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They Might Be Giants/Sandbox

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[edit] When in Lincoln, do as the Johns do... (1959-82)

Regarding the history of the John's relationship before they began TMBG

John Linnell was born on June 12, 1959 in New York (later moving to Lincoln, Mass. when he was 8) and John Flansburgh was born May 6, 1960 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Lincoln has been collectively described as a culturally removed, upper-middle class, rural-suburban town in the heart of liberal America, both then and now. The Johns grew up in the shadow of Vietnam and Watergate, yet were removed from it, in a direct way, due to their youth.

First encounters between the Johns are sketchy. One describes, in elementary school, when Linnell was in the hospital and his class (including Flansburgh, showing how small of a town Lincoln was at them time) was asked to send get-well cards to the ailing Linnell. Flansburgh remembers the experience as being "bogus" since he didn't know Linnell, and Linnell remembers it as being surreal for the very same reason (he really didn't know anybody who sent the cards). Another account of an early encounter, as related by Linnell, is of Flansburgh approaching him with an odd play made up of 100 one or two line acts. Flansburgh was sincere, but Linnell remembers being put off a bit by this eager, loud fellow student. Yet another maintains Flansburgh first really approached Linnell after he admired a homemade comic that included a centerfold of the authors as Nazis. Linnell also once told a story of John Flansburgh repeatedly calling him up to talk about nothing, without Linnell really knowing who he was.

No matter the story, the simple facts say they became friends in high school, where the two made and distributed small comic books. In his freshman year, Linnell joined the school newspaper and slowly worked his way up to senior editor and Flansburgh joined the following year. This newspaper was unlike any other, liked by those on the staff, lacking a sports section, and disliked by the student body at large, While Flansburgh feels that it's emotionally arrested to say so, he feels that the staff of the paper and that general group of friends, including Jimmy McIntyre, had a lasting impact on his cultural sensibilities.

Flansburgh began collecting sound recording equipment, like a TEAC 2-track Sound-to-Sound recorder. He and Linnell played around with it, recording a version of Yoko Ono's Don't Worry Kyoko, Mummy's Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow with faux Rod Serling voices. This may have been their first recording together.

After high school, the duo split up as Linnell completed a year at the University of Massachusetts before taking off on year that stretched into many, and Flansburgh headed off to Washington University, then Antioch and finally the Pratt Institute, where he graduated with an arts degree. He frequently jokes about his lack of an education because that’s all he has. Linnell relocated to Rhode Island and joined a New Wave band called the Mundanes. They generated some popularity and decided to move to New York to further their career.

The Johns ended up arranging for apartments in Brooklyn through a mutual friend, and because of a carpool to the City ended up moving into the same building on the same day in 1981.

[edit] Then, Them, and us... (1982-86)

The band before a dedicated fanbase developed. Also covers the Johns' early performances and everything (including the demo tapes) up until the bar none record deal.

In 1982, Linnell and Flansburgh moved into the same apartment and subsequently began recording songs. Initially, they only helped each other on personal solo projects and songs, but they eventually began working entirely together. Linnell:
We had a whole lot of conversations about how we were gonna do this and I think it started with one of us wanting to get a band and the other one wanting to do more high-tech duo thing and then we figured out a way to do something we both liked using just a reel-to-reel tape recorder playing straight through.
Their live performances as well as demo albums were just that. A rhythm section of each early song was built, recorded and played, while the two Johns performed.

Their first original song was Space Suit, initially titled "I'll Remember 3rd Street", written by Flansburgh to apply chords he'd learned from his music teacher. Their first show was performed sometime in August of '82 in Central Park and had a setlist including, though not limited to, I'll Remember 3rd Street, Cowtown, Cabbagetown, Alienation's For The Rich, and Penguin. They played under the name El Grupo De Rock And Roll, presumably because the audience was a group of Sandinistas who spoke no English.

Later, the duo renamed themselves They Might Be Giants after a 1971 film of the same moniker. Under this name, they played their second show in 1983, which has fallen into TMBG-lore. Known as the legendary "23" show, Linnell:
It was January 23rd. We played 23 songs, although we had only planned to do 22. There were 23 people at that show. We each made 23 dollars. I was 23 at the time.

