Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns)

Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns) Video by They Might Be Giants
First released	November 18, 2003 Release details / collectors: Show \| Hide	Tracks	n/a
Label	Plexifilm / Cowboy Pictures <PLEXI011-1>	Length	102:00

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DVD back cover

DVD insert

Description[edit]

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns is a rock documentary about They Might Be Giants, directed by AJ Schnack and produced by Shirley Moyers and Bonfire Films Of America. It was filmed in 2001, released in limited theaters in 2002, and finally released on DVD in 2003.

The film contains concert footage, interviews, humor, animation, coffee, humor, lyric readings, people wondering about the subject matter of their lyrics, information on our eleventh and sixteenth presidents, excerpts from the Flood Promo and Rabid Child video, Linnell's son Henry, a performance on "The Tonight Show" accompanied by Doc Severinsen, early influences, humor, early performances (at the Darinka: A Performance Space, for instance), coffee, an inside look at the "Dial-A-Song" studio, the notorious "Gloria," interpretations of Particle Man, John's take on John (and vice versa), fan stories, behind the scenes of Man, It's So Loud In Here, TV appearances, excerpts of songs written for movies and television...and you should also know there is a lot of humor! And coffee!

Interviewees include Jamie Kitman, Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf, Bill Krauss, Pat Dillett, Sarah Vowell and Ira Glass of This American Life, Robert Krulwich of Brave New World, Dave Eggers, Frank Black, Darinka owner Gary Ray Bugarcic, former Elektra A&R rep Susan Drew, Syd Straw, and some rock journalists. Appearances by Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Joe Franklin, Josh Kornbluth and Raoul Rosenberg. Janeane Garofalo, Michael McKean, Andy Richter and Harry Shearer read lyrics.

Trivia[edit]

There are four Easter Eggs on the DVD.

Songs Heard Or Mentioned In The Movie Or Extras[edit]

