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Ask 'They Might Be Giants' 258

Posted by Roblimo from the john-and-john-tell-all dept.
Yes, folks, it's time for another special Slashdot music celeb interview, this time with They Might Be Giants, creators of much excellent music and the famous Dial-a-Song (which has been mentioned on Slashdot before). Anyway, TMBG is a pretty cool band, so go ahead and ask them anything you want -- about their music or Napster or their deal with eMusic or anything else. Post your questions below. Moderators will choose their favorites. Saturday afternoon we'll select 10 of the best ones, and TMBG will have their answers back in the next week or so.
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Ask 'They Might Be Giants' More

Ask 'They Might Be Giants'

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  • Dear They Might Be Giants, (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Why do you suck? Why can't you be cool, like Genesis.

    Thank you.

  • Taping Policy (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    A question and a request,

    Would you please clarify your position toward audience members taping your performances for their personal enjoyment?

    A list of "Bands That Allow Taping" [resourcesfortapers.com] has this entry:

    *They Might Be Giants - Although their taping policy has yet to be clarified, John Linell, one of the band members was quoted as saying: "We appreciate the interest shown by tape-traders and bootleggers, but we also appreciate the money from our record sales. I guess you should let your conscience be your guide." There are also new reports (4/99) that Flansburgh said in an interview that they are kind of flattered that folks want to tape their shows and he wishes he could pass out DATs so people could have high quality stuff. So their policy seems to be ambiguous at best.

    And for the request, please post a taping policy similar to Phish, Pearl Jam, Panic, Grateful Dead, etc. on your web site. Many tapers consult and honor these performers posted taping policies.

  • Dear TMBG, (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Who's knocking on the wall?

  • What happened to the accordian??? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Ok... why did you guys lose the accordian?

  • Inspiration (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I've always wondered where you two get the inspiration for your music and the lyrics... Do muses play croquet with the ideas, or does the scarecrow whisper ideas as he's hiding from you?
  • and now they're even older.
  • Ok, while I'm sure there have been appearances of TMBG songs in other movies and TV, I've noticed a greater frequency in the last few years. I mean, the theme to Malcolm in the Middle (and a bunch of background music in several episodes), and the theme to Austin Powers 2 have been fairly mainstream appearances. I know at least one Mono Puff song has appeared in the movies as well (Carrie 2, or something).
    What's in store for the use of TMBG songs elsewhere? Will they continue to sneak into pop culture, or will the Johns actually make an appearance in a movie? I recently watched Baseketball and noticed Reel Big Fish performing in several scenes. While I'm not a big fan of them, they've cited TMBG as one of their major influences. Would you appear in a movie?
  • You can't have one..
    ...'cause there's no such thing.
  • How do you feel about the current election problems? If you were to write a song about it, what would it be?
  • Dear John/John/Band:

    I've been a huge TMBG fan for over ten years, which is about half of my life (Scary thought, no?). I've heard the band evolve from two guys with a Dr. Rhythm drum machine to a full band with a horn section, to a powerhouse of rock. I've heard lo-fi, hi-fi, no-fi (wax cylinders), children's songs, Movie/TV theme songs, and god knows what else.

    My question is, what's next? What surprises do you guys have up your sleeves for those of us who are always waiting to hear you do something new and rip the music industry a new asshole with your revolutionary rock stylings?

    Do you plan to continue making music for Hollywood? Are there going to be any more side projects (I simply loved State Songs)? What's next for Brooklyn's Ambassadors of Love?

    • _____

    • ToiletDuk (58% Slashdot Pure)
  • I think "It's Fun To Steal" and "Hello The Band EP" are the greatest. Unsupervised just doesn't do it for me...
    • _____

    • ToiletDuk (58% Slashdot Pure)
  • Maybe you're just miseducated. Over the years I've found many many people like myself who were first introduced to TMBG through Tiny Toons. I remember that day fondly, and yes for all who are wondering, it was originally aired in 1990.

    If it were not for that episode, I probably would not have discovered the glory of TMBG for at least another five years.

    • _____

    • ToiletDuk (58% Slashdot Pure)
  • skinny puppy.

  • IANTMBG, but I believe up until John Henry they recorded their tracks digitally - recording each instrument separately and then putting them all together. All done on a Mac SE/30 or something like that, IIRC. John Henry was the first album they recorded with a live band. I don't know exactly how they're recording now, but I'm sure it's in some way digital. As to the purist analog soul, as I said, I think they've been pretty digital all along. But feel free to correct me.

  • Oregon (Score:1)

    by prwood ( 7060 )
    What is the proper pronunciation of Oregon?

  • Folk music (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Do you think folk music is disappearing? If not, why not? Is it going to make a comeback?
  • What is your favorite sound from a TMBG released song?

