Shins lead singer James Mercer discusses fame, 'The OC'
Brendan Nowlin
Issue date: 11/16/04 Section: Arts & Society
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In addition to having one of their songs ("New Slang") referred to as "life-changing" in Garden State, the band also landed two songs on its soundtrack -- "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy."
Most recently, the Shins contributed a song to the soundtrack for The Spongebob Squarepants Movie. "They'll Soon Discover" is among songs by Wilco, the Flaming Lips and Avril Lavigne, who performed the movie's theme song.
"We were told that somebody is going to sing the theme song," Shins lead singer James Mercer said over the phone last Wednesday.
"[They said] it was going to be somebody who has just been a major influence on all of us ... There were rumors that it was going to be the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and then it turned out to be Avril Lavigne."
I guess that once you've landed in the company of Avril, you know you've made it big. For the most part, however, Mercer and the rest of the band still feel pretty separated from the moderate fame they have attained.
"It is not as though I walk down the street in my neighborhood [in Portland] and get recognized or anything," he said. While visiting Los Angeles for an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," however, it was clear that they weren't in Oregon anymore.
"There is obviously word out in the sort of Hollywood environment that we are something to check out and stuff so it was different ... Things have changed."
"It is not so bad though," he added. "I think that we are handling it fine. I think everybody is just having a lot of fun."
The band is apparently having enough fun with their success that they are considering performing live on "The OC." Though they haven't been approached by the show's producers for such an appearance, Mercer said that he would be comfortable doing it. The band did, after all, do it on "Gilmore Girls," another TV show known for slipping some indie rock into its soundtrack here and there.