like toads? cheers, an amphibian who likes your music

PS: My tadpoles like your music as well

i do. very much. i will be very sad when global warming and toxins kill off all the toads and frogs and salamanders. here's hoping we, as humans, figure out a way to be less stupid.

Hey Moby, welcome to reddit. I teach science and I actually use your lyric "we are all made of stars" to remind my students that we and everything in the known universe are basically made up of all the same things found in stars.

My question to you is what was it like on the set of 30 Rock with all those other musicians?

Bonus question: do people ever come up to you on the street thinking you're the Dean from community?

being on 30 rock was amazing, as i've watched each episode about 50 times. the only downside was that while i was playing with tina fey's baby she threw up(the baby, not tina fey)and i felt responsible. and oh, all of us little bald white guys wearing glasses kind of look the same.

Not a question, but a Thank you:

Hi Moby, thanks for taking the time to do this AmA! I’m really exited to “talk“ to you here because I am a huge fan of your music and wanted to say “thank you“ for making music: Your music was there to pick me up when I was feeling down and helped me through some hard times (I’m im love with your album “Innocents“!).

Thank you for your music, thank you for making this world a better place! Compassion & nonviolence for the people, the planet and the animals <3

thank you!

Is it true no one listens to techno?

Also!

Favorite Eminem song?

well, considering there are countless huge techno events happening in every country i think it's safe to say that yes, people are listening to techno.. my favorite eminem song is 'mosh'. and 'without me', because he gave me some amazing free publicity.

Hi there Moby! Big thank you for doing this AMA! What album/song of yours is your favorite? Is there a special reason for it? Thanks

probably 'god moving over the waters'. there's something about it, it's melodic qualities, it's emotional qualities, that still really resonates with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tI1pu5rfZw

Hey Moby! I saw you live in Austin, TX at some shitty outdoor venue in the middle of the day during SxSW. You came on after Skrillex, and you absolutely blew me away. Incredible set, and I haven't been able to get enough of your music since.

Your live set was a lot different than a lot of the stuff you produce. How do you decide what kind of music you play live?

yes, it's confusing. my records are fairly quiet and my dj sets are really loud. and then the live shows are like a robot soul revue. so i understand people's confusion. i honestly haven't thought much about what to play and where, perhaps i should...it seems like most musicians are better at that than i am.

Hey Moby! Thanks for doing this AMA.

My personal favorite songs by you are easily more instrumental ones (South Side, We Are All Made of Stars, etc.). Is there a chance we will be seeing more of songs like this from you in the future?

i'm working on my next album right now. well, not 'right now', as right now i'm responding to your question. but it's possible there will be more songs like those in the future.

Hello Moby! I'm one of your biggest fans; thank you for your beautiful music and for your support of animals' rights.

My question is: what are some of your favorite vegan/vegetarian foods?

P.S. I heard 'The Perfect Life' playing in DownTown Disney yesterday! I was so excited! :)

oh, i answered this at length earlier, take a look here thanks!

[deleted]

yes, thanks! favorite hiking trail: pretty much anything in the angeles national forest. tea: organic white peony from fujian province, in china. thanks!

Hey Mr Richard, my biggest dream is to have a talk with You, I've always dreamed about sharing our points of view, philosophy apects, about world and the sense of it. I know your very intelligent person, sometimes I wonder If it will ever be such a possibility to even shake hands or at least see you live. I'm 16, and Your my very big autority and I have so much to tell you, I think I'll write a letter, to you. Do you read letters? Peace :)

i'd love to read it, thank you!

Ps. I just would like to add that I love Animal Rights and your punk-rock-metal spirit, as you have mentioned in one interview that nobody liked it :)

i'm wearing my agnostic front tshirt, so thanks!

Hi Moby. Huge fan from Argentina (makes me kinda happy to know you have relatives here!).

2 Questions:

1)You've been a huge Obama supporter. How do you feel about his administration basically spying on everyone, and what about the end of net neutrality in the US.

2)Would you like to come drink some Mate with me next time you're in Argentina? For real. I'll make vegan pancackes and/or cupcackes.

1-overturning net neutrality is a pointless tragedy, and it's consequences will be far reaching and terrible. i lobbied hard to preserve net neutrality, but we didn't have the same resources as the telecoms. 2-yes, of course! gracias!

Hi Moby, thanks for this. I just started mixing a few weeks ago, any tips for me and any other fellow noob to the mixing game? Cheers

yes, listen to other people's records compared to your mixes, and figure out what other good mixes do, and then try to incorporate that into your mixes. and then sometimes do the exact opposite. and get a good pair of speakers and good headphones.

If you were a 150 foot flesh eating dragon, what would be your favourite TV show?

cops. mainly for the theme song.

Hi Moby - thank you for doing this! Been a huge fan and our kids as well - Always have Moby playing on our road trips when they were younger.. Besides your music, really dig your photography as well - both 'arts' inspirational. Say I mailed Colin Rich a very cool custom idea for you - but I know he's been extremely busy. Any chance you could reach out to him? He'll have the details - that was one amazing video he did- I watched it continuously when it came out. Thank You, really appreciate your time, Tim C - WI-USA

i'm surprised he didn't respond, he's a great guy and usually very responsive. sometimes things(mail, packages, etc)just go missing. i'd try again.