  • Frank Zappa's musical question is still relevant today. TMBG are well known for their fractured take on modern life. Should more music embrace the absurd? Would that add too much camp to the radio and lessen the impact of insightful comedy? Shouldn't most recording artists just lighten up?

  • Why does the sun shine?
  • I can't remember why I liked this
    --
  • I really love your cover of "Why does the sun shine?", as well as the originals in the same or similar vein, like "Mammals" (and even the less direct "Dinner Jacket" and "Whistling in the dark", which (at least to me) seems like a critique of Plato's republic (call me crazy)).

    would you consider doing an entire album or even a series thereof that is aimed at interesting presentations of science/history/etc? I really think songs like these have a lot to offer to the effort to show kids (of all ages) what is cool and fun about these topics which are normally presented rather dryly.

    Also, so you watch Bill Nye the Science Guy? (I couldn't resist).

    Finally, here's a song a friend of mine wrote, sung to the tune of home on the range, just to convince you that if you don't do it, someone else will do it badly:

    (lyrics by Robert M. Panoff, may he forgive me for posting them with his name attached)

    Oh, E is a field,
    Whose divergence will yield
    The charge density, times four pi.
    It's curl is B dot--
    Hence, in statics, it's naught
    and a minus sign orients I.

    Chorus:

    Waves, weves in free space
    at the speed of light, c, they do hurl [unfurl?]
    They flux energy
    As their modes, E and B,
    Oscillate, with divergenceless curl

    [Okay, okay, so it's not funny unless you have seen the vector calculus forms of Maxwell's equations. You sort of have to see it with the accompanying whiteboard presentation of the math.]




    --
  • What do you guys listen to right now?
    Do you use Napster?

  • Recently you played at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, where I live. Usually, the HoB is an over-21 club, as it was on that night. Why didn't you play at an all-ages club, since you have a large underage audience?
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • I learned about them my freshman year of highschool (1992) from my psycho roommmate, who in turn had learned of them from some college kids a few years earlier. Tiny Toons is not a blip on the radar screen of their career.
  • Sure, they were around before Tiny Toons. But who knew about them before Tiny Toons? The people I learned about them from learned about them via Tiny Toons.
    --
  • I would think the new audio format coming out (super cd audio? or something like that?) would satisfy even the most demanding analog purist, provided the mastering is done right. I believe it uses something like 24 or 32 bit resolution with 196khz or something ridiculous like that. And, of course, surround sound.

    Anyone who can hear the loss in quality with a signal like that must be the the human auditory equivalent of a pentachromat, or something.


    -------
  • Dude, Expo 67 was held in Montreal!

    Pope

    Freedom is Slavery! Ignorance is Strength! Monopolies offer Choice!

  • You've experienced both, as I understand it: you have been a "name" band. enjoying celebrity status, but you've also managed to acquire a loyal following who are familiar with your corpus of work and the band's history and approach to music. Would any of you like to comment on your own observations/thoughts about these two ways of being successful within the industry?

  • Who are "they"?

    and

    Shouldn't we know by now?

    --
  • I hate to be rude, but I've noticed over the years that every time I've gone to one of your concerts, Flans comes out afterwards and talks, signs autographs, etc. I've never seen Linnell do this. You are entirely within your rights to come out after the show or not, so I'm not mad, just curious. Is it that you've grown tired of your fans?
  • Obviously it'll be the customer service department of the Sirus Cybernetics Company, you idiot!
  • More live albums? More live tracks? More live LPs? CDs? Tapes? Downloads? More live albums? More live albums?

    Malcovich.


  • If TMBG were to die and be reincarnated as a borderline racist parody of a Japanese car dealership, which of the following models could we expect to find in your borderline racist parody showroom?

    Mitsubishi Mini Active Urban Sandal
    Subaru Gravel Express
    Mazda Bongo Friendlee
    Daihatsu Rugger Field Sports Resin Top
    Nissan Prairie Joy
    Mitsubishi Debonair Exceed
    Suzuki Every Joy Pop Turbo
    Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear Cruising Active
    Isuzu Mysterious Utility Wizard
    Daihatsu Town Cube
    Nissan Big Thumb Harmonized Truck
    Mazda Scrum
    Isuzu Giga 20 Light Dump

    Thank you.

  • Good... bad... I'm the guy with the guitar.

  • I also wonder if their soundtracking Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" is also having a positive effect on the band's popularity.

  • Around what percentage of the TMBG unlimited price do you guys see? Or more generally, how does the deal compare to the ones that you get from more traditional publishers?
  • Do you think that Napster is going to hold its position in the market, or is it going to give way to other mp3 utilites or sites such as AudioGalaxy [audiogalaxy.com] or MP3.com [mp3.com]?

