Stumbling into stardom

Sometimes the paths you choose not to pursue affect the one you end up taking the most. The Shins' lead singer James Mercer is a rock-solid example of this theory. He has a history of doubling back on roads with reckless abandon.

In his personal life, Mercer is notorious for capriciously parting from dead-end jobs. When the whim hits, he simply may not return to work after his lunch break. To him, any lapse in the daily workflow can be an opportunity to jump ship.

"I briefly worked at an amusement park in Albuquerque, New Mexico near a ride called The Spider," James Mercer said. "They had to put a cover in place to protect people from vomit. It happened a lot."

The Spider was spew-inciting blender of a ride that caused many patrons to release the semi-digested contents of their stomach. He had to get out.

One of Mercer’s final positions was at an automated silk-screening factory where it was all too easy to inhale chemicals that were toxic to those who had the tendency to, well, breathe. That was not going to work.

Some believe chemicals are the spice of an artist's life. So, it wasn't that far of a leap to his next step as an up-and-coming rockstar. To James Mercer, however, that step felt accidental.

"It's all sort of a coincidence that this band has done as well as it has done," said the weary artist. "It was more like a recording project I did by myself when it first began."

The band’s early phase was just a collection of his four-track recordings. The Shins was originally a side project. Mercer wrote and recorded the songs during downtime from his other band, Flake.

"Flake was a typical '90s indie rock band," said Mercer. "The music was a little bit Superchunk and a little bit Pavement."

Some of Flake's members transitioned to The Shins and the band began touring. Through various backchannels, they found their way to the label Sub Pop and released their first album, Oh, Inverted World.

Suddenly, their world got bigger and more inverted.

"The worst part of youth culture is the pressure you are driven by to align yourself with a certain group," said Mercer. "You have to know whether you're a punk, into death metal, if you're a hippie, or whatever. Hopefully people don't feel that way about our band."

Pressure does not disappear with adulthood, and it certainly does not go away with stardom. As The Shins entered the limelight, Mercer experienced a new kind of fear.

"Everybody says not to worry or let the pressure get to you," he said. "That didn't make a difference. It still got to me."

Mercer worried Oh, Inverted World set too high a bar too high to reach again. The recent release of Chutes Too Narrow proved he has no reason to worry about imposter syndrome.

The band does not live the stereotypical lifestyle of musicians. They cope with stress not through drugs, but by playing video games and spending time with loved ones.

In the case of keyboardist Marty Crandall, that loved one is Elyse Sewell, a top runner-up on the UPN program, America's Next Top Model. She is currently in Milan for a fashion cover shoot and preparing for another that will land her on billboard ads.

"That, on the other hand, is a sure sign that you are a true rock 'n' roll band," said Mercer, with his tongue planted firmly in cheek. "When someone in the band is dating a model, you've got to be a rock star."

The success of Chutes Too Narrow and its accompanying tour proved Mercer right. Welcome to stardom, boys.

This article was originally published in the Colorado Daily in 2003.