2010 In Review

The end of 2010 marks the first full year this blog has been in existence. I thought it would be fun to do a recap of some of my most memorable They Might Be Giants moments of the year. My intention was to do this for Audience Participation this week, so you could all share your favorite moments too, but obviously I missed by a day. Please, feel free to still share your highlights even though it's the wrong day.

I couldn't even begin to rank these so I am just going chronologically through the year.

- Time.com Video - One minute I am pointing at my computer screen trying to show my roommate where I was standing in the concert scenes and the next I am pointing at an image of my boyfriend's face as we were suddenly visible in the footage. It was very brief and not terribly noteworthy but it made this little fangirl pretty happy none the less.

- Charlotte Show - Oh, the poor Charlotte show, where nothing at all went right. The show may have been cursed and painful to watch but I can not deny that it was VERY memorable. And despite all the problems, it was a good show. I got to see Electric Car for the first time, there was some hilarious banter (the Rob Tanner: Weatherman Detective stuff in particular) and I totally bonded with the trash can I was wedged in next to all night. But I will never, ever forget Linnell turning to Flans at the end of the show and asking, "How ya feelin', Flans?" I am still laughing about it even as I write this. WAIT FOR SCOTT!

- Richmond Show - This was like the antithesis of the Charlotte show. Awesome in every way. Some highlights for me: Jonathan Coulton playing my Twitter requested Ikea; Danny's epic, never matched before or since, rock star style leap in the air, right in our faces at the end of Doctor Worm; Flans asking the audience for a mallet; the entire LSD laced confetti rap. And of course it was all topped off by getting to talk to Danny for the first time after the show. Word of advice if you want him to notice you: stick your tongue out at him :-P

- My 50th Show - My 50th show in Boston had some crowd management issues but was still a wonderful day with mostly beautiful weather and great friends. The "chimp playing a theremin" bit was the highlight of the show for me. I got lots of compliments on my homemade 50th show T-shirt mostly notably from Iggy and Marty. But the best part for me was all the time I got to spend with my TMBG buds before and after the show. There is nothing quite so fun as waiting for a show with a bunch of friends as ridiculously excited as you and then getting to rehash it afterward over good food. But oh boy, did we get wet getting back to the T!

- WDTSS in Arlington - The two versions of WDTSS the band did in Arlington were the funniest I have ever seen. Linnell's Katharine Hepburn and Garrison Keillor impressions made me laugh so hard I nearly cried. This single handedly proves that the family shows are every bit as fun as the rock shows. And bonus points for the twice-as-fast-and-quiet-as-possible version of The Famous Polka at the second show. That was some funny shit.

- This Picture - Or more so the circumstances under which it was taken. I'm leaning back to get Linnell in the shot because he was towering over me and watching everything happen on the LCD screen on my camera. He glanced down at me, saw me trying to get him in frame and bent down to pose until I had the shot. The fact that I watched it happen on the tiny screen and through my peripheral vision made the whole thing even more surreal. And the funniest part was I actually had to reframe the shot after he bent down because I had been pointing the camera higher.

 - Marty at the Jonathan Coulton show - There were a lot of cool things about this show: getting serenaded by Chris and Marty singing the Indigo Girls while waiting for the bathroom; Hodgman and Flans in the audience; not to mention, the wonderful show that JoCo put on with all the great new songs. But the most memorable part was definitely waving at Marty, only to have him walk over and strike up a conversation with me. I barely know what I said, I was so nervous, but my favorite part of the conversation was Marty telling me I probably knew Jonathan's songs better than he did and me saying I certainly hoped not, as I couldn't play the drums. Well, Marty, I've been practicing on Rock Band and I might just be able to give you a run for your money now (NOT!)

- Life Is Good - The first thing that comes to mind about this festival was the disastrous bus ride getting there the first day. But it was so wonderful to see the guys again after a three month gap that I forgot about it immediately when they took the stage. It was like a reunion with old friends. There were some great and adorable moments in these shows and I got to watch OK Go standing next to Ira Glass. My geek cred is through the roof.

- The debut of Duende and Canajoharie - The Lupo's show that featured the debuts is the Richmond show's only rival for Best Show Ever in my affections. I haven't decided yet. It was certainly part of the best weekend ever. I've been there for song debuts before but they were all either before I could recognize a new song from an old one or kid's songs. This was the first time I've been conscious of hearing brand new rock songs. And it was thrilling. I love both songs (I especially adore Canajoharie) and I hope they sound as great on the recording as they do live. And as an added bonus I FINALLY got to hear Purple Toupee and 3 other first timers as well. My face hurt after this show from smiling so much.

- A terribly useful and high flying Sharpie - How sad is it that one of my most memorable moments of the year was loaning someone a pen? (Read:VERY sad.) And yet, it was a bit of a thrill for me. I thrill easily, apparently. It felt nice to be useful. Twice! Really the memorable parts of the experience were Danny miming the pen question to me from quite a ways away and thanking me by name when he returned it, and of course, Marty bulleting the damn thing at my head later on. Funny but rather mortifying experience.

- Port Washington Patch article - You guys know me pretty well by now, right? Go ahead and picture my reaction when my phone displays the notification "Danny Weinkauf has sent you a message." Go on, it'll make you laugh. Got it? See, I TOLD you it would make you laugh. I really was that excited. But I didn't want to get my hopes up in case he didn't use the pictures and then he did and I was excited all over again. My work in print! So to speak. Now if only the photo quality were a little better maybe I'd be getting a call from the Pulitzer folks :-P

- Particle Man in Fairfield - I've seen all sorts of funny things done with Particle Man but I think the performance in Fairfield was my favorite. Linnell was just getting wacky and making the funniest sounds and Flans banging on the keyboard, all capped off by Danny making fun of the audience clapping. Absolutely priceless.

- Here Comes Science is nominated for a Grammy! - I knew it would be. I just knew it! But I was still impatiently waiting by the computer and refreshing the page on my phone until I got the confirmation. What a way to cap of the year and so well deserved. I am so very, very proud of the guys for it is a truly wonderful album and you can tell they put a lot of hard work into it. It deserves to win on the merits of Meet the Elements, Paleontologist and Electric Car alone and there are a ton of other wonderful songs. The band has got some stiff competition in the award race this time around but even if they don't win the album is still #1 with me and that ought to count for something. (But I really want them to win! *crosses fingers*)

I also want to add, though it isn't a specific moment, how wonderful it has been this year to make so many new friends both at shows and via this blog. I went, what feels like, a long time in the fan community with only a very small handful of friends and acquaintances and that number has just exploded this year. I have so enjoyed reading all your comments and emails and chatting with people at shows and getting to know everyone. I may have been a fan for almost four years already but I finally feel like I belong now. I have found my people!

Here's hoping that 2011 brings as many memorable TMBG moments as 2010 did. And with any luck, a new rock album, another Grammy and a new tour (sooner rather than later, please)!