The
first time I ever heard They Might Be Giants was during the closing
credits of a Jake Johannsen comedy special – This’ll
Take About An Hour.
The song was “We Want A Rock” and I loved it.
This
was 1991, and at that point I’m not sure I had heard anything quite
like that song. It was bizarre and catchy and didn’t make a bit of
sense. It was somewhat reminiscent of Weird Al, but not really. That
was just the closest reference point I had for any kind of odd music.
But all of Al’s stuff told stories and had a cohesive narrative.
This thing was about prosthetic foreheads and hammering piglets. It
was delightfully incomprehensible.
Now,
of course, you can go straight to YouTube and find This’ll
Take About An Hour
in its entirety:
Not
to mention as many They Might Be Giants videos as you could possibly
want. But back in 1991 the only way I had to research a band was to
make a trip to the local record store. My preferred destination was a
place I have mentioned before called MusiCDrome. The staff were a
bunch of nice guys who loved sharing music with people. I can’t
even tell you how many times I went to Dave, Michael, or any of the
other folks that worked there through the years with a song, artist,
or even genre of music. They would always point me in the right
direction.
I
don’t remember who I spoke to about They Might Be Giants, but I
left the store with a copy of their 1990 album, Flood,
on cassette.
I
listened to Flood
a lot. It took me years to appreciate the opening track, but
everything else on that album pleased me immensely. It’s funny to
think of now, but I had no exposure to college radio or anybody else
who had heard of They Might Be Giants. To me, “We Want A Rock”
was the big song from the album. “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”
was probably my favorite, though. I became very adept at rewinding
the tape to the beginning of that song so that I could listen to it
over and over again. I enjoyed “Birdhouse In Your Soul” but had
no idea that it was any kind of big deal to anybody.
Nowadays
Flood
is not one of my favorite TMBG albums. Not even Top 5, actually. It’s
notable for having the biggest number of radio hits, and also for
having what is their strangest song – relative to all of their
other songs, that is. “Your Racist Friend” is without a doubt the
weirdest song the guys have recorded because it has a narrative, a
transparent message, and is socially conscious. It’s so bizarre to
have this one “message” song in amongst their massive catalog. I
mean, it’s a great message and all, but I have to wonder what
motivated it. Never again did the Johns seek to right social ills. At
least, not in such a musical, straightforward fashion.
Over
the course of the next year several things happened in an order I
can’t quite place. TMBG put out a new album – Apollo
18 –
and went on tour. I also joined the massive scam that was Columbia
House records and through them obtained CDs of Lincoln
– the band’s first proper album – and Miscellaneous
T – a
collection of B-sides, singles, and alternate takes that was
basically another album unto itself. I also ordered Flood
on CD.
But I liked all three of those other CDs more than I did Flood.
The
big thing that happened was I got to see They Might Be Giants live.
Twice. I had never been to an in-store gig before. I didn’t even
know what it was. I just knew I wanted to experience anything
having to do with my new favorite band.
Actually,
before I get into that day of live TMBG performances, I should
discuss becoming a fan. As I have mentioned before, I was mostly a
metal guy. But there was a progression of sorts to that point. My
first true musical love was Weird Al. Shortly thereafter I discovered
RUN DMC and the Beastie Boys. And after that came Metallica,
Megadeth, Iron Maiden, and my favorite metal band of all time –
Anthrax. For the most part I needed my music to be either heavy or
hip-hop, but my base was still in the weird. Or Weird; as the case
may be. I simply wasn’t exposed to a whole lot of alternative
music. But TMBG opened up a whole new world of creative, intelligent
expression. They were unlike anything else I had experienced and
exemplified what I now hold to be the most impressive skill possible
in any
form of creative expression – the ability to blend pop
sensibilities and mainstream appeal with niche individualism.
So
anyway, TMBG were playing an in-store gig at Blockbuster Music (which
was once Turtles and would later become Wherehouse Music) downtown.
None of my friends at the time cared about They Might Be Giants and I
had no means of getting downtown by myself, so it ended up being a
family excursion. Yes – Mom, Dad, and Little Sister accompanied me.
I didn’t care. I had to see these geniuses perform live.
