Songwriting Quotes by James Mercer

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

Horrible dates are when you're with people who are immature and can't really be comfortable in their own skin.

— James Mercer

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

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

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

Meeting Perry Farrel was kind of cool. He's such an icon, and I was such a fan of Jane's Addiction.

— James Mercer

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

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

Humans are social creatures that really crave intimacy.

— James Mercer

I tend to write a pretty half and half split of, like, slow, morose things and then sort of more upbeat stuff.

— James Mercer

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

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