Lost His Edge | James Murphy and a New Concert Documentary Reflect on the End of LCD Soundsystem

Comments (0) By Karina Longworth Thursday, Jul 19 2012

In the film and in conversation, Murphy is ever aware of his comparatively advanced age. At its most basic level, his rejection of the rock & roll lifestyle is a question of self-preservation. Every time he tours, Murphy says in the film, he returns with markedly more gray hair. "That's the visible sign," he says. "What's going on inside? I don't want to, like, die." He pauses a beat, then says more firmly, "I don't want to die!"

"Health is a big reason [to end LCD]," Murphy says today. "Life is a big reason. I didn't live a normal life for a long time. I toured and made records and toured and made records. I didn't want to be stuck being in a professional band and not having a life."

James Murphy

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Not that he has exactly been a homebody since the days chronicled in the film. He went to Sundance to promote this movie and another, The Comedy, in which he acts. He went to London to work on the Shut Up sound mix. He has myriad projects in some state of development, including a boutique in Brooklyn and a disco-themed exhibit at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary, scheduled to open in fall 2013. "I don't know quite what my role is," Murphy admits. He adds dryly, "I can't compare it to my previous curatorial work."

In Shut Up's morning after, Murphy notes that he feels "disturbingly normal" — he hasn't had time to process. And now that he has had a year?

"Nothing is out of whack from my experience of being in LCD Soundsystem," Murphy says. "Yet, when I go make a record that's not an LCD Soundsystem record, that's gonna be weird."

Shut Up and Play the Hits (Oscilloscope Pictures) is now playing.