This
was part of the Apollo 18 Tour, which I believe was the first TMBG
tour with a live band. But at that in-store I saw John and John and a
drummer play stripped down versions of maybe five or six songs. I
wish I could remember which ones, but I don’t. They were set up in
this tiny nook n the back of the store. When we got there the only
things in that nook were a minimal drum kit – probably a snare, a
high-hat, and a tom – and a keyboard. I’m sure John Flansburgh
had a guitar, but at the time John Linnell was my guy. Anybody who
played the accordion was cool in my book. I do remember not breathing
while they were playing. I think that was the most excited I had been
up to that point in my life.
But
things only got better.
The
first concert I ever saw was RUN DMC and the Beastie Boys at the
Astrodome. It was unforgettable, but maybe not the best experience
ever. The second concert I ever saw and the first I attended
parent-free was Metallica at the Omni. It was just as amazing,
probably a little more fun, but also somewhat terrifying. The third
concert was TMBG at the Variety Playhouse and it was nothing but
positive.
The show was outstanding, I knew every word to every song,
the audience was fun and seemed less stabbing-inclined than either of
the previous shows, and I was there with my best friend at the time
and fellow TMBG enthusiast, Dan. When the band came back for their
encore they took requests. Not requests for their own songs, but
requests for other
people’s
songs. Then John said something that has stayed with me to this day:
“This
is our last song. Because as we all know, no rock n’ roll show is
complete without a rendition of ‘Frankenstein’ by The Edgar
Winter Group!”
And
they played this instrumental song that I had never heard before but
that I love to this day simply because of that cover.
I
bought my first concert t-shirt at that show. It was simple – the
Apollo 18 album cover on the front and the tour dates on the back. I
wore it until it literally fell apart – the only t-shirt I have
ever done that with. It lasted me almost twenty years.
To
this day Apollo
18 is
my favorite TMBG album. My third tattoo was the cover:
The
space capsule was too small to do at the size I got the tattoo. I
really wish I had just gotten the whole thing a lot bigger like the
guy recommended, but I got it as big as I could for the money I had.
Stupid youth and impatience. Still, I love my Apollo 18 tattoo.
The
band’s next album was John
Henry,
but before that came out there were approximately eight thousand
singles from Apollo
18 for
me to track down.
CD
singles used to be a HUGE DEAL. In the early 90’s bands would
release CDs with an average of three to six songs on them. Typically
one song would be from the album, then a couple of remixes or
alternate versions, then a previously unreleased song or two. There
were also EPs that would consist entirely of unreleased material.
Both of these formats saw a much more limited release than regular
albums and typically only had one production run. They took a little
bit of work to get your hands on. Not every store got every release
and if they did you had to buy it before it was gone. I spent years
going fucking crazy trying to find every release from Faith No More,
nine inch nails, and They Might Be Giants. I had to have all the
songs. Heck, there’s still an Anthrax EP missing from my collection
- a German release called PEnikcufecin.
There were even multiple singles of some songs that would have
different accompanying songs. I think I have three different singles
for TMBG’s “The Guitar”. I don’t mind at all, though, because
I believe TMBG’s releases in this format were the best of
anybody’s. One of my favorite songs of theirs – “Welcome to the
Jungle” (which is not a cover) – comes from an Apollo
18
single.
I’m
not going to get too deep into the next few TMBG album releases
because all it would be is different ways of me saying awesome. John
Henry,
Factory
Showroom,
and Severe
Tire Damage
– TMBG’s first full live album – are all awesome. As a matter
of fact, if I had to recommend one TMBG album to someone, it would be
Severe
Tire Damage.
It serves as a greatest hits album of sorts, and They Might Be Giants
are quite literally the greatest live band I have ever seen; and I
have seen some great live bands. They play with their songs and with
the audience in a way that no other band I have ever seen does. My
favorite kind of live show is one in which the band mixes up their
songs, improvises, plays covers, and banters. I’m not usually a fan
of shows where the bands just play their songs exactly like the
recorded versions. Why would I pay to see that? But seeing TMBG live
is like seeing a variety show. Quite frankly they should charge
double for their tickets because you are being entertained in a way
that few bands are capable of providing.
I
had the pleasure of seeing the band live many times over the next few
years and every show was different and excellent. TMBG have a
singular talent for working new material in with old favorites, but a
lot of that probably has to do with the fact that all of their new
music is as good as or better than all of their old music. This is
another thing that many bands can’t manage.
