The truth about Vanilla Ice and much more

Corey Moss
December 13, 1999

When “Seinfeld” went off the air two summers ago, the show’s namesake launched a massively popular national stand-up tour, which was also recorded and released as his first comedy album.

Jerry Seinfeld did the tour for a lot of reasons, but his main objective was to feel close with his fans one last time.

One way Seinfeld accomplished this was by taking his encore — his final moment in the lights — to answer questions from his fans.

The Moss Pit has hardly been a “Seinfeld” — maybe more like “Saved By The Bell.”

But like Jerry, I wish to spend my final minutes under the lights sharing anything and everything with my fans.

One of the best things about writing this column for so long has been getting to meet so many people. And whether it was a sloppy drunk in the urinal next to me or the nice ladies who let me sneak into food service so many weekends, they all had questions.

Below are the most common questions I’ve been asked and the answers to them. The real ones.

How did The Moss Pit begin?

Actually, The Moss Pit was my high school newspaper CD review column, where I first discovered that music journalists get free CDs.

The summer after my freshman year at Iowa State, I started writing The Moss Pit as a CD review column for the Daily. In the spring, we decided to have more than one writer do CD reviews, and so the column became a music news bit.

About six weeks into the semester, my own ramblings were taking up more inches than actual news, and it gradually became just a place for me to tell stories and make fun of people.

A year later, when we switched our section name from Lifestyles to Arts & Entertainment, The Moss Pit became a weekly entertainment commentary and has remained so to date. Sort of.

And the name?

My good friend and high school journalism teacher Brent Monson came up with The Moss Pit.

A few variations have developed over the years from friends and enemies (Crotch Pit was my favorite), but for the most part, The Moss Pit has stuck.

What is your favorite band?

Way too difficult to answer, so I usually say Vanilla Ice.

How many CDs do you own?

Over a thousand, all organized in alphabetical order in shelves across my room. When I move, it takes a separate trip just for CDs and stereo equipment.

Of course, more than half of those CDs came addressed to Entertainment Editor.

Who was your best interview?

Daryl McDaniels from Run DMC was amazing. He had such a powerful voice, it was like talking to a preacher. Everything he said was so intelligent and moving.

“Raising Hell” turned me on to rap and is still one of my favorite albums ever, so I hold that interview close to my heart.

Stephen Carpenter from the Deftones was one of coolest guys I’ve ever met and turned a 20-minute interview into an all afternoon conversation.

Lisa Loeb was so cute and flirty, as was Sister Soleil.

Kevin Nealon left a kind message on my voice mail that I played for several weeks after our interview.

Limp Bizkit, 311, Local H and Semisonic were exciting because I am a big fan.

And, of course Vanilla Ice was fun for novelty reasons, though his answers were very rehearsed.

Who was your worst interview?

Johnny Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls called me two hours early, and being the king procrastinator that I am, I hadn’t researched the band or written questions yet.

Also, I interviewed a guy from The Mommyheads who had just had a bad experience with a college reporter. He made me repeat everything I wrote down back to him, then retracted most of it.

What is with your chameleon-like hair?

I don’t have anything pierced. I don’t have any tattoos. So, I mess with my hair color a little.

Black was a big regret, and contrary to popular belief, I am somewhat of a natural blonde.

Are you really taking a final drunk?

Yes.

Which one?

I can’t say, but it’s before noon.

What is the deal with your Vanilla Ice obsession?

Obsession is a strong word, though I do have a nice collection of Vanilla paraphernalia that fills a corner of my bedroom.

Do you really like Vanilla Ice?

This is definitely the most frequently asked question, which may explain why I have so many answers.

But the truth is … yes.

I admire the guy for truly not caring what people say about him — something I continually strive for but never fully achieve. His comeback took major balls, and I was seriously impressed.

I am also truly fascinated with what I like to call media whores — entertainers who are shoved into massive spotlight, used and abused, then yanked back out years too early.

Musically, I was never into New Kids or the Spice Girls or anything like that, but I’ve enjoyed following how the media treats them.

One thing I’ve learned is that people really do believe everything they read. So, jokes about being fascinated with Vanilla Ice as a musician are often taken way too seriously.

Like most people, I loved “To The Extreme” back in the day. I don’t listen to it much anymore, and honestly, I have kind of gotten sick of “Ice Ice Baby.”

But I do believe Ice was essential to music. He was the ultimate rap pop star. He could dance, dress and perform better than anyone before him.

What are you going to miss most about the Daily?

Free long distance.

Actually, I will miss the people most. I have worked with and made friends with some amazing talents in my years here.

I have seen the Arts & Entertainment section grow from me and the occasionally reliable Ben Jones to a staff of 20 writers — all of whom will continue to make the section one of the best in the country.

I am also really going to miss getting compliments from people other than my mom and girlfriend. It is something I wish everyone could experience.

Thanks for jumping into the Pit all these times.

Peace, I’m outta here.

Word to your motha.

Corey Moss is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.

Moss Pit Vital Statistics

The Number of …

Daily columns written: 118

Columns about Vanilla Ice: 7

Bands interviewed: 128

CD reviews written: 80

Concert reviews written: 29