1996-06-18 SPINonline
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John Flansburgh Live Chat
Author Unknown, SPINonline, June 18, 1996
Archived from: https://web.archive.org/web/20031026112135/http://www.tmbg.net/articles/spinonline1996a.html
John Flansburgh Live Chat
Author Unknown, SPINonline, June 18, 1996
Archived from: https://web.archive.org/web/20031026112135/http://www.tmbg.net/articles/spinonline1996a.html
"Come say howdy to John Flansburgh in the SPINonline Lounge/Globe on Tuesday, June 18th at 11:00pm ET. Ask him about "Mono Puff." Grill him about the new They Might Be Giants album. And kindly inquire about his work with all the different artists that have appeared on his Hello CD of the Month Club releases."
SPINmc: Welcome to SPINonline's live chat with John Flansburgh! SPINmc: John is here...straight from the recording studio... SPINmc: Where he's been working on the new They Might Be Giants album... SPINmc: He's here promoting his side project...Mono Puff! SPINmc: Start sending your questions by pressing that ever happy Interact button. SPINmc: Okay... SPINmc: We're ready to start... SPINmc: How did you decide to do the Mono Puff experience? John Puff: Uhhh...ummm... John Puff: I've been doing this "Hello CD of the Month" club for the past couple of years... John Puff: and I had a bunch of songs that I had put out thru the club that I had wanted to record John Puff: In a more full-blown way. John Puff: I got together a band to do the songs at a "Hello" showcase in NY and recorded the bulk John Puff: of the record a couple of weeks later last October. SPINmc: He'll take some TMBG questions, of course, but ask him some Mono Puff stuff as well! SPINmc: Brettster: Question: John! I was impressed by a recent Linnell Dial-a-Song, "Ringing of the Bells." Is that Question: slated for the new TMBG release? John Puff: Yes! SPINmc: StevenP78: Question: who influenced your music? Zappa, 10cc, Rundgren, Squeeze? John Puff: Personally, Rundgren not at all. John Puff: 10cc ummm in only the vaguest way. John Puff: Elvis Costello far more than Squeeze, although I like Squeeze. John Puff: My Ryko labelmate the late Frank Zappa a qualified yes. SPINmc: Jonath102: Question: Hey John. The new mono puff album rocks. I know the new TMBG album is due in the fall, Question: but what about the second B-side compalation? John Puff: Superfueled Freaksicle was slated to come out last spring but Elektra John Puff: felt the timing was wrong. John Puff: It's a pretty interesting record John Puff: but a little less consistent than Misc. T which some people think is a pretty bumpy John Puff: ride already. SPINmc: Marvin461: Question: John, what's your favorite breakfast cereal? John Puff: Yes! SPINmc: Mr Cydoni: Question: Have you heard "Weird Al's" song "Everything You Know is Wrong"? It seems to be a parody Question: of TMBG's musical styles. John Puff: No. I bet it isn't. SPINmc: CoDun: Question: why does the band keep changing John Puff: They Might Be Giants line-up doesn't change as fast as it might appear to liner note John Puff: readers. John Puff: But over the course of 3 and a half years with a full band its evolved a couple of times. SPINmc: Jdmack01: Question: Do you object to MIDI files of your music being traded on the internet? Have you heard Question: any that you liked? John Puff: I haven't heard any, but anyone is welcome to mine. SPINmc: DWeil2: Question: Hi John. I saw you in Bremen in Germany a while back. It was the building with ceiling Question: that opened up. You guys were great! Having listed to your song on the XTC disc, 25 O Clock, I Question: was wondering what cover song you'd like to do? John Puff: I don't understand. SPINmc: SHAGGY133: Question: Do you have any upcoming tour dates? John Puff: Yes! John Puff: Mono Puff will be in Boston on the 25, Philly on the 26, DC the 27, and NYC the 28 and 29 John Puff: TMBG will be at in St Louis on the 17 of Aug, and on the road in Sept. SPINmc: Dot0926: Question: whats your favorite word, and why that word?? John Puff: My favorite Word is word because it is a symbol