Moby: L.A. Architecture's New Mascot

Still from Moby's video for the Getty's upcoming architecture initiative

Those hoping for Moby to launch into the lyrics from "Extreme Ways" in this video might have been surprised to see him riffing on L.A.'s "baffling, Byzantine" built environment instead, as part of a campaign promoting the Getty's upcoming Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., a slightly scaled-down version of Pacific Standard Time exclusively focused on the city's post-war architecture.

But this isn't the first time Moby's been trotted out to talk buildings. In the last year, he's been featured in no less than three videos where he waxes poetic about L.A.'s perplexingly complex landscape. Plus, he's got a Tumblr, Moby Los Angeles Architecture Blog, where he documents the weird and wonderful structures of Los Angeles -- with nice original photography to boot. And he's become a fixture at architecture events of late, making him a darling of the local design scene.

Dare we say Moby is L.A.'s new architectural mascot?

Here's Moby appearing in the full video he made for the Getty, his musings paired with sumptuous historical shots of midcentury modern gems.

Here's Moby talking about his indoctrination to L.A. architecture for 1883 Magazine: "I came to L.A. and I was just baffled by the strangeness and the randomness of the architecture here."

Here's Moby being interviewed by Tumblr about his architecture blog: "It's kind of my obsession as an architectural or urban photographer: documenting things that are not what they seem, or that are hidden in plain sight."

And in perhaps the penultimate event cementing his mascot status, here's Moby introducing the annual awards show for the L.A. chapter of the American Institute of Architects: "If I weren't a musician, I would want to be an architect."

Up next: the beginnings of Moby's love of L.A. architecture