TMBG Info Club FAQ

The Answers to They Might Be Giants' Ten Most Asked Questions
TMBG Info Club
June 1, 1990

WHICH JOHN IS WHICH?

Flansburgh wears glasses, plays the guitar. Linnell plays the accordion & saxophone (not at the same time though). Both of them sing lead on different songs (such as John L. on "Birdhouse in Your Soul" & John F. on "Lucky Ball & Chain").

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR SONG IDEAS?

From life, where else?

HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET?

John met John when they were both at Lincoln-Sudbury Junior High school in Massachusetts (they were younger and shorter then), went their respective ways, and then reencountered each other years later when they were moving into the same apartment building in Brooklyn on the same day.

WHY THE NAME THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS?

A tip of the hat to the 1970 George C. Scott film "They Might Be Giants"--about an eccentric who thinks he's Sherlock Holmes--for inspiration (it's on video, check it out).

IS THERE SHEET MUSIC FOR YOUR SONGS?

Not at the moment. However, plans are being made by Dept. PPFNP (the best department in the WHOLE WORLD) to include a songbook in a future catalog. We'll keep you posted.

WHAT ABOUT THE 1985 NOW OUT-OF-PRINT DEBUT CASSETTE? IF I SEND YOU A BLANK TAPE & SOME MONEY, WILL YOU MAKE ME A COPY?

Please hold on to your tapes & cash. Once again Dept. PPFNP is working to make your present wishes future reality. Plans are being made to re-release, by mail order only, this historic slice of Giants history. But right now the 1985 cassette is not available.

WHAT'S S.A.S.E.? WHY TWO?

Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, of course! The 1st envelope is used by us to send you what you're reading now and the second is passed along to the Johns for sending their reply to you, if you've written a letter to them. Those of you who only send S.A.S.E.s and nothing else, your envelopes are used to send info only! Notice to overseas fans: Please DO NOT send us envelopes with your country's postage! We cannot use them. Send two self addressed envelopes with 2 International Reply Coupons, which are obtained at your local post office (the amount of each coupon should be enough for one ounce of Airmail).

IS THE INFO CLUB RUN BY SOME LARGE ORGANIZATION, ELEKTRA PERHAPS? DO THE JOHNS REALLY SEE MY LETTER?

The T M B G Information Club is run by They Might Be Giants and their staff, no one else! Any letters sent to the Brooklyn P.O. Box address are handed over by dedicated TMBG personnel to the Johns as quickly as possible. And, as lots of TMBG "veterans" will testify, the Giants have sent many a memorable reply to their fans.

WHAT ABOUT RECENT TV APPEARANCES? WHEN'S THE NEXT SINGLE/VIDEO COMING OUT?

In America, the Johns have now appeared on three of NBC's talk shows--the Tonight Show (April 3rd), Late Night with David Letterman (May 15th), and the Today Show (June 18th). (What's next, Meet the Press?) As noted earlier in this newsletter, the Giants will once again be appearing on Britain's "Top of the Pops", as well as other U.K. TV music shows, in early June. Brits, check your local listings. Their latest Elektra release is Istanbul (Not Constantinople), a 5 inch CD-single featuring the songs, "Stormy Pinkness", "James K. Polk", "Ant" (songs all Dial-a-Song aficionados should recognize), and two versions of the title track. Watch out for the Johns' latest video, "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", currently being shown on your favorite music video channel.

WHEN ARE THE GIANTS PLAYING IN (FILL IN YOUR HOMETOWN)? CAN IT PLEASE BE AN ALL AGES SHOW?

As was said earlier, the Giants will be touring the U.K., Italy, Denmark, West Germany, and Holland in June/July 1990, then opening for the B-52s in California August 13th, 14th, and 18th. They do plan to play more U.S. dates in the fall, which will be announced when they are set, and also an Australian tour is tentatively set for November. We'll keep you updated. As for all ages shows, the Johns are aware of the extreme youthfulness of many of their fans, and always request that their shows be open to all ages when ever possible. But sometimes life is unfair (even for They Might Be Giants), and the "world's address" is a place that's just for those 21 and over.

BONUS QUESTION: I HAVEN'T RECEIVED MY FAN ID NUMBER YET! WHAT DO I DO?

Have faith, help is on the way. We've installed new software on our computers that has made it a lot easier to deal with the Flood o' Mail that has been coming in lately. There should be an ID number above your name on the label of this packet o' stuff. If you already have a number, and the one on this mailing is different, please use this new number. This is now your official number--we solemnly swear.

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS EUROPEAN TOUR: JUNE/JULY 1990

• all dates subject to change without notice
• 11 June Leeds, England Irish Centre
• 12 June Manchester, England Ritz
• 14 June Glasgow, Scotland Pavilion
• 15 June Redcar, England The Bowl
• 17 June London, England Town and Country
• 18 June London, England Town and Country
• 19 June Cardiff, Wales Cardiff University
• 21 June Leicester, England Leicester University
• 22 June Norwich, England University of East Anglia
• 23 June Cambridge, England Corn Exchange
• 25 June Birmingham, England Irish Centre
• 26 June Birmingham, England Irish Centre
• 27 June Sheffield, England Sheffield University
• 30 June Rosskild, Denmark Festival
• 02 July Modena, Italy To be Announced
• 03 July Lugano, Italy To be Announced
• 05 July Nuremberg, West Germany E Werk or Stuffgart, West Germany Longhorn
• 06 July Dusseldorf, West Germany Tor 3
• 09 July Frankfurt, West Germany Batschkapp
• 10 July Bielefeld, West Germany PC 69
• 11 July Bremen, West Germany Modernes
• 15 July Amsterdam, Netherlands Melkweg
• plus 2 extra TBA dates in the Netherlands July 13th & 14th!

TMBG FUN FACTS!

FAVORITE BEVERAGES OF THE JOHNS:
Flansburgh--Coffee
Linnell--flat Coca Cola