A biography for James Murphyhasn’t been written yet.
“I miss producing. I hate it when I do it, but I love it.”
“It's strangely energizing to have people who don't make music themselves take potshots at you from the Internet.”
“Making 'Sound of Silver' was very emotional at times, where I just hated making that record.”
“I was a singing guitar player as a kid, and I found it really embarrassing, so I stopped singing and became a drummer.”
“I'm always surprised by how optimistic and open sometimes people who are very successful are.”
“In my experience, people looking for progress aren't actually looking to move things forward. They're looking to be perceived in a certain way: as a forward thinker. It's about vanity rather than any altruistic motives for the art.”
“DJing is really, really pleasant. It's like having people over and making hors d'oeuvres.”
“I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's a modern city.”
“I'm basically a schlub.”
“As things mature - whether they be real estate, rock n' roll, politics, festivals, radio - there's an efficiency that develops, and with it, very often, comes some soul-crushing truths.”
“Warhol had resonance because it was high art and low art. And you could argue about it endlessly.”
“If there was a direct influence on a song, I never hid it.”
“You can't be afraid to embarrass yourself sometimes.”
“For most of my life, making music has cost me money. So I learned to live very, very cheaply.”
“The plan is to keep on putting out records until someone shows up and tells us to stop.”
“I've watched too many artists in my life forget how good the things they used to do were.”
“I'm really focused and obsessed with writing things that are specific. I don't like big rock lyrics - I find them infuriating.”
“I always wished I had a more flamboyant streak, but it's just not what I'm made of.”
“A lot of the time, you compromise., which is fine - it's part of not being totally insane.”
“I was someone who grew up obsessed with bands, how they were and how they treated one another, and how they treated fans.”