The Shins is, in a way, a recording project that turned into a live band. So I don't really keep myself beholden… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
When I started The Shins, it really was just me, alone, but it was still The Shins. I was totally recording stuff… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I sit and write songs alone and then get together with people to help me flesh it out into a recording. — James Mercer Copy Share Image
You have to keep the recording process open. If you make too many decisions before you go in, you can lose out… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I do like talking with friends about big concepts, you know, the stuff that will ruin a party. To me, the party hasn't begun… — James Mercer Copy Share
Horrible dates are when you're with people who are immature and can't really be comfortable in their own skin. — James Mercer Copy Share
I'm real happy. I've been lucky in love, and I've got a wonderful kid now, and things have been going well. — James Mercer Copy Share
The fact that I'm often pushing my voice as hard as I can is from playing in nightclubs in Albuquerque where you don't have… — James Mercer Copy Share
I really [enjoy] working with new people and just sort of the freshness of it. ... I [want] to have those new conversations, musically… — James Mercer Copy Share
Meeting Perry Farrel was kind of cool. He's such an icon, and I was such a fan of Jane's Addiction. — James Mercer Copy Share
My dad and I get into it all the time. He loves to discuss politics much more than I do and we have pretty… — James Mercer Copy Share
For the longest time, I didn't even want to admit I was serious about music. Before the Shins, I would tell myself, 'Oh, I'm… — James Mercer Copy Share
I tend to write a pretty half and half split of, like, slow, morose things and then sort of more upbeat stuff. — James Mercer Copy Share
If you're 14 and you're skinny, you can't be on the football team, basically. It's just not even really possible. But skating is something… — James Mercer Copy Share
I think that what's funny is that I seem to be taking up the roles that I remember my dad having - for some… — James Mercer Copy Share
One thing that I've struggled with has been a certain amount of animosity toward the whole human race. — James Mercer Copy Share
For some reason, it seems like pop writers, it's like they just get worse or something over time. And then you're really jealous of… — James Mercer Copy Share
I think that was going on with bands like The Strokes was that the idea of the band, a real band, was making a… — James Mercer Copy Share
