They Might Be Giants

ah, how to describe the sheer lovely melodiousness of the sweet sounds of They Might Be Giants? Their music is an experience everyone should have at least once. They are, at the heart, just two humble Johns--John Linnell (vocals, accordion, keyboards, saxophone) and John Flansburgh (vocals, guitar, big marching band drum, corrective eyewear). They met at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts while working on the school newspaper, of which John Linnell was the editor ("We were the only high school newspaper to not have a sports section", as John F. said in an interview once--I wish my high school paper had been that cool....) They parted ways to go to college, where John F., after much switching of schools, finally earned a BFA in printmaking from the Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn; John L. attended the University of Massachusetts, joined a new-wave band called the Mundanes, and quit before finishing his degree in order to join his then-bandmates in Providence, RI. The two Johns met up again in Brooklyn and lived in the same apartment building while John F. went to the Pratt Institute. They began playing music together in 1983 as They Might Be Giants and released their self-titled first album in 1986. 1988 brought their second album, Lincoln, which was one of the highest selling indie albums of that year and helped them land a record deal with Elektra Records, who released their third and most popular album, Flood, in 1990. It is from this album that many people know them, from such singles as Birdhouse in Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople). Elektra also released their 1992 album, Apollo 18, for which they became Musical Ambassadors for International Space Year. In 1994 came their 5th album, John Henry, and a new development--the addition of a live rhythm section. They regained some of their former synthesized sound while keeping the live rhythm section on their 6th album, Factory Showroom. They have also released Miscellaneous T, a collection of B-sides; Then: The Earlier Years, a compilation which includes the contents of the Pink Album, Lincoln, Misc. T, and 19 additional tracks; and Severe Tire Damage, a somewhat live album of favorite songs.

As I am but one mortal college student ill-aquainted with the concept of free time, any attempt on my part to create a truly worthy tmbg page would be futile and frustrating. Therefore, I present a sampling of graphics and some links to the sites of people who have far more free time than myself, and who have constructed truly wonderful tributes to this most worthy of all bands....




Ah, John Linnell.....such a cutie :)

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