Quotes from James Murphy

Making 'Sound of Silver' was very emotional at times, where I just hated making that record.

I'm really focused and obsessed with writing things that are specific. I don't like big rock lyrics - I find them infuriating.

My gut instincts are strong, but they're not always accessible to me, which is why I like DJing, because you don't have time, and you have to go on instinct.

I got a phone message from Janet Jackson saying, 'Hi, I love 'Losing My Edge', can you do me something funky and dirty like that?' I can't really do off-the-peg stuff, so I never called back.

I moved to New York in 1989 and went to study at NYU.

I was someone who grew up obsessed with bands, how they were and how they treated one another, and how they treated fans.

When I want to DJ what I think to be the best-sounding place in the world, I go to this place in Sapporo, Japan, called Precious Hall, which has kind of a custom sound system with a much lower ceiling and a smaller room.

Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys gave me a present: it's a boombox with a keyboard and a beatbox in it. You can't make that up.

When I was a kid, when the Walkman came out, I was sold. I listened to music 24 hours a day.

There are some people who are just plain great at making music. That's not who I am.

I never did albums fully at DFA; I always would go someplace else so I wasn't making a record in my office, basically.

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.

Even in the band I was in when I was a kid, I'd be telling everyone what to do. I'd be leaning over the drums, telling them to tune their guitars, micromanaging.

You can buy $20,000 speakers, but put them in a room that's not right, and it sounds terrible. If you buy $20 speakers and put them in a room that's tuned right, it'll sound great.

I'm not a big songwriter guy. People who are really good singer-songwriters usually left me kind of cold.

I spent a good amount of time with David Bowie, and I was talking about getting the band back together. He said, 'Does it make you uncomfortable?' I said 'Yeah,', and he said, 'Good. It should. You should be uncomfortable.'

I'm an underdog by nature, and I like to be fighting. I don't make music for myself. I make music to fight.

Sound sounds are terrible in the city, but it's great to listen and to walk and listen to people talk to each other. There are birds. You hear spring. I like listening to the city.

One of the big things that broke the band up for me, which I've become much clearer on over the years, was that I had no desire to be famous.

I don't think I've ever made a claim to startling originality.

I had friends who were jocks or whatever... Then, around 12 or 13, kids get cliquish and cruel, and that disgusted me. It seemed a reprehensible use of one's arbitrary social status. So I got really aggressive about it and became more of a weird kid.

I wouldn't say I'm a friend of David Byrne, but I guess I'm an acquaintance. I'm obviously an admirer, and we've met, but we don't call and chat about 'Breaking Bad' or anything.

With a computer, you have access to so many drum sounds and samples that your snare drum will be unrelated harmonically to your kick drum.

It's strangely energizing to have people who don't make music themselves take potshots at you from the Internet.