Television Appearances

From This Might Be A Wiki

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.

1 Television performances
2 See also

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

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

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

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

John Flansburgh interview - 11/1994

The Jon Stewart Show

Mouth To Mouth

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

Post-Modern MTV

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

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