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“I’m not trying to undermine myself. For fuck's sake, I’ve worked on nothing but music my entire life--does it make sense that I’d undermine myself? People mix things up. Just because I’m aware of and up front about the ridiculousness of my situation doesn't mean that I’m not doing my best.”
Speaking to Skrufff via the less than spontaneous medium of email LCD Soundsystem main man James Murphy is presumably as quick as touch-typing as he as at firing off an angry retort. His ire has been raised by a Guardian critic’s suggestion that ‘Murphy is a man hell-bent on undermining his own achievements", a point he’s hell-bent on disputing.
“I keep hearing about my ‘false modesty’ which just about makes me want to punch someone, says James. “The truth is I fucking love music.”
“I listen to and admire some of the very best music ever made. When Tim (Goldsworthy) and I make records, we don't compare them to whatever drek (crap) is current with the magazines this week—we compare it to the best records in history,” he continues.
“I mean bands like Can, Liquid Liquid, Suicide, Bowie, T Rex, Roxy Music, Lou Reed and The Smiths and if you have no humility with regard to those bands then you must be some fucking delusional idiot, which I’m afraid I don't have the luxury of being. I’m very proud of what I do, and I’ll go out and play with any band on the planet without any "undermining", but also without any lousy tricks.”
Listening to James rapping the narrative on LCD’s breakthrough single Losing My Edge it’s immediately apparent that he knows his rock history, though equally clear that he’s aware of its potential triviality and intrinsically ephemeral nature. One of the band’s name-checked is Daft Punk (who also coincidentally released a record listing influences, Teachers, in 196) who also star in LCD’s new single Daft Punk Is Playing In My House. Like Losing My Edge, the track features a narrator (James again) telling another tongue in cheek tale though this time, its essence appears to celebrate innocence and the DIY underground ethic.
“I’ve been in punk rock bands all my life,” James points out, “(Now) “I essentially make pop records that now are distributed largely by a major label.”
The question that’s prompted his self-analysis, is whether he sees himself as an underachiever or outsider, a point he’s not exactly sure of.
“Considering that life is, in fact, an A or B scenario, I’d say outsider,” he muses. “I mean, I’m certainly not an underachiever’; I work all day everyday at the label, do production, and the band.
“But to say I’m an outsider seems a bit false,” he qualifies. “I mean, I’m an outsider compared to Justin Timberlake or someone like that but I’ve been in punk rock bands all my life. I’m a lot less of an outsider that that right now. I mean, there are people out there making truly outsider music, whereas I essentially make pop records that now are distributed largely by a major label. I mean, I don't believe Eno was an outsider, as he made records like Heroes with Bowie, but he wasn't in 3 Dog Night either,” says James.
He’s equally self-conscious about whether his considers his music to be art.
“That's kind of a trick question,” he stalls. “It’s punk rock, or it's pop music. But it's art. Sure. I mean, what else is it? Science? I feel the same sense of responsibility. I feel the same sense of dignity and or humiliation. So I guess it's 100% art.”
Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Starting with the album, what's your assessment of how it's performied so far; what's been the worst, best or most ridiculous reaction you've come across?
LCD Soundsystem: “How it's performing? It's doing fine. It handles well on slick surface, which surprises me, considering how much engine there is. To look at the design, you'd think of it as almost 100% a straightaway machine. It's uncomfortable over rough surfaces, but I think that's the price you pay for the handling. . .
Oh I don't know. People send me e-mails with numbers and charts attached, and I don't know what any of it really means. Most of the people I know seem to like the record, and I’m proud of it. More people seem to want to buy it than I’m used to, but that could mean anything. The best reaction? Could be that Richard McGuire from Liquid Liquid told me he really liked it, which is kind of insane. The worst? I haven't seen anything that was horrible or vindictive, really. There have been some bad or near-bad reviews of the record, but most of those are pretty thoughtful, if a little dismissive. I'm lucky--over all, the reactions have been pretty kind, and if they aren't, they've at least had thoughtful bits in them that make sense to me, and that I think are pretty valid. The most ridiculous reaction? There are some people that have called it a dance album, which is relatively ridiculous.”
