This game was originally Stacy's idea, then Megan adopted it for a forum thread. It started life as a "You Know You've Been To Too Many TMBG Shows When..." fill in the blanks game. For Audience Participation, I am adapting it to "You Might Be A Little Obsessed With TMBG If..." so that people who haven't been to a lot of shows can play too. I'll get it started and everyone can add to it in the comments.
You Might Be A Little Obsessed With TMBG If...
There are 45 different versions of Istanbul on your iPod.
You can recognize a song from the first chord or drum beat (this is a whole game in and of itself).
You can identify at least three pieces of clothing each member of the band wears on a regular basis.
You can tell what song the band is about to play based on where they are standing on stage.
You have had entire conversations about a band member's shoes.
There is perpetually confetti turning up on the floor in your house even months after a show.
You start clapping on the back beat before you are instructed to.
You can tell when a band member gets a haircut.
You know four of the five band member's middle names.
You plan your vacations around the band's touring schedule.
You have at least five Facebook friends or Twitter followers that you only know because of the band.
You can identify pictures/videos from different shows based on what the band is wearing.
Crew members recognize you when they see you in the audience at concerts by other bands.
You have seen the film They Might Be Giants with George C. Scott, just because you were curious.
You have ever contemplated buying a pair of red pants (bonus points if you actually did).
You can not listen to Drink! without quietly saying "drink, drink" aloud during the chorus.
You see pictures of guitars on the covers of music magazines and think "that looks just like Dan's Telecaster."
You are willing to drive 572 miles to see a single member of the band performing with someone else.
You have serious opinions about the appropriate length of Linnell's hair.
It no longer phases you when confetti falls out of your pants.
All of your "people you may know" on Facebook are people related to the band.
There are states you have only visited to see a TMBG show.
Gigantic is on your list of five films to have while trapped on a desert island.
You started a whole blog chronicling your obsession with the band.
I could go on and on, but I want to leave some for other people to fill in. Have fun!
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Oh God, too many of these apply to me.
ReplyDelete-----
TMBG Bingo. Enough said.
You have 100+ TMBG pictures saved to your computer.
You know all of Sapphire Bullets' members' names (surprisingly, something some don't know).
You talk about TMBG with people who don't care about TMBG. In fact, you've considered go pro at it.
Your daily routine includes checking at least 3 TMBG-related sites.
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That's all I've got for now...
Hmmm, in truth, only a few of those apply to me. Then again, I still maintain that The Tragically Hip, The Matthew Good Band, and Mission of Burma are my favorite bands (although I'm willing to entertain the hypothesis that I might just be deluding myself now). But I can add a few of my own:
ReplyDeleteYou absentmindedly tap the horn intro rhythm to Dr. Worm on your 2-year-old's feet while changing her diaper, and she comes in with the vocal entrance exactly on time.
You use the Long Tall Weekend version of (She Thinks She's) Edith Head to confirm your left/right speaker wiring (piano left, Flansburgh right).
You drive around for two hours and trudge through the snow (possibly illegally trespassing onto a cloverleaf) to get a picture that you think humorously reflects some TMBG lyrics.
You search and search for some video footage of an obscure television show you have no interest in just so you can hear the TMBG-performed theme song in situ.
You take a strange pride in the fact that your oft-put-upon state of residence is the home location of the best Venue Song.
Oh. Some more things.
ReplyDelete-----
An addition: You get really excited when you unintentionally visit somewhere that is TMBG-related or see a place that is mentioned in a song.
(Ex: My dorm is very very close to St. Mark's Place, and of course it made me smile and think of On The Drag. I have a friend who goes to Pratt, and I bet him that someone will tell him during his four years there that John Flansburgh is an alumni.)
Or, if you see something mentioned in a TMBG song elsewhere, you also get really excited.
(Ex: I was reading a short story recently that had the phrase "she's an angel" and I was like "aaaaahahahaha, unintentional, but still.")
You see the phrase "they might be" in another context and you begin to pay closer attention.
You get excited when you meet people in your every day life who are fans (especially if they are far and few between in your town.
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There are so many examples I could pick but here are just a few:
ReplyDeleteYou know all the songs by track number on every album
You have not listened to a CD by any other band for the last three years
You are feeling all excited because TMBG
Facebook and Twitter have been updated for the first time in a month
You have at least 40G of video and audio on your iPod and it is all TMBG
Hehe, these are great. I especially like your last one. :] And I really need to see Gigantic again. I haven't watched it in a long time. I got it through interlibrary loan in 2008 after waiting six months or so for them to get it in. Also, it's absurd yet very amusing and strangely important to me that we (and many others) have serious opinions about the appropriate length of Linnell's hair. X} Haha. Can you imagine what he'd think if he heard /read an entire conversation about it between a group of us? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteThis entry is similar to the fan confessions audience participation blog entry you did a while back, but more..concise? Fun! :)
I'm very intrigued by John Reale's list, especially the one about the two-year-old and Dr. Worm (AWESOME) and the one perhaps referring to a TAPOM entry in the near future? :D
I also liked Erin's list, especially the ones about things that remind you of a TMBG song, etc. :)
As for my list, here are a few I can think of at the moment:
You Might Be A Little Obsessed With TMBG If...
* You frequently have detailed dreams involving the band. (Always very strange and amusing, in my personal experience.)
* You've tried on a turtleneck shirt and considered buying it solely because it made you feel a bit like John Linnell. (Is that creepy? I hope not. Odd, no doubt. Pathetic, yes. But hopefully not creepy.)
* You have at least six ideas stored up for pictures you think "humorously reflects some TMBG lyrics" (to use jpreale's phrasing) and get really excited about taking pictures of these things while completely ignoring the odd looks others give you.
