They Might Have Been Giants
Saturday, June 21st, 2008I’ve been on a wikipedia fueled nostalgia trip lately. I’ve been wikiing all my favorite 80’s pop culture items including Transformers and G.I. Joe. I’ve also caught up on one of my favorite bands from the 80’s, They Might Be Giants. I loved their lo-fi, DIY, independant sound and their quirkly lyrics combined with the Johns’ nasally voices.
This was nerd rock before Weezer made it cool (excuse me, “kewl”). Their video for “Don’t Let’s Start” was filmed in my hometown of Queens :), though the duo hailed from Brooklyn. I like a few songs on their 1986 debut, self titled album, but it was their follow-up, 1988’s ‘Lincoln’ that really did it for me…and the rest of the world. The single “Ana Ng” was catchy as all git out. Heck, even the video was in heavy rotation on MTV (you know, back when MTV actually PLAYED MUSIC VIDEOS!!!, but that’s another rant altogether).
Their 3rd album, 1990’s Flood was released to mixed reviews, but I still liked it, especially ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’. Loved that song. Then they began to lose me.
1991’s Apollo 18 was OK at best. There were a few catchy songs, but I didn’t like how they moved away from jsut guitar, accordion and drum track to a full on band. The sound and the songs had gotten heavier. I dare say that this album sounded more industrial than alternative. TMBG had become ‘just another band’. I did like the ‘Fingertips’ song: 21 individual tracks that would be interspersed through the longer songs when the CD player was in shuffle mode. Most of those 5 second songs were catchier than the full length tracks, probably because they more closely resembled the older,
quirkier sound I was used to. Other than that, Apollo 18 just wasn’t that great.
I had my hopes up for 1994’s ‘John Henry’. No avail. Just another rock band CD. I liked ‘End of the Tour’, ‘Meet James Ensore’ and ‘Rocket To the Moon’, but the rest of the album was dead to me. After that, I just stopped caring about the band. Grunge was on it’s last legs and I was one of the last to board the train, getting into Nirvana just before Cobin killed himself.
I had heard that TMBG did the theme song to ‘Malcom in the Middle’; a crap show that allegedly “SAVED THE SITCOM!!”. Did the sitcom need saving? I didn’t know. I was too busy watching ‘Friends’ and enjoying it. My bad.
Anyhoo, the crappy theme song to a crappy show further turned me off to the band. One thing that crept back into my mind was TMBG’s ‘Dial-a-Song’. Ever since the VERY early days of the band, you could call their apartment in Brooklyn at 718-387-6962 and hear one of their demos on their answering machine. Sometimes the band would change the song several times a day. I remember calling the number from college several times. 
Ahhh, those were the days.
TMBG’s Dial-a-song persisted for several more years. Lately, I had the urge to dial it again. Just to see what the band was up to. Surely it was still around, wasn’t it? I picked up my cell (thank goodness for free nights and weekends! ) and dialed.
It started to ring.
and ring…
and ring…
and ring.
I suspected the worst, and after a little Googling, my worst fears were confirmed. The Dial-a-song was no more. Done away with in favor of a monthly ‘podcast’. Crap. Just another end of an era from my younger days. I know I had written
off the band a long time ago, but I always liked how you could pick up the phone and hear a song. Yeah, the internet is the future, (heck, it’s the present!), but I always liked the low-tech things like the phone. You know, before they had
robots working for Bank of America answering them and robots working for politicians dialing them, usually during dinner. 
Not too long ago I heard some Dunkin Donuts commercials on the radio. The voices, the quirly lyrics, the melodies sounded a little familiar. After some more Googling, my fears were confirmed. TMBG sold out again by writing and performing in 14(!) Dunkin’ Donuts spots. After some more wikiing, it looks like TMBG has REALLY sold out, recording multiple CD’s and DVD’s for young children, featuring songs about the ABC’s and 123’s. *Sigh*. OK, I understand how children are attracted to the quirkier things. But man, did TMBG have to catch a full-on terminal case of Kenny Loggins disease?
Why do artists always go soft when they get old and/or have kids? Who knows. Maybe because the fans from their early days have kids now and they want to hold to their old fans by appealing to their kids? Thank goodness for Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones. They never got soft. May Red Embers never record a children’s album. Somebody kick me in the crotch if I’m seen singing anywhere NEAR the Micky Mouse club
So here’s to you, oh, Johns of They Might Be Giants. Enjoy your success. You’ve earned it, but I’m not following you into the playpen. I’ll stay here at the bar.