for all other words. SPINmc: Zerolyzer: Question: Do you know the identities of the Residents? AND, if so, WHO ARE THEY?? Please tell me. John Puff: No, I do not know their identities, but I believe some of them are males. SPINmc: A22TMBG: Question: What is particle man really about John Puff: That would be a better question to ask John Linnell. SPINmc: Rob Joe: Question: Hi, John. Might we ever get see a "Best of Dial-a-Song" CD? John Puff: Our Lp's are essentially best of Dial-a-Song's. John Puff: p.s. Dial-a-song died yesterday, but will be back up in a couple of days. SPINmc: Statue: Question: What can we expect from Hello in 1996? John Puff: We've got a lot of stuff. John Puff: Gordon Gano John Puff: Laura Cantrell, produced by me (you may remeber her from "The Guitar") John Puff: John Linnell is doing a project about NYC Mayors. John Puff: The Magnetic Fields and Will Rigby already have released stuff John Puff: If you want a free brochure leave your address at 1 800 HELLO 41 SPINmc: PeaceDrya: Question: What's with the dancing in your first videos? John Puff: We jump around a lot on stage, and it was just an organized way of doing it. SPINmc: SHAGGY133: Question: What is your new album called and on what label is it? John Puff: The Mono Puff album is called "Unsupervised" and is on Rykodisc. SPINmc: RSeanL: Question: John, I think I love you man...but I'm wondering, how is your "social" situation right Question: now? I mean, there are rumors of all sorts about your love interests? What's the real story? John Puff: I am spoken for I am happy to say. SPINmc: Gnureg: Question: What's Mono Puff? John Puff: Well, it's me doing half the songwriting and the other half is cover versions of songs John Puff: that I love that most people don't know. The line up of the band is Steve Calhoon who is John Puff: the drummer in a very cool local NYC band called Skeleton Key, who have a lp of their John Puff: own coming out in the fall.The bass player is Hal Cragen from Iggy Pop's band, who is John Puff: currently on the road somewhere with the Ig, as everyone in his camp seems to call him. John Puff: On the record you'll hear a lot from another very cool fellow named Mike Viola who has a John Puff: band called the Candy Butchers. He is super talented, versatile musician. SPINmc: ShishkaB: Question: Since your music is so unique, can you tell me what has been the oddest Question: inspiration you've had for a song? John Puff: That's an unusual question... John Puff: I wrote "Youth Culture Killed My Dog" riding my bike thru Brooklyn John Puff: but that doesn't answer your question SPINmc: We're here with John Flansburgh of Mono Puff and They Might Be Giants... SPINmc: We'll be giving away 5 signed CD's at the end of our chat.... SPINmc: Based upon a question derived from this conference... SPINmc: Stick around. John Puff: Bob Guccionne Sr. will be signing them personally SPINmc: MothaBEAS: Question: Will you be my friend? Please??? John Puff: Yes! John Puff: BFFL my outerspace pal! SPINmc: Rob Joe: Question: Hi, John. How did you come up with "Egad a base tone denotes a bad age"? John Puff: Well, alas, that again would be a question for Mr. Linnell SPINmc: KatILuvU: Question: so John I was wondering what your favorite song is? And who was your favorite group when Question: you were a kid? John Puff: Right now I'm kinda hooked on the "Dusty in Memphis" album by Dusty Springfield John Puff: There is a kind of song on the record that is based in the Burt Bacharach mold that I John Puff: really love although a couple of the best examples on the record were actually written by John Puff: Randy Newman who seemed to be almost writing in Burt's style. SPINmc: RobbKille: Question: Hey John, who's the lady on "Miscellanious T" babbling on about "Who's They May Be Giants, Question: how do they make any money? They meet at La Maisonnette Restaurant?" Is that my mother? John Puff: If she is from the NYC area, I believe it is. Many people think she is a man. I am John Puff: refering to track 13 on Misc. T which is a Dial-A-Song response that a lady left