  • We met, and I took your photo for my brother who is a huge fan of yours. Well the photo didn't come out, so can we do it over again?
    No, seriously. Back in '92 in Morgantown, WV. when you were playing at Underground Railroad (aka The Dry House, 123 Plesent Street, or what ever its called today).
    Accually, how do you keep creative? After so many years of preforming, and making music, how do you two wake up in the morning and say "I've got this great idea for a song" and jot it down somewhere. Must be quite the challange.


  • I was unbelievably psyched to see you landed the theme music gig for the new FOX show, Malcolm in the Middle. I'm definitely gonna go out and buy the soundtrack :)

    my question is: How did you get the job? Was FOX looking for a band with a similarly "quirky" (sic.) or otherwise "subversive" theme? Did you have to audition, and if so, against who? :) And how has doing theme music for a TV show changed (if at all) things for you, in regards to artistic/creative license, merchandising, intellectual property, etc.?

  • I've heard Ween called the evil twins of TMBG. I was wondering what you thought of this? Do you listen to their music? I know that both groups started out with only two guys (John & John vs. Gene & Dean), supplemented by various electronica. Both groups have eventually added more live musicians to their line up. How do you think your similiar genesis influenced your latter development?
  • What do you think the most logical solution to the ongoing debate regarding Napster and MP3 music would be?

    ---
    "Fdisk format reinstall, doo dah doo dah,
  • I read (on slashdot I believe) that the band was in search of a new machine for doing dial-a-song. How does the future look for this wonderful service? I've been calling for years to hear the latest stuff, and it can be hard to get on sometimes. Does the popularity make it hard to maintain? Also, what was the largest number of calls you recieved in a single day?
  • What is your feeling about www.tmbg.org, and www.tmbg.net? Do you ever plan on giving out e-mail addresses, or at least e-mail aliases, a la tmbg.org? A lot of us long time hardcore fans would really love an addy @tmbg.com.
  • No reason to give this one to the band. They added a full band when they recorded John Henry, and have been a full band ever since. If you want to listen to some new songs with just the Johns, check out 'State Songs', Linnel's solo project. Flans shows up on a few tracks, including South Carolina, which is some of their best shit ever.
  • Another easy one. It's a confused butchering of a very popular call of the time, "Free the Chicago 7" combined with the fact that the World's Fair in 64 was held in Chicago, I believe. Good question, though.
  • Well spotted. Pinky and the Brain were animaniacs. Still, both shows sucked. The best WB cartoons remain the original Looney Tunes theater shorts.

    The reason I suggested that college radio no longer matters is because being a college radio "star" no longer leads to much of anything. It used to be that independant artists could build a huge following if they catch on with campus stations, but these days "alternative" is just a marketing label. MTV and corporate-owned FM radio dominates the culture.

    Internet sources, like MP3.com and Wiredplanet.com, might change that, if people start listening to it. Time will tell.

  • TMBG, the legendary "Rhythm Section Want Ad" band, now tours with two different rhythm sections, both of which totally kick ass.

    One band, which backs them up on most of their albums, and another, called the "Band of Dans", because all three of them happen to be named Dan.

    I saw them in Minneapolis with the Dand of Dans last winter, and they owned the crowd all night long, although they also did a second encore where just the Johns were on stage signing "Maybe I Know", a dial-a-song classic that is on their MP3-Only album "Long Tall Weekend".

    Personally, I think their post-"John Henry" material is some of their best work, every bit as original and creative as the stuff on the pink album, and they have simply evolved beyond their drum-machine-only phase.

    The New Wave is now about 15 years old, and 10 years out of style. TMBG seems to know that.

  • I gotta agree with the AC, you are also a little wrong in that last statement. You are dramatically understating the role of Flans in the creative process

    When they are TMBG, both Johns sing, and both did some writing. Flans does most of the rhythm guitar work, although these days they usually have a stronger guitar player doing the solos, both in the albums and on stage.

    Listen to the Mono Puff album "It's fun to steal", which was essentially a Flans project that Linnell had nothing to do with, and you will get a sense of how much Flans influences the TMBG sound.

    You very well might have seen Linnell playing with the Band of Dans on some given concert. The Johns seem to have a preference for using the Dans on the road, with good reason. Most of their other backup players seem to be NYC studio rats, or guys who play in other bands of their own, while the Dans are a solid road backup section.

  • "Purple Toupee" was a song which is meant to mirror the rants of somebody with a very confused reccolection of the past. It is packed with weird lines like, "I remember the book depository where they crowned the king of Cuba", to show the confused state of the storyteller. Although confirmation might not be found on the current iteration of their web page, the Johns have said as much in past interviews.

    It is probably not mentioned on their current site because it is a really old song (from their second full-length album) which was not even a hit when it was new.

