The only people who really know....REALLY know how things worked within this band for the last few years are the original band themselves. James, Marty, Jesse and Dave. They ALL have a story that makes sense when put together. Listening to just one of them, be they James OR Jesse, provides a mere fraction of a very long and complicated story that nobody but they understand.

And people who believe that Shins music should not be supported due to personnel changes, well, they arent music fans. They are fans of a soap opera that they wish existed, comprised of rules of morality made up entirely by them. And the Shins are better off without them.

However, if there are music fans that are mature enough to be aware that art cannot be measured alone by the supposed "character" of the artist, then the Shins and Mercer will continue to inspire. Forever.

Best of luck to Sandoval.

[COMMENT EDITED DUE TO POTENTIALLY LIBELOUS AND UNVERIFIABLE CONTENT—ED.] I wonder if that kind of behavior had anything to do with his getting fired?

Serves him fucking right.

classy, jesse. really classy.
in one move you've...
admitted that james has tried to be cool about all of this but that you've ignored him, despite the fact that you see how torn up about it he is....

pretended that a visit from management was an unusual sign that something cold and scary and legal was coming, when i think visits were not only commonplace, but regularly social as well as work related. (didnt you contact management regularly more than anybody else in that band?)...

spelled out how important it is that this interview is out there so people will stop talking about it and drop everything when in actuality you know exactly what kind of shitstorm this would create again for your old "friends"...

acted confused and hurt about your noble pursuit of learning drumlines not being appreciated, despite the fact that not touching a drumstick for over a year if there wasnt band work happening was a regular practice with you. you had a "slower learning curve than polished musicians"? dude you almost went out of your way to forget how to play drums...

you outed the details of mercers new side-project before it was officially announced. wow....

apparently you are mostly angry about the meeting/BBQ/catching up on the days when you were essentially a manager (???) not happening-yet you conveniently neglect to say why that meeting never occurred...

you just made it official that you wont work with mercer ever again even though he said he'd like to at some point. hope you dont regret that little one. will you also, again out of principle, get rid of everything in your life, including your house and this taco truck, that being a member of james's band afforded you? will you also return every check sent to you from now on from record sales and merch? checks that will continue to be made out to you as long as ANYONE buys something with "the shins" attatched to it? you know-since james is such a bastard?

the neal comparison? are you for real?

anyone that knows you, really knows you, and knows exactly whats going on here, knows what a funny article this is.
everyone else...well i hope they just let you make tacos in peace for once and stop constantly pestering you for autographs and instead listen to your message of "hey man just leave my buddy james alone...and for HEAVENS SAKE dont stop buying shins records or anything!!! cant we all just get along???"

you are a real class act.

hey atheistpeace. wow, the shit you dont know could fill a book.

that one comment that was blocked (i got to read it before they removed it) definitely had nothing to do with the marty crandall/elyse sewell debacle. and i wont repeat it here cause it will just get removed again, i assume. but suffice to say it was some pretty bad stuff-stuff that i've not read anywhere.

so yes-please stop having anything to do with this band. i'm sure one less overly-reactive and insane fan that believes everything they read/hear verbatim without any basis and allows that to dictate their musical taste would be awesome news for these guys.

and its spelled "jesse", mr "listening to these guys since 1998"...

.....or.....
actually DOES have some shit on him.

There are definitely two sides to Jesse. I'ts great that you know one of them.