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

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

ABC

Brave New World

• 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

• Dirt Bike - Live, 10/30/1994

• Kids Go! - Live, 12/20/2009
• Santa Claus - Live 12/20/2009

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Brontosaurus - Live, 4/24/2023

Nightline

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

ABC (Australia)

Rage

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

Recovery

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

BBC

Liquid News

• One episode - June 20, 2001

The 8:15 from Manchester

• Birdhouse In Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Lipsynced, June 9, 1990

Tonight with Jonathan Ross

• The Statue Got Me High - Live, February 7, 1992

Top of the Pops

• Birdhouse In Your Soul - Lipsynced, 03/1990

Top of the Pops 2

• Birdhouse In Your Soul - Live, 07/01/2001
• Boss Of Me - Live, 07/27/2001

Cartoon Network / Adult Swim

Home Movies

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

• 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

• 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

The Early Show

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

KCTV

• Kiss Me, Son Of God - Live, 04/17/1987

The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn

• Boss Of Me - Live, 02/06/2001

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

• 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

Channel 4

Big World Cafe

• Shoehorn With Teeth / Interview - Live, 03/12/1989^[2]
• Don't Let's Start - Live, 03/12/1989
• Ana Ng - Live, 03/12/1989

Rock Steady

• Istanbul (Not Constantinople) / Birdhouse In Your Soul - Live at Camden Lock, 06/05/1990

CITY-TV

The New Music

• Interview, 1990

Comedy Central

The Daily Show

• 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

• Till My Head Falls Off - Live, 04/08/1997

Disney Channel

Higglytown Heroes

• 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

The Arsenio Hall Show

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

The Spud Goodman Show

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

Fuse TV

Hoppus on Music

• 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

Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular

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

Sound fX

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

HBO

The Larry Sanders Show

• S-E-X-X-Y - Live, 09/21/1996

ITV

Night Network

• Kiss Me, Son Of God - Live, 03/03/1989
• Interview - Live, 03/03/1989 (edited from the Flood Promo)

JBTV

• 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

Request Video

• Interview, 3/30/1990

MTV

120 Minutes

• Letterbox - Live, 12/25/1988
• I'll Sink Manhattan - Live, 12/25/1988
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live, 12/25/1988
• Your Racist Friend - Live, 12/25/1988

• Particle Man - Live, 02/04/1990
• Where Your Eyes Don't Go - Live, 02/04/1990

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

• Mammal - Live, 04/26/1992
• She's Actual Size - Live, 04/26/1992

• Hosting New Wave Marathon, 4/1993

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

• AKA Driver - Live, 10/06/1994
• The End Of The Tour - Live, 10/06/1994

• Snail Shell - Live, 10/19/1994

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

• Introducing 10th anniversary show, 1996

The Cutting Edge

• John Flansburgh interview - 11/1994

The Jon Stewart Show

• Snail Shell - Live, 1994
• Destination Moon - Live, 1994

Mouth To Mouth

• Details unknown, scheduled taping - 12/21/1988^[3]

Post-Modern MTV

• Letterbox - Live, 07/1989
• Lucky Ball & Chain - Live, 07/1989
• Maybe I Know - Live, 07/1989
• Whistling In The Dark - Live, 07/1989

Randee of the Redwoods Convention

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

MuchMusic

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

NBC

Late Night with David Letterman

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

• Your Racist Friend - Live, 05/12/1990

• I Palindrome I - Live, 05/19/1992

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

• 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

• 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

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

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

• 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

• 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

Blues Clues

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

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee

• Interview - 03/23/2003

Nick Rocks

• Cowtown, Why Does The Sun Shine? - Live, 03/08/1988

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

Norddeutscher Rundfunk (Germany)

Spruchreif

• Appearance in early 1989, no known footage and only one photo. A lipsynced performance of Ana Ng likely occured here, as the song is featured in a 1989 Spruchreif promotional compilation.

TBS

Live from the House of Blues

• 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

• 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

Call for Help

• Older - Live, 12/26/2002

Internet Tonight

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

The Screen Savers

• Interview - 06/12/2002

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

• Wicked Little Critta / Another First Kiss / Au Contraire - Live, 04/29/2003

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

TVS

Rockin' In The UK

• Interview - Live, 01/30/1989

VH1

Pop-Up Video

• Boss Of Me - 01/19/2002

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (Germany)

Rockpalast

• First half of the show at Weißenhäuser Strand -Live, 11/22/2013
  • Sammy Intro - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Older - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Damn Good Times - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Birdhouse In Your Soul - Live, 11/22/2013
  • When Will You Die - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Doctor Worm - Live, 11/22/2013
  • Don't Let's Start - Live, 11/22/2013

WWOR-TV

The Joe Franklin Show

• 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^[4]
• Appearance on 09/22/1987, details unknown^[5]
• Footage from a Joe Franklin documentary

Unknown

Alternate Beat

• Interview, October 24th 1988

Record Guide '88

• Lie Still, Little Bottle - Live, 1988
• I'll Sink Manhattan - Live, 1988

Entertainment Tonight

• Interview, 2000

See also

• Archived Radio Appearances
• Videos