    The album Lincoln is crammed full of these kinds of free assiciation styles.

    The 1964 Chicago World's Fair is mentioned in the album, but in a different song. (from Ana Ng: "All alone at the '64 World's Fair, 80 dolls yelling Small Girl After All; Who was at the DuPont pavillion? Why was the bench still warm? Who had been there?")

  • Istanbul was neither written nor performed for Tiny Tunes. It was a cover of a song written quite a long time ago, and released on the 1990 album "Flood".

    One of the Tiny Toons directors thought it was cool, and decided to write a very unfunny cartoon which used the song.

    TMBG not only sings the theme for Malcom in the Middle, but they also do a lot of the incidental music for it.

    They also wrote and performed "Dr. Evil", for the second Austin Powers movie. In a tragic crime against humanity, the producers release the soundtrack album without this song, but you can hear it once in a while on They Might Be Giants radio (go to www.wiredplanet.com if you have not already).

  • Actually, their appearances on Leno, Letterman, and O'Brian got them much more exposure to mass audienced, and most of the Hardcore fans were with them long before Flood was even released. They were college radio GODS back in the day when college radio actually mattered.

    My first exposure to them was when I was working as a DJ at KRNR at Mankato State University. I wore every single song on their "When It Rains It Snows" EP down to the gray, especially "The Famous Polka".

    (kiddies, ask your parents what an EP is)

    For the record, other than "Pinky and the Brain", Tiny Toons completely and horribly sucked.

  • 1. "Perpendictular to the name of this town" does not have to mean perpendicualr to the longetude line, pointing through the center of the globe. It could be that the gun is held level, perpendicular horzontally, and shooting through the Northern Hemisphere.

    2. While they are a NYC band, "this town" does not have to mean Queens. The album is called "Lincoln", so they could have meant Lincoln, Nebraska.

    3. Lighten up, it doesn't matter. It is a song that ponders the possibility that the One True Love that is meant for you could live half a world away. The image of firing a gun through the globe to show "the home of the one this was written for" is a beautiful bit of poetry, even if it has trouble standing up to deconstruction from nit-pickers who have enough time on their hands to check the globe.

  • What are the reasons 'big-name bands' don't abandon the RIAA and share their music via alternative methods of production/promotion/delivery? Why do successful artists not break away from the RIAA 'deals'* that /. and other forums [salon.com] vehemently condemn as a corruption of culture, artist integrity and pollution to the meaning of 'art'?

    Have the /. crowd become deluded to believe that even the 'artists' they respect and trust (the "real" artists that we liken our favorites to be - as opposed to the Brittany Spears/Backstread Fahrenheit 411 Boyz/Celine Dion et al) actually 'care about integrity'? Is the 'truth' in fact that even 'our favorite artists' are also a product of the RIAA music-machine? Have these products simply been crafted to appeal to a specific demographic: us?

    If the latter is not the case, why wouldn't those in the position to, not strike out independently now that the possibility exists?

    Noting that some artists have contractual obligations, and some others are corrupted by greed (they would then by definition fall into the 'our favorite artists are also products' category).

    BTW: I still listen to Flood, thanks for the 'gift'...
    *Yes this could be a Catch22.
  • Coolest Email of all time:

    particle-man@tmbg.com

  • Do you, like many other bands, feel that the digital revolution and MP3s are destroying your chance to live off your creativity, or will you embrace the new technologies and adapt to their new economy?

  • While it's an accepted fact that the Internet will become a means for direct download or fan-to-fan music exchange, the RIAA continues to oppose these inevitable trends. At the same time, bands and musicians need to make money.

    Simple question - If bands are to bypass the recording industry, how will they make money? Or if they are to work within the confines of the recording industry, how will the industry deal with the culture of free music exchange on the net?
  • What's it like doing the soundtrack for a successful sitcom? Are you more constrained, or do they give you a lot of freedom?

  • of them, actually.. 1. I loved the Istanbul not Constantinople Tiny Toons cartoon. Have you done any work with any aother cartoons? and 2. Do you guys sing the Malcom in the Middle theme? I haven't been following the band for a while, and when I heard the song it sounded like it was either a TMBG song or a cunning replica...

  • Any plans for a westward tour, say to California, in 2001?

    --

  • Brian, you didn't get that email. You just borrowed Marco's McSweeneys.

    ---
  • I see an ultimate effect of the free distribution of music being the disappearance of musicians who solely compose for money. No more Brittney Spears or Backstreet Boys. What, as professionals musicians, are your thoughts?
  • hello johns! thanks for the wonderful music! I had a question about two songs. in 'snowball in Hell' you say: "my fantasy is in a Xerox shop..." and in 'sleeping in the flowers' you say "I've got a crush - copy shop clerk - but she won't look up at me." Is this copy shop clerk a real person? keep up the good work! your music is the best!
  • The song Particle Man leaves a lot of questions about the animosity between the main characters.