Skrufff: How different was it creating an album compared to a stream of singles?
LCD Soundsystem: “It was totally different. Singles to me are a wildly different enterprise. You try to get something so specific out of one song and a b-side---sometimes just one song and a dub. I love singles. With albums you need to take some of the pressure off of each individual song to make sure it works as a whole. I like trying to make things balance and put limitations on the tracks, whereas with singles, I tend to stretch the songs out so much specifically for dancing (don’t get me wrong--which I also love to do). It’s just a different process, making songs to reflect on each other so specifically.”
Skrufff: Junior Vasquez said recently 'New York's club scene sucks. Literally fucking sucks. I mean the days of the Sound Factory are over and it's never coming back. It's never ever going to be like that again, after-hours or that feeling of family and partying about the music, it's just over’; has he lost his edge?
LCD Soundsystem: “I think he's believing something that's based too much around what he's immersed in personally. I mean, if Larry Levan went to one of Junior's ‘great’ nights, he might have wanted to throw up. David Mancuso still has loft parties, which, sorry Junior, always had far more community than the Sound Factory. I went to Junior's night once, and it wasn't my thing. But I respect him, and I think he's right that it will never be like that again. It will be like something else. It’s always shit, and it's always reborn, and often disgusting to the predecessors—The Loft to Garage, Garage to 54, 54 to Danceteria, on to ‘The superclubs’, then into Brooklyn. Right now though it does seem a bit boring, but somebody please point out a good night to me and I’ll go. And I’ll bring Junior.”
Skrufff: What's your opinion of New York's club scene compared to 5/10/15 years ago?
LCD Soundsystem: “I went to a dance club in New York in 1989. It was OK. I didn't go again until 1999, when it was WEAK. That's when I got into dance music, and Tim and I started throwing the DFA parties, which i recall as being pretty great. But let's be honest; I was out of my mind on drugs. That’s the limit of my experience. Lately, I’ve been a little bored of the parties I’ve been to, you get the same records, the same people, and no-one’s dancing. But I might be missing things. The "no dancing" shit in New York, though, really puts a fucking damper on things.”
Skrufff: Did you ever go to Sound Factory or Twilo to hear Sasha or Vasquez?
LCD Soundsystem: “As I was saying, once, very fucked up, I went to Twilo, and I thought it blew (was rubbish- Skrufff Ed). I just didn't go for the sound I heard--especially the drums. I don't like the sound of certain drum production. So I sat on the steps and waited for my friends to get bored also. And I was on E (ecstasy).”
Skrufff: How about during the club kid years- did you attend any of Michael Alig's clubs/ parties: did you come across Larry Tee at any point on these days?
LCD Soundsystem: “Never. I was too busy going to see Sonic youth and stuff like that back then.”
Skrufff: Did you go to your high school prom and what kind of student were you (captain of the football team, a Goth, nerd and/or bully?)
LCD Soundsystem: “I did go to my high school prom, yes, I went with my high school girlfriend. I wore a tuxedo, which I guess isn't a surprise and I got drunk under the table. I do occasionally exchange the odd e-mail with my date every few years. What kind of student was I? I was a smart-ass to teachers. I was a horrible underachiever. I was a big kid, but not a bully. I was The Smiths fan, you know? Just The Smiths fan who was too big to beat up. And, mind you, this was when The Smiths still existed. Because I’m old.”
Skrufff: You're married to former WIT girl Mand, do you have any plans to make music with her? (And any concerns she'll be Linda McCartney-ised?)
LCD Soundsystem: “We've just started "Wings 2". Am I afraid she'll be ‘Linda McCartney-ised’? Jesus. Not really. Next time I'm a former Beatle, I’ll let you know. I make music with her all the time, because we like it, but that's about all.”
Skrufff: It seems like you have a love/ hate relationship with New York City: why do you remain based there?
LCD Soundsystem: “I have NO hate for New York. I love my city 100%. And I stay here because I don't want to live anywhere else.”
LCD Soundsystem’s self titled album is out now on DFA Records/ EMI.
http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com
Interview by: Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
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