TMBW:This Might Be A Zine/Issue 3

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Welcome to Issue 3 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!

They Might Be Giants on Jimmy Kimmel[edit]

They Might Be Giants were on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 6th, where they performed "Doctor Worm", to promote their live album Beast Of Horns!

Watch the performance on YouTube!

TMBG's songs coming back for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+[edit]

Disney announced at their Licensing Expo 2025 presentation that They Might Be Giants are set to reprise their music composer roles in the upcoming Mickey Mouse Clubhouse revival, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, for the songs Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme and Hot Dog!, which are both returning![1]

Online TMBG Worldwide Concert Map[edit]

CapitalQ has created a neat website where you can look around an interactive heatmap globe with every city TMBG has every played, using TMBW data! You can zoom in, pick a city, and click dates to open the corresponding wiki pages!

https://tmbg.world/

A look back at State Songs[edit]

This month, I asked TMBG fans what they thought about John Linnell's solo album from 1999, State Songs! Here's what people have to say:

CapitalQ:

I consider State Songs to be essential TMBG, despite not being TMBG. It's probably the closest thing in the side project world of the Johns to being able to fit into the band's main catalog, and the first thing I'd recommend to someone looking to branch out (but people usually find it on their own). Every track is bursting with creativity, melody and ideas, and it didn't surprise me to eventually learn that Linnell spent around a decade working on/off on the project. It's impossible to pick a favorite, but I will give a gold star to Idaho for the vibes, and the car alarm bridge.

Sam:

“I’m not gonna say they’re great, I ain’t gonna say they ain’t,” – Linnell might sound humble about his 1999 solo album State Songs, but it certainly won’t stop me from GASSING IT UP!!!!

State Songs is a sweet trip across the United States — at least 16 of them. The opening track, Illinois, seems to sweep you right off your feet and into the shoes of a small child exploring a state fair — a setting that any TMBG fan worth their salt will find familiar. Other themes from State Songs that overlap with TMBG include car accidents and hospitalization! HOORAY!!!!!

However, what sets State Songs apart from TMBG to me as a whole is the stronger folk sound. I’ve always loved the folk influences in TMBG, so naturally I adored it in State Songs.

Louisiana is my favorite track, despite its initial position as a b-side. I LOVE this song to bits — it has a real playfulness to it that could make it fit right into a square dance. Who do I have to suffocate with a blanket to see this performed live? KIDDING…

MoroboshiAtaru:

Hmm, State Songs... It was the first TMBG side project I fell in love with (Songs of the 50 States was my alarm tone for a while) and even 25 years on the so-called "gimmick" still doesn't really feel like one. I've always loved both Johns when it came to songwriting, but Linnell seems to have this particular ability to write a great ditty no matter the subject. State Songs most definitely shows this, and it's not a surprise that people keep asking "When's State Songs II coming out?" Where else would you get songs about Arkansas the sinking ship or a big South Carolina wreck while trying to eat some snails? It's totally absurd in this very distinct, Linnellian way. The instrumentation is great too, and the use of things like a band organ and Dustbuster also contribute to this album's characteristic sound. My favorite State Song would probably be the aforementioned South Carolina... I don't even know how he came up with that whole scenario. Even as a TMBG side project, State Songs is definitely on the band's level of quality. We love our Giants whole in this house, but sometimes it's nice to see them go solo too.

Wildstorkmel:

State Songs is great! I don't listen to it nearly enough. In my opinion, unlike Mono Puff, these tracks sound more like they would fit on a mainline TMBG album, but this little Ringo walk was a perfect outlet for JL to explore his interests and idiosyncrasies separate from JF's influence. I particularly enjoy the fact he asked to punch his melodies into real Wurlitzer organs, and he used an actual dustbuster for Iowa.

I find it very relatable that the songs have nothing to do with US states, and that Linnell was too lazy to come up with song titles before writing, so he chose some states based on which had the coolest rhythm. He just wanted to get right into it, he couldn't let something as trivial as a title or premise keep him from getting his ideas out! Also, even if the states are non-sequiturs, the way JL's typical sinister narration dances around them intrigues me, almost as if the are attempting to cover up the true meaning or subjects of the songs underneath anthemic prose.

Vimbry:

Love State Songs. I especially like that it comes with its own introductory theme after the little preview of "Illinois", like it's about to unveil a play in front of you. it sets an exciting tone for the album. in relation to TMBG, it's sort of like tasting a familiar combination of ingredients in a separate dish. I don't know that I could reliably say, for example, if one is better than the other, cause they're ultimately different things, but it's always fun to hear either John have free rein indulging in their idiosyncrasies in their respective projects. favourites are difficult for me, but I think I'd have to go with "Maine" here. that galloping synth under Linnell's syllabic vocals leading into the bombastic, punchy chorus is made to be an audience pleaser.

