I just read this interview with James Mercer, he said when he was young he used to cross that street sometimes. He said he was too young to understand what was going on but thought it was interesting to figure out what was behind those artificial faces. This is the interview, it's in Dutch though: http://www.nu.nl/muziek/2771432/the-shins-grijpt-terug-jeugdjaren.html
I just read this interview with James Mercer, he said when he was young he used to cross that street sometimes. He said he was too young to understand what was going on but thought it was interesting to figure out what was behind those artificial faces. This is the interview, it's in Dutch though: http://www.nu.nl/muziek/2771432/the-shins-grijpt-terug-jeugdjaren.html