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
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 Another Copy Share Image
I most enjoy sitting down with the acoustic guitar and just fiddling around and trying to come up with something like a… — James Mercer Acoustic 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
The way I was brought up, there was a little bit of prodding to do something more practical, and I wasted a… — James Mercer Bit Copy Share Image
The real challenge of writing songs isn't just writing a bunch of parts - like a verse, chorus, verse - but making… — James Mercer Back Copy Share Image
I've always sort of felt like what the Shins is, I guess, is a vehicle for my writing. — James Mercer Always Copy Share Image
I remember being in high school, and you had to draw those lines and define yourself. I don't think when I was… — James Mercer Admit Copy Share Image
There's not a lot of thinking that I need to do away from the studio on Broken Bells stuff. — James Mercer Away Copy Share Image
My whole goal is to make good records and keep myself inspired and able to accomplish what I need to accomplish. — James Mercer Able 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 think that once you start writing songs, you start developing a library of ideas that you can go and take from,… — James Mercer Developing Copy Share Image
Honestly, humans are social creatures that really crave intimacy, and I think that the friends I have who are trying to somehow… — James Mercer Alone 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 Alone 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'm not really excited about the idea of committing to anything permanently. — James Mercer Excited Copy Share Image
I really know so little about recording, and I'm learning as I go. — James Mercer Knows Copy Share Image
There's no real reason for me to be so obsessed with trying to understand the true nature of things. You can live… — James Mercer Confused Copy Share Image
My attempt at really doing classic sort of songwriting is Shins stuff. — James Mercer Attempt 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 Across Copy Share Image
My dad was a Navy munitions officer, and by the end of his career, he was a specialist in nuclear weapons. — James Mercer Career 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
Maybe it's just parenthood that puts you in a situation where you just have to develop a new attitude, I guess, about… — James Mercer About Copy Share Image
I have no ethics when it comes to art. You just do what you can to make it as beautiful as you… — James Mercer Art 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 Always Copy Share Image
