Over the past 30 years John Flansburgh and John Linnell, cofounders and core members of They Might Be Giants, have earned a reputation as the ur-geek band, thanks to their intentionally gawky, horn-rimmed aesthetic and a catalog that includes nerdy odes to Belgian painters, songs that explain the nuclear fusion process inside stars, and children’s albums aimed at the exceptionally precocious. But seeing the Johns as simply a couple of cartoony geeks overlooks their daring experimental side, including their ahead-of-the-curve use of samplers and drum machines, their innovative pre-Internet Dial-a-Song service (fans could call a number to hear exclusive TMBG content over the phone), and the subtly devastating psychological portraits in early material such as “I’ve Got a Match” and “They’ll Need a Crane“—an approach they’ve returned to on their upcoming 16th album, Nanobots (Idlewild/Megaforce).
OK. And was there ever a moment when you were actually wearing clean clothes?
Or trying to serenade Barbara Bush about Lebanon.
Oh really? So you think she was on the prescription drugs? She was doing a Lindsay Lohan?
What was the approximate year of this?
I saw them as well, while we were in Australia, and they were amazing performers. I miss those guys. Those Public Enemies.
Sat 3/16, 7:30 PM, the Vic, $27.50. 14+