In 1984, they played numerous venues and began to draw a following. But the group was hit with a low moment when John Linnell broke his wrist in a biking accident and John Flansburgh had his new Brooklyn apartment thoroughly burglarized. Despite being unable to perform, they wanted to keep the band's momentum going, and thus Dial-A-Song was born. Dial-A-Song, which, for many years, could be reached at (718) 387-6962, was a service TMBG had been operating almost since the band first formed. Calling Dial-A-Song's line connected you to an answering machine that plays an exclusive TMBG song, when the machine was functioning. This became a staple of the band and an invaluable tool in creating songs.

They released a 1984 Demo Tape, but only as a side. Their first released recording was Everything Right Is Wrong in Flexi-Disc format in 1985. 1000 copies were cut and distributed. It only had two tracks, demos of Everything Right is Wrong Again and You'll Miss Me. Both were later re-mixed and released that year in the self-titled 1985 Demo Tape. It was recorded and produced in the after-hours at the PASS Studio in New York by Alex Noyes and Bill Krauss. As a personal reference it included 23 tracks. The band distributed the tapes personally at concerts and by order. In a fantastic turn of events the tape was reviewed in People magazine, giving them the attention they would need to score a record deal.

[edit] The technical term is "commercial artists"... (1986-89)

This covers their first album and Lincoln and such, including their movement into the national scene.

In the fall of 1985, the group was approached by Glenn Morrow and Tom Prendergast at Bar/None Records. The Johns write:
Working with the invaluable help of our truly dedicated sound man Bill Krauss handling the production chores, we set about making our Bar/None recordings very much in the spirit of our live show and home recordings.
Many of the songs began with the demos from the 1985 Demo Tape that they'd already recorded and were remastered and remixed at Studio PASS in New York, again working in the after hours to utilize extra time and more unused equipment. Three songs debuted as recordings (Absolutely Bill's Mood, She's An Angel, and Hide Away Folk Family, and no live performances are known previous to the first album) and several from the 1985 Demo Tape were unused, saved, and slated for later.

[edit] A crowd gathered at the window... (1990-94)

Regarding the time with Flood and Apollo 18. The 92 tour (and the fall of the tape concerts) would be a great segue to...

[edit] But the band plays on... (1994-96)

Another full band venture: John Henry! and the turmoil all this created.

[edit] I don't know why you say Hello... (1990-99)

This section covers the 90's (possible back tracking to cover it all), the solo-projects, Hello Club, Albums, etc.

[edit] Post-Cambrian Explosion... (2000-07)

The dawn of a new century also saw a dawn of a new TMBG. Looking to expand into new areas, the Johns ventured into the realm of television, by creating 20+ tracks to be used as incidental music for Malcolm In The Middle. In addition, Flansburgh's theme for the show, Boss Of Me was an unexpected hit for the band, that yielded them their first Grammy in the band's history!

In 2001, living up to their name, The Giants embarked upon a project of gigantic proportions - TMBG Unlimited. Partnering with eMusic, TMBG dutifully released a set of 10 or so songs each month, including new material, music from Dial-A-Song, battle of the bands songs, live performances, previously unreleased material, and demo versions of released songs. TMBG Unlimited was available for all eMusic subscribers at a cost of $10 per month. Subscribers to this service also got a sneak peak at the new Mink Car album, a full two weeks prior to its release.

TMBG Unlimited subscribers also got to hear several works-in-progress from TMBG'S biggest philosophical departure in the band's history - No!. Their first children-oriented album in the band's history proved to be a success for the band, by blending fun lyrics with more professional arrangements than is normal for most children's music. The album was received warmly by many critics, such as AllMusic who had this to say:

While They Might Be Giants' clever, playful melodies and lyrics make their music nearly ideal listening for kids anyway, their first children's album, No!, is one of their most dizzying and delightful in years.

After much begging, TMBG was finally convinced by AJ Schnack, an independent filmmaker, to allow him to produce a rock-umentary on the band's history. AJ followed the band during the tour for 2001's Mink Car, and also interviewed musicians, music-industry people, and celebrities about "the guardians of alternative music". This footage was compiled into the film Gigantic (A Tale Of Two Johns) which was released to limited screenings in 2002, and released to a larger market in May 2003.

(To be covered: The Spine, Venue Songs, Podcasts, The Else. Possible new section for this material. Tentative name: "Gospel of Wealth is only half the story!")

[edit] It's the little ones that I'm worried about...

The Kid's stuffs!

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