TMBW:This Might Be A Zine/Issue 2

Welcome to Issue 2 of This Might Be A Zine, where you can get caught up on all the latest TMBG news and things, hosted on this very website, TMBW!

First I designed the typeface on graph paper (which was actually a bigger project than the cover). This was the very end of the pre-computer era, and the word “font” went from being a shibboleth of design people to being common parlance. While computers were shaking up the world of graphic design the limitations were immediate. While the general public marveled at the 25 typefaces available, designers were sorely missing the other 2000.

(At this time I imported my very crude work into a computer-based font design program, and that file named Conant was even uploaded on to a free font site. I have no notion of how long it played out there or if it was ever used elsewhere, but I like to think there is a restaurant menu somewhere using Conant.)

Ben Shahn poster example

The idea of my design was drawn from the hand lettering of artist Ben Shahn (although I did not have a lot of direct source material!) The big features of this kind of design is the squared-off letter shapes and the modulating upper and lower case forms.

Edward Albee book example

I was also thinking about the woodcut letter shapes on the cover of Edward Albees famous paperback books (a book that was everywhere) I suspect the design was also Ben Shahn-influenced.

The unflipped photo taken in the hallway of John Flansburgh's old apartment.
So regarding the cover of Misc. T-

The letters on the cover were made with an X-Acto knife, ¼" foam-core, tape, Elmers glue, paper and acrylic paint. They are not solid at all. I made them very quickly, and in a fashion that I had done many other projects.

I “blew up” the typeface just by eyeballing the points on the graph paper to the much larger grid I drew on the foam core. I cut out the letters, then cut the pieces that created the depth, and taped them into place on the inside of the letter form. (This next part I am have no memory of but I am pretty sure this is how I did it) Once the letters were complete I took very light paper (like a rice paper or old fashioned Xerox paper) dipped in slightly diluted Elmers glue and draped it over the edges of all the letters to hide the seams. I suspect I then lightly painted them with white paint just to even it all out.

Then I placed them in the hallway of my apartment. To trick the eye for a moment, I actually shot it from above so you see the letter shapes before you place the forms in my dilapidated hallway.

A look back at Mono Puff[edit]

This month, I asked TMBG fans what they think about John Flansburgh's other band from the late 90s, Mono Puff! Here's what people have to say:

CapitalQ:

Mono Puff kicks a$$. While I would have loved more music from them, we were left with two fantastic '90s albums that are, in my opinion, unmissable for any TMBG fans. I savor the loose, groovy and fearless indulgences throughout those records, with some favorites being "Don't I Have the Right?," which I place among Flans's most emotional lyrics, and "Mr. Hughes Says," a sweetly-sung musical showcase with delicious dynamics.

SunshineMar:

Gotta go with unsupervised as my favorite mono puff song, it feels like flans doing what he does best to me. Album is a bit harder with only 2 but I usually pick Unsupervised as my favorite album too, it’s pretty close though, I like them both for different reasons.

As for Mono Puff as a band, I’m glad it exists, but for me it’s always going to be a little inferior to TMBG. I love that the project gave Flans a chance to really lean into his style, and I’d even say since the mono puff albums he’s been a bit more bold with that as a member of TMBG and I think that’s great! But I have to say tmbg is what it is because of both of them, and for me their solo projects, while good (and I am very partial to state songs, since I just like linnell’s writing more, sorry flans lol), just aren’t gonna scratch quite the same itch as tmbg albums.

TimesNewRoman:

I haven't listened to much of Mono Puff, only Unsupervised and the John Flansburgh's Mono Puff EP thingy, but from what I've heard it's more rock-y and rad! However, in my head it's just TMBG with another name. I have all of the Mono Puff songs I've heard on my TMBG spreadsheet and my favourites are put in the same playlist as as all of my TMBG songs. I think that's just a me thing though, and it's definitely not a downside. I've loved (almost) everything I've heard so far! ("Almost" because Don't Break The Heart makes me uncomfy and the So Long, Mockingbird demo is too empty.) As for my favourite songs, I'm a big fan of Distant Antenna and Careless Santa!

Luke Hennisch:

I have a somewhat complicated relationship with Mono Puff. There's so many songs from that project that I just absolutely love---"Backstabbing Liar", "Unsupervised, I Hit My Head", "Poision Flowers", "Creepy", "Nixon's the One", "It's Fun to Steal". Despite those, most of the rest of their discography I unfortunately think of as really weak material and neither album is consistent in my mind (albeit "It's Fun to Steal" is muuuuch better than "Unsupervised"). TMBG is just infinitely better, most likely because they're just a tighter band. Mono Puff was certainly not something to be taken entirely seriously, it's definitely a musical experiment by Flans. Because of that, I can't really say I like or dislike Mono Puff, but I love Flans! So I guess just because of that...I'm a fan.

