“I found myself respecting him for doing that,” Moby told reporters during a promotional stop in Hong Kong for his latest album Hotel.

He has one last concert in Japan before getting off the road for a bit. Moby starts a big tour of Mexico and South America on September 4 and then heads to France in November

Moby and Eminem have a long-standing feud. Moby has criticized Eminem’s lyrics as misogynistic. Eminem lashed out at Moby and electronic music in “Without Me” and spoofed him in the song’s video. He also called Moby a girl at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.

“Honestly, if he retired, I think the world of music would be a poorer place. He’s a really fascinating public figure,” Moby said.

Eminem bashed Bush and Iraq policy in his song “Mosh,” which said, “Let the president answer on higher anarchy / Strap him with an AK-47, let him go fight his own war.”

The rapper is headlining the Anger Management Tour in the States through August 12, then takes the show to Europe and the U.K. in September.

He has denied rumors that Encore is his last album and that he’s retiring from music.

Moby said he still has qualms about some of Eminem’s lyrics but praised him as talented, saying, “I’d much rather have public figure musicians like Eminem because at least he’s exciting.”

The 39-year-old electronic musician said he welcomed Eminem’s public criticism of him, calling it free publicity.

“To have the most successful musician in the world dress up like you in a video and sing about you in a song – it was honestly some of the best publicity I’ve ever had.”