James McIntyre
James McIntyre, known professionally as Jimmy Mack, was a high-school friend of John Linnell and John Flansburgh. He is credited with exposing the Johns to music that diverged from the mainstream, such as the Ramones. McIntyre also worked alongside Linnell and Flans on the Lincoln-Sudbury High School newspaper, The Promethean. Due to his influence on the Johns' sensibilities, and their close friendship, McIntyre is sometimes considered to be the "third Giant"[1].
During high school, under the pseudonym Jimmy Mack, McIntyre became a DJ for the rock radio station WBCN (now known as WWBX) in Boston. He left high school early and was working as the station's music director by age 20.[2] The station is credited with breaking many alternative and punk bands to wider audiences during this period. While working at WBCN, McIntyre also published music reviews in the Boston Phoenix, a weekly periodical. One of his reviews was for "Make It The Same", the first and only single released by The Mundanes.
McIntyre kept in touch with the Johns throughout the rest of his life. He was openly gay and, amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis, became an activist with Boston's AIDS Action Committee and the National Association of People with AIDS. He passed away due to AIDS in 1986 at age 25. In his memory, Flansburgh and Linnell have often participated in raising funds for AIDS research. TMBG's debut album is dedicated to him.
External links
- McIntyre's reviews in the Boston Phoenix archive on archive.org