    Do you have any thoughts of doing a follow up song, perhaps explaining why Triangle Man hates Particle Man, for example?

    And in your lyrics you mention things like "they have a fight, Triangle wins". I would really like more detailed commentary of the battle and strengths of each foe.

    Oh, and Flood is one of the greatest works of art produced this century.
  • I have been a fan of TMBG since around Apollo 18, when I began collecting the albums... And one of my favorite things about your CDs was/is the cover-art.

    I understand that when CDs first came out, some fans were upset that the LP cover-art was reduced in size to fit on CD jewel cases. Now I believe I understand that fear, for it appears that the cover-art has not only shrunk this time, but vanished due to the new MP3 format of your songs.

    'Long Tall Weekend', though it had an electronic post-card, would be more of a treasure to me if I had something tangible from it. The 'Working Undercover For The Man' CD (exclusive from E-Music for buying the MP3s, in case you readers are wondering where it came from) though understandably case-less, was the last I saw any cover-art and though it was a sparsely decorated, folding, paper CD-holder it felt much more special and rewarding to own than just the MP3s.

    I guess my question is twofold: Do you think that CDs and their cover-art are going to be left behind, and do you think that there is a way you can make up for this potential loss to TMBG fans?
  • How is it that you or anyone else can make money on EMusic.com? I mean, I can see how if someone pays $8-$9 to download an MP3 album, but what about when people subscribe for $10 a month and can download any and all MP3's on EMusic? How is it anyone profits from that? Also, if I got on an EMusic.com subscription and downloaded all of your albums, would you get more money than if I just downloaded a few songs?

  • Managed to download an MP3 yet? (Score:3)

    by rodbegbie ( 4449 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:23AM (#572466) Homepage
    Last year, at your concert in Boston, you mentioned that you had never managed to successfully download an MP3, and no-one you *knew* had managed to download an MP3.

    One year later... have you managed yet?

    rOD.
    --

  • free the expo 67 (Score:3)

    by freq ( 15128 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:17AM (#572467) Homepage
    in the song "Purple Toupee"

    what does the line "free the expo 67" really mean?
    i've always wondered.
    now you must tell me.

    thank you :)

  • TMBG to soudtrack McSweeney's Issue 6? (Score:3)

    by DoorFrame ( 22108 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @08:02AM (#572468) Homepage
    I received this email a while ago:
    • McSWEENEY'S ISSUE #6
      Featuring the music of They Might Be Giants In January, we will have ready, we hope, our new issue. This new issue will be like a regular nice issue of McSweeney's, except the good thing here will be that there will be a soundtrack disc included in the package. This music will correspond to each and every story or drawing in the issue. One piece of music for each piece of writing or artwork. This music will be made by a band called They Might Be Giants, though they will likely also ask other musicmakers, such as M. Doughty and Philip Glass, to compose songs for this soundtrack. It will be fun; you will see.
    For those of you who don't know, McSweeney's [mcsweeneys.net] is a cool quarterly literary magazine mainly populated by young authors. The last issue had a Ted Koppel (not a robot) on the cover.

    Is this true? If so are they going to be original songs or just older songs already published?
  • Why do I need Flash to even visit your Website?

  • Re:Professional musicians (Score:3)

    by Hard_Code ( 49548 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @08:13AM (#572470)
    You mean:
    by Steve Albini? (produced Nirvana's "In Utero")


  • Pondering Lyrics (Score:3)

    by KingJawa ( 65904 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:09AM (#572471) Homepage
    Why does Triangle Man hate Person Man?

  • Re:free the expo 67 (Score:3)

    by Fjord ( 99230 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @08:41AM (#572472) Homepage Journal

    This is also in the FAQ [tmbg.org].

    Essentially, the whole song is about confusing and mixing up events in one's past, especially historical events from the late 60's. "Free the expo 67" is confusing "Free the Chicago 7" and the "Libre Quebec" speech at the expo 67. This is similar to merging Martin Luther King and Malcom X together in the line "Martin X was mad when they outlawed bell bottoms".

  • Who... (Score:3)

    by zpengo ( 99887 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:10AM (#572473) Homepage
    ...is going to be first up against the wall when the revolution comes?

  • Here's MY question... (Score:4)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:06AM (#572474)
    All your music is so creative, original, and if I may say so, very emotionally charged on a large range of emotions. Do you think that today's popular music has lost its soul, in favor for exploiting only negative emotions and pop culture?

