1986-03-14 Back Stage
See Tomorrow's Music Today on "New Music &"
By Mark Weinstein, Back Stage, March 14, 1986
This transcription only covers the TMBG-portion of the full article, spotlighting a cable channel called "New Music &" run by Michael Overn and John Cousins. This article is also notable for mentioning plans for a TMBG-related music video directed by Overn, predating the band's work with Adam Bernstein. No known footage of this music video is known to exist, although some ideas may have possibly been recycled for "The Guitar" music video.
"Giants" TV Debut
"Giants" is a folk group for the '80s.
The group consists of John Flansburg on guitar and John Linnell on accordian, who perform against tape loops and other pre-recorded sources, provided by sound man Bill Kraus.
Overn calls the group, "A cross between performance art and a '60s psychedelic band." On songs like "Youth Culture Killed My Dog" and "Put Your Hand in the Puppet Man," they often cross back and forth between these two forms, sometimes inside the space of one song. Despite an occasional tendency to be precious, "Giants' is capable of music that is both sophisticated and disarming and the exposure that "New Music &" offers to them is well founded.
Currently, Overn is readying material for the second in what he hopes will become a series of "Bad-Video" parties; undoubtedly a project that attests to the uniqueness of his perspective on music video. By exposing viewers to the tastier, livelier fare that is available on the forefront of commercial culture, Overn's approach provides viewers with a freedom of choice.