Patrick:

State Songs was the first TMBG solo project I listened to and the one I’ve spent the most amount of time with, so I have a big soft spot for it (and really all of JL’s solo stuff, don’t sleep on House of Mayors!!) It has a great balance of catchy tunes and cool experiments, my favorites being the Monkees-esque Maine and the song that should be a staple on every Halloween compilation, Iowa. That being said, a couple songs like Nevada don't really do it for me, and I do miss Flans at some points during the album. It would have been cool to hear what JF might have done with the theme, y’know? Overall though, State Songs is an essential listen for any TMBG fan, especially if you’re into the mid 90s - early 00s period of the band!

TitanicFog:

I love State Songs! It's a very road trip album and I have good memories listening to the CD in my bedroom. The organ is great and honestly State Songs is better than some TMBG albums.. is that sacrilege? I love how each of the songs is about something else, and not related to the actual states themselves. I hope John Linnell eventually makes a state song for each state but I doubt that will happen. I think my favorite state song is "Montana", but "West Virginia" and "Louisiana" are super underrated. Linnell and the Statesmen also killed their covers of "Nebraska" and "California".

BowlONudel:

I really love the state songs album and to me it differs a bit from tmbgs to me. It's an album that always cheers me up with its whimsy and odd nature. though i am currently in one of the 15 state songs... i have visited them all/lived in some. Though they don't seem exactly inspired by each state, it does have a nice familiarity to it. My favorite state song is probably a tie between mississippi and Illinois (Illinois is actually my ringtone lol). i can normally tell if its a linell led song, he likes to write more so about people and things/objects and create wacky poetic scenarios around it. also the state songs are so nicely instrumental heavy which is an aspect in tmbg's albums that i love (the instrumental songs are always my fav in their albums lol)

Brontosaurus:

I love it! I sometimes pull it out around 4th of July, as it’s the most “American” in the TMBG-sphere; I’d say in distant second place is probably “The Else”, but even its themes of Bush critique are much more subtle.

It’s hard for me to choose a favorite State Song, but I think when I was last listening to it a lot, I settled on “Louisiana” for its terrified sort of naivety - one of these days I ought to get the “Montana” single, which has “Louisiana” as a B-side. I also like “Maine”, South Carolina”, and of course, the album’s eponymous state song.

Now, my absolute least favorite one is “Nevada” because Linnell mispronounced it, and I grew up in the state - locals just pronounce it how it looks. Besides, the actual Spanish pronunciation is more like “neigh-VAW-daw”, not “neh-VAW-duh”. It also doesn’t help that the 8 or so minutes of slowly fading marching band at the end of this make it impossible for it to be on a playlist. But still, it’s not enough to tarnish that album, though I’m a bit sad he didn’t do an “Arizona”.

SeaIntoTheLandem:

I used to call State Songs "diet TMBG" before I really started to enjoy the album, as a way to call Mono Puff better. But that is simply not the case at all! It is true that John Linnell's solo work is inevitably more TMBG-esque than Mono Puff due to the latter's emphasis on collaboration, but that doesn't make it lesser. State Songs is a great album, even if it isn't really about states at all. I absolutely LOVE the use of organ in many of the songs, it gives them a very unique sound. My favorite State Songs are Maine and New Hampshire. South Carolina is also very much a recurring earworm.

DJ Microbe:

I absolutely love State Songs! I had been hesitant to try it out at first, but the night I first listened to it with my friend, I realized that I had been missing out on some incredible music. As somebody who has viewed lyrical writing as a sort of logic puzzle, I was very amused at the idea of using the names of states as a basis for a song that has very little (if anything) to do with the state itself at all. It's genius! As far as how it compares to the TMBG discography, when you listen to the album, it is unmistakably a Linnell creation (much like how Mono Puff is distinctly Flansburghian). I think JL's songwriting style and skills really got to flourish in this album.

I feel basic for saying this, but South Carolina would have to be my favorite out of the album. They're all incredible, but that song got stuck in my head for an entire day once, and I still wasn't sick of it afterwards. That has to count for something.

HamburgerBeater:

I think it’s a pretty good album, it’s like if all the TMBG songs from maybe something similar to post-Mink Car had its lyrics swapped around to be about a state. You can really hear that Linnell-nes to it all, meaningful songs right next to sometime absurd/whimsical ones. Kinda feels like a very extended version of Fingertips, the way that they’re all different but also similar, not to mention that the last song is the longest, I think that’s pretty cool.

As for fave song, I gotta say Illinois. Maybe I’ve been listening to too many songs by Jean-Jacques Perrey, but man am I a sucker for whimsical music that vaguely reminds me of a carnival.

J2:

I like State Songs! As with Mono Puff, I think that the solo projects are kind of indistinguishable from TMBG. If any of those songs were on a TMBG album, I would not notice it was an odd one out. I love the band organ, and I love that the project introduced me to Mark Lerner and Mark Donato, who are both incredible songwriters in their own right! My favorite is Arkansas, it's really bittersweet and sentimental-sounding in a way few other Linnell or TMBG songs are. The stripped down live performance of just Mark L. and Linnell at Storyopolis is beautiful.

