a little interview with Zooey with Vanity Fair (via tFs)

DiGiacomo: So, the soundtrack to 500 Days of Summer includes tracks by Regina Spektor, Feist, Carla Bruni, Hall & Oates and She & Him. What would the soundtrack to 500 Days of Zooey include?
Deschanel: Oh man, um, The Zombies, Beach Boys. Bobbie Gentry.

All right! Do you have any favorite Bobbie Gentry songs?
I like “Benjamin” and “ Ode to Billie Joe.” I like all of her songs. Let’s see what else: I would put some Gram Parsons on the soundtrack; some Lovin’ Spoonful; some Nina Simone, and Skeeter Davis.

What’s that song she does, “The End of The World”?
Yes, “The End of the World.” That’s so pretty. I love it.

That’s a great soundtrack you have there.
Thanks. I hope that doesn’t sound like I’m all like—the Skeeter Davis song is a sad song, but it doesn’t mean my life is sad. I just like her music. I would like her on my soundtrack.

No, I get it. Speaking of sad songs, on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, She & Him covers The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”. Did you choose to contribute that song to the album?
Yeah. We were given a choice of covering a number of songs that were used in the movie. We chose that one because it’s a great song, number one, and, number two, it was more in our realm of musical understanding than, say, the Hall & Oates song that’s on the soundtrack [“You Make My Dreams”]. That’s a great song, too, but I probably wouldn’t sing it as it as well as a Smiths song.

I’m totally blanking on the song you do in the movie’s karaoke scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“ Sugar Town” [written by Lee Hazelwood and recorded by Nancy Sinatra].

You do such a great job of that song. It should have been included on the soundtrack.
I think it’s going to be on the deluxe edition.

There’s going to be a deluxe edition?
Yes, there is. [Editor’s Note: The “deluxe” edition of the soundtrack will be available on iTunes on July 28 and, along with Deschanel’s version of “Sugar Town”, will include Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s karaoke rendition of The Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” and Kevin Michael’s cover of Etta James’ “At Last” along with dialogue from the movie. ]

In the movie, you and Joseph’s character first hit it off when you overhear him listening to The Smiths on his iPod. What would a guy have to be playing on his iPod to get you to notice him?
[Laughs] Well, I’m engaged to be married, so….

I know, but—
Probably Emitt Rhodes.

Okay! Emitt Rhodes. Anything of his in particular?
I would be impressed with anything by Emitt Rhodes.

In terms of your engagement Ben Gibbard, have you set a wedding date, and, more importantly, have you picked your wedding band?
Ha-ha-ha! Well, I don’t like to go into specific details so much.

What about the wedding band part? You and your fiancé are both musical, so I would think that would be important.
Yeah, the music’s definitely important, but you know we haven’t totally figured all that out yet. [Laughs].

Well, let me ask you this, will “YMCA” or “The Chicken Dance” be played at your wedding?
I don’t think so.

You’re on the soundtrack with Carla Bruni, the first lady of France. Any thoughts on that?
I didn’t think of it that way. It’s pretty cool. It’s a beautiful song. She’s a great singer. It’s cool that she’s not just the first lady of France, but she’s also a great musician.

So, can you tell me what’s next for She & Him?
Yeah, we’re making our second record.

Will it be out this year?
I don’t think so. Matt [Ward] has another record coming out at the end of this year called The Monsters of Folk with Jim James [of My Morning Jacket], Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis [of Bright Eyes], but we’re working on our record now and we have been for a little while. So, I’m not sure exactly when, but probably next year.

Is the record in the same vein as your first one, or are you moving in a new direction?
It’s evolved a little bit, but it’s definitely She & Him.

I can’t think of another actor who’s as good a singer/songwriter as she or he is an actor. If you had to choose between being an actor and a singer, would you—
I would be a singer/songwriter because writing music is my favorite thing, and I love recording. I like to act a lot. It’s a great job, but my scope of creativity is much more narrow. So, don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I think my heart is more in the music just because it’s more a piece of myself.

All right, another conceptual question: in terms of the characters you’ve played in Yes Man, 500 Days of Summer and Elf, is there a character that, you found, was closest to you?
They all are different to me. We all just look alike.

Is your fiance going to be mad you didn’t put him on your soundtrack?
[Laughs] I don’t think so. He’s very supportive.