This Might Be A Wiki:Why We Love TMBG

Please add a reason or two for why you are a fan of They Might Be Giants.

General Comments

• They are quirky and good for a laugh (the only song on the first album that i don't like was chess piece face) Economiclyracist 15:17, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
• They did something amazing with the accordion.
• Every song sounds different.
• They're not some generic rock band trying to be like those overrated commercialized artists
• They are true artists
• They've been around since the '80s and none of the band members have died of a drug overdose.
• Their music is a good accompanyment to doing spreadsheets.
• They aren't like the rest of the crap floating around in the cesspool of MTV and hip-hop.
• Listening to They Might Be Giants makes one immune to mere pop music.
• Intelligent and refined humor. Very little use of "shock" words just to get a rise out of the listener.
• You don't have to dress like They Might Be Giants to be a fan - They dress like us.
• They Might Be Giants is the only band that refuses to be a force to be reckoned with.
• When They Might Be Giants sing about women, the women don't sound stupid.
• You can give the number (718) 387-6962 away as your home phone number to foil bill collectors.
• They Might Be Giants make one's enjoyment of many different musical genres much easier to explain.
• They Might Be Giants are having fun.
• They Might Be Giants write songs that they like, not songs that will make people like them.
• They Might Be Giants regularly give away free music.
• You can interpret They Might Be Giants songs pretty much however you want to.
• They Might Be Giants have great live energy.
• On rare occasion do true TMBG fans get into a serious fight.
• We are the only ones who might feel like suddenly painting "I don't want the world, I just want your half" on the closest bridge.
• The more of their concerts you go to, the better the odds of hearing one of the Johns saying the f-word.
• They're from Brooklyn!!! YEEEAAAAH! Go Park Slope!
• Could you think of a better band name?
• I don't know. Maybe irony without pathos, or smarts without pretense. I'm happy when I can hear the music and less when I can't. --Flux
• Quality of songs, quantity of songs, and range of genres. the three... q-like's. ~~ Dr Doog
• They Might Be Giants know the value of making songs short and sweet. -Pugly
• Ample use of the accordion, the best instrument ever. -Pugly
• They are amazing active, and keep churning out awesome records, songs, books, DVDs, live shows, free mp3s...wow! --An orangutan
• What other band could sing about horribly depressing and scary subjects like death, divorce, murder, paranoia, and betrayal and still sound like they're having a blast? - TheNintenGenius
• They've been together for over 20 years and they're STILL putting out quality material. - TheNintenGenius
• Their songs are very catchy. - The Dork Knight
• You gotta love a band that sings about the sun, and mammals, and Belgian expressionist painters, and toupees, and worms that pose as doctors but are really drummers... I mean, come ON! -SweetAfton23
• They wrote one of my favorite songs, "Experimental Film", plus they have an awexome music video for it, made by The Brothers Chaps of www.homestarrunner.com.
• They are lyrically brilliant.
• Dial-A-Song has to be the single coolest idea for making music available.
• They support Firefox and FLAC.
• They have deep voices like I do (particularly Linnell); there aren't a lot of rock singers with deep voices. I can sing along perfectly with most of their songs if I don't run out of breath. :-)
• They have deep voices like I don't, so I can sing along an octave higher and it still works.
• Flansburgh can sing an entire song slightly off key with a straight face.
• They are really friendly and down to earth with their fans. ~ fingertips
• They play free concerts in Border's books stores. - How many other rock bands do that? ~ fingertips
• They find it fun and amusing to write a song for every venue they play.~ fingertips
• They have a DVD called Here Come's the ABC's - They are the only adult rock band I know who are brave enough to do that. ~ fingertips
