“In 2005 I loaned my SG to a friend… It remained lost. In 2019, I walked into a thrift store – and behind the counter was my guitar”: Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald on finally tracking down the missing Epiphone that soundtracked The O.C.

Plantom Planet's Alex Greenwald and his Epiphone SG.

Famed for having Rushmore and Shopgirl actor Jason Schwartzman in their ranks, five-piece Phantom Planet were one of the standout indie pop-rock bands of the early 2000s. 

Together with Schwartzman’s Keith Moon-esque drumming and the group’s anthemic California – taken from their breakthrough 2002 album, The Guest – which became the theme song to popular TV teen drama The O.C., the band were poised for the big time. But just as they began to lift off, Schwartzman departed to take up acting full time.