james murphy of lcd soundsystem articulated something about how he has chosen to do his job in a way that really hit home with me. during a fresh air (read / listen) discussion with terry gross he talked about what it was about music that energizes him, what he doesn’t like, and what sustains his interest in the medium. the way he talked about music can apply to someone in any profession, and was most meaningful to me when i thought about it related to how i’ve chosen to interact with my own profession of librarianship.
when one is new to a profession there’s a certain amount of hanging around and seeing what’s what to gain familiarity with it. it’s really only when you’ve understood the scope of what your profession can be that you’re able to intelligently critique it. james murphy came to that point by going to a lot of concerts and djing, then coming to realize what it was about concerts that he didn’t like. rather than just “complaining about things,” he decided to change it by making music that he liked to hear. in talking about his djing, he noted,
People danced or they didn’t. And if they did, you know, you’re doing your job. And if you like it and they did, then you’re doing your job in an uncompromised way, which was a really nice thing to finally be able to learn.
that proactive decision, made by identifying what sounds he liked and how he thought a musical performance should look/feel, is a healthy way to approach a profession. what if, instead of grumbling about the way things are done in your profession, you simply choose to focus on what you feel is important? in this way you’re not fighting a parent organization like ala, but rather making competent strides in an area you think you can make changes in. just a different way to think about things, but it really struck a chord with me. it prompted me to sit and ponder what it is about the profession that i appreciate, where i think i can make headway to move the profession forward, and how i need to construct my plan to make that happen. and listened to some cool music along the way.