• They're the sort of band that makes me want to learn how to play another instrument, so I can form a band with my friends.
• They're your only friend, they're not your only friend, but they're a little glowing friend, but really, they're not acctually your friend. -Cody-schmidt
• What other band sings about nightlights, purple toupee's and head's who rather want to be scalps?
• They inspired me and my friends to form a band. (With me on the drums) - Herwwiyal
• They are the band that encoureged me to really play the guitar. Not like the first time...
• They are so versatile it's absolutely unreal. Masters of any particular type of sound they want to emulate, they are a benchmark to other rock bands across the cosmos - and it's a shame that they aren't taken more seriously. Often light-hearted and even comical, They Might Be Giants are just as capable of writing a song of tremendous depth. - JackBanzai
• They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. - User:Neavers
• Linnell sings most of the really well-known songs, but it was one of Flansburgh's songs that won them a Grammy. Things even out. -FlinnsyFan
• Their band name is the perfect number of letters to fill the video iPod screen next to album artwork without trailing off. -curious and questioning (t)
• They don't change their music styles just because people don't like the way they sound.
• Their music is fun to pick apart on an intellectual musical level. Lemita, band geek
• TMBG is the only band society has not pressured me to listen to.Tedadore2
• They are one of the few bands who, if you could only listen to music by them, you would not go insane.
• I sat through all of Yes Man just to hear Ana Ng. I never heard it in there. The movie sucked too.
• They are sick geniuses, but we love that!
• I listen to music in phases. One week, I'll be in the mood for metal, the next, classic Rock, etc. But no matter what, I always end up in a TMBG mood, and They make me the happiest of all. --Mr. 77 03:41, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
• Duh, they're nerds and they can make dorkiness look cool. Not to mention Linnell made the accordion sexy... I like how they use intellectual humor and you can never get bored of them no matter how much you listen to them!~ User:Nerdy4ever95
• I get to teach other people about a whole other side of alternative they've never heard of and silently laugh to myself when they have no idea what I'm talking about. Their not even trying to be that cool. Sparkling_Omelets
• They both make awesome, clever songs that no one can beat and They're creative with Their work. Also, They Might Be Giants (They) is the best band name ever on my opinion. -- Buzzmusic100 ("Keep your voice down...")
• They make me want a rock to wind a piece of string around
• They have taught me (They Might Be Giants and David Bowie together) that if a song is instantly understandable, it probably has nothing to say that hasn't already been said.
• Their music is like nothing I've ever heard in my LIFE!
• Some of their songs are so catchy you find yourself singing along without even intending to do that. Especially Flood, those songs are contagious. -User:Saskia16
• TMBG are actually awesome. There, I said it. --The Mayor of Cowtown
• John Linnell has beautiful eyes, and John Flansburgh has a nice smile.
• Their songs are always good comic inspiration --jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11
• Discovering TMBG in 2022 is like finding a hoard of treasure - you feel so privileged to suddenly have nearly 40 years worth of incomparably amazing songs at your 'Fingertips'. Their music will see you through life. - Fluffy Sponge
• They're goofy, quirky and pretty cool! I listen to them everyday and I want to learn how to play accordion like Linnell. Bluecanaryalex (talk) 15:41, 20 November 2022 (EST)
• You know the phrase Quantity Over Quality? Well, let me introduce to you...QUALITY QUANTITY!!! This band and its members have released well over 2,000 songs with more on the way and I have not found a single one that I genuinely hate. Not even the BEATLES could do that.--You&Me!! (talk) 08:53, 30 November 2022 (EST)
• They've collaborated with Homestar Runner, they consistently put out great albums, also their stage banter is hilarious. - HotelDetectiveInTheFuture🪗 talk 🎸

