Dan Deacon's on the phone, slightly frantic, as we wander the grounds of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum with his manager, in search of a place to shoot. We only get snippets of the conversation as he paces around, though he's doling out what sounds like tech support when we finally settle on a spot next to a big, grandiose fountain in the middle of a large rose garden. It would be easy to forget that you were in Los Angeles, were it not in the shadow of the nearby USC football stadium. He finishes his conversation and explains, apologetically, that there was some last-minute emergency with his app, which he had recently begun licensing out.
Some big-name artist having some last-minute issues probablems, so, naturally, it was necessary to get the musician himself on the phone, with the sun rapidly setting over the museum's dome. As we ready the shot, Deacon leans against a park bench, hands in the pockets of a green hoodie worn over a brighter green T-shirt, bearing a smiling woman's headshot. He wears wire-rim glasses and a wild beard on his rosy face. "My name's Dan Deacon," he says, by way of introduction, as we start the interview, "and I guess I write music and perform it." He's a successful touring musician with a devoted fan base, sure, but Dan Deacon is no rock star.