Television Appearances

Since 1985, They Might Be Giants have made a frequent number of television appearances almost each year, on a wide variety of both network and cable talk shows, among other things. Below you will find a comprehensive list of these known appearances, along with links to download and view many of them.

Television performances[edit]

Thanks to various sites and YouTube uploaders for these videos. Note that some video downloads may require additional codecs, like DivX or Real.

ABC[edit]

Brave New World[edit]

Older - Aired 07/29/1999 (available on Gigantic DVD)

Dan Vs. Cog - Aired 08/05/1999

King Weed - Aired 08/26/1999

All Alone - Aired 09/02/1999

Cut The Strings - Aired 09/16/1999

They also did the theme music for the series.

Good Morning America[edit]

Dirt Bike - Live, 10/30/1994

Nightline[edit]

John Flansburgh profile of Beck aired 5/13/05. Part one, part two.

ABC (Australia)[edit]

Rage[edit]

Guest programmers on 04/20/2002. Click here for the playlist they chose. Part one, part two.

Recovery[edit]

S-E-X-X-Y / Till My Head Falls Off / Interview - Live, 03/22/1997

BBC[edit]

Liquid News[edit]

One episode - June 20, 2001

Top of the Pops 2[edit]

Cartoon Network / Adult Swim[edit]

Home Movies[edit]

From the Season 4 episode, "Camp" (episode 41), aired 01/11/2004

Camp Campingston URGR8
Clean Bean
I'm Just A Note
Rabbit Troop Sucks
Taste The Fame - Watch it on the TMBG.com Page
Welcome 2 Hell

Space Ghost Coast to Coast[edit]

John Flansburgh interview - Episode 59: "Joshua", aired 01/01/1998. Flansburgh's interview was not included in the episode, and he explained the likely reason in a 2019 post on Tumblr.^[1]

Xavier: Renegade Angel[edit]

John Flansburgh makes live-action cameos as Xavier's computer:
- Episode 6: "World of Hurt, B.C." - aired 12/09/2007
- Episode 9: "Signs from Godrilla" - aired 01/06/2008

CBS[edit]

The Early Show[edit]

Bed Bed Bed / Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / Boss Of Me - Live, 08/02/2002

The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn[edit]

Boss Of Me - Live, 02/06/2001

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson[edit]

The Mesopotamians - Live, 10/12/2007
Alphabet Of Nations - Live, 10/19/2007 (recorded 10/12/2007)

Why Does The Sun Shine? (feat. John Hodgman) / Why Does The Sun Really Shine? - Live, 12/11/2009

Comedy Central[edit]

The Daily Show[edit]

I Can Hear You - Live on the Daily Show Greatest Millennium Special, 12/15/1999. They also did all the bumper music for the episode and a song about extinction.

Interview - 09/10/2001

Viva Variety[edit]

Till My Head Falls Off - Live, 02/15/1997

Disney Channel[edit]

Higglytown Heroes[edit]

Here In Higglytown - An animated segment, featured on the Here Come The ABCs DVD, features John and John performing for Higglytown's citizens as a rock band from space. Show first aired 09/12/2004.

FOX[edit]

The Arsenio Hall Show[edit]

They'll Need A Crane - Live, 06/15/1989

The Spud Goodman Show[edit]

How Can I Sing Like A Girl? / Your Own Worst Enemy - Live, 1996

Fuse TV[edit]

Hoppus on Music[edit]

Can't Keep Johnny Down - Live, 07/29/2011 (recorded 07/11/2011)
Never Knew Love - Live, 07/29/2011 (recorded 07/11/2011)
Interview with Mark Hoppus on the same show

FX[edit]

Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular[edit]

Doctor Worm / They Got Lost - Live, 10/11/1998

Sound fX[edit]

Spy / Dirt Bike - Live, 03/15/1995
The Guitar - Live, 03/15/1995

HBO[edit]

The Larry Sanders Show[edit]

S-E-X-X-Y - Live, 09/21/1996

JBTV[edit]

Mammal / Particle Man / She's Actual Size / When It Rains It Snows / I Palindrome I / Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live, 1991

She's Actual Size / Twisting / Frankenstein / Particle Man - Live, late 1992. Part one, Part two, Part three

Destination Moon / Subliminal / Meet James Ensor / Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / Extra Savoir Faire / Unrelated Thing - Live, 1994

KDOC-TV[edit]

Request Video[edit]

Interview, 3/30/1990

MTV[edit]

