I've been thinking about James Murphy. I didn't get tickets for the final LCD Soundsystem show. I actually didn't try; I love them, have seen them live before, but I didn't think I wanted to see a farewell. Big mistake. I watched the live stream (which was actually a pretty good experience on its own), and I couldn't help but be affected by the evening's weird mixture of the triumphant (LCD is playing Madison Square Garden!), the bittersweet, and the downright sad. After the encore, Murphy came out and said, "So, we've got three more songs. That's it." And then, "We've got two more songs." And, finally, "This is our last song." The crowd groaned, and he said, no, they misread his tone, and then he said it again in a more upbeat phrasing: "Hey, so this is our last song!"

Earlier that day Murphy guest DJ'd on NPR. He talked about forming LCD Soundsystem in 2001, and how with their three albums the band spanned the full emotional arc of a big band -- hit first album, second album that beat the sophomore slump, and then the rock star decadence of a third album recorded in a Laurel Canyon mansion. (Except the decadence was, I think, a pose -- I have no doubt that Murphy wanted to sample that louche vibe by replicating its breeding ground, but the resulting album is too focused for me to believe he actually behaved that way. His workaholic tendencies shine through.)

How many artists -- musicians, filmmakers, writers, playwrights -- have purposefully called it a day when they're at the height of their powers? How many recognize that after a certain point they'll be repeating themselves? How many periodize their lives, saying, "This was my thirties; it's time to reinvent myself again"?

Soderbergh says he's going to do it. He says he's retiring from the film business and will become a painter. Tarantino has talked about doing it -- stopping before he turns into Richard Donner and opening his own art house theater. But, for now, James Murphy has done it. I look forward to his next act.

Best,
Scott Macaulay
Editor

ENVISION: ADDRESSING GLOBAL ISSUES THROUGH DOCUMENTARIES, APRIL 8TH AND 9TH Harry Belafonte, artist, humanitarian, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and George McGovern, Goodwill Ambassador for the World Food Programme (WFP), will deliver keynote addresses this weekend on addressing the goals of eradicating hunger and poverty and the power of media to effect change. ENVISION, presented by IFP and the United Nations Department of Public Information, kicks off Friday evening with a screening of the HBO documentary The Sound of Mumbai - A Musical, directed by Sarah McCarthy and a musical performance by the PS 32 Chorus. Additional screenings include Phil Grabsky's The Boy Mir and Lucy Walker's Waste Land, preview selections from Steven Cantor's Tent City for OWN, and from Jehane Noujaim's Solar Grandmothers and Brian Hill's Welcome to the World, both in production for the "Why Poverty?" international series. Organizations represented in the discussions and presentations include The Global Poverty Project, Earth Institute, City Harvest, Africare, One Acre Fund, Pro Mujer, Gardens for Health International, the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Food Programme. Advance online sales end Friday at 10 am. For additional details on the program and ticket information, click here.
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