What's the license on innocents? I can't find that info anywhere.

i mean, you need a license? just use it. it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

hey moby, saw your great essay on leaving NYC for LA. do you see yourself moving back to NYC in the future? what would have to change in the city for you to come back?

well, i love nyc. it's the city of my birth and probably the most amazing city on the planet. which is part of the problem, as now every person on the planet wants to live there, which has made rents too high for most artists and musicians. i'd return to nyc if they figured out a cure for lyme disease and if the hedge fund industry moved to greenwich.

Hi Moby!

Where did you buy those animal mask from?

ps. you are awesome!

the halloween store in burbank...

Hi Moby ! Big fan here and I still listen to Play and love it like the first time I heard it !

Do you think that CD and Records companies are still relevant ?

yes, but their relevance and utility is/are quite different than 10 or 20 years ago. now i feel like the best service provided by a record company is helping an artist to make great music and then connect them with a fan base. the old days of a record company existing to make pieces of plastic are, sadly, almost gone.

Simple question about your music taste that's been on my mind since I saw you play at Electric Zoo twice.

As a producer your style is chiller (and it goes without saying that you've made a lot of great and influential music), but when I've seen you play DJ sets you play a lot more bassheavy and varied tunes.

Are you into lots of types of electronic music (including the dubby stuff and dnb) or do you just play what you think the crowd will enjoy?

oh, i honestly love everything(sorry if that's a wishy washy answer). when i dj at big venues i try to play tracks that i would want to hear if i were e'd up in a field with 50,000 other people(even though i'm sober i remember that experience very well...)

You're the person that got me into electronic music when I was about 14. Since then, I've come a long way and have explored the depths of a lot of genres (IDM, breakcore, etc) and I just wanted to thank you. Thank you so much, Richard.

Let me think of a question. Well... is there any way I could ever buy you a cup of tea someday?

P.S.: You're the second artist on my last.fm top list. (1780 songs played) Number one is 'The Flashbulb' with 1944.

sure, happily!

Hey Moby! I’ve been a huge fan since I heard Play and have bought all your records since. One of my favorite albums ever is Hotel: Ambient. I also loved your collaborations you did with David Bowie and recently Damien Jurado. Anyways, my question: I was curious if you have ever thought about collaborating with Harold Budd? Your music started my interest in ambient music and led me to discover his and I believe if you two made an album together, I would probably die.

i used to buy a lot of the ambient records on eg years ago, so i've always like harold budd. thanks for the suggestion!

Hi Moby, I would like to ask you about your favourite bands or artist and what artist (if any) has influenced you the most? Thank you and thanks for your music.

probably david bowie and brian eno, specifically the records they made together in the mid 70's. they are a huge part of my musical dna.

Hi moby, do you practice meditation?

i do. daily. many different types. there's no wrong way to meditate. and meditation should never be a difficult practice that leads to self criticism.

Hi Moby - huge HUGE Fan - when you DJ live its the closest i get to nirvana. Any plans for a DJ set in LA anytime soon - i just hate vegas clubs more than life... music > booze... you can play in my apt if you want... you can probably even walk! right next to the standard hollywood. GOOD MUSIC AND ECO FRIENDLY! and thanks for doing an AMA - you really are one rad dude.

well, i think i'im going to be playing a live show for a charity here this month. more information to follow. thanks! and maybe some small fun dj things in the next few months.

Play changed my life for the better. For a long time I would cry every time I heard Porcelain because I thought(and still think) that it is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. I wanted to say thank you.

For my question, I am curious do you care about coffee?

i love coffee, thank you! i like my coffee like i like my romantic partners: cold and bitter and prone to giving me anxiety attacks. sorry, that's an old joke. my romantic partners have all been amazing. and i love hot black coffee. adding milk and sugar to coffee still seems like a travesty to me.

Thanks for doing this AMA!

Animal Rights is one of my all-time favorite albums, and i find it a massive shame that it was buried under so much criticism. I think it's an amazing show of how versatile you are as a musician, and it's just so raw and brilliant.

When you were making the album, did you expect it to be received with so much animosity? Also, is there any likelihood of AR getting some kind of a 'sequel'?

p.s God Moving Over the Face Of The Waters is quite possibly the most beautiful piece of music ever composed, thanks for making it.

i honestly love that animal rights was maligned, as it's become a very special album for me and a very small group of people. so, thanks! and yes, i'd love to make an ar sequel.

Hi Moby, What is your measure of success? Cheers, Anna

as a musician, success is: loving the music you make and loving the act of making music and being able to create music that finds a home in other people's lives.

Hi Moby ! Which part of Mexico do you enjoy the most?

well, to be diplomatic: i love all of mexico equally.. also i really love los angeles, which is a mexican city. o, a mi me gusto los angeles, y creo que los angeles es una ciudad mexicana.

