2002-02 Westzeit
they might be giants - ulkpopper?
By Ralf G. Poppe, WESTZEIT, February 2002
Archived from: www.westzeit.de
Translated from German.
Rarely has pop music been as much fun as it is with these two Johns. They'll be going on tour this spring with their three Dans. And despite all the technical changes over the past 15 years, anyone curious can still listen to their music by calling the New York phone number 718-387-6962...
It would be easier to buy the brand-new They Might Be Giants CD "Mink Car" if it weren't for the marketing strategies of the record labels involved, which are causing some frustration. John Linnell explained it to WESTZEIT: "The German and British pressings contain 14 songs. The American version has 17 tracks. In Japan, buyers even get 20 tracks for their money, including bonus tracks. People... they should be ripped off! Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to dictate our wishes to the British company! We didn't hear a thing from the German company. Our fans should instead order the American version online directly from the U.S. via our website; that way, they'll get more music at a better price compared to the content and suggested retail price of the UK version."
After several years with Warner, Restless is now distributing the albums of these future giants. This label had already released the first two full-length albums and a compilation of older material back in 1986/88. The current album features "Boss Of Me," a potential hit single, as it's the theme song for the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." "The creator of the show called us and asked for a theme song. It was supposed to be something very short. The TV series became a hit in the U.S."
TMBG also wrote songs for various Warner Bros. cartoons, penned "Dr. Evil" for the comedy agent Austin Powers, and composed music for the science show "Brave New World." Their best-known pop songs were successful, at least within the indie scene. In the past, their albums consisted primarily of many short songs; now there’s more obscure material to be heard.
"On 'Older,' we used a 'Rauschpfeife'; it dates back 400–500 years. Other instruments are about a hundred years old. We like to play with old things because we simply enjoy them. 'Drink!' isn't a drinking song; rather, it's about people who have a problem with drinking." "Cyclops Rock" was partly conceived for female vocals.
"Clive Langer, one of the album's producers, brought in Cerys Matthews. We hadn't heard of her before, but her voice was pretty close to what we had in mind. When we recorded the song, she seemed perfectly fine; we didn't notice her personal problems, nor those with her band Catatonia, which broke up shortly afterward." Rolling Stone reported years ago that the original duo of songwriters John Flansburgh and John Linnell had expanded into a quintet. "We tour as a five-piece group with the 'Band of Dans', drummer Dan Hickey, bassist Dan Weinkauf, and guitarist Dan Miller, as our backing band." TMBG has already performed successfully in various concert halls in Germany; Linnell has particularly fond memories of venues in media hubs like Hamburg and Berlin. The strangest concert of their career also took place in Hamburg.
"It was the 'Monsters of Metal' festival, featuring Einstürzende Neubauten, among others. That was very strange. (Author's note: 'Kings of Independence' would have been the correct name.) I don't know if we were able to attract any new listeners there. It was a very mysterious, unusual show because, musically, we didn't fit into the overall lineup at all!"
Last question: Personal favorites among your own songs?
"From the new album, my favorite is 'Wicked,' which unfortunately isn’t included on the German pressing. It’s about the quirks of the residents of Boston's outskirts in the '70s, which I can't go into detail about here. My favorite from our entire discography? That's a song I can’t even remember!"
Current Album: Mink Car (Restless / PIAS)
More info: www.tmbg.com