Rabid-child-1986:

I love mono puff oh so much, they're the definition of groovy for me... I think it should be that when you look up the word in the dictionary a photo of them is all you'd see . one could say they're totally rockin' ...! my favorite songs have to be distant antenna, poison flowers and it's fun to steal, the album is also super awesome. frankly it's album cover is probably one of my favorites ever it's so goofy to me and think it conveys an ultraspecific indescribable emotion i feel frequently perfectly lol ,, as for the tracks themselves I feel like they're very reminiscent of Flans' songs on factory showroom, having the same sort of vibe being amplified, which another thing I find really cool (same applies to unsupervised!)

TitanicFog:

Mono Puff still holds a special place in my heart but I used to be obsessed with ever fiber of my being; I even used to run a fan Discord server. Compared to TMBG, Mono Puff falls a little flat, but they have a lot of solid tracks. They have a funkier sound with Hal Cragin's unmistakable bass playing (I would recommend every Mono Puff fan check out his solo work) and that sound got somehow even funkier with It's Fun To Steal, which is easily my favorite Mono Puff album/release. My favorite Mono Puff song is always changing, but recently its been "Creepy" and "Mr. Hughes Says". Their cover of Frank Black's "Oddball" is also great.

Piano_Mantis:

I put off listening to Mono Puff for a long time, but when I finally listened to Unsupervised, I was absolutely DELIGHTED! Mono Puff plays to Flans's strengths of producing songs, transforming songs in covers, and soliciting collaborations with really talented people you've never heard of before.

I enjoy It's Fun to Steal, but I prefer Unsupervised. It has a cohesive, retro vibe and really strong songs from beginning to end. I can't pick a favorite song. I love the entire album.

Generally, TMBG albums are stronger because they benefit from the balancing influence of both Johns. I would rank Unsupervised above a few TMBG albums, though, namely The Escape Team, Phone Power, Nanobots, Long Tall Weekend, and all their kids' albums.

Chess:

mono puff is great. i guess i'd describe it as extra funky tmbg. i also think it has more guests than a typical tmbg affair, which i think mixes it up nicely [shout out Sister Puff]. It's Fun to Steal is a fantastic album and Backstabbing Liar is one of the best songs flansy ever wrote!!

Patrick:

i'm admittedly not as well versed in mono puff as i should be, but what i have heard has been sick as hell. a lot of the tracks on 'it's fun to steal' feel very factory-showroom-eqsue which i really dig, and their cover of 'hillbilly drummer girl' has always been a favorite of mine!

Brontosaurus:

I rather enjoy Unsupervised I Hit My Head, It's Fun to Steal, and The Devil Went Down To Newport. I guess the latter is technically a cover, but listening to the original, I really feel Flansburgh made it his own, and I can't resist fake beard Flansburgh.

Overall, I honestly just consider Mono Puff an often funkier extension of TMBG just like Linnell's solo stuff. I mean, it's all on Idlewild, so it might as well be TMBG.

Valerie:

Very glad for Flans to completely let his groovy funk flag fly with Mono Puff. Most MP tracks would not be particularly out of place on a TMBG album, but we are quite blessed to have two full albums of the most bombastic, theatrical, totally rockin' tracks by JF and co.

Favorite Mono Puff song: Unsupervised, I Hit My Head. As a 30 something year old who is really Feeling the effects of aging as of late, I relate too hard.

FloridaFlamingoGirl:

I think Mono Puff is like a different creative outlet for Flans. He gets to go for more of a funky, swanky sort of sound that he doesn't explore as much with TMBG. I like the Mono Puff song "Pretty Fly" for being a cover of a tune from the old movie Night of the Hunter.

SeaIntoTheLandem:

I LOVE Mono Puff. They're distinctly unlike TMBG, due to the many guest artists featured and the much groovier sound. It's a shame they only put out 2 albums, because those albums are both INCREDIBLE. As someone who is very particular about track ordering, I'm happy to say that Mono Puff's 2 albums do NOT disappoint in that regard. And they don't really disappoint anywhere else! It's Fun To Steal is one of my favorite albums of all time, it's the crown jewel of my CD collection. My favorites from that album are "Creepy", "Poison Flowers", and "Extra Krispy". But I cannot stress enough that the whole album is amazing! My favorites from Unsupervised are "Guitar Was The Case", "Unsupervised, I Hit My Head", and "So Long, Mockingbird". I can't express how much I love love LOVE this band!

A conversation with David Cowles[edit]

David Cowles is a renowned artist and illustrator, and has directed, produced, and designed many videos for TMBG. I got the chance to interview Cowles for this page, the interview is found below:

1. Were you into They Might Be Giants before you came to them for “Skitterville” and started working with them? And if so, were you inspired by any previous TMBG music video/artwork when directing/designing music videos?

My introduction to They Might Be Giants came through their Don’t Let’s Start video on MTV in 1987. It kind of blew my mind and was a perfect fit for my sensibility. At one point I heard some V-jay mention that the video was coming up, so I stuck a blank VHS tape in my VCR and recorded it when it came on. For a while, the first thing I would do everyday was watch that video for inspiration as I ate my breakfast. Getting the chance to work with them, if only briefly, was a dream come true. Had seen them several times in concerts here in Rochester, NY by that point.

