1992-06-23 Plain Dealer
Then again, They Might Be Mad Muppets
By Michael Norman, Plain Dealer, June 23, 1992
Archived from: https://www.newspapers.com/image/1070689500/
Remember the production numbers in the Muppet movies? The ones where Kermit and his puppet pals burst into bouncy, happy, overly orchestrated song?
Imagine that the Muppets have gone way over the edge, that they have imbued their swinging sound with punk and rock and avant-garde pop-and-started writing quirky, demented ditties about killing their mothers, evil spiders and statues that got them high.
That's what "Apollo 18," the latest release from the New York duo They Might Be Giants, sounds like. The Muppets gone mad. "Apollo 18," their fourth album, is a wild, out-of-this-world ride -- a collection of intelligent, devastatingly funny tunes that defy easy description.
"Warped" and "oddball" are labels that come to mind, especially after listening to a murder-mommy track like "I Palindrome I" and a Weird Science tune like "Mammal." But that doesn't quite do the Giants justice. These guys are too good and too smart to be lumped in with the weirdness-for-weirdness-sake bands that infest college radio. The Giants draw their musical inspiration from disparate sources from punk rock to TV theme songs to 1940s swing to the Rat Pack vibes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
"I definitely wouldn't be a musician if it wasn't for punk rock," said Flansburgh in a recent telephone interview from New York. "I was 17 in 1977 and it really was a big part of making me feel there was a place for me in music.
"At the same time, we're interested in a lot of pre-rock music swing music and the popular music from the rest of this century. Things that your parents liked, like Frank and Sammy. It affects you. It poisons your mind."
Listeners with lazy ears might find "Apollo 18" and other Giants' records hard to swallow, maybe even a little schizophrenic. Flansburgh and Linnell's approach to album-making is rooted in a belief that songs are "individuals" and should be imbued with their own unique sound.
"We definitely set up the records to maximize that," said Flansburgh. "This record is actually one of the first ones that has two songs that sort of segue into one another, complement one another rhythmically. 'If I Wasn't Shy' and 'Turn Around' both have moderate tempo swing aspects to them. That's sort of unusual for us because we tend to put the quietest songs next to the fastest."
So if you're looking for mood music, the Giants might not be for you, unless you want to be put in 38 different moods in the span of an hour. (The 18-song album actually tracks to 38 on CD players thanks to "Fingertips," a flip-through-the-radio-dial collection of choruses from 20 songs "that don't exist.")
"The people who want to be put into a mood when they listen to a record would just be feeling moody after listening to ours," said Flansburgh. "It's definitely not for everybody in the sense that it's a challenge. It's not a record you can just put on and ignore."
That's certainly true of "I Palindrome I," the album's first single. It was written by Linnell, who used the concept of a palindrome as a metaphor for matricide.
"He called his mother right afterwards and said, 'Don't take this the wrong way, mom," said Flansburgh. "I was more afraid and didn't call my mom until after the record came out. That might not have been a good move. My mom is more sensitive, just doesn't understand why you would want to sing a song like that."
Flansburgh said 'Mammal" is the latest in a series of educational and science songs Linnell has penned. "The first song we did that was like that was called 'Why Does the Sun Shine?' which just kind of explains facts about the sun. John also did one on President James K. Polk. In the course of this two-minute song, you'll know more about James K. Polk than you'll know about Tyler."
Humor is one of the prime ingredients in a Giants record and in their live show. "It's a real responsibility," joked Flansburgh. "In the wrong hands, it's very dangerous."
This is the first time the Giants will hit the road with a backup band. Cleveland native and Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone will play in the rhythm section, with New York drummer Jon Feinberg. Kurt Hoffman, a founding member of the New York instrumental outfit the Ordinaires, plays sax and clarinet.