Los Angeles’ Phantom Planet are best known for “California,” their catchy theme song to The OC and for their former drummer, Rushmore star Jason Schwartzman. For the band’s self-titled third album (recorded before the departure of their most famous member), they’ve stripped down their lush, guitar-pop sound. Lead singer/guitarist Alexander Greenwald and I chatted before the band’s January appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman over a stiff glass of soy milk.

 

Do you host OC parties every week and hum along with the theme? I don't watch TV. I know the cast are fans of "California" and music in general. They have good taste.

Speaking of good taste, aren't you dating the show's star, Mischa Barton? No! We've shaken hands. It seems like it would go pretty well-rock'n'roll band singer gives song to show because he finds lead actress attractive, and then love ensues.

So how does your song measure up to the legendary theme from Beverly Hills 90210? I actually liked that theme song. It was one of the first songs I learned how to play on guitar. If I covered it, though, it'd be ironic. And irony died in the '90s.

Along with Jason Priestley's high hair. So tell us why Jason Schwartzman left. He got offered another movie role and then a sitcom. If the band was going to be successful at this point, it couldn't be with him, because he was going to be busy acting. First, he was going to be in the band-have fun, get drunk on the road-and I think he got it all out of his system.

Does your own system ever get clogged with bad dreams? I had a recurring nightmare in college where all my friends would hold me down and trepan me. There was an article in Spin [1998's "A Hole in the Head"] that described how to drill a hole in your head, piercing the sac that encases your brain to open up channels of blood to increase creativity.

So Spin actually gave you nightmares? Sorry! I started dreaming that my friends took a huge motorized drill to my skull. It was my college buddies doing it-bassist Sam Farrar and guitarist Jacques Brautbar, who are in the band. The way I interpret this now is that my bandmates were holding me down to unlock my creativity.

I hear watching The OC has the same effect. You should try that some time!