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Talk:John Flansburgh

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It's obvious that Flans holds his guitar like a typical lefty (upside down). Does anyone know if Flans has his strings reversed (low string on top), or play upside down like lefty-Hendrix did (low strings on bottom)? --SR 03-mar-2003

He definitely has the strings reversed. check out any of the videos (esp. 'the guitar') if you look closely (maybe slow it down) it's pretty easy to tell. Lee Benningfield

Isn't Flans calling AJ Schnack "Shnooky" in Flansy Stays In The Picture, not the other way around? 10-aug-2003


What's up with Flansy's pipe? He has one in his mouth in almost all the videos I've seen: Birdhouse, Don't Let's Start, (She was a) Hotel Detective, and it's even briefly in cartoon form for Istanbul. Yet I've never seen him in any appearance with a pipe. Does he smoke? 06-august-04

He's also got two cigars in his mouth on the Mono Puff "It's Fun To Steal" cover. I think i read 'somewhere' that he's a cigar dude, but I'm not sure... -- Rhinoceros Rex
I just assumed it was an 80's affectation. For some reason, I remember learning to smoke a pipe in the 80's. For no good reason. It was just what ya did. --Christina Miller 10-aug-04
He's flansy. Who knows why he does anything. - Fossilise Apostle 23-aug-04
He might just have an artist's sensibilities about eclectically grabbing bits of diverse things and rearranging them in an interesting manner, so they please him visually. Consider his comments in Direct from Brooklyn about how he had definite ideas about how some parts of videos should look, and how he made lots of the props. He seems to really enjoy having his fingers in the creation of the "look and feel" of TMBG. Maybe he uses the pipe because it looks a certain way that satisfies his artist's eye. 23-aug-04
I shouldn't be flip about the pipe, although that was a style some young men glommed onto during the Republican 80's. I had at first assumed that Mr. Flansburgh's Father Knows Best outfits, complete with reassuring pipe, were a Democrat's poke at that the 1980's resurgence of nostalgia for the 1950's (think Reagan and that whole Weltanschauung). But it could be he just liked the look and feel of himself in soft sweaters with a 50's haircut, and a pipe. I think he might also like to see himself as a 40's style man in a fedora with a big cigar, given that strange little "Flansy Stays in the Picture" bit in Gigantic. Christina Miller
Really? I thought he was joking about making most of the props. 7-nov-04

Anyway, this is really off topic, but does anyone know if Flansy is nearsighted or farsighted? I know Linnell is farsighted because that just comes with age, but it's hard to tell with Flans. -SweetAfton23 7-nov-04

Nearsighted. Correction for myopia makes the sufferer's eyes behind the glasses look smaller to you than they actually are; check Mr. Flansburgh in three-quarter profile and you can see the outside edge of his face displaced inward under the lenses. A corrective lens for hyperopia (Mr. Linnell's eye affliction) causes the area behind it to look bigger to you than it is, as a magnifying glass would.
I like the metal rimmed glasses Flansy wore circa 1998 -- i.e. the Dr Worm video spectacles. I wonder if that style is now considered "vintage eyewear" and where an interested observer might snag a pair? --UsernameDot 03:28, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Is Flansburgh really as chubby as some people think he is? I've never noticed this, but I haven't like met him, or anything.

He isn't. I think if you havent met him its really just the view/angle at which you see him. Either way, it shouldn't matter. ~ fingertips 28-jan-05

Anyone else think that 'Professor P.F.' could also stand for Flans' loving brother Paxus? - JasonT 06-mar-05

Well, isn't Paxus' last name now Calta? P.C. - [Christina Miller] 22-mar-06

Why does he not like George W. Bush?


Heh. Yesterday I saw on some ebay auction some cd with Boss Of Me on it, and they called Flans "Flanders". This amused me.--Valerie 17:14, 19 May 2006 (CDT)


How can you not have seen Star Wars? - Doug the Aquacell Guy 23:12, 25 May 2006 (CDT)

I haven't, and we own it. I can't take more than five minutes. And to the Bush guy, go read the Main Page for... a little of the argument. EckSig.gif

How old is that publicity photo of Flans labeled "Flansburgh - Now"? I've never seen it before but it looks current. -Cronny 27-May-06

Oh, "now" meaning within the last five or so years, though I can't pinpoint the exact year. Unfortunately, there haven't been many super-recent publicity photographs. -CapitalQ / @ / 15:01, 27 May 2006 (CDT)
Yeah not since the ABCs anyway...-Cronny

Contents

[edit] Hrm?

Does anyone else feel that the start of this article is a bit off, and really unencyclopedic, referring to him as TMBG's "strategist and businessman" before anything else? I think the same could be said about Linnell's article, which starts off by referring to him as the "keyboard wizard" of TMBG. It's not like this is what each John is solely known for. :\

Anyone want to fix these up? You shall receive bonus points in return for a job well done. -CapitalQ / @ / 13:54, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] ==

A Question: It looks from this page as if Earl, Sr. went to MIT for his undergrad - I was under the impression that he and Polly went to undergrad together elsewhere, and that "Paxus" went to their undergrad alma mater - does anyone know the whole story. Earl probably has a masters, being the head of an architecture firm, so he might have an MA from MIT? ~[Christina Miller, January 2007]


[edit] Cecil?

Why does this article say Flansy is "also known as" Cecil? We have no proof. I still have my suspicions about Linnell.--tehbagel ( o ) 08:22, 5 February 2007 (UTC)


According to a pop-up during this video Flans has a habit of buying a new pair of socks and only keeping them for two days. Kinda weird. — User:ACupOfCoffee@ 23:11, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Look a like

Found an image that looks kind of like the Flans. check out the left side of the face here. This is not of much importance, just reminded me of him. Krueger 00:54, 17 December 2007 (UTC)