Ruddy:

I love state songs! I’m usually more of a Flansburgh fan, but out of all of their side stuff this is probably my favorite album. I love all the stuff with organ and keyboard Linnell composed for this album, it has sort of this carnival vibe, something you’d hear on a merry-go-round. A lot of the drum parts also have this really fun marching band vibe. Some of my favorite songs on this album are: Montana, (love the lyrics and vocal performance on this one) New Hampshire (love the keyboard and again, the lyrics are top-tier), Maine (I really dig the drums that sound like cannons being shot off) and lastly Arkansas. I guess this album feels a little more lighthearted than the main TMBG Stuff, the energy is consistently pretty fun. No TMBG fan should skip over this album, it’s a must.

A conversation with Rodney Greenblat[edit]

Rodney Alan Greenblat is a renowned artist, known for his work on the PaRappa The Rapper video game series, but before that, he also did the cover for They Might Be Giants (Album). I got the chance to interview Rodney for this issue, below is that interview.

1. Did you know of TMBG before working with them on the self-titled album cover? How did they find you?

No, I didn’t know them. I think they may have seen my work in an art gallery in the East Village.

2. How involved was the band with the direction of the art? Did they already have an idea of what they wanted, or did they basically tell you to do whatever you wanted?

They must have trusted my style after seeing my artwork because I don’t remember any specific requests from them. My artwork was getting a lot of attention at the time.

3. Did you listen to the album before creating the cover? If so, did you try to make the artwork based on what you had heard, or did you try to go a completely separate direction?

I’m pretty sure I heard their music on a demo cassette when I was asked to do the project. I loved it! Their music has many words and images. I was probably inspired by that.

4. Did you have any specific inspirations you took from when creating the cover? Where did the ideas for the signs like “Truth and Sandwiches” come from? And why are John and John riding on a big blue dog?

All those images and signs were very much the ideas I was working with in my artwork at the time. The basic layout seems to be inspired by the great master Dr. Seuss.

5. Many people, when talking about the band’s first album, call it the “Pink Album.” Do you know why you decided to make it pink? I’ve also noticed a lot of pink in PaRappa the Rapper, is pink your favorite color?

I’ve used pink as a background color many times. It’s always so cheery.

6. When the album first came out, some stores mislabeled it as a kids album because of the cover. Were you thinking “kids illustration” at all when designing it?

No. My artwork looks like kids illustration and at the same time is not kids illustration. It’s as it is. If I could make some kind of serious grown-up art I would, but it is impossible, and at the same time my artwork is serious and grown-up. After many years of Zen meditation I see all of this as just the crazy magical reality of my life. The images I loved when I was ten years old I still love. As I am writing this Gumby and Pokey figures are watching over me from on top of the cassette deck. At the same time I am still ten and also turning 65. It’s as it is.

7. Do you have a favorite They Might Be Giants song?

Particle Man.

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 love album art and I think it is so important. Memorable and creatively styled artwork can really make a difference for the band and their fans. Tower Records was like an art gallery with bins full of amazing artwork and photographs. Now it’s all on screens but it still tells an important story about the music. I do not think bands could get by without great visual artists on their team.

Happy Birthday John Linnell![edit]

This month, on the 12th, John Linnell turns 66! We all wish him a happy birthday:

MoroboshiAtaru:

Have a wonderful 66th birthday! Wishing the best for you as you get older and older still!

TitanicFog:

Happy birthday Linnell! I love the photography Instagram and I would love to see more solo projects!

Vimbry:

happy birthday to the guy I'm so grateful decided to share such amazing music with the world!

BowlONudel:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINELL! 66 and still working on A24 lol 🎂 Keep up the great work! can't wait to see you in October in Atlanta!!

Wildstorkmel:

Happy Birthday JL! I hope Flans gets you a cake as good as the one you got him a while back.

SeaIntoTheLandem:

Happy birthday, Mr. Linnell! And time is still marching on...

Brontosaurus:

It’s not your birthday. It’s not today.

DJ Microbe:

Happy birthday! You are an endless font of inspiration to me and so many other aspiring and practicing musicians. Your careful precision and thoughtfulness shine through in everything you do, and I wish you nothing but the best! (I know you probably won't see this, but it's still worth saying!)

Sam:

Happy Birthday Mr. Linnell!!
Thanks for sharing your music with us…
We love you!!!!!

CapitalQ:

Happy Birthday Mr. Linnell! Thank you for the tunes.

Community's Top 10 Favorite John Linnell Songs[edit]

Below is a list put together by the TMBG subreddit of the best songs written/sung by John Linnell.

  1. She's An Angel
  2. It's Not My Birthday
  3. Birdhouse In Your Soul
  4. They'll Need A Crane
  5. Ana Ng
  6. Where Your Eyes Don't Go
  7. Mr. Me
  8. The Statue Got Me High
  9. Spiraling Shape
  10. Canajoharie

Puzzle Page[edit]

Figure Out The TMBG Song

TMBG Connections

Guess The TMBG Song From The Emojis (By YMB)

That's the end![edit]

See you next time!

Have a great rest of your June, and thanks for reading This Might Be A Zine! Tune in next month for more neat TMBG-related things!


This Might Be A Zine is written and assembled by Sadsack07.

Issue 3 art drawn by joosecat.

This Might Be A Zine name created by TitanicFog.

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