  • Tours (Score:4)

    by Masem ( 1171 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:33AM (#572475)
    I've seen you twice now on tour: once when you were headlining for (of all bands) Hootie and the Blowfish (and I felt very sorry for the treatment that you got from those people while you were doing something like "Spy"), and when you were the main feature, leaded off by a heavy-metal group called "Chainsaw Kitties" that pretty much left the audience bored. Do you have a choice of whom you tour with? Or does some manager above you make all those decisions?

  • indi question. (Score:4)

    by BiLlCaT ( 6758 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:08AM (#572476) Homepage
    i saw TMBG in lansing, mi at warehouse records. they played an all-acoustic set and then sat down on the front of the stage with the handful of people that were in the place at the time and signed autographs and talked with us for about an hour. TMBG are probably coolest group of guys you'll ever meet. i think it's absolutely awesome that they've embraced the digital age. i'd like like to know how successful digital distribution has been for them and if they think that an indi artist can make a go of it in this market.
    ----------------------------------------- -
    the amazing bc
    latin/funk flugelhorn & trumpet

  • "Historico-logical" background of songs (Score:4)

    by msouth ( 10321 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:49AM (#572477) Homepage Journal
    Many of the people that I know that like your music are also very intelligent. That probably leads to higher-than-average incidence of people wondering about the origins of many of your songs, since "smart" people tend to be ery curious and interested in solving puzzles.

    I realize that some of these things have been discussed in interviews, and still others have been widely speculated about, etc. I, for one, like a puzzle, like trying to figure out what a particular line might refer to, etc. So I have a couple of questions related to that.

    One, do you feel the same way when you listen to music with intriguing lyrics? Do you ever wish you could get access to the artist to find those things out? Does it frustrate you when you can't get the definitive answer?

    Two, being at the other end--does it bother you for people to ask you all the time "what does [this line of this song] mean?", etc? Have you ever considered just putting explanations up somewhere? Would you consider that too time-consuming, too much like having to explain a joke that someone didn't get, or spoiling the fun of the puzzle?

    [Sorry to put so many questions together--if you run all the syllables together when you ask them (e.g. "i'dhavealotofeyesinmebynowwouldn'ti?wouldn'tthatj ustbefine?") it doesn't seem like so much.]
    --
  • Isn't this question in their FAQ [tmbg.org]? Goes on for bloody pages too!

  • Readers? (Score:4)

    by zpengo ( 99887 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:18AM (#572479) Homepage
    You guys are geeks -- do you read Slashdot?

  • How are things in the post .mp3/emusic.com age? (Score:4)

    by sdo1 ( 213835 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:42AM (#572480) Journal
    How are things financially for the band now that you're off a major label and releasing music on independent labels and through emusic.com? Do you feel like you have more control over the artistic process now than before?

    Knowing what you know now, if you were a new band starting out, would you be going after major label support or would you use these new distribution methods?

    Thanks!
    -S (who's seen TMBG about 12 times but was horribly dissapointed he missed the recent Boston, MA show because he had a horrible flu bug)

  • Rythm Section Want Ad ? (Score:4)

    by declana ( 214275 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:27AM (#572481)
    I have been a TMBG fan since they first started playing around NYC in the early '80s. I bought the first album at a live show right after it was printed and I have watched (and listened) to them grow ever since. TMBG continues to make some of the smartest, funniest, and often touching music around..... But like so many others, I dont understand the conversion to full band. The energy and humor that is so evident when the Johns are alone on stage seems to dissapate in direct proportion to the number of backing musicians..... My question: On the first album you both sang that TMBG appeared to others as a "Rythm Section Want-Ad" but that you liked it that way and that "no others need apply." Why did you make the decision to take on backing musicians?

  • I'm Def (Score:4)

    by spam-o-tron mk1 ( 237603 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:23AM (#572482) Homepage
    I'm sitting on the curb of the empty parking lot of the store where they let me play the organ, thinking, don't let's start with that kind of rabid childish crap. You're saying that everything right is wrong again, which I wouldn't dismiss as just whistling in the dark if youth culture hadn't killed my dog. But since I'm in absolutely Bill's mood right now, I'll tell you this: Triangle Man's just a counterfeit fake. He's just a self called nowhere. Which, incidentally, describes how I'm feeling all the time.

    Er, sorry, I was thinking of an unrelated thing. But I should be allowed to shoot my mouth off.

    Not that the world screams, "kiss me, son of god," to Person Man, either. Since being hit on the head with a frying pan (which mussed his purple toupee), he spends his time wondering, "sad, sad, sad, sad, why must I be sad?" If he wasn't shy, he could just say, "no more Mr. Nice Guy," tell his boss that he's been fired, and spend his time sleeping in the flowers. But the big big whoredom scares him....

