7 Questions with Jacques Brauthbar

1) Tufts Daily: "Phantom Planet" was the name of a movie in the 1940's, is that where you guys got the name from?

Jacques Brautbar: It's actually from Neil Norman's Greatest Science Fiction Hits. They're all disco versions of science fiction hits, like Star Wars, Superman, Phantom Planet. We loved listening to that one track and finding a name for a band is hard to do. There are alot of deceased names in the can.



2) TD: How did everyone in PP meet?

JB: I went to High School with Sam. Alex knew Jason from grade school. Darren had a cousin who was friends with Jason at the time. I met Jason at a music store and two worlds came together.



3) TD: What would you say is Phantom Planet's collective fan base?

JB: There are alot of young girls, but now everybody's catching up. At our last show there were guys, girls, aged 16-34.



4) TD: What was the craziest fan experience you've had?

JB: It's amazing the things kids will do -- drive long distances -- once these girls painted Phantom Planet on their car, with our names, website, and everything. We all signed it and then they drove it cross country.



5) TD: Touring the country, you have a unique opportunity to meet people from all walks of life; do you notice a difference in people from different parts of the country?

JB: People definitely have different idiosyncrasies in different parts. I love all the different accents. And, except for L.A. and New York, people are actually nice for the sake of being nice. People in L.A are driven by ulterior motives. But L.A is great. I love it -- I have lots of memories and friends there -- it's home.



6) TD: What international city would you like to frequent on Phantom Planet's next out of country tour?

JB: Norway. It's clean and everybody there is super nice and happy. It's close to utopia on earth. Oh, and everybody's gorgeous.



7) TD: Now for a very serious question: if you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

JB:(Thinks for a moment) Garfield seems to have a very chill existence. Eats and hangs out with that guy -- his dad? Sounds like a fun time.



Rachel Sliman contributed to this article