1997-06-01 What's In ES
They Might Be Giants vs. Hoff Dylan
By Shino Okamura, What's In? ES, June 1, 1997
Translated from Japanese.
Photos: Hiroshi Nirei. Interview and Text: Shino Okamura. Interpreter: Kazumi Someya.
A dialogue on shared humor between Japan and the United States — "Let's seriously collaborate next time."
Yes, a conversation between They Might Be Giants and Hoff Dylan had actually been in the works (haha). And, well, we made it happen. As you may have read in the previous issue of this magazine, Yuhi is a huge fan, so of course it was exciting. It turned out to be a very substantive and insightful conversation.
Yes, this was truly a dream conversation. Or perhaps I should call it a freewheeling chat between kindred spirits. On one side, our very own Hoff Dylan; on the other, that odd-couple duo from the United States, They Might Be Giants (TMBG). Yes, these two lovable, madcap pop duos — each representing the best of the East and West with their explosive senses of humor — have finally come face to face. I have to admit, as a self-proclaimed huge fan of both groups, I was deeply moved.
This wonderful project originally came about thanks to the passionate, persistent requests from Tenfinger Yuhi, who is a die-hard fan of TMBG. Although the two members of Hoff were initially stiff with nerves when TMBG casually strolled in carrying their instruments, the conversation actually flowed so naturally that I, the moderator, was hardly needed at all. So, let's get right into this conversation — best enjoyed while listening to Hoff's Tamagawa Record.
Tenfinger Yuhi (henceforth Y): The first thing I heard was Apollo 18, and I thought it was amazing at the time. After that, I got hold of every single and album by TMBG.
John Linnell (henceforth L): Thanks a lot. What was it that you liked about it?
Y: Watanabe and I weren't yet working together at that point, but I was amazed at what the two of you could achieve starting from home recordings. During your last visit to Japan, you held an event at Tower Records in Shinjuku, right? I was just an amateur at the time, and I gave you both a demo tape. Do you remember? (laughs)
L: Really?
John Flansburgh (henceforth F): I think I heard it... but we receive so many demo tapes that I can't remember. Was it a demo for Hoff Dylan?
Y: No, it was something I made by myself. And you gave me a guitar pick as a thank you gift.
F: What was written on the label?
Y: Just "DEMO" (laughs).
Shino Okamura: What is it about TMBG that you like, Watanabe Baby?
Shin Watanabe Baby (henceforth W): I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I didn't know about them before. My partner made me listen to them every day, and that's how I came to like them (laughs). I really liked how the music had a strong sense of irony to it.
L: Thank you. Your music is also unique, with all the different sounds you create using guitars, keyboards, so on. How often do you play live?
W: We play quite regularly.
L: I see. I was wondering what the scene is like in Japan for a band like yours. The thing is, back when we started out, there weren't really many venues in New York where distinctive bands like yours could play.
W: We've been lucky.
Y: In our case, we played alongside rappers. It seemed to offer something fresh, and we were really well-received.
L: Yeah, exactly. Who you share the bill with is important. It's a real shame we don't have an opening act for our Japan tour this time. I don't really have many other opportunities to learn about Japanese bands.
Y: We actually asked to be your opening act for this tour.
L: What happened with that? Listening to your music now, I can tell it's clearly different from what I hear on Japanese radio. It reminds me of The Folk Crusaders.
Shino Okamura: What?! How do you know about The Folk Crusaders?
L: I actually own their records.
Y: Oh, really? People often tell us we sound like them. It's a huge compliment, though.
W: With our album covers, videos and music, we try to create something that makes people laugh out loud. TMBG has that side to it too, doesn't it?
L: Humor is important, you know.
Y: TMBG's artwork and videos are so unique. How much are the two of you involved in that process?
L: We do work with a proper art director, but our opinions always tend to prevail in the end. We have a pretty clear idea of the styles and images we like, so we're quick to nitpick the finished product. But the US is tough; if you talk too much about humor, people call you a comedy band, but if you tone it down, they'll say you're too serious. I think humor is useful for making music interesting, and it's the people who disregard humor that ruin it.
W: I couldn't agree more.
L: But listening to music like Hoff Dylan's makes me realize that a sense of humor is the same everywhere. Actually, we'd like to release an EP in Japan featuring covers of songs like "Astro Boy" or "Sukiyaki". What do you think of that idea?
Y: Well, I'd certainly love to hear it (laughs).
L: It can't just be a joke, though. It has to be well-received and actually sell. I wonder if we could get on Japanese television?
Y: Hmm, television is a bit tricky. We don't really go on TV ourselves, so I wouldn't know (laughs). But there are so many TV channels in New York — surely you could get on one?
L: But nobody watches those. There are just too many stations. It wouldn't mean much.
Y: TMBG has managed to really connect with people in regional areas, even with such a niche sound.
F: I suppose we should really think more about the audience while we're writing songs. But, to be honest, we don't really think about our listeners that much. We just find ourselves worrying about what Paul McCartney would think (laughs). It's really difficult to reach a wide audience with music that has a sense of humor. By the way, does Japan have an indie scene?
W: It does, but at the moment, it's more like a scene for artists who are waiting to join major labels.
L: It's the same as in the United States, then.
Shino Okamura: But John Flansburgh has released material through an indie label with his other project (Mono Puff), and Hoff also released Yuhi's solo CD on an indie label, right?
F: I didn't want people to just see it as "that band with the guy from TMBG," so I tried doing something different. If I'm going to do another project, I want it to have its own significance. That's what I hope, anyway (laughs).
Y: I see. In our case, the members on the CD were the same...
L: How do the two of you write songs for Hoff Dylan?
Y: Basically, we each write our own songs and then bring them together to work on them.
L: It's exactly the same for us. At first, we credited each other separately, but that inevitably led to people forming images of us as individual songwriters. We didn't like that, so we decided to credit everything as a joint effort. Aside from that one difference, though, we really are quite similar. I'd love to do something together next time we're in Japan.
Y: I'd love that too. Oh, one last thing, if I may. After your show tonight, I'd like to go backstage... (laughs).
L&F: (Laughs) Of course, that's OK. How about we jam together?