Okay,
it’s time to tell a story that I’ve never told. It’s
embarrassing, but that’s never stopped me before.
TMBG
were playing a show in Athens, GA:
I
had a buddy named Dave that was as big a fan as I was. We loved TMBG
and wanted very badly to meet them. So we concocted a scheme.
I
was in a band at the time – The Irresponsibles. We were terrible,
but our bassist was very, very
good (and still is). He worked for Auburn’s college radio station,
WEGL. He had told me and Dave about getting tickets to shows and
meeting bands and all kinds of other great stories about working for
the radio station. So naturally I called the Athens Theater and told
them me and Dave worked at WEGL and would be in town for the TMBG
show and wanted to interview the band. I can’t even imagine what
the guy I talked to was thinking, but in retrospect I’m sure he
knew I was full of shit. He told me to show up at the venue early and
tell the guy at the door we were there for an interview. So we did.
On the drive up to Athens we even wrote down a bunch of questions for
John and John. I have no idea what we thought was going to happen or
what we were going to do with this “interview”. We were just two
dum-dums that really wanted to meet our favorite band.
We
arrived at the venue and amazingly were allowed inside. Even more
amazingly, somebody went and got John Flansburgh and he came and
talked to us. He obviously came into the situation knowing we were
full of shit, but I think he was curious to know what two lunatics
were doing lying about working at WEGL. To his credit he was very
nice in a subtly mocking way. He asked how Super Frank was doing. I
didn’t know who the fuck Super Frank was (he was a director at the
station) and said he was fine. There was a bit more verbal fencing
where Flansburgh was clearly trying to out or lie, but not in a cruel
way. He was having fun. The only actual interview question I remember
asking was, “How much do you guys generally make for a show?”
(yes – I seriously asked that) and he told me nothing – they got
paid in beer.
At
some point he must have stopped being entertained because he politely
excused himself and told us to enjoy the show.
Me
and Dave left and walked around Athens for a while after that. We
knew that Flansburgh had known what was up and felt more than a
little stupid and dishonest. The fact that we had lied to our
favorite band far outweighed the excitement of meeting our favorite
band. Even worse, we happened to walk by John and John as they were
having dinner at one of Athens’ sidewalk cafes. We waved and moved
on as quickly as we could without actually running. I can only
imagine what Flansburgh said to Linnell after we were clear of the
area.
So
that happened.
The
show was awesome, though. They did a version of “Exquisite Dead
Guy” using only ventriloquist dummy heads mounted on mic stands:
They also did a bit where every member of the band pulled out a trombone and they all jammed:
The
first TMBG album that I did not love was Mink
Car. In
a fact unrelated to my perception of the album’s quality it was
released on September 11, 2001. I was managing a Wherehouse Music at
the time. It was my day to open the store and the planes hit the
World Trade Center before I left the apartment. My girlfriend didn’t
want me to leave. She – like many people – thought it was the end
of the world. I didn’t know what to think. All I knew was that I
had a boss that hated me and if it wasn’t the end of the world I
was still going to need a paycheck. So I went in to work.
It
was an extremely weird day. It was New Release Day and the idiots
that worked the night before hadn’t done their job so I had to put
out all the new CDs. Except for the new live album from Dream Theater. It
had an image of the Twin Towers on the front with a sacred heart.
Corporate was worried that it could be interpreted the wrong way and
I have to admit it was a good call. But my big concern was the new
They Might Be Giants album, of which we received two copies. I bought
one and listened to it on the way home. It just didn’t click for me
and hasn’t to this day. The only songs I really loved were “Cyclops
Rock” and “Another First Kiss”. Everything else just didn’t
work for me. Mink
Car
feels like an album of B-sides; but not a good one like Miscellaneous
T.
The
next album was TMBG’s first foray into music specifically directed
to children – NO!.
It was the first album I bought when I found out I was going to be a
father and I think it is a very good children’s album. But back in
2002 I wasn’t interested in a children’s album. Between that and
my disappointment with Mink
Car, I
kind of took a break from They Might Be Giants. I was terribly hurt
by the fact that I didn’t like Mink
Car. I
already had plenty of experience with losing interest in favorite
artists due to stylistic changes – Metallica, Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Dance Hall Crashers, The Suicide Machines – but I really
didn’t think I could bear to be disappointed in such a way by TMBG.