120 Minutes[edit]

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live (MTV Europe), 1990

Hosting New Wave Marathon, 4/1993

Why Does The Sun Shine? - Live, 09/05/1993

Snail Shell - Live, 10/19/1994

Why Does The Sun Shine? - Live, 10/1994

Introducing 10th anniversary show, 1996

The Cutting Edge[edit]

John Flansburgh interview - 11/1994

The Jon Stewart Show[edit]

Post-Modern MTV[edit]

Randee of the Redwoods Convention[edit]

Shoehorn With Teeth / Don't Let's Start - Live, 08/17/1988

MuchMusic[edit]

Interview - 05/1990
She's Actual Size / Mammal - Live, 04/13/1992

NBC[edit]

Late Night with David Letterman[edit]

They'll Need A Crane - Live, 02/01/1989

Your Racist Friend - Live, 05/12/1990

I Palindrome I - Live, 05/19/1992

02/19/1993 (song unknown)

Late Night with Conan O'Brien[edit]

Why Does The Sun Shine? - Live, 10/26/1993
- Interview - Live, 10/26/1993

AKA Driver - Live, 10/31/1994

S-E-X-X-Y - Live, 11/06/1996

Montana (John Linnell) - Live, 01/01/2000

Boss Of Me - Live, 5/25/2000

Older - Live, 02/15/2001

Man, It's So Loud In Here - Live, 09/07/2001

Robot Parade / G-L-O-ckenspiel Intro / Shoehorn With Teeth - Live, 05/08/2002

No! / Clap Your Hands - Live, 08/13/2002

Experimental Film - Live, 08/13/2004

Alphabet Of Nations - Live, 02/15/2005

I'm Impressed - Live, 07/13/2007

Seven - Live, 04/10/2008

The Mesopotamians - Live, 2/12/2009

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon[edit]

Meet The Elements - Live, 10/06/2009

Dead - Live, 10/06/2009, web exclusive

Can't Keep Johnny Down - Live, 7/27/2011

Birdhouse In Your Soul - Live, 07/27/2011, web exclusive

You're On Fire - Live, 5/24/2013

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live, 5/24/2013, web exclusive

Today[edit]

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / Your Racist Friend - Live, 06/18/1990
Alphabet Of Nations - Live, 02/12/2005

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson[edit]

Birdhouse In Your Soul - Live, 04/03/1990 (Jay Leno hosting) (available on Gigantic DVD)
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live, 04/03/1990 (Jay Leno hosting)
- Interview - Live, 04/03/1990

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno[edit]

The Guitar - Live, 07/05/1992
- Interview - Live, 07/05/1992
The Statue Got Me High - Live, 07/05/1992
Boss Of Me - Live, 02/05/2001

At least one more appearance, details unknown

Nickelodeon[edit]

Blues Clues[edit]

Clap Your Hands - From episode 139: "Bluestock," aired 05/10/2004

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee[edit]

Interview - 03/23/2003

Nick Rocks[edit]

Why Does The Sun Shine? - Live, 1985

Nick Rocks ID - Live, 1989 (available on Gigantic DVD)

TBS[edit]

Live from the House of Blues[edit]

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / No One Knows My Plan / The Guitar - aired 02/10/1995
(recorded at the New Orleans House of Blues, 12/09/1994)

Conan[edit]

When Will You Die - Live, 01/26/2012

Ana Ng - Live, 01/26/2012

Answer - Live, 05/06/2015

I Left My Body - Live, 02/28/2018

TechTV[edit]

Call for Help[edit]

Older - Live, 12/26/2002

Internet Tonight[edit]

Interview - 06/23/2000 (TechTV was known as ZDTV until August 2000)

The Screen Savers[edit]

Interview - 06/12/2002

Bed, Bed, Bed / Older / Robot Parade / Shoehorn With Teeth - Live, 07/17/2002

Particle Man (with Stylophone) - Live, 11/04/2003
Stalk Of Wheat - Live, 11/04/2003

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (Germany)[edit]

Rockpalast[edit]

First half of the show at Weißenhäuser Strand -Live, 11/22/2013

WWOR-TV[edit]

The Joe Franklin Show[edit]

At least three appearances. First one on 12/17/1985 (their first television appearance), details unknown
Number Three (first live performance on show) - 11/07/1986^[2]
Appearance on 09/22/1987, details unknown^[3]
Footage from a Joe Franklin documentary