When I was first starting to show some interest in TMBG and asking a lot of newbies questions, my boyfriend made one of the smartest moves he could have made in furthering my interest in the band. He stuck in Gigantic while I was cooking dinner one night. In addition to filling in some of the blanks for me, it introduced me to one of the things that most appeals to me about the band, namely, the long term friendship between Flansburgh and Linnell.
The longevity of They Might Be Giants is rare in the music world and I think, ultimately, their staying power can be attributed to the fact that, at their heart, they are just two friends who decided it might be fun to start a band. I really don't think it is possible to work with someone so closely for so long without genuinely liking and respecting them. The fact that they've been quite successful seems to be just a happy byproduct.
I also don't think their stage show would work nearly so well as it does if the Johns weren't friends because they play off each other so well in their banter. They share a sense of humor and can pick up each other's jokes in a way that only long time friends can. I often feel like I am just listening to a funny conversation between old friends.
I've always liked the idea of lifelong friends. People who know you inside out and absolutely take you for what you are. It's not something I've ever really experienced since I've managed to loose touch with most of the people I've known for more than 10 years. But I've still got time.
The very first time I ever saw Flans and Linnell in person, it wasn't on stage at a show. They were sitting in a booth, just the two of them, at a Hilltop Steakhouse in Braintree, MA. Just two friends having a meal. I'm sure it's something they've done a hundred million times over the years but it makes me happy to think that even after all this time they would still choose to hang out together before a show and chat about who knows what.
I've sort of wondered if working together for so long has ruined being friends for them a bit. Whether they spend so much time together on the road and in the studio that they just don't feel like getting together when they don't have to. Because that would make me a little sad. But then I remember Flansburgh saying in an interview that they try to make a point of hanging out together with the band before a show to have a meal or coffee, so it doesn't become all about the work and they all get a chance to hang out as friends. They seem to have found a way over the years to not let the work get in the way of being friends which is something I greatly admire.
I think my dream job would be to find something I love doing and then do it with friends. The thing I most envy about the band is that they get to do something they love everyday with people they enjoy being with. That is my life time goal.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
A friend of mine called John and John a "brolationship" before. I think it's apt, albeit a tad silly.
ReplyDeleteThat image, pre-show at the diner or whatever, is really a sweet first image of them in person. And sometimes, I think some of the absurd, inexplainable moments in stage banter are some long-running inside jokes they expose the audience to. But that's just a poetic description of their sense of humor, right?
The Flans/Linnell bromance fills me with girlish glee every time I witness it in action. And I love seeing them all together before a show, like in Asbury Park when they left Danny behind and he had to ask the line where they'd gone. Heh.
ReplyDelete