So I stopped buying their albums and just kept listening to the ones
I owned.
Side
Note: Some of you may be wondering who the Suicide Machines are and
why they would be mentioned alongside Metallica and the Chili
Peppers. They were a ska/punk band that came out when that stuff was
big. Their debut album – Destruction
By Definition
- was one of my favorites from the genre. They were right up there
with Less Than Jake for their ability to rock. I listened to that
thing a lot. But their second album was some kind of emo garbage.
Completely different to the point where you wouldn’t even attribute
the two albums to the same band if you didn’t know better. I was
let down.
But
I still “Liked” the band on Facebook once I gave up on MySpace
and switched. It was through there that I saw the promo video for the
album Join
Us:
The
video was neat, but that song haunted me. Even after only hearing it
once I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was the classic TMBG
formula of dark lyrics over poppy, fun music. I watched the video
several times, but I still couldn’t bring myself to buy the album.
As pop music has taught us – one great song does not a listenable
album make.
At
some point I signed up for the band’s e-mail list. I think it was
when I decided that whether or not I was going to enjoy their
post-2001 career I still wanted to see them live again. It was
through that mailing list that I was made aware of the TMBG Holiday Gift Pack.
(I’m
going to assume you clicked that link and read all about it)
It
was too much. All of the goodies in that bargain-priced collection
were indicative that TMBG were still the same strange, clever band
that I had loved for that decade. The best indicator was, of course,
the DVD. Filled with songs from the decade I skipped, it was so much
fun to listen to and see new things that I had never experienced. And
that damn song was on there, too – “When Will You Die”. I had
to buy Join
Us
immediately.
It
was great. There wasn’t a single track that I didn’t like. It
wasn’t necessarily reminiscent of the band’s older stuff, but it
was definitely the same style. This, of course, meant that I needed
to start delving into the rest of the albums I had skipped. I
downloaded Long
Tall Weekend
next. This was a digital-only album that came out in 1999 – before
the Mink
Car
debacle, but also before I was any sort of internet savvy. I wasn’t
even aware of that one until recently. It’s also good. I still need
to get The
Spine
and The
Else,
but I don’t want to rush it. I want to savor each one of these
existing releases on their own for a while rather than just getting
everything and having too much at once. But so far it seems like Mink
Car is
an aberration.
Which
brings me to Nanobots.
Nanobots
is the new album. It came out a month or so ago and is excellent. The
opening track is the equal of “When Will You Die” in terms or
earworminess. It’s called “You’re On Fire” and I knew every
word within a couple of times of listening. This is a miracle for me.
I don’t learn songs anymore. I was never a big lyrics guy. I have
to really focus and concentrate to learn lyrics. Actually, one of the
hardest things I have ever had to do was memorize the words to
Operation Ivy’s “The Crowd” so that The Irresponsibles could do
a cover of it. I still think they did that just to torture me. But I
know “You’re On Fire”. And I love it.
I
love the whole album. It is very reminiscent of Apollo
18, my
favorite of TMBG’s albums. I honestly couldn’t explain what I am
basing that opinion on, but it’s how I felt after the first listen.
And
now I am going to see the band live once again. They are playing two
nights at the Variety Playhouse. I can’t go Saturday because I am
working all weekend, but I am going Sunday night. Believe me – I’d
go both nights if I could. As a matter of fact, as I write this I am
still gauging how late They Might Be Giants might play versus exactly
how tired I can bear to be at work. But I am off Monday and am going
with a small crew Sunday night. I don’t think I can go without
sleep for that long. Also, Sunday night the band will be playing
Flood
in its entirety. While that may not be my favorite album, it is the
first one I heard. It’s the one with “We Want A Rock”. And for
me, that’s where it all began. I can’t wait to see it live again.
-Phantom
I know of TMBG because the Brothers Chaps of Homestar Runner made the video for the band's song "Experimental Film."
ReplyDeleteDon't know much about them other than that, except that they did "Triangle Man" on Tiny Toon Adventures, the theme song to "Malcolm in the Middle," and, randomly, a song about the heart that used to play at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia (I live in Pennsylvania.)
I enjoy the comedic nature to the songs I've seen. "Experimental Film" is also one of my favorite songs. I love the way it makes fun of arthouse films and the people behind them. (And the fact that those people didn't seem to get that since the song was used for an experimental film competition series.)