John Puff: (back when it was taking messages. I doesn't anymore) SPINmc: EdFreeze: Question: What is Hello? SPINmc: We're here with John Flansburgh, Hello CD of the Month entrepreneur.... John Puff: Hello CD of the Month Club is like Book of the Month Club. Me and John Puff: my partner in Hello Marjorie send out 10 CDs a year by different artist, all new and John Puff: original for Hello exclusively. Every month is dedicated to a different artist. You join SPINmc: and we'll be giving away 5 signed copies of Unsupervised, John's Mono Puff album.... SPINmc: At the end of the chat! Stick around. John Puff: for a year, and you get the back catalog of the year you join John Puff: whenever you start. Question: What songs do you cover on the new Mono Puff album? John Puff: The single, "The Devil Went Down to Newport" was originally recorded by a John Puff: group called the Clamdiggers. The made a demo that was given to me by my friend Brian John Puff: Dewan and I thought it would make a good cover. John Puff: There is a video for it that is going to be on MTV's 120 Minutes next week. John Puff: Call that 800 number at MTV and make them put it in power rotation SPINmc: Drayco: Question: Is the rumor true that you have a sitcom on the WB coming this fall John Puff: No SPINmc: Torganna: Question: What is the significance of the old man's face people are wearing as masks and such in Question: your old videos? John Puff: He just looked nice. It was for decoration pretty much. SPINmc: We've got about 5 minutes left with John Flansburgh of TMBG and Mono Puff fame... John Puff: Oh, I want to mention this bulletin board type stuff. I am going to be on the other thing John Puff: Sonic net on July 11, and I doing an interview on Vin Skelsa's show on WNEW FM on John Puff: the 23rd. Also there is an All Things Considered piece coming up too. SPINmc: Torgo111: Question: How did TMBG become "Musical Ambassadors for International Space Year"? John Puff: They asked us, and it sounded very cool. It was kind of a non-event because the Republicans John Puff: were really into dismantling the Space Program. There wasn't too much cheering around John Puff: NASA SPINmc: Kaylum: Question: Any chance of Mono Puff coming down south for some shows? John Puff: We would love to, but I don't think we're big enough. We hope to be on the west coast in John Puff: the beginning of Sept. TMBG will definately be down south this fall SPINmc: MarvoK: Question: what kind of shampoo do you use? John Puff: I use Aveda hair care products supplied in a big free box from Elektra from last Xmas SPINmc: Keoti: Question: Is John typing or dictating? John Puff: I am typing John Puff: CANT YOUR TELLL? SPINmc: Okay...I'm gonna ask the last question... SPINmc: Will there be a follow up Mono Puff album? John Puff: We were actually plannig on recording at the end of August, and we already have a title: John Puff: which I won't say John Puff: but John Puff: since the new TMBG record will be out in the beginning of October John Puff: we have got to get the BIG show together, and that is going to take up all my time. John Puff: If someone wants to post in the Mono Puff/John Flansburgh message board, I'm going to John Puff: see if I can collect enough "ten free hours" discs to never have to actually pay to be on John Puff: this thing. I encourage all of you to break free from the chains of your computers and walk John Puff: out into the cool night air! Good night! SPINmc: Thank you, John Flansburgh for chatting with us... Now the question for the signed CD's... SPINmc: (AOL thanks you by the way...) SPINmc: The first 5 people who can email to the address John Puff the name of John's fave cereal.. SPINmc: Will win a signed CD! SPINmc: Go email to John Puff now! SPINmc: John's fave cereal is ______ ? SPINmc: Thanks everyone for coming to the SPINonline chat with John Flansburgh! SPINmc: We'll see you next time... SPINmc: Drop by the SPINonline Chat Pit on Friday at 6pm ET for the *new* Puppet Advice Show! SPINmc: Good Night all! SPINmc: We'll be back soon...and remember...We're smelling you!