Historical Figure
Moby
b. 1965
American musician (born 1965)
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Biography
Richard Melville Hall, known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom".
In Their Own Words (5)
It will be interesting to see what the long term fruits of our national apathy will be, 'cos so far they've been pretty foul.
"?", journal entry (20 January 2003) at moby.com , 2003
One simple word: ugh. Is something still considered a conspiracy if it's played out right under our noses?
"oil industry", journal entry (21 January 2003) at moby.com , 2003
For example, you can go on all the pro-life chat rooms and say you're an outraged right-wing voter and that you know that George Bush drove an ex-girlfriend to an abortion clinic and paid for her to get an abortion.Then you go to an anti-immigration website chat room and ask, "What's all this about George Bush proposing amnesty for illegal aliens?"
Quoted in "Punk the prez? Moby's anti-Bush tricks" by George Rush and Joanna Rush Molloy, New York Daily News (9 February 2004); for Moby's comment on this news item, see "today's daily news", journal entry (8 February 2004) at moby.com , 2004
He was searchingBlindly night and dayThis life, there must be more Breaking beauty,Just to stay awakeHis heart was like a stone
The Last Day, from the album Innocents (October 1, 2013), co-written with Skylar Grey. , 2013
You are a liar. You are inept. You are probably the worst president that the United States has ever had to endure. You are not welcome in NYC.
Addressed to George W. Bush in "go home, gw", journal entry (10 September 2006) at moby.com , 2006
Timeline
The story of Moby, told in moments.
Born Richard Melville Hall in Harlem, New York. His family claims descent from Herman Melville. His father died in a car crash when he was two. His mother raised him in Darien, Connecticut, on food stamps. Punk kid in a rich suburb.
Releases "Go," a techno track built on a sample from the Twin Peaks theme. It hits the UK top ten. He's a vegan, Christian, straight-edge electronic musician in a scene fueled by drugs. He doesn't fit anywhere and fits everywhere.
Releases Play. Every label rejects it. He licenses every track for commercials, films, and TV shows. The album sells 12 million copies. "Porcelain" is in everything. He's turned rejection into the most commercially licensed album in history.
Publishes his memoir Then It Fell Apart. He writes about alcoholism, celebrity, and loneliness at the height of fame. He also claims to have dated Natalie Portman. She disputes it. The controversy overshadows the book.
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