Talk:Bob Dylan

Imagine how exciting it had to be for Flansburgh, a tremendous admirer of Bob Dylan, to hear that signature voice memorialize TMBG on the Theme Time Radio Hour. Podcast 21A appeared with Dylan's banter two days later. --Nehushtan (talk) 06:33, 4 September 2025 (EDT)

Dylan on TMBG songs

More of Dylan's TMBG banter from the Theme Time Radio Hour (preserved here before it disappears from the internet).

Bangs was on episode 36 "Hair" (season 1) with the banter on this page and Podcast 21A.

James K. Polk was on episode 68 "President's Day" (season 2). Dylan said "Here's a song about a president. He was the inspiration for a meticulously researched pop song that was written by the band They Might Be Giants. They Might Be Giants Might sound like an odd name for a band, but it was actually taken from a film starring George C. Scott called The Hustler. Here they are, They Might Be Giants, or as we call them here, The Hustlers, with James K Polk."

After the song, he said "Now that might be that group's greatest song. Buddy Holly drums, a musical saw, classical overtones, and historical data about Manifest Destiny."

Meet James Ensor was featured on episode 84 "Famous People" (season 3, episode 10). Dylan introduced the song with "We heard from these guys on our President's Day show, and for my money nobody puts historical facts to a catchy dance tune quite like they do. Here's They Might Be Giants and a story about a Belgian painter named James Ensor. I'll give you some of the facts afterwards and you can judge the veracity of the song for yourself."

After the song, Dylan said "There's They Might Be Giants, number one group at MENSA, and the story of James Ensor. He was a Belgian painter. He did repeat himself. He did lose his friends. And he did live with his mother, a lovely woman. He was part of the avant-garde group called The Twenty. He was actually the group's founder and leader. But he had sharp differences of opinion with the other group members. He showed his work with them until 1888, until some of his paintings, such as The Entry of Christ into Brussels, were rejected as scandalous and The Twenty disbanded. You see? He did lose his friends. All the facts are there in the song, folks. In later years, he wrote music, designed sets for ballets, and never stopped painting, holding the brush until his death at the age of 89. A rich life. A long life. Kind of a short song, though." --Nehushtan (talk) 08:51, 10 September 2025 (EDT)