(She Was A) Hotel Detective - Video included with introductions by Bernstein, John, & John
32 Footsteps - A fan says he lost his virginity to this song
All Alone - Dave Eggers explains it
Ana Ng - Music video included with introduction
Ant - Sarah Vowell mentions it
The Ballad of Timothy McSweeney - Audio included, also a short explanation by Dave Eggers
Bangs - Listen VERY carefully during the segment on Linnell later in the movie and you'll find that there's a clip of Bangs being performed live
Birdhouse In Your Soul - Video included, performance on Johnny Carson included, also a short clip in the Flood Promo; Dave Eggers and Danny Weinkauf compliment it at length
Boat Of Car - Acoustic record store performance at Tower Records
Boss Of Me - Clip played during theme songs montage towards the end of the movie
Brave New World Theme - Clip played during theme songs montage towards the end of the movie
Cowtown - Video of this song being performed on a radio show included
Cyclops Rock - Clip is included in the opening credits; live excerpt near the beginning
Dan Vs. Cog - Music video included
Dead - Short clip included in Flood Promo
Dr. Evil - Clip played during theme songs montage towards the end of the movie
Doctor Worm - Includes soundcheck with this song (date unknown) and is featured in the This American Life piece included. Listen closely, a live clip can also be quietly heard at one point.
Dog On Fire - Clip played during theme songs montage towards the end of the movie
Don't Let's Start - A concert rendition in the movie, plus the music video included with an introduction; some lyrics read and discussed
Don't Worry Kyoko - Talked about, but never heard as a copy couldn't be found
The End Of The Tour - Michael McKean lovingly and beautifully recites this song from memory (!) during a pivotal point of the film (The fallout with Elektra)
Everything Right Is Wrong Again - Heard in the montage over the opening credits. Also is shown in a raw footage clip of a show in 1986.
The Famous Polka - Mentioned as Flansburgh talks about the stage collapse show in Milwaukee, and clip is included in the opening credits
Fingertips - Live version included
The Guitar - Played live over the closing credits
Hearing Aid - Clip in Flood Promo
Hide Away Folk Family - Live excerpt included
Hot Cha - Clip in Flood Promo
I Can't Hide From My Mind - The debut of this song; Flans records the very first version onto Dial-A-Song
I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die - Sarah Vowell cites this as an example of the band's humor and easygoingness; a Johns-only performance is also subsequently heard.
I Palindrome I - Michael McKean recites this song on the DVD
I Should Be Allowed To Think - Andy Richter recites the song
I'm Sick (Of This American Life) - Included in the This American Life piece on the DVD
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live clip included. Also mentioned in the Flood Promo, but not heard due to copyright.
James K. Polk - Live video included
King Weed - Music video included
Lady Is A Tramp - Can be heard in the This American Life piece on the DVD
Letterbox - Clip in Flood Promo
Lie Still, Little Bottle - The Stick! - live performance included
Life 360 Theme - clip played during theme songs montage towards the end of the movie
Lucky Ball & Chain - Clip in Flood Promo
Mammal - The "Maintaining..." line is featured in the DVD liner notes
Man, It's So Loud In Here - We see them tweaking it in the studio and rehearsing it backstage at the Conan O'Brien show
Maybe I Know - Mentioned in the commentary that the Johns met a relative of the original songwriter by pure chance
Meet James Ensor - Acoustic record store performance
Minimum Wage - Clip in Flood Promo, mentioned on a setlist
Mr. Me - Live Version included
New York City - Acoustic record store performance (about nine hours before the Sept. 11 attacks, a point AJ Schnack wisely underplays), clip of live performace. A clip of the Warsaw show in the same year playing this song is also shown. In addition, the original version by Cub is available in the extras
Nick Rocks ID - performed on "Nick Rocks" appearance
No One Knows My Plan - Mentioned in the commentary as a song originally to have a celebrity reading
Number Three - Live version included
Older - Music video included, live version
Particle Man - High school debate team discusses its meaning...JL: "There is nothing missing in your understanding of Particle Man;" a live version and clip appear in the Flood Promo
Purple Toupee -Brief video clip shown
Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head - Video included with introductions by Bernstein, John, & John.
Rabid Child - Brief video clip shown
Road Movie To Berlin - Clip in Flood Promo
Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love - Clip in Flood Promo
See The Constellation - Short clip of the end of this song during the part where the Dans are talking about the consistent age of Giants fans
She's An Angel - Live video included before credits
Siftin' - Clip played before and after some of the Brave New World videos
Sleepwalkers - Live clip included during the bit on Linnell. (Date unknown, circa early 2000s, sometime pre-No! release)
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair - Clip in Flood Promo
Spiraling Shape - Michael McKean recites some of the lyrics in the trailer
Spy - Mentioned as Flansburgh goes through a setlist. Live clip also included (Date unknown, circa early 2000s)
Subliminal - Short live clip near the beginning
Theme From Flood - Included on Flood Promo
They Might Be Giants - live version included; recited by Harry Shearer
They'll Need A Crane - Jamie Kitman mentions the Giantesque juxtaposition of breezy music and crushingly sad lyrics
Till My Head Falls Off - Live clip shown
Token Back To Brooklyn - brief clip played as subway passes. Shot at the Bedford Avenue subway station on the L train.
Twisting - Clip in Flood Promo
Untitled - Has a full animated video during the documentary
We Want A Rock - Clip in Flood Promo
Whistling In The Dark - Clip in Flood Promo
Women & Men - Clip in Flood Promo
Your Racist Friend - Clip in Flood Promo

Gallery[edit]

The Faces Poster
The Pipe Poster
The Lincoln Poster

The Stop Rock Movie Poster
The Stop Rock Movie Poster - Collector's Edition
Coffee scented perfume, given away at the premiere
Informational letter sent to fans prior to the taping of the August 5, 2001 show
Flier given out at the Philadephia premiere July 2003.