* You follow a really great blog related to a band and check it, on average, twice a day.
* You have printed out William Allen White's face and have made a pair of Birdhouse glasses from old sunglasses and wear them with pride until you run into something.
* You have photoshopped a few pictures so that it looks as though you've been hanging out with the Johns. (This one is definitely creepy. I apologize for my creepiness. It's just an incredibly amusing pastime.)
* You name cats for TMBG song lyrics.
* You sometimes make your younger cousins watch TMBG music videos and dance to them when they come over.
* You get way too excited when you're at work and Don't Let's Start happens to come on the radio.
* You realize that your brunette baby niece has a pompadour hairstyle and would look almost frighteningly similar to Flansburgh if she wore pretend black-plastic-framed glasses and a blazer, and you seriously consider going back to buy that turtleneck and going as the Johns with her for Halloween.
* You quote TMBG song lyrics in day-to-day conversation even if you're not talking to someone who would know one if they heard it.
These are all fantastic. The only one I can add is:
ReplyDelete- you walk into the Gap and see a wall of baseball tees and think "damn, I've seen John Linnell wearing at least three of those."
These have been all so fun to read, and a good many apply to me (not the turtleneck or photoshopping of band photos, but I sure do admire Jamie's fearless don't-care-if-everyone-thinks-I'm-creepy attitude!). And yes, the recent FB update was pretty exciting. Seemed like forever.
ReplyDeleteI hope the comments keep coming! Here are some of mine:
Your favorite Christmas gift was a TMBG calendar sent to you from somebody you don't know IRL (and your second favorite is a TMBG t-shirt to add to your collection).
Your 4-year-old has his own personal names for each TMBG adult album (all based on the album cover art) and knows at least his favorite 25 tracks by both album "name" and number.
You find Blue Avatar's soul patch strangely sexy... more so than you find most men.
You generally don't enjoy heading into the city, but are just a _bit_ jealous of your friends who live in Brooklyn.
You have a collection of 8 foam hands, and have specially marked the one John Linnell handed you personally (okay, that's my creepy admission).
You stole all the HCS stickers your kids were given at the Hall of Science fund-raising show.
You think it's cute and not at all inappropriate when your younger children sing "Brain Problem Situation" or "Bastard Wants to Hit Me"
Your computer wallpaper, iPhone wallpaper, and ringtones are all TMBG.
You spent at least 15 hours designing, printing, and ironing homemade TMBG t-shirts for yourself and your 5 kids to wear to the family shows.
You spent 7 hours tirelessly designing and building a TMBG diorama just because you really, really wanted one. And when Danny commented on your FB picture of the diorama, you realized that you would have worked 7 _days_ just for that single comment.
Your iPhone "TMBG Favorites" playlist contains 189 songs and keeps growing.
Your two-year-old sings Snail Shell while passing time on the potty.
You usually hate having garbage in your car, but can't bring yourself to remove even one piece of stray confetti because that confetti just makes you happy.
Your kids discuss their favorite songs over dinner and not one of them even considers a song that's not by TMBG.
All you want for your birthday is a license plate for your minivan that reads MINKCAR.
Your husband jokes that he's your 3rd favorite John.
You check this blog at least once a day, usually more.
(Can I go off-topic for a moment and say that the Reale household sounds freaking AWESOME?)
ReplyDeleteAwww, John and I thank you for the compliment, Four of Two! We sure think our family is pretty fun. And equally crazy.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! XD Rebecca, I've been called many things, but I don't think I've ever been called fearless. That's hilarious. It also makes me nervous because it kind of confirms that other people think I'm creepy as well. But you seemed okay with it, so thanks, I guess? haha
ReplyDeleteI'm quite curious as to what your four-year-old has named the albums, based on their cover art. :) And dioramas are fantastic! Care to share a photo link to the one you made?
Also, I agree with you, Megan, that the Reale household sounds awesome! :)
And it's funny that you should mention thinking of Linnell when seeing shirts in the Gap, because that was where I tried on the turtleneck shirt. Haha
Oh, I don't think you're creepy, Jamie. I think fearless is more accurate. And maybe a bit weird... but that's okay. :-)
ReplyDeleteHere are Qullan's names for the albums. (Come to think of it, though, I don't think he has a name for Long Tall Weekend.).
The Pink Album = Two Guys (because I don't have original art for this one on my iPhone and it's just some photo of the Johns)
Lincoln = Castle
Flood = Mixing
Apollo 18 = Squid
John Henry = Stick
Factory Showroom = Arrow
Mink Car = No Picture (LOL, because for some reason the art work for this album didn't upload to iTunes at all)
The Spine = House
The Else = Bird
And bonuses:
They Got Lost = Flower (or sometimes "flower with a scary guy")
Cast Your Pod To The Wind = Orange
Venue Songs = Hat
They all make sense, right? Except my older kids complain to him that it's actually a pick axe and not a stick on the cover of John Henry. He is unaffected by the criticism.
And you can see my diorama here: http://flic.kr/p/99bHLD
I actually presented it along with a group of kids at a little diorama showcase that our homeschool group organized. The parents thought it was pretty funny.
Re: diorama: Cutest representation of John Flansburgh ever.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I see your son is pro-squid, and not pro-whale. Well done.
Regarding confetti in the car, etc., I'm still finding confetti from my last TMBG show in my bag (and at least one other bag, which I can't explain). Probably because just as the lights turned on, my brother picked up a handful of confetti and showered me in little yellow, red, and orange pieces.
But confetti makes me happy. :3
The diorama is AWESOME! I especially love the tiny accordion and Marty's expression. :D
ReplyDeleteHaha, and I love your son's names for the albums. Especially that Flood = Mixing. :D I would never have thought of that. Kids are magnificent. :)