East Village Eye - February 1986

This article on They Might Be Giants was featured in the February 1986 issue of the East Village Eye, written by Cliff Faintych.

"SLEEPING GIANTS" by Cliff Faintych
East Village Eye, Feb. 1986 (pg. 18):

Flexi-pop, neo-neurotic balladry or silly songsmithing? Local East Village group They Might Be Giants seems to defy the very concept of a concrete identity. Indeed, their infrastructure may be solely founded on a reaction to the current crop of pop music sedatives lining the record shelves these days. The band itself is neatly comprised of two Johns; Flansburgh on a tin-twanged guitar and Linnell on a down-home, Community Auditions-style accordion.

Along with soundman and sidekick Bill Krauss, they are methodically tossing every real-life sociopolitical, song-inspiring reference into the musical blender. Mock anthems such as “Alienation Is For The Rich Kid” and “Youth Culture Killed My Dog” are prime examples of an attitude which is both engaging and sophomoric, a contradiction they seem to perpetuate as much as they can.

With performance props, swollen body parts and stage antics amuck, They Might Be Giants put on a show that’s a slap in the face to the defenders of the trendy minimalistic esthetic. The Giants’ quirky demeanor seems to invite even the most self-conscious, savvy-sapped fashion plates into the daring new realm of nerd-chic. Commanding lyrics like “Your money talks, my genius walks” outlandishly bypass all the commodities of music fashion.

The only trouble is it’s parody, not satire, and TMBG hasn’t realized the difference yet. As social commentators they only seem to have one eye open. This double-twisting, backfire approach could prove to be just the remedy, however, for those occasional flare-ups of pop inflammation that we all know are going to be hard to avoid in 1986. For fast temporary relief, try the Giants’ 24-hour Dial-A-Song service at 718-387-6962. It’s recommended by executives and secretaries all over New York’s progressive business community… that is except for the major record labels.