The fact that I'm often pushing my voice as hard as I can is from playing in nightclubs in Albuquerque where you… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I know that there are a lot of sort of silly things that one thinks as a music listener about bands. I… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I think that once you start writing songs, you start developing a library of ideas that you can go and take from,… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I've never been one to think it was cheating to sample this or to loop the drum part there - I've always… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I don't like the idea of a singer-songwriter record. I don't picture myself that way, and it's not my favorite sort of… — James Mercer Aesthetic Copy Share Image
There is pressure that comes with everything being a big deal. I remember thinking, 'I need to survive the Shins. I don't… — James Mercer Being Copy Share Image
I'm trying to avoid having regrets about missing opportunities. That would be the worst thing. Like having an audience waiting, and not… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
The love you have for your kids is so overwhelmingly powerful that it alters your perspective. The dark things going on in… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I think that what's funny is that I seem to be taking up the roles that I remember my dad having -… — James Mercer Coffee Copy Share Image
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… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
The thing that inspires me most is empathizing with people's flaws and seeing how they deal with them. That sort of connection… — James Mercer Connections Copy Share Image
There's something artistic about skating. A psychologist could tell you exactly why that is, but I think there's something much more expressive… — James Mercer Artistic Copy Share Image
I think perfect dates involve walking a lot, and not a bunch of driving around in cars. Ideally, you can walk together… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
I have the soundtrack for 'A Clockwork Orange,' which is kind of cool. I guess I don't really end up buying a… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
For the longest time, I didn't even want to admit I was serious about music. Before the Shins, I would tell myself,… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
We played a festival in Ireland once, and in the middle of 'New Slang,' the Scissor Sisters kicked in across the field… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
Collaboration is something I missed at one point in The Shins. I really wanted to have that experience again, you know, not… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
Lyrically, I think I'm frustrated with this whole process of trying to figure out what I believe about the world and life.… — 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… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
The way I was brought up, there was a little bit of prodding to do something more practical, and I wasted a… — James Mercer Copy Share Image
So happy that Broken Bells is a thing in my life and really cool in so many ways. Not only, like, as… — James Mercer Approach Copy Share Image
I was a regular dork. I was a kid who was scrawny and all that, and probably kind of dumb or something.… — James Mercer Dork Copy Share Image
I really [enjoy] working with new people and just sort of the freshness of it. ... I [want] to have those new… — James Mercer Communication Copy Share Image
![“I really [enjoy] working with new people and just sort of the freshness of it. ... I [want] to have those new conversations, musically and otherwise.” quote by James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/360/james-mercer-10889_communication_i-really-enjoy-working-with-new-people-a_192865.png)