Lyrics:Dan Vs. Cog

From This Might Be A Wiki
Dan Vs. Cog
By: They Might Be Giants
Year: 1999

Robert Krulwich: "I asked some friends of mine, John Flansburgh and John Linnell, and their rock band, They Might Be Giants, to pay a visit to Cog, and as soon as they saw this robot they wanted to know, 'All right, so what can it do that we can't? "The drummer, Dan Hickey, said, 'I wanna have a contest, it versus me.' Now, I dunno why this is, but whenever people meet a semi-intelligent machine, instantly there's this... competitive... tension..."

Flansburgh (Linnell in parentheses): Born out in Brooklyn (Brooklyn), and raised by his parents He's a thirsty drummer with a taste for human beats His name is Dan Hickey and he's come from New York City (So?) To challenge the robot Cog (Get outta town!)

Krulwich: "Okay, that was Dan Hickey, six feet tall weighing in at 145 pounds with two sticks and a drum, now... meet the robot, Cog."

Linnell (Flansburgh in parentheses): Rodney Brooks' brainchild, raised by grad students (grad students) He's a thoughtful cyborg with a mind that grows and grows His name is Cog, and he's come from MIT To challenge the drummer man

Krulwich: "Okay, the stage is set; this will be a 'Drum-Off' competition, three rounds, winner take all. Mr. Hickey, the human, will go first."

Flansburgh (Linnell in parentheses): That drummer guy's amazing, (no) he plays with so much emotion (no) Linnell: Human beats are stale, Cog has the future sound Flansburgh: But I like the human feel Linnell: And you're getting old Flansburgh: John, whose side are you on? Linnell: It's over, baby

Krulwich: "Whaddaya mean, 'It's over, baby?' It is not over!"