Tune Up Your Mind – A Music Legend’s Journey of Self-Evolution | Moby & Lindsay Hicks

Moby (0:00)

I don't pay attention to how anyone might want to label me. Think of how strange it is that we hand our sense of self, that we hand our emotional state over to strangers, over to people we've never met.

I realized that a while ago, that I cannot stay sane and calm if I'm constantly being torn apart by the opinions of people I've never actually met.

Michael Gervais (0:39)

Okay, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. And I'm ecstatic to welcome two incredible guests to the podcast, Moby and Lindsay Hicks.

Where do I even begin with a man who only needs one name? Moby has been a prominent figure in the music scene for decades, a punk rocker turned electronica artist who sold over 20 million records worldwide. Moby's genre-defying soundscapes have captivated audience around the globe, earning him Grammy nominations, a devoted fan base, and countless of other accolades. But beyond his musical success, Moby is an activist, a filmmaker, and an author. And as you'll hear about in this conversation, his journey in life has been one of profound introspection, self-discovery, a relentless pursuit of personal growth, of making a difference in the lives of others.

Lindsay Hicks brings her own unique brilliance to the table. She's a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert recognized for her collaboration with Moby to amplify the message of climate change activism.

Together, Moby and Lindsay, they have formed an extraordinary partnership, blending their passions for music, activism, and thought-provoking conversations into the recently launched Moby Pod. Now, in this conversation, we delve deep, deep into how to navigate pivotal moments and deep challenges in life. And I think they mentioned doing the deep work in therapy about 45 times in this conversation. They are beacons for the commitment to self-discovery and the resilience to keep going. We're all creating something in life. And it was a breath of fresh air to experience the authenticity Moby and Lindsay brought to this conversation, to what they are creating. And I can't wait to share their insights. So with that, let's get into this week's conversation with Moby and Lindsay Hicks.

Moby, you've been at the forefront of your industry for so long. I've loved your music. I've loved how you contributed to the rhythm of the world. You've had an expansive career across multiple decades. Now, the thing that I'm curious about, though, is I know your music. And oddly enough, this is one of the reasons I'm so excited for this conversation, is I don't feel like I know you. And I'm not sure if that's because you've wanted it that way or it's just I've missed all the cues. But I just want to start with this appreciation. And then secondly, I wanted to kind of have this really big, hairy question, like, who is Moby?

Moby (3:36)

Yeah, I guess.

I mean, I'm trying to think about what parts of me might be enigmatic. And I mean, I know myself to the extent that I'm bored of myself most of the time. So the idea of me being sort of mysterious or enigmatic, it's like, well, I mean, I don't know how enigmatic I was earlier when I was cleaning my downstairs bathroom. But and that's one thing I learned a long time ago is like, for a while I had a professional cleaning person. But when I was growing up, I used to clean houses with my mom because I grew up very, very poor. And I was watching this professional cleaner in my house. I was like, why am I paying someone to do what I actually find kind of like rewarding and comforting? So I got rid of my professional cleaner.

And since then, one of my forms of meditation is cleaning and even cleaning the stuff that no one wants to touch, like cleaning toilets. And so I don't know if that in any way is germane to what you're asking. But like I grew up very poor and started playing music when I was around nine years old. And I studied music theory and classical music. But then when I was 13, I discovered punk rock and I immediately tried to unlearn the music theory that I had learned.

And I started hanging out at nightclubs in New York in the late 70s, the early 80s, going to see punk rock bands, but being exposed to burgeoning electronic music and hip hop and dance hall reggae and early house music. And so I just became this strange polyglot where like I loved every genre of music I was exposed to. And I never expected to have a career as a musician. Like I really thought I was going to spend my entire life being a philosophy professor at a community college somewhere in New England, most likely being completely ignored by my students and then making music in my spare time that no one would listen to. So every single part of my career has been a baffling surprise to me.