Comments about their appeal across different age demographics

• They are a band that my wife and kids can enjoy with me.--
• They make me proud to be middle-aged.
• They Might Be Giants are not young hippie punksters who don't comb their hair.
• You can listen to them regardless of age!
• Nobody else does songs about delusional old people.
• They Might Be Giants are kind to children and animals.
• They keep my kids happy on long car rides.
• They make middle age look cool. -SweetAfton23
• They're a band I can bring home to my parents. -SweetAfton23
• More teachers than fellow students have ever heard one of Their songs. -curious and questioning (t)
• No! is the only children's album I've ever heard that I actually like all the songs on. Sparkling_Omelets
• My 2 year old son calls "Purple Toupee" "Buh Buh"
• You can listen to them forever basically. - theforklord
• My parents enjoy it too, making it a lot of fun to talk to them about the songs and their experiences with those songs --jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11 (talk)

Comments about their educational value

• They Might Be Giants songs show actual music theory, rather than just playing the I, IV, and V chords in a predictable pattern.
• By listening to TMBG, you gain the ability to like almost every other type of music becuase they practically play everything.
• Through They Might Be Giants I have learned the meaning of words like "gregarious" and "proscenium." How many other bands can raise your SAT scores?
• Only They Might Be Giants fans can get an A+ on a test about the Nuclear Fusion of the sun without ever paying attention to that unit in class. They just have to play the lyrics to "Why Does the Sun Shine?" in their head to determine all the answers. - Chinny
  • Actually, I'm taking Earth Science a year early and Why Does The Sun Shine? helped me on a regents question! =D --Lemita 17:28, 13 Jun 2006 (MDT)
    • It's just a shame almost everything in that song is... you know... completely wrong...--༺𝄞𝄆Ⓠⓤⓔⓛ⎈Ⓓⓞⓜⓜⓐⓖⓔ𝄇༻ 19:42, 13 February 2011 (UTC)
• Only They Might Be Giants fans look at a world map, spot Istanbul and say to themselves, "Hm, yep, that's not Constantinople." - Chinny
• Educational! Who else knew crap at all about our 11th president pre-TMBG?
• They are a gateway drug to a whole 'nother world of music you never knew existed. - TheNintenGenius
• Thanks to them, I know a lot about the sun [and James K. Polk]. - The Dork Knight
• They encourage you to study the arts, such as that of James Ensor (Belgium's famous painter). - TheNintenGenius
• Thanks to TMBG, I now know about James K. Polk, James Ensor, Istanbul, why the sun shines, and why the sun really shines all without any research necessary! Sparkling_Omelets
• I learned the word "obsequious" from them --jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11 (talk)
• I know a lot about James Ensor thanks to TMBG. — HotelDetectiveInTheFuture🪗 talk 🎸

Comments related to caffeine

• They Might Be Giants live on coffee, just like me.
• They are addicted to Coffee, not illegal and harmful drugs
• Coffee is the fuel for TMBG. It's the fuel for me come to think of it.
• They make me feel a little better about my own premature coffee addiction. -GPG
• Coffee is my favorite caffinated drink!
• Sometimes fans give them coffee cards, and I like to think that they really love it. Sparkling_Omelets

Comments related to dork and nerd solidarity

• They make me proud to be a dork.
• When your friends ask about They Might Be Giants, you get to say stuff like, "It's a nerd thing. You wouldn't understand."
• DORKS ROCK!
• Mr. Sketchy Galore
• Listening to TMBG definately qualifys me for being a dork, and that's cool. - CuppaCoffee
• The look on a stranger's face when they notice that the title of the song on your mp3 player reads "Your Racist Friend"
  • Same thing with "Youth Culture Killed My Dog" -93Miles
• Person I know looking at my iPod:"In The Middle, In The Middle, In The Middle? Your Racist Friend? What is this?" me:"Don't insult They Might Be Giants. I love Them." person:"You're weird." me:*happy*"I know." -curious and questioning (t)
• They are the only band I know that can pull off a heavy metal song about String Theory. – Antgeth
• They are the only band from the last 20 years that my band teacher has actually heard of.
• I'm a nerd... they're nerds. Perfect combo! Kinda hard to find music for nerds to like beside weird al... Nerdy4ever95
• I feel smart listening to TMBG, and it makes my friends feel dumb. Sparkling_Omelets
• Strangely enough a lot of the people I meet at Mensa events are fans.--Pittsburghmuggle (talk) 03:59, 21 January 2015 (EST)
• No one of my friends don't listen my favourite bands and including TMBG, i'm nerd and i feel i am only one listen my "smart" music around my peers --DamageDone (talk) 17:54, 25 June 2023 (EDT)

