Full
disclosure: I am a huge LCD Soundsystem fan. And I am obsessed with
James Murphy. To the point where it might be unhealthy. But whatever.
The
film is beautiful, relishing every joyous scene of LCD’s final
performance at Madison Square Garden as much as the quietly somber
scenes shot both before and after said concert. SUAPTH jumps back and
forth between the concert and James Murphy wandering the streets of
NYC and doing an insightful interview with Chuck Klosterman. I would
watch that interview as its own film.
For
those of us that never got to see LCD live, the film does a wonderful
job of immersing the audience in the concert. Shots of the band are
nicely edited with candid shots of the concertgoers. I could feel the
crushing hot, smell the sweat. I found my heart racing when the movie
highlighted one of my favorite songs, my breath held in anticipation.
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| I would have hated being in that, though. |
If
I had any complaint about the film, which I really don’t, I would
have liked to have seen more of James and the band outside of the
arena. As much as I loved the concert footage, the stark silence of
James waking up in the morning or going over the equipment the day
after were disarming.
Throughout
SUAPTH, there is as much sadness as there is joy. LCD Soundsystem is
no more. Whatever music James Murphy comes out with next will never
be LCD. And it’s a hard pill to choke down. But for all the
melancholy, SUAPTH is a love letter to the fans.
The
final shot of the film is of a kid—sixteen, maybe seventeen—crying.
The show is over, the house lights have gone up, a sickening halogen
white. We saw this kid earlier in the film during the concert, and he
was losing his shit. It was during “All My Friends” and most of
the people in the theater laughed at this boy. I did not. I knew
exactly how he felt. I’ve had that feeling of reverence for a
group. Where their lyrics and music combine to create something that
wasn’t written specifically for you, but how could it not be? For
instance, I can’t imagine what a total mess I’ll be when I
finally get to see PJ Harvey in concert.
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| It will probably look something like this. |
But
that was one of the problems with the evening: the unappreciative
masses. For the most part, everyone in the theater was considerate.
It’s always the few morons who spoil it for the rest. A group
of—let’s call them hipsters, even though that might be doing
hipsters a disservice, decided to have a dance party near the back of
the theater (in fair proximity to me). Although, that wasn’t really
the issue; I couldn’t see or hear them for the most part. They
would get loud and clap and what have you, like they were at a real
concert. Even that didn’t bother me. The film itself lends people
to dance and cheer.
No,
what really pissed me off is that they’d feel the need to shout
callbacks at the screen whenever a quiet moment would occur. This was
not an Rifftrax or a Cinematic Titanic event. When I go to a movie, I
want to be immersed in the film. I want to be transported somewhere
else, as cliche as that sounds. For two hours I want to forget all
the bullshit in my life and pretend it’s not happening. And these
assholes decide it’s funny? They laugh at the crying boy, like they
wouldn’t do the same in his position. But maybe that’s just me?
Maybe I’m too empathetic. And you know what, I’d rather be that
than someone who laughs at the kid having a profound experience or
tells James Murphy he’s wrong to stop making music as LCD
Soundsystem. Who the fuck are you to say that?
All
ranting aside, I am thrilled I was able to this in the theater. Oh,
and James Murphy, I don’t care what you call your next
band/project/whatever. I’ll be there in the audience, waiting to
jump up on stage and lick your face.
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| That is a very lickable face, if I do say so myself. |
nice work Kurt!
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