Moby’s Punk Rock Vegan Movie

Published 16 February 2023

Punk Rock Vegan Movie is a feature-length documentary written and directed by musician and animal rights activist, Moby.

The film looks at the history of punk rock and its intersection with animal rights activism and veganism.

Punk rock is a musical genre that evolved in the mid 1970s. It’s a harder form of rock music characterised by its rejection of standard beliefs and cultural norms. According to Moby, it’s a form of activism where the status quo is questioned. For instance, are there parts of the status quo that need to be completely rejected and replaced, or maybe just modified, or even maintained?

When it comes to animal agriculture, Moby describes the status quo of using animals for food as something that needs to be completely rejected and replaced. “It’s not rational, it’s not ethical and it doesn’t conform with any of our values unless we are murderous psychopaths.”

The film features interviews with a variety of musicians such as Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (Misfits), Captain Sensible (The Damned), Davey Havok (AFI), John Joseph (Cro-Mags), Steve Ignorant (Crass), HR (Bad Brains), Theo Kogan (Lunachicks), Tony Kanal (No Doubt), Alissa White-Gluz and many more. It covers their exploits into the punk rock scene and how not eating animals became an integral part of that journey.

Woven throughout the film, Moby is joined by his adorable, four-legged companion, Bagel who asks the questions we all crave to know the answers to, and who sometimes comes across as the brains behind the documentary! Afterall, it was Bagel who came up with the title of the film.

Towards the end of the movie, Moby eloquently sums up the punk rock ethos: “If you don’t like the status quo, you don’t have to go along with it. You can reject it personally regarding how you spend your money, how you eat but you can also go out and actively try and change it, and that is my biggest hope, that you look at this status quo and you reject it personally and you go out and you do everything in your power to change it.”

Punk Rock Vegan Movie is available to watch for free on Moby’s YouTube channel.