Rachel Cernansky
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It was a big eco-weekend for Boulder. First, the electric car came to town for Tesla's gallery opening on Friday night, and then on Sunday, Moby and Nellie McKay closed out the weekend with a performance at the Boulder Theater for Etown, a radio show that mixes "music and message" and is aired on NPR nationwide.
The show is structured so that performance alternates with live conversation, so after Moby played his first two songs (from his latest album, which has a more somber tone than his often upbeat and dance-y sound; he warned that if any DJ were to play it at a club, they'd be fired on the spot), he sat down with co-host Nick Forster for a chat. They covered everything from how he got the name Moby (it was more fitting for his "Elmer Fudd" appearance as a baby than Richard Melville Hall, the official name his parents had already settled on for a boy—so "for 44 years, I've been saddled with my infant joke nickname") to the history of his career, from night club DJ to celebrity activist, to his thoughts on George Bush, "the worst president this country's ever had," and on life in general: "the only worthwhile purpose of our lives is being an activist."
On seeing results: California
He followed up with the very recent story of the most effective activism he's ever been involved in: upon learning that Governor Schwarzenegger pulled state funding from domestic violence programs, Moby donated the profits from his California shows to domestic violence shelters and agencies. He then helped launch a media campaign on the issue, a week and a half into which, he said, state legislators called an emergency meeting to reinstate the $16 million worth of funding, a bill that Schwarzenegger signed about a week later.
The conversation touched on Moby's efforts in Africa to reduce deaths from traffic accidents—the number one killer on the continent of people aged 5 to 27, according to some statistics—by simply distributing reflectors for people to carry at night, which Moby said has already reduced the number of incidents in Uganda by half.
The meat of the conversation
If Forster thought he could get back to the music without talking about climate change, however, he was mistaken. Moby made sure to emphasize the need to address animal production in the global conversation about climate change. He recounted a conversation with Al Gore in which Moby asked why meat and dairy consumption aren't being talked about: Gore responded that it's just too inconvenient a truth for most people. But omitting the role of animals raised for food from efforts to address climate change is, said Moby, "like talking about lung cancer without talking about cigarettes."
He's not trying to browbeat people into a vegan lifestyle, he said; he's just making it clear that "the role of animal production has to be looked at honestly and objectively."
And then he got back to the music.
Nellie's turn
Next up was Nellie McKay, who, if you don't know her, is also an outspoken vegan, but the obvious similarities between the two performers end there. Her latest album is a tribute to Doris Day, whom she said she emulated even during high school. When people would comment that she looked like an old lady, she would take it as a compliment and say "thank you."
When Nick Forster complimented her on her gold-sequened, long-sleeved coat dress, however, she said: "I'm actually in costume for Halloween. I'm either a Tupperware dealer or a McCain. I can't decide."
She continued on to more serious conversation—unable to take a compliment, but happy to talk about the important role that food plays in people's lives. And if we can stop abusing and eating animals—"once we can do that, we can eliminate all other forms of exploitation."
Etown tunes in for change
Perhaps the best part about the event is that it was just one in an entire radio series focused on musicians working for change. Check out the Etown blog to see what other issues they're tracking and artists they've featured (Cake, who has an all-solar studio, was last week's guest), or listen to Etown on your local public radio station.
Related Posts:
Electronic Artist Moby Takes on Climate Change
Introducing Instrumental on Planet Green
Electronic Music Brings Much-Needed Solar Power to Africa
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