    Universe Man? He's not the biggest one, and has no one to blame but his fat self. What a piece of dirt. Everybody and their racist friend believes that he's usually kind to smaller man. But you should be allowed to think: he's his own evil twin. Where your eyes don't go, a part of him is hovering, a part that's a hypnotist of ladies, a part that keeps moving my chair, a part that's the guy who hit me in the eye. But just narrow your eyes, turn around, and say: "Dig my grave! Come on and wreck my car! You're not going to change my clothes any more!" and you'll see that though squares may look distant in your rear-view mirror, you're actual size, and Universe Man often trembles as he steps aside.

    So you and the girl with the crown and the scepter on WLSD must say that it's totally over now: since when the tour runs aground there aren't any more people around, Particle Man must win. But I say to all you women and men: I hope you haven't turned off your hearing aids (and that you open up your letterbox tomorrow), because now that I have everything, I see the things the stone has shown to me: Particle Man thinks, "a famous person wears the same size waterskis as me," "she's an angel," but he don't get around how she gets around. He just lays his head on the railroad track and stares at the sky all painted up, all those masses of incandescent gasses, each a gigantic nuclear furnace. He knows she's got something special that someone left behind, but he doesn't know that he's only one of many whose shoes are laced with irony.

    A few more that aren't my favorite ones: I can't hear the call of the hall of heads, the lion's on the phone, dominoes (some call them snake eyes, but to me they look like nice), I've checked out the hotel detective (and I'm not about to forget about anything, and she certainly don't own the place), and the damn little bottle won't lie still.

    So who can't I get rid of? Who can't I step on? Who must I not stop?

    Spider. He is my hero. We love you, spider.

    So, should I get beat up for stating my beliefs? Or, Mr. DJ, do we have a deal?

    Bruce

  • Business Models (Score:5)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:25AM (#572483)
    The way I see it, people who make a living in music have two major business models to choose from. Under US law in particular, they can choose to (1) ban all unauthorized copying and trading or their material, and make their money off selling records, CD's, tapes, MP3's, or in general anything "materialistic" that can transfer music from one person to another. Or, they could (2) let people freely trade the music for personal use, and make their money off live shows.

    I know that many artists would discount #2 right off the bat. These artists, however, are the ones that either don't want to bother with touring, or just don't have the talent to play outside a closed studio. There are loads of bands that actually do make a good living off touring, e.g. DMB, MMW, Bela Fleck, Phish, etc. It's no coincidence that these are the same bands who want their fans to trade music freely; they know that it only helps their business in the form of free publicity.

    So, what stance does TMBG take on this issue?

  • Creative process (Score:5)

    by Masem ( 1171 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:15AM (#572484)
    What's the process by which you come up with and create your songs, at least prior to getting to the recording studio? Certainly with a wide enough berth of unusual topics that your songs cover, there's probably numerous ways that this works, but is there some common occurence that causes these songs to be written, such as a theme you want to do, or a melody that needs to be written?

  • Stage Crashers (Score:5)

    by irqzero ( 15301 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:22AM (#572485) Homepage
    I was at the Philadelphia show (day after thanksgiving) when that doofy guy jumped on stage and started flailing about. You whispered into his ear before security took him away. I was just curious what you said to him. Other than that and the few sound glitches (ouch) that was an incredible show. Thanks guys.

  • Digital or Analog??? (Score:5)

    by HamNRye ( 20218 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:28AM (#572486) Homepage
    As a musician myself I must ask my role models this burning question:

    Digital or Analog?

    Indeed I know there lurks a purist analog soul in TMBG, but who better to get the most out of digital mixing??

    Also, if the boys could reccommend a good portable 4-Track I'd be much obliged.

    Jason Maggard
    "I might be giant, too."

  • Internet distributable music (Score:5)

    by iamsure ( 66666 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:15AM (#572487) Homepage
    If music *could* be distributed securely online, would you as an artist be willing to do so INSTEAD of signing with a label?

    If not, would you be willing to do so and pressure your label?

    Finally, if secure transmission of music wasnt possible (as it doesnt seem to be now), are you willing to live with the possibility of people copying your music for free digitally, just to get more people to listen to it?
  • Part of what draws me so deep into TMBG's music is the deeper meanings that your lyrics instill in myself. Although all lyrics by any artist may be taken many ways, it has always seemed to me that TMBG's lyrics promote thinking deeper about the song, its meaning, and the feelings of the songwriter.

    In a world where much of the new, "popular" music coming out (Spears, Aguilera, Martin, et al) which promotes the "party time" atmosphere and "think with your crotch, not with your mind" mentality, how does TMBG shape their mission in songwriting and performances to keep their unique, mind-intensive style going? How do you keep from falling into that "lesser-meaning-lyrics" groove?

    On a side note, when are you coming back to Iowa? :) Thanks for answering!