Is there a song or sample that you really want to use but just haven't found a place for yet?

hm. i haven't worked much with samples recently, but let me think...something from led zeppelin? just not sure what...

is there any song that you...of all your catalog keep so to speakclose to you? in an emotional way?

i sort of answered this earlier, but: god moving over the face of the waters and face it(from animal rights) thanks!

Hi Moby, Thank You :)

you are welcome.

Will you come back to Norway? I have always wanted to see you live, but never been able to.

i'd love to but it's possible you're the only person in norway who would be at the concert. but yes, i'll come back even if i'm the only person on stage and you're the only person in the audience.

Hey Moby! First off, I love your music & you are my favorite musician. But for my question I would have to ask you if you plan on coming out with any more albums in the future ? I know Innocents just came out & it was amazing I just really love your music & I would love if you came out with more in the future ! Thank you so much :)

yes, hopefully a new album this year at some point. i find the fact that so few people buy albums to be strangely emancipating. there's absolutely no reason for 99% of musicians making albums to think about actually selling albums. so as a musician you can just make an album for the love of making albums.

Do you think David Bowie's amazing come back last year will inspire a new creativity in people who have moved along their career but feel that unless they stick to their traditional genre they will face oblivion.

Do you think most artists have the potential to be as creatively diverse as he has been?

Do you see yourself doing anything radically out of your comfort zone as an exercise in art?

i try not to judge other people's approach to creativity, but i do think that doing the same thing year after year is kind of soul destroying. i love stepping outside of my comfort zone, but sometimes it's nice to work with a creative lexicon or vernacular that has meaning to you. but adherence to tropes just out of habit is kind of sad.

How did you end up on Nevermind the Buzzcocks? And was it as fun as it looked?

You's pretty hilarious and cool dude!

thanks. i pretty much just say 'yes' to everything. not as a spiritual practice, but because it's more fun to do absurd tv shows than to sit in my hotel room watching cnn.

What was it like to have Gwen Stefani lick your head?

i just felt guilty. i mean, i wouldn't want to lick my head.

Hi Moby! Where's the craziest place you've played? Who has the craziest fans?

craziest place was more like craziest temperature...the 'brrrr' festival in toronto last winter. it was around 5 degrees fahrenheit on stage. i think i'm still cold as a result. but it was a really fun festival. craziest fans...hmm, slovakians. in a good way.

Hey Moby! I know you're a big fan of architecture and I've been following that LA blog for a while. Keep it up!!

So my question goes: what's your favorite building or structure in the world?

probably eero saarinen's arch in st louis. it's phenomenal in person.

Hi Moby,I heard Porcelain when I was 18 on the radio,I was amazed and at the same time I was wondering who was playing that song,my question is:What inspired you to create such a beautiful track?

A fan from Spain.

Thanks.

it's a song about being in a relationship that isn't terrible but is just sad and not working out.

Hi Moby, Your music is great, will you visit México soon?

i hope so. pero estoy viviendo en los angeles, una ciudad mexicana. ahora estoy en mexico. gracias.

Hey Moby, long time jaded electronic music fan here. I was wondering what you think about the sudden popularity shift in genres from tradition electronic music like house, techno, jungle, and drum and bass to the entire world's fascination with dubstep?

i've seen lots of electronic music trends come and go. and honestly, when they're happening they're all really exciting. at the end of the day i just think that people make cool music when they're playing around with synthesizers and drum machines...

Hi Moby i love you!!!

not a question, but thanks!

Are there any new genres of music that particularly appeal to you?

hm. i love a lot of tribal techno, even though it's not necessarily new.

Hey Moby!

Are you a cat or dog person, and why? Thnx

well, i'm wishy washy, i love them both. sorry, i know that's annoying.

What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during this year?

encourage scalia and thomas and co. to move to condos on the moon. also hope that the house of representatives is disbanded.

Are you ever going to do another track with Gwen Stefani?

i like her, but i doubt we'd do another song together. she seems pretty busy being a happy mom!

Hey Moby, I have always associated you with the Wizard of Oz!

which character? i'll take the tin man or the wizard, if possible. or one of the flying monkeys, simply because i think it would be cool to be a flying monkey.

One of my fondest memories was seeing you at the Odeon concert club in Cleveland in 1999. There was a lighting problem and you had to improvise, so you took requests from the audience. I believe among the songs played were 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Freebird' it was pretty amazing that you managed to take a technical difficulty and turn it into one of the most surreal moments of my life. Kudos, sir Moby.

If you were able to score a film from a director of your choosing, who would it be, and which genre would you prefer to work in?

Thanks

either david lynch or takeshi kitano, thanks!

• What comes first, music or lyrics?
• What your song writing days are like? (from the time you wake up till the time you sleep)

1-music. i like lyrics, but i'm not very good at writing them. 2-breakfast. exercise. studio from noon-6. dinner. studio from 9-12. ideally. that would be a good day.

Hello Moby! Tell me a place in the world you like? When you come to Mexico? Do you speak spanish? Un lugar en el mundo que te guste mucho :)

puedo hablar un poquito de espanol, pero soy un gringo ignorante de los estados unidos. lastima, si.