5 hours ago
10
The first song I fell in love with
I would sit by the radio and record songs on an old Dictaphone that I found under my grandfather’s desk. I spent the summer listening over and over to I Fought the Law by the Clash. Even through a Dictaphone, it sounded like a building exploding.
The first single I bought
Convoy by CW McCall for $1 from Bradley’s discount store in Connecticut, and listened to it 40 times in a row. I think it was at that point my mom thought: “He’s both going to be a musician and an addict.”
The song I do a karaoke
I take pride that I’ve never done the same karaoke song twice. My Way by Frank Sinatra wasn’t my finest moment. Nor was In Da Club by 50 Cent. At least my Bust a Move by Young MC wasn’t as terrible as it could have been.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
I Know You Got Soul by Eric B & Rakim, from playing it 8,000 times while DJing in the 80s. The inexplicable part is why I played it every night.
The best song to play at a party
I was DJing a house party in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1989, playing hip-hop and house music. Then, out of nowhere, I played Been Caught Stealing by Jane’s Addiction, and the crowd of 15 people went crazy.
The song I can no longer listen to
Lola by the Kinks came up on a Spotify playlist, and I thought the lyrics were gross and transphobic. I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are.
The song I secretly like but tell everybody I hate
I was at Bodega in New York at 3am when My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion came on, and was surprisingly caught thinking: “God, do I like this song?” I understand if this is the end of my career, but I am a secret Céline fan.
The best song to have sex to
4′33″ by John Cage.
The song that changed my life
I Feel Love by Donna Summer still stands as just about the best piece of electronic dance music ever made. I remember hearing it in the 70s, like I was hearing the future.
The song that makes me cry
Vincent by Don McLean. By the very end, it’s so heart-breaking.
The song that gets me up in the morning
Not to Touch the Earth by the Doors. I am an unapologetic Jim Morrison fan. I know some of the stuff he did was kind of goofy, but he wrote such strange, narrative, existential lyrics, and this builds in such a cinematic way.
The song I’d like played in my funeral
Last Night by Moby, from my 2008 album of the same name, which I recorded with Sylvia Black from Brooklyn-based indie-dance trio Kudu. If someone said: “Is there one song that no one has listened to, that you presumptuously think they should?” I would point to this.
Moby’s new album Future Quiet is out now.