Comments related to mental health benefits of the music

• When I feel utterly friendless I can listen to their music and forget all about how screwed-up and seemingly alone I am.-- Aurora Hawthorne
• They Might Be Giants make people smile.
• When I get mad, instead of punching a hole in the wall, I listen to TMBG. It's the best stress medicine for me.
• They Might Be Giants may be used as a tool to confront your in-laws about deep-seated differences of opinion.
• Five people, two names! Oh, my medication...
• When my friends all talk about how they're completely insane and like the weirdest stuff I can blow them all straight out of the water.-- Aurora Hawthorne
• Linnell could sing "We're all going to die!!" and it'd still probably make me happy for some strange reason...The only other songwriter I can think of with that happy/sad dynamic is Wayne Coyne. Plus, I can relate to pretty much everything those two have written. - Stiddy
• They Might Be Giants have a song to fit my every mood.
• They Might Be Giants songs are fun, they can make the worst thing sound positive, just by the tune of the music.
• As Sara Vowell noted, you don't have to pretend to be more messed-up than you actually are to fit in with the band's "scene."
• The wealth of associations! Why else would I get depressed when I see a construction crane, or goofily happy when I see a worm, or ready to ROCK! when I hear about an avant-garde filmmaker? They Might Be Giants let you get more feelings out of day-to-day life.
• Their songs always cheer me up whenever I'm feeling upset. - The Dork Knight
• Their music stopped my depressive tendencies and suicidal thoughts and turned me into a nearly-normal happy teenager. Plus, They can always cheer me up, no matter what I'm feeling down about. I strongly agree with Sarah Vowell's comment about Ant and Dial-A-Song: "How bad can the world be if there's a song about that at a phone number in Brooklyn you can call to hear about it?" - Spiraling Shape
• Birdhouse In Your Soul keeps me from throwing things at people who say things deliberately to anger me (for example, insulting Them)-curious and questioning (t)
• They're musical Prozac. They cured my depression.
• My doctor says that I identify certain people better than I could before. Not Edith Head
• I used to listen to angry depressing music because I was angry and depressed (go figure!), and on May 10, 2006, I gave TMBG another shot, and I haven't been depressed since.
• They make me happy no matter the situation. Nerdy4ever95
• They can sing about death and depression and their songs that are about those things are the ones that make me the happiest. I think the strangest thing about that is that it makes sense. Sparkling_Omelets
• Thanks to TMBG, when you're outnumbered a million-to-one all of the dicks in this dick town can't keep you down!
• Sometimes, I listen to TMBG in order to help me get my mind off negative thoughts. --The Mayor of Cowtown 22:26, 21 September 2021 (EDT)
• I listen to TMBG songs like Hovering Sombrero when I feel sad, it cheers me right up --jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11 (talk)
• rhythm section want ad and hide away folk family are my soundtrack for being in texas. especially hide away folk family. fuck texas. --Ncrecc (talk) 11:25, 26 July 2022 (EDT)
• I used to be very heavily depressed, and my friend challenged me to listen to every TMBG album. I was amazed by how raw and fun their music was. There's not a single album of theirs that doesn't cheer me right up. --theyonderbluecanary
• Sometimes when I’m sad or stressed, I think of Ana Ng and Birdhouse In Your Soul. Bluecanaryalex (talk) 15:43, 20 November 2022 (EST)

Comments of an absurdist nature

• If you place them side by side, turn your head a little and squint, you can see a map of Florida. Be sure to place Flansburgh on the right.
• They might be big big fake fake lies...
• John Linnell may be bent into interesting shapes like a Gumby doll, and he hardly complains at all about it.
• John Flansburgh makes an excellent throw pillow for your sofa, because he goes with everything and cleans up with a damp sponge and a little soda water.
• Only They Might Be Giants fans stop on a rainy day to relocate all the worms that have crawled up on a sidewalk to safety, because if they don't they'll feel like they were responsible for the deaths of dozens of aspiring drummers.-Chinny
• Only They Might Be Giants fans have an enlightened appreciation for the Rights of Brooms, and so bend over and sweep the floor with their hair instead. -- Chinny
• They Might Be Giants songs like you back. - Rhinoceros Rex
• They Might Be Giants songs sneak up behind you with something heavy and pointed and hit you in the back of the head, then push you down into an open grave. Plus, they are catchy.
• TMBG aren't fattening, are non-toxic, and contain no artifical dyes or additives.
• They are not satanists nor scarecrows
• They are not santas or cornflakes
• They are not posing as an easy-listening Nazi rock band trying to lure intellectuals into believing what they already know to be true.
• They are the only bees in my bonnet.
• Because John Linnell is the glass of milk, John Flansburgh is the cookie, and their music is the resulting explosion of happiness. -jane_strummer
• Cause they might be giants.
• TMBG songs are good to grate carrots to -Cody-schmidt
• Flansy... The other white meat! =) nerdy4ever95
• They Might Be Giants cure the common cold...and leprosy. Sparkling_Omelets
• I am certain that the Johns are immortal, like Jack from Doctor Who/Torchwood. I used to think they were time lords, but they seem to age - Just very slowly. - Mehdiface
• Because of them Nebraska isn't a teacup, Toledo was saved from a large mutant guinea pig, and none of us were sucked into a black hole. Don't remember any of that? THAT'S how awesome they are.
• They resurrected my dead squirrel.
• The weirdest stuff I've ever heard. When I heard their music for the first time, I felt like an idiot. And a weirdo.
• What are we gonna do unless they are?
• They're the ONE band that can overcome the ZERO in their bank account. And I don't mean to be the the NEGATIVE ONE in saying that.
• I love them for psychological reasons
• They remind me of Germany in the 1930s, which I think is "Oooooohhhhhwwwhoahhhhooooohhhh. Heavy, heavy." --jimmyZenShinsThreeHundred11 (talk)
• If you listen to Cowtown backwards, Flansburgh recites the entire Seychelles national anthem. - HotelDetectiveInTheFuture🪗 talk 🎸
• TMBG is the only band where all of their CDs I have work! — HotelDetectiveInTheFuture🪗 talk 🎸