  • EMusic deal limiting access? (Score:5)

    by gorsh ( 75930 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:20AM (#572489)
    Hi guys - I've been a big fan of TMBG for some time, and a long-time subscriber to your mailing list.

    Prior to the introduction of the $10 a month EMusic "TMBG Unlimited" service, TMBG frequently provided free MP3 downloads of unreleased songs and live versions not available on Dial-A-Song to those fans on the TMBG mailing list.

    Now that the service has been introduced, membership seems to be a requirement for any new MP3 downloads. All the e-mails that I've received from TMBG lately have essentially been advertisements for this new service, with little or no free material offered fans. Because I don't like getting what is essentially glorified spam for Emusic in my mailbox, I've actually unsubscribed myself from your mailing list.

    I understand that you guys have to make money and all, but are you concerned at all that you may be posing what could be construed a membership fee to be a member of the "official" TMBG fan community, asking fans to pay for material you had previously provided for free?

    I'm perfectly willing to pay money for new TMBG albums and music, but I'm concerned that asking fans to pay $10 a month to have access to new TMBG tunes may cause you to lose more fans than you gain.

  • The Future (Score:5)

    by zpengo ( 99887 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:13AM (#572490) Homepage
    Do you guys really think that online music has a chance, or are you doing this out of idealism?

    I'd personally like to think that it does, but I've heard some pretty powerful arguments against it as well.

  • Metallica (Score:5)

    by zpengo ( 99887 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:15AM (#572491) Homepage
    What's your take on the Metallica situation? Do you think that their actions are justified, or are they just a bunch of old men who want whatever few dollars they can squeeze out of the public?

  • Older (Score:5)

    by (void*) ( 113680 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:19AM (#572492)
    Now that you are much older than you ever were when you guys started out, what would you have changed about your gig, with the benefit of hindsight?

  • Why the extra pieces? (Score:5)

    by markwusinich ( 126760 ) <markwusinich@yahoo.com> on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:08AM (#572493) Homepage Journal
    I saw your concert in Philly and was surprized to see all the extra people on stage. I felt like the group did not mesh as well as when it was just the two of you. Was this a one tour thing or do you plan to keep the extra members? Besides the shake up when that one guy climbed up on stage, it felt like you guys were not as energenic as when it was just the two of you. The songs were all there, but the energy was missing. Even the croud seemed quiet.

  • Professional musicians (Score:5)

    by yamla ( 136560 ) <chris@@@hypocrite...org> on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:14AM (#572494)
    These days, it seems that virtually no professional musicians actually make a decent living. Courtney Love has said that she is pretty much playing for free already. TLC declared bankruptcy. And these are just two examples. Yet during this time, the record industry is reporting record sales, record profits.

    What do you think the answer is? Is the day of the professional artist over? Is it still possible to make the music you love and make enough to pay the bills? If so, how? How do you see the record industry changing over the next ten years?

  • Tiny Toons Music Videos (Score:5)

    by Pxtl ( 151020 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:22AM (#572495) Homepage
    Honestly, I'll bet a lot of people out there first heard you when Tiny Toons did that music video day with two of your songs (Istanbul and Particle Man, to the slashdotters who don't know).... how much do you think your carreer owes to that episode? How did that get handled, were you simply approached by WB with a proposal and a contract to sign, or was it more complicated?

  • Your thoughts on voluntary payments. (Score:5)

    by mgoyer ( 164191 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @11:32AM (#572496) Homepage
    So far you've received $11.20 [fairtunes.com] from fans through Fairtunes.com [fairtunes.com]. While that isn't a huge amount, what are your thoughts on a voluntary payment system? Do you think the potential exists for a voluntary system to take off? Would you support a voluntary payment system?

    Thanks, Matt

  • Street Performer Protocol (Score:5)

    by joshuaos ( 243047 ) <ouroboros&freedoment,com> on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:10AM (#572497) Journal
    TMBG, do you know about the Street Performer Protocol [firstmonday.dk], and if so, what do you think of it? Do you think it is a viable business model for the production of art, and if not, what changes do you think need to be made?

    Joshua

    Terradot [terradot.org]

  • Copyright? (Score:5)

    by joshuaos ( 243047 ) <ouroboros&freedoment,com> on Friday December 08, 2000 @07:13AM (#572498) Journal
    Do you think the concept of copyright will survive the presence of a global internet? If so, how do you see it being inforced and to what degree, and if not, what do you see replacing it?

    Joshua

    Terradot [terradot.org]

  • good vs bad john (Score:5)

    by ashileedo ( 262042 ) on Friday December 08, 2000 @08:44AM (#572499)
    There are rumors that there is a "good" John and a "bad" John. Is this true? If so, would the John's care to reveal who is who?

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