They Might Be Giants are an alternative rock band composed of John Flansburgh and John Linnell who have delivered heir quirky music to fans for decades. From the college charts to children’s ditties, this duo specialize in educating and entertaining simultaneously. Their latest offering Join Us still holds onto their classic sound while sounding modern. Linnell of the two Johns explained recent life as a little giant.
Hi, John. It is good to hear that you are coming back to Chicago. You played here recently?
Yes, we played in a tent at the Shedd Aquarium for the radio station 93XRT. It rained torrentially so they shut all the flaps on the tent and it was 90 degrees.
Oh no! Well, the next time will be indoors at the Riv. The new album sounds like a return to the old sound but still modern so a good mix.
Right, exactly. I keep getting questions about how do we characterize this new record. There is a perception of it that on one hand it is a return to form and on the other hand something new. I don’t know which way we should be spinning it. People seem to like the fact that it is recognizably us. I am perfectly fine with that. I like our catalogue. I think there are a bunch of new ideas and new sounds on the record. We are periodically figuring out new ways of recording.
The first single is “Can’t Keep Johnny Down.” Which John is that talking about?
It is kind of a gag in a way because it is not either one of us but on the other hand it was a way of being interesting having the guy’s name be Johnny. People that know us know that neither one of us is like that guy who is basically a jerk. It was funny to have the character be named the same name as us as though it were autobiographical.
Are you making a video for it?
We are actually. It will be a full production kind of thing. We have enormous amount of videos that were made as an online contest. You can check those out on Facebook or YouTube. They are spectacularly great videos. So I am not sure why we are even bothering to spend money on the same video but it will be something different.
You have always kept up with technology. Apollo 18 had extra tracks when compact discs were a new thing.
We are not about technology. John and I have been willing to try lots of things. We are always curious about ways of transmitting music from us to somebody else starting with Dial-A-Song which was a way to bypass record companies and store system to just go from our house to someone else’s house. It seemed to have a personal relationship with the audience. That was really popular in New York. People were calling us up and hearing a song. It was a different way of experiencing music. All of the things that are on the internet are not dissimilar to that in a way for us. It is a different kind of experience.
Are you still doing the podcasts?
We are, yes. We have been a bit sluggish putting it out but it is still coming out.
Is the song “When Will You Die” about someone specific?
I like that you can’t tell in the “You’re So Vain” kind of way. Just to be straight with you it is not about anyone in particular but I really was amused by the effect that it had when we were recording the song. As some point one of the engineers asked who the song was about. I said, “It’s about someone in this room but I can’t say who it is.”
That must be a good one to play live because it intros the whole band.
Exactly. It is a good opportunity to introduce everybody.
Is it confusing to have two Johns and two Dans in a band?
Not for us, we are completely used to it. Dan the guitarist is just Dan and the bass player is Danny.
Did your son Henry inspire you to do all of these children’s albums?
I wouldn’t say directly. We were invited to make a children’s record by Rounder even before my son was born. Adults would play our music back in the ‘90s for their kids because they thought it was not inappropriate for kids. It was on the list of things to do before my wife got pregnant. It was funny my son was born just before the release of No! He has grown up with all the other stuff we have done for kids.
You have done several soundtracks to television and movies such as the theme song for Malcolm in Middle. Are there more in the works?
We are always open to offers. Recently we got a nice kill fee. It means it didn’t wind up in the movie but we still got paid. However it works as long as we get paid for the work we are doing.
Did you two meet in high school?
No, we met even before high school in elementary school. We got to know each other by working on the high school newspaper. There was a whole circle of people that were interested in journalism. Our music reviewer was passionate about groups like the Ramones so it was the first time we heard them. That group meant a lot to us.
How did you learn to play all of these instruments? Did you learn on your feet?
More or less. I had a piano in my house when I was growing up so I spent a lot of time banging on it. In high school I learned the clarinet with a fingering chart. I joined the high school concert band. I am mostly self-taught so is John Flansburgh. We have been willing to be bad at stuff, which is maybe the key to learning.
The name of your band has been mixed up so many times. It came out of the movie a long time ago?
Yes, there was a movie with George C Scott. It is a silly farcical movie from the early ‘70s. It is a very New Yorkie film.
I heard there is some sock puppet project you are working on.
We are! We have puppets in the show currently. We had them in the kid’s show was well but found out the adults like the puppets even more than the kids do. We have carried on with the puppets in the adult show. For a lot of people that is their favorite part.