TMBG sucks ass

Apparently not everyone likes TMBG, shocking as that may be. Check out this site, They Might Be Giants Sucks Ass. (Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds...some actually have good reasons..I quote: "One time, I went up to John Linnell to ask him for his autograph. He just looked at me blankly for a few seconds. Then his face turned three shades of red. Suddenly, he pulled out a switchblade and began carving his name on my forhead!! Two of his ever-present bodyguards held me so that I couldn't defend myself. He screamed,"You want my autograph, you little punk!!?? Wear it for life!!!" Then a bunch of his sycophant fans started cheering as the blood ran relentlessly down my face. John gave me a final kick in the crotch as he turned to walk away. And that's why I hate They Might Be Giants." ---J.D.)

• (Ummm...considering all the attacks at TMBG on that site are targeted at some guy named Warren, I'm pretty sure they put up the site to get this Warren guy P.O'ed. It's what the Spanish would call un broma. --Overjoy 09:40, 14 June 2008 (UTC))

That TMBG suck ass article is bull!!! Even my TMBG-sucks Friend says that's bull. I totally cannot see linnell slicing someone's face open. and is there any proof? And if linnell did try to kill him, He'd be in jail for abuse or somethin'! Nerdy4ever95

• I don't think Linnell would do that...that's why it's funny. I read those websites because those people who say TMBG sucks have obviously never heard any of their music. Sparkling_Omelets

Um. Um. Um. --Self Called Nowhere 09:39, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

I'm a big fan, and every single new album they come out with I loathe on first hearing and think "This is it, they've jumped the shark." Then I listen again. And again. And I start humming the songs to myself. Then I love the album. Stupid TMBG.--Pittsburghmuggle (talk) 03:56, 21 January 2015 (EST)

I really don't think JL would do that... He'd have a sentence in prison or something! He still has to perform, right? Saskia16 (talk) 18:44, 17 January 2017 (EST)Saskia16

I actually love TMBG. John Linnell would NEVER murder anyone. I wish someone would remove that section immediately. --The Mayor of Cowtown (talk) 18:16, 5 February 2021 (EST)

how can i trust these guys when they don't even know if they're giants or not? exactly. -fork

Remember this: They Might Be Giants are not actually giants. Consider them actual size. You can still trust TMBG, regardless of their height. --The Mayor of Cowtown 22:27, 21 September 2021 (EDT)

They might be ^{[citation needed]} giants ^{[clarification needed]}. --ColorOfInfinity (talk) 23:51, 21 September 2021 (EDT)

Frick TMBG. Their kids songs are too good, and when I'm bopping out in the middle of school, someone flipped over my phone and yelled out that I was listening to KIDS music, and everyone started laughing at me. And that's why I hate TMBG. --You&Me!! (talk) 13:39, 21 September 2021 (EDT)

• The entire TMBG band literally broke into my house and stole my door. What the hell.

When I was a wee lad in the 2000s listening to their children's music, I managed to confuse them for a couple of guys who attended our church. Needless to say, I was thoroughly underwhelmed to find out that they were in fact just a couple random strangers and not my parents' friends from church. KevArlo (talk) 22:47, 20 August 2022 (EDT)

• Me when the TV funnyman from my childhood starts singing about a bastard that wants to hit him--You&Me!! (talk) 13:46, 17 April 2023 (EDT)