2. How involved is the band in creating music videos? Do they give you any direction or do they more-or-less let you have free rein?

It’s mostly Flansburgh who’s in charge of getting the videos made. I had a brief phone conversation with Linnell on my first video for them, which was Triops Has Three Eyes. But he didn’t have a lot of suggestions and I mostly felt with just Flansburgh after then. He usually does have much in the way initial direction on them. He’ll sometimes just ask me what’s a cool thing I want to try. He will definitely give notes on the character design and animatic (storyboards to music) stage, but unlike some projects I’ve worked on, his notes actually improve the project. The closest he came to giving me specific direction was to use the poster designs David Plunkert had done for them as the basis of the Music Jail video.

3. Where did the idea of The Escape Team come from? And which Escape Team member do you relate to the most?

Flansburgh contacted me about the idea, wanting to do Big Daddy Roth style characters for fan club giveaways. Initially what we did was come up with some bad pun names for the characters, eventually tied into some sort pf occupation or activity. We narrowed the lists down to 12, because the original idea was just the calendar, not the comic book or videos yet. Once we had the names, I just let the names guide me. I’m not sure there’s one character I identify with the most, They’re all my mutated babies, so I can’t pick just one.

4. I’m not sure if you're aware, but the TMBG community loves the Science Johns. Do you know why they decided to change it up and do animated versions instead of puppet versions? And what was the process like creating these guys?

I have seen a lot of fan art associated with those two guys, and even some photos of tattoos. So, I know they hold in spot in the hearts of people who grew up watching those videos as kids. I think they showed up instead of the puppets, either because the Johns are always looking for something new, or maybe they felt they didn’t hit the science vibe? I never heard one way or the other. But in terms of my inspiration on them, I’ve long been influenced by the look of the old UPA cartoons from the 50’s and 60’s. Love the simplicity of the style, plus that look red to show up sometimes in educational films when I was a kid. And the idea of that chalk like swatch of color behind the line drawings just seem to fit that style. Those intros were fun to work on, and Flansburgh even had me write up some ideas for them, of which I think a couple got picked, but generally reworked by the Johns a bit to match their style.

5. It always seemed to me like specifically your videos have always been the happier feeling videos, even the ones not for kids. Is this on purpose, or do you think that’s just your art style?

It might be the style I work with. I did notice after the fact that a lot on monsters show up in the ones I do, which is a holdover from my childhood obsession with monsters. I do like to sneak in some sort of humor in there. And I will say that a lot of the Giants songs sound happy until you pay attention to the lyrics.

6. Are there any specific inspirations you can think of that you took from making music videos for TMBG over the years?

Probably a ton. Again, UPA cartoons, Hannah Barbera, the 60’s Chuck Jones cartoons like The Dot and the Line (especially the designs of Maurice Noble). A bit Terry Gilliam’s animated spots for Monty Python. Others that I’m sure I’m forgetting.

7. What is your favorite TMBG music video you did not work on? And is there a TMBG song you wish you could’ve done a music video for?

My favorite is still my first, Don't Let’s Start. I don’t wish I had done that one, though, because it’s perfect. I’m not sure what one I would pick before I started working for them. Speaking of sounding happy but being very dark, No One Knows My Plan comes to mind.

8. Do you think visual art is an important part of an artist/band’s career? Could an artist/band get by without any album art or videos, just music?

I think it only helps. But seeing as before MTV almost everything audio in its presentation, they don’t need it. And MTV has certainly long ago lost the M emphasis in its name. But when a good video shows up for a song, it’s always pretty delightful. And I wish there were more. And I will say that every album cover TMBG has done has been pretty brilliant. Flansburgh has a great eye.

Happy Birthday John Flansburgh![edit]

This month, on the 6th, John Flansburgh turns 65! We all wish him a happy birthday:

SunshineMar:

happy birthday

TitanicFog:

Happy Birthday Flans!

TimesNewRoman:

I'm not good with birthday messages, but um... merry birthday and a happy new year? Thank you for the music (the songs I'm singing)!

SeaIntoTheLandem:

Happy birthday, Flans!! Time is marching on...

Brontosaurus:

Happy birthday. Keep making good tunes and extracting fulfillment from life. I could think of more to say, but honestly, my train of thought was starting to get mildly disturbing and I'd rather not make this awkward.

Piano_Mantis:

Flans, you are the gas that keeps the TMBG machine running! We wouldn't have all these 43 years of wonderful music without you. Here's to another 43 years! Happy birthday!

Luke Hennisch:

Happy birthday Flans! It might sound corny or cliche to say, but your music has truly changed my life on such a grand scale. I would not be pursuing my passion of music if it were not for the combined magic of you and Linnell. You're the best!

CapitalQ: