Today's song is...
Doh Doh Island
Woohoo, song about Play Doh. I know I have heard this song and I swore I had a copy of it somewhere which I now can't find. So I have no memory of what it actually sounds like. But it's about Play Doh which is enough for me to be sold.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 196
Today's song is...
The Bloodmobile
Funny, educational and just a great song. Peppy little melody and a great bass part. And I really enjoy the imagery of a little truck carrying things around in our bodies because I am just goofy like that. I was pretty excited that this made it onto Here Comes Science since it was already a song I loved. I think it was just too perfect a fit not to go on the album.
It's interesting to see how similar the two videos for this song are if you watch them back to back. The HCS one has a lot of the same imagery as the Franklin Institute one, just with a lot more detail. I wonder how intentional that was?
The Bloodmobile
Funny, educational and just a great song. Peppy little melody and a great bass part. And I really enjoy the imagery of a little truck carrying things around in our bodies because I am just goofy like that. I was pretty excited that this made it onto Here Comes Science since it was already a song I loved. I think it was just too perfect a fit not to go on the album.
It's interesting to see how similar the two videos for this song are if you watch them back to back. The HCS one has a lot of the same imagery as the Franklin Institute one, just with a lot more detail. I wonder how intentional that was?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 195
Today's song is...
Whistling In The Dark
When I was just starting to become familiar with TMBG, the lyric "There's only one thing that I know how to do well, and I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well, and that's be you, be what you're like, be like yourself" was one of my very first favorites. I just really like that sentiment of be who you are. Do what you want no matter how odd it sounds.
Live, this song is all about Flans and his drum. I have to admit a certain amount of relief when he figured out a way to play the drum and not have to carry it on the last tour because there were times he really struggled with that thing. Drumming with one hand with the mic in the other is no easy feat especially when you can't get the drum to stay up. But oh, it is entertaining to watch no matter what. There was a show in Northampton where they played this and I was standing right in front of an enormous speaker. I could feel each boom of the bass drum vibrating in my chest so hard it made me ill. It was fantastic.
Whistling In The Dark
When I was just starting to become familiar with TMBG, the lyric "There's only one thing that I know how to do well, and I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well, and that's be you, be what you're like, be like yourself" was one of my very first favorites. I just really like that sentiment of be who you are. Do what you want no matter how odd it sounds.
Live, this song is all about Flans and his drum. I have to admit a certain amount of relief when he figured out a way to play the drum and not have to carry it on the last tour because there were times he really struggled with that thing. Drumming with one hand with the mic in the other is no easy feat especially when you can't get the drum to stay up. But oh, it is entertaining to watch no matter what. There was a show in Northampton where they played this and I was standing right in front of an enormous speaker. I could feel each boom of the bass drum vibrating in my chest so hard it made me ill. It was fantastic.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 194
Today's song is...
Rockfish
Ah, the controversial Rockfish. Personally, I rather hope it is a TMBG song because I quite like it and would like to believe my favorite band wrote it. It's a good instrumental, clearly designed to either be or at least sound like a television theme. But like so many others, I think this is one of those mysteries we will never solve.
Rockfish
Ah, the controversial Rockfish. Personally, I rather hope it is a TMBG song because I quite like it and would like to believe my favorite band wrote it. It's a good instrumental, clearly designed to either be or at least sound like a television theme. But like so many others, I think this is one of those mysteries we will never solve.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 193
Today's song is...
Mr. Me
This song doesn't quite make it onto my Top 25 but if I were to write a Top 50 you would find it there. I love the combination of the peppy melody with the sad story. I just love the melody in general. And the tongue-twistery lyrics. The lyric "So take the hand of Mr. Me and mister, make him glad, to swim the Mister Misty Sea and cease the Mistery Misery that, mister, made him sad" just really makes me smile for some reason. I really particularly enjoy performances of it with the horns, like the one that appeared in the most recent podcast. Actually there pretty much isn't anything I don't love about this tune. It's just a feel good song for me.
Mr. Me
This song doesn't quite make it onto my Top 25 but if I were to write a Top 50 you would find it there. I love the combination of the peppy melody with the sad story. I just love the melody in general. And the tongue-twistery lyrics. The lyric "So take the hand of Mr. Me and mister, make him glad, to swim the Mister Misty Sea and cease the Mistery Misery that, mister, made him sad" just really makes me smile for some reason. I really particularly enjoy performances of it with the horns, like the one that appeared in the most recent podcast. Actually there pretty much isn't anything I don't love about this tune. It's just a feel good song for me.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 192
Today's song is...
I Hear A New World
I don't have any particular feelings on this song. It's a little weird. But I am always entertained by Flansburgh's slideshow videos. They are so very random.
I Hear A New World
I don't have any particular feelings on this song. It's a little weird. But I am always entertained by Flansburgh's slideshow videos. They are so very random.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
There's A Picture Opposite Me - 5/25/11
Another of Jamie's shots featuring the seriously adorable Emelia.
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Song Of The Day - Day 191
Today's song is...
Puppets Gonna Fuck You Up
I can not even begin to imagine what my reaction would have been to hearing this song open a show. I think I might have died laughing. Cause it seriously cracks me up when I'm expecting it. Hearing it unexpectedly probably would have just done me in.
I also can't quite get over the fact that part of this ridiculous song became With the Dark. It just seems so implausible. And yet, there it is.
The existence of this song is reason #543 I love this band.
Puppets Gonna Fuck You Up
I can not even begin to imagine what my reaction would have been to hearing this song open a show. I think I might have died laughing. Cause it seriously cracks me up when I'm expecting it. Hearing it unexpectedly probably would have just done me in.
I also can't quite get over the fact that part of this ridiculous song became With the Dark. It just seems so implausible. And yet, there it is.
The existence of this song is reason #543 I love this band.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Top 25 Flipped On Its Head
I have been very remiss in doing Audience Participation posts of late. I could give a half dozen excuses as to why, none of which would interest you. But I am going to try to make up for that today, with what I found to be a very interesting exercise.
First off, I want to point out that I have revamped my list of Top 25 TMBG songs. It has been almost a year since I posted my original one and things have changed. I've discovered new songs I love. I've gotten disenchanted with others. And the order of the songs has changed around a lot. I have also now listed it in favorite order from 1-25 rather than by degree to which I could live without the songs as I did originally. And I have given the list it's own permanent home over in the side bar. I figure, I reference my Top 25 list often enough in blog posts that I should have it available for readers to view. And that way I can easily update it and edit it over time as necessary. You can take a look at it here: My Top 25 TMBG Songs (For Now).
I mention this because it is relevant to today's exercise. It's no secret that I prefer Linnell's song writing to Flansburgh's. I think most of us tend towards one John or the other. But just lately, I've been kind of on a kick of listening to Flansburgh songs, and it got me thinking. What would my Top 25 list look like if it consisted entirely of Flansburgh songs? It would be a completely different list for me. My old 25 list only had 2 Flans songs on it; the new one only has five. That's 20 more slots instantly opened up. Discovering what filled those 20 slots was a pretty eye opening experience for me. Especially as my first pass at the list didn't even turn up 25 songs.
So here is your challenge: compile a list of your Top 25 songs by your non-favorite John. Linnellians do Flansburgh tunes, Flans fans do Linnell songs. The results may surprise you. For my list, I eliminated anything they both sing lead on, as author unknown, and went with the theory that if they sing it, it's their song (even though I know there are some cases of swapped vocals). However, I did include covers, on the assumption that the singer did the arrangement.
This is what I came up with. I am very curious to see your lists. Feel free to post your true Top 25 list as well, for reference, especially if you didn't post one on the original Top 25 discussion (which can be found here if you need to go back and see what you said then: 25 TMBG Songs You Can't Live Without.)
25. I Enjoy Being A Boy
24. Roy G. Biv
23. Alienation's For the Rich
22. Lie Still, Little Bottle
21. Ant
20. Boss of Me
19. Careful What You Pack
18. Hot Dog!
17. Out of Jail
16. Lucky Ball and Chain
15. Fibber Island
14. XTC vs. Adam Ant
13. Drink!
12. AKA Driver
11. With the Dark
10. Working Undercover for the Man
9. Take Out The Trash
8. New York City
7. Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head
6. Narrow Your Eyes
5. We Live In A Dump
4. Road Movie To Berlin
3. The Guitar
2. See The Constellation
1. Damn Good Times
Yup, looking at that, that is a really weird list. Point of interest, the songs that didn't quite make the cut included Sleeping in the Flowers, Truth in Your Words, Another First Kiss, Heart of the Band and I Can Add. Which would have made the list even weirder. I have admittedly strange taste.
First off, I want to point out that I have revamped my list of Top 25 TMBG songs. It has been almost a year since I posted my original one and things have changed. I've discovered new songs I love. I've gotten disenchanted with others. And the order of the songs has changed around a lot. I have also now listed it in favorite order from 1-25 rather than by degree to which I could live without the songs as I did originally. And I have given the list it's own permanent home over in the side bar. I figure, I reference my Top 25 list often enough in blog posts that I should have it available for readers to view. And that way I can easily update it and edit it over time as necessary. You can take a look at it here: My Top 25 TMBG Songs (For Now).
I mention this because it is relevant to today's exercise. It's no secret that I prefer Linnell's song writing to Flansburgh's. I think most of us tend towards one John or the other. But just lately, I've been kind of on a kick of listening to Flansburgh songs, and it got me thinking. What would my Top 25 list look like if it consisted entirely of Flansburgh songs? It would be a completely different list for me. My old 25 list only had 2 Flans songs on it; the new one only has five. That's 20 more slots instantly opened up. Discovering what filled those 20 slots was a pretty eye opening experience for me. Especially as my first pass at the list didn't even turn up 25 songs.
So here is your challenge: compile a list of your Top 25 songs by your non-favorite John. Linnellians do Flansburgh tunes, Flans fans do Linnell songs. The results may surprise you. For my list, I eliminated anything they both sing lead on, as author unknown, and went with the theory that if they sing it, it's their song (even though I know there are some cases of swapped vocals). However, I did include covers, on the assumption that the singer did the arrangement.
This is what I came up with. I am very curious to see your lists. Feel free to post your true Top 25 list as well, for reference, especially if you didn't post one on the original Top 25 discussion (which can be found here if you need to go back and see what you said then: 25 TMBG Songs You Can't Live Without.)
25. I Enjoy Being A Boy
24. Roy G. Biv
23. Alienation's For the Rich
22. Lie Still, Little Bottle
21. Ant
20. Boss of Me
19. Careful What You Pack
18. Hot Dog!
17. Out of Jail
16. Lucky Ball and Chain
15. Fibber Island
14. XTC vs. Adam Ant
13. Drink!
12. AKA Driver
11. With the Dark
10. Working Undercover for the Man
9. Take Out The Trash
8. New York City
7. Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head
6. Narrow Your Eyes
5. We Live In A Dump
4. Road Movie To Berlin
3. The Guitar
2. See The Constellation
1. Damn Good Times
Yup, looking at that, that is a really weird list. Point of interest, the songs that didn't quite make the cut included Sleeping in the Flowers, Truth in Your Words, Another First Kiss, Heart of the Band and I Can Add. Which would have made the list even weirder. I have admittedly strange taste.
Song Of The Day - Day 190
Today's song is...
Contrecoup
Good song. Excellent example of Linnell's way with words. I enjoy the guitar part and the sped up tempo thing at the end. Not counting the original radio performance, I was there the first time this was performed live at a show. I have no memory of it and have never heard it again, which is kind of sad.
Contrecoup
Good song. Excellent example of Linnell's way with words. I enjoy the guitar part and the sped up tempo thing at the end. Not counting the original radio performance, I was there the first time this was performed live at a show. I have no memory of it and have never heard it again, which is kind of sad.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 189
Today's song is...
Columbia
This is the most ridiculously sugar coated song since Shirley Temple tap danced to The Good Ship Lollipop. And I love it. It's just so happy, it's like the song emits sunshine when you listen to it. I really hope that someday the band goes back to The Blue Note so I can hear this live.
Columbia
This is the most ridiculously sugar coated song since Shirley Temple tap danced to The Good Ship Lollipop. And I love it. It's just so happy, it's like the song emits sunshine when you listen to it. I really hope that someday the band goes back to The Blue Note so I can hear this live.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 188
Today's song is...
Brave New World Theme
There is a lot more violin and cello in this piece of music than I am used to in a TMBG song. Not saying it's a bad thing. Just different. And it doesn't sound like them at all. Not even a little. Kind of makes me wonder what would happen if they sat down and wrote some orchestral pieces.
Brave New World Theme
There is a lot more violin and cello in this piece of music than I am used to in a TMBG song. Not saying it's a bad thing. Just different. And it doesn't sound like them at all. Not even a little. Kind of makes me wonder what would happen if they sat down and wrote some orchestral pieces.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 187
Today's song is...
T-Shirt
To the best of my memory, I had never heard this song before it popped up for SOTD. And I went to watch the video and instantly fell in love. Squirrels! OK, the kick-ass bass opening had something to do with it too, but..... squirrels!! It is a songs about squirrels in T-shirts. How could you not love that? And it's a really hard rocking song about squirrels in T-shirts at that. I can't believe this song was rejected for anything. I LOVE this song. In fact, I'm going to go listen to it again, RIGHT NOW!
T-Shirt
To the best of my memory, I had never heard this song before it popped up for SOTD. And I went to watch the video and instantly fell in love. Squirrels! OK, the kick-ass bass opening had something to do with it too, but..... squirrels!! It is a songs about squirrels in T-shirts. How could you not love that? And it's a really hard rocking song about squirrels in T-shirts at that. I can't believe this song was rejected for anything. I LOVE this song. In fact, I'm going to go listen to it again, RIGHT NOW!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 186
Today's song is...
Hide Away Folk Family
I have this old bootleg where the Johns are talking about how Flansburgh got the name of this song from a children's toy he found in a catalog. Some kind of wooden chest with a little toy family that went inside it. I should go back and find that quote again.
Never one of my favorites, but I always appreciate the "scream as if you're in hell" interlude on the live recordings. I'm kind of perplexed by the astrology report in the middle but then again, I don't know why I expect to understand anything in a TMBG song.
Hide Away Folk Family
I have this old bootleg where the Johns are talking about how Flansburgh got the name of this song from a children's toy he found in a catalog. Some kind of wooden chest with a little toy family that went inside it. I should go back and find that quote again.
Never one of my favorites, but I always appreciate the "scream as if you're in hell" interlude on the live recordings. I'm kind of perplexed by the astrology report in the middle but then again, I don't know why I expect to understand anything in a TMBG song.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 178
(So apparently, due to some sort of glitch, the SOTD from....last Thursday never posted. Here it is to prove I didn't purposefully forget.)
Today's song is...
So Long, Mockingbird
Not one of my preferred Mono Puff tunes but it is rather pretty. I find I like the version with instruments and Flans on vocals better than the a cappella version with the band. That would have needed more harmonies to work. The ending is pretty harsh either way, which is, I think, what keeps me from really enjoying it.
Today's song is...
So Long, Mockingbird
Not one of my preferred Mono Puff tunes but it is rather pretty. I find I like the version with instruments and Flans on vocals better than the a cappella version with the band. That would have needed more harmonies to work. The ending is pretty harsh either way, which is, I think, what keeps me from really enjoying it.
Song Of The Day - Day 185
Today's song is...
We Want A Rock
Who wouldn't want a rock to wind a string around?
There is something about Linnell's vocal at the beginning of this song that I find really appealing. Also, this reminds me of the radio interview with the girl who asks them about their song "We Want To Rock." That amuses me. There is something rather iconic about this song even though it's not one of their most famous. It seems like everyone knows the lyric about prosthetic foreheads. And why shouldn't they?
We Want A Rock
Who wouldn't want a rock to wind a string around?
There is something about Linnell's vocal at the beginning of this song that I find really appealing. Also, this reminds me of the radio interview with the girl who asks them about their song "We Want To Rock." That amuses me. There is something rather iconic about this song even though it's not one of their most famous. It seems like everyone knows the lyric about prosthetic foreheads. And why shouldn't they?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 184
Today's song is...
Cowtown
Another song I completely adore. The absurdity of this one really appeals to me. And the impossibly catchy melody. And oh, the clarinet. And I really like the guitar as well. The lyric, "The ardor of arboreality is an adventure we have spurned, we've spurned, a new leaf overturned" just kind of blows my mind a little. Oh man, such a good, fun song.
I missed the first show the band played at LPR in '08 but we were at the show in Lancaster the day before. And the only song they played at LPR that they didn't play in Lancaster was this one. Oh, the disappointment. But they made up for it by playing it at the January LPR show. I was ridiculously excited to see Linnell play the clarinet since I completely missed out on the saxophone days. And it became a regular fixture on the fall of '09 tour and ever since, with the addition of the second clarinet and some stellar clarinet related jokes, so I've seen it about a million times since. This is one of those songs I simply will not grow tired of. Thank god for that.
"Watch the clarinet."
Cowtown
Another song I completely adore. The absurdity of this one really appeals to me. And the impossibly catchy melody. And oh, the clarinet. And I really like the guitar as well. The lyric, "The ardor of arboreality is an adventure we have spurned, we've spurned, a new leaf overturned" just kind of blows my mind a little. Oh man, such a good, fun song.
I missed the first show the band played at LPR in '08 but we were at the show in Lancaster the day before. And the only song they played at LPR that they didn't play in Lancaster was this one. Oh, the disappointment. But they made up for it by playing it at the January LPR show. I was ridiculously excited to see Linnell play the clarinet since I completely missed out on the saxophone days. And it became a regular fixture on the fall of '09 tour and ever since, with the addition of the second clarinet and some stellar clarinet related jokes, so I've seen it about a million times since. This is one of those songs I simply will not grow tired of. Thank god for that.
"Watch the clarinet."
There's A Picture Opposite Me - 5/18/11
Jamie is back in action and has given me a reprieve for a few weeks with a couple of wonderful submissions, including this one.
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 183
Today's song is...
Why Did You Grow A Beard?
Breaking the random rule for one day because seriously, have you seen this picture? There simply could not be a different song today.
For the record, the beard is not terrible, only startling, and I am more distressed by Linnell's too short haircut. I look forward to seeing other pictures from this photo shoot, because I checked out some of the photographer's other work and he has taken some amazing shots of musicians, but I am not blown away by this one. I am very interested to see what else he took.
And I really enjoy this song. It's fun and silly and highly quotable in this situation. I also think of it when ever someone cuts me off on the highway like they did yesterday. It falls under the category of "I can't believe they actually recorded that" songs. The existence of this category is one of the things I love most about these guys.
Why Did You Grow A Beard?
Breaking the random rule for one day because seriously, have you seen this picture? There simply could not be a different song today.
For the record, the beard is not terrible, only startling, and I am more distressed by Linnell's too short haircut. I look forward to seeing other pictures from this photo shoot, because I checked out some of the photographer's other work and he has taken some amazing shots of musicians, but I am not blown away by this one. I am very interested to see what else he took.
And I really enjoy this song. It's fun and silly and highly quotable in this situation. I also think of it when ever someone cuts me off on the highway like they did yesterday. It falls under the category of "I can't believe they actually recorded that" songs. The existence of this category is one of the things I love most about these guys.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 182
Today's song is...
Wake Up Call
I hear this song and my brain goes "Yay, it's time for the show to start!" And then I remember that I am sitting at home on my computer getting ready for work at 6:00am and I get sad. Wake up call, indeed.
Wake Up Call
I hear this song and my brain goes "Yay, it's time for the show to start!" And then I remember that I am sitting at home on my computer getting ready for work at 6:00am and I get sad. Wake up call, indeed.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 181
Today's song is...
The Day
I don't know that I have an actual opinion on this song. It just sort of is. Of any of the albums, The Pink Album has the highest concentration of songs that I am pretty much indifferent to. This could just be because I only recently acquired a hard copy of the album, so haven't listened to it as much, but maybe not. I will say that the song conjurs up some very vivid mental images for me and it kind of makes me wish I could draw so I could do an illustration of bi-planes bombing the street of New York with big feather pillows.
The Day
I don't know that I have an actual opinion on this song. It just sort of is. Of any of the albums, The Pink Album has the highest concentration of songs that I am pretty much indifferent to. This could just be because I only recently acquired a hard copy of the album, so haven't listened to it as much, but maybe not. I will say that the song conjurs up some very vivid mental images for me and it kind of makes me wish I could draw so I could do an illustration of bi-planes bombing the street of New York with big feather pillows.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 180
Today's song is...
Apartment Four
Another of my favorite songs from the 123s album. (Psst, there really isn't a song on that album I don't like.) Short and sweet, this one packs a musical punch. It's got cute lyrics, great instrumentation and an adorable video. Though I do feel a little bad for whomever lives in apartments 1 and 3 :-) They must get tired of all that drumming. This was also one of the earliest 123s songs I saw live which makes it just that much more special.
Apartment Four
Another of my favorite songs from the 123s album. (Psst, there really isn't a song on that album I don't like.) Short and sweet, this one packs a musical punch. It's got cute lyrics, great instrumentation and an adorable video. Though I do feel a little bad for whomever lives in apartments 1 and 3 :-) They must get tired of all that drumming. This was also one of the earliest 123s songs I saw live which makes it just that much more special.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 179
Today's song is...
Everything Right Is Wrong Again
Another completely fantastic song that I completely forget about when I'm not listening to it. And it's such a good song. I'm going to have to make a playlist just of these songs so I with be reminded of them more regularly. I really like the lyrical rhythm of this one. And the line "Draw the line dividing laugh and scream." But ultimately this will go down in my memory as the song the obnoxious guy behind me at the LPR Apollo 18 show was screaming for throughout the show completely ruining my concert experience.
Everything Right Is Wrong Again
Another completely fantastic song that I completely forget about when I'm not listening to it. And it's such a good song. I'm going to have to make a playlist just of these songs so I with be reminded of them more regularly. I really like the lyrical rhythm of this one. And the line "Draw the line dividing laugh and scream." But ultimately this will go down in my memory as the song the obnoxious guy behind me at the LPR Apollo 18 show was screaming for throughout the show completely ruining my concert experience.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 177
Today's song is...
Bleachers
This is one of the Dunkin Donuts ads I saw before I knew it was TMBG and my mind was kind of blown when Gary informed me of this fact after I started getting into the band. It's funny going back and listening to it, because now it is so obvious that it is Fllansburgh singing, but at the time I wouldn't have recognized his voice from anyone else. Oh, how far I've come.
Bleachers
This is one of the Dunkin Donuts ads I saw before I knew it was TMBG and my mind was kind of blown when Gary informed me of this fact after I started getting into the band. It's funny going back and listening to it, because now it is so obvious that it is Fllansburgh singing, but at the time I wouldn't have recognized his voice from anyone else. Oh, how far I've come.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 176
Today's song is...
Sammy Intro
I have a fondness for all of the intros because they mean the show is starting, and those last seconds of anticipation after the intro starts but before the band hits the stage are one of my favorite parts of the live show experience. The wait is over but the whole show still lies before you. However, I must admit that I have a small grudge against this one, because the intro it replaced was the one I had grown to know and love and adore. It had become such a part of my live show experience, that having it disappear was a little heartbreaking. I like the Sammy Intro just fine. It's nice a lively, and a good little piece of music. Plus I got pretty used to it flowing straight into Meet the Elements, which worked pretty well, transition wise. I just miss the crickets.
Sammy Intro
I have a fondness for all of the intros because they mean the show is starting, and those last seconds of anticipation after the intro starts but before the band hits the stage are one of my favorite parts of the live show experience. The wait is over but the whole show still lies before you. However, I must admit that I have a small grudge against this one, because the intro it replaced was the one I had grown to know and love and adore. It had become such a part of my live show experience, that having it disappear was a little heartbreaking. I like the Sammy Intro just fine. It's nice a lively, and a good little piece of music. Plus I got pretty used to it flowing straight into Meet the Elements, which worked pretty well, transition wise. I just miss the crickets.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 175
Today's song is...
Tres Quatro
This instrumental very much sounds like it belongs in a French film. I think it's the accordion that gives it that feel. I wish it were longer as I am quite fond of it.
Tres Quatro
This instrumental very much sounds like it belongs in a French film. I think it's the accordion that gives it that feel. I wish it were longer as I am quite fond of it.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 174
Today's song is...
Ondine
Why do so many people love this song? I'm honestly curious. Because to my taste, it is completely average. I don't love it, I don't dislike it. It's just there. So I am curious what others find so appealing. Please enlighten me. Maybe you can improve my opinion of it :-)
Ondine
Why do so many people love this song? I'm honestly curious. Because to my taste, it is completely average. I don't love it, I don't dislike it. It's just there. So I am curious what others find so appealing. Please enlighten me. Maybe you can improve my opinion of it :-)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 173
Today's song is...
One Dozen Monkeys
Cute, cute cute. There is no better word to describe this song. Well, except maybe silly. But it has monkeys and cupcakes. What more could you want? My favorite part is always that the little girl names her monkey Larry. I mean, what little kid names something Larry? Just more cuteness.
I like the original version that Hannah sings just fine, and in fact got to see Hannah herself perform it twice. Very spunky kid, that one. But the real humor is always when Flansburgh sings it with his subbed in lyrics. "I am a dude, 47 years old. That's one more than 46 and one less than 48 (four dozen.)" The first time I heard that I cracked up and it still makes me smile. Especially since he has never adjusted it as he's gotten older, which somehow just makes it funnier.
One Dozen Monkeys
Cute, cute cute. There is no better word to describe this song. Well, except maybe silly. But it has monkeys and cupcakes. What more could you want? My favorite part is always that the little girl names her monkey Larry. I mean, what little kid names something Larry? Just more cuteness.
I like the original version that Hannah sings just fine, and in fact got to see Hannah herself perform it twice. Very spunky kid, that one. But the real humor is always when Flansburgh sings it with his subbed in lyrics. "I am a dude, 47 years old. That's one more than 46 and one less than 48 (four dozen.)" The first time I heard that I cracked up and it still makes me smile. Especially since he has never adjusted it as he's gotten older, which somehow just makes it funnier.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Happy Flansy Day!!
It's May the 6th! You know what that means right? (If you don't you need one of my handy dandy TMBG calendars).
Why it's John Flansburgh's birthday, of course! I would like to take this opportunity to wish the man a joy-filled and relaxing birthday and more cake than one human could possibly eat in one sitting. Thanks for producing such wonderful music year after year and for entertaining us all with your boundless energy, unfailing humor, Twitter antics and orange Munny videos. May the next year be as exciting and fun-filled for you as it is sure to be for all the TMBG fans on the other side of the stage. Rock on!!
Why it's John Flansburgh's birthday, of course! I would like to take this opportunity to wish the man a joy-filled and relaxing birthday and more cake than one human could possibly eat in one sitting. Thanks for producing such wonderful music year after year and for entertaining us all with your boundless energy, unfailing humor, Twitter antics and orange Munny videos. May the next year be as exciting and fun-filled for you as it is sure to be for all the TMBG fans on the other side of the stage. Rock on!!
Song Of The Day - Day 172
Today's song is...
Dead
This post is going to earn me some very indignant replies. I just know it. I know a lot of people for whom this song holds deep personal meaning, and even sums up the whole core of their being. I am not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful song, but with all the times I heard Flood live over the last two years, this is the only song that I am completely and totally sick of hearing. Perhaps with a long enough break from it I could grow to love it again. But even before that it was never a particular favorite of mine. I enjoy the piano melody but the lyrics just never really grabbed me. I think I find the morbidity of the song a little overpowering. The idea of coming to the end of your life and finding that you haven't done any of the things you wanted to do is just not something I am comfortable thinking too much about (probably related to some long term issues I have with death and mortality in general).
Holy crap, this post just got depressing.
By far the best performance of it I have in my collection is the one Linnell performed solo at the Bowery Ballroom in 1998, when Flans got ill and had to leave the stage. It's just Linnell and his accordion and the entire audience trying to fill in for Flans and helping out Linnell when he completely forgets all the lyrics in the bridge. I may not love the song, but I love how enthusiastic and supportive the crowd is.
Dead
This post is going to earn me some very indignant replies. I just know it. I know a lot of people for whom this song holds deep personal meaning, and even sums up the whole core of their being. I am not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful song, but with all the times I heard Flood live over the last two years, this is the only song that I am completely and totally sick of hearing. Perhaps with a long enough break from it I could grow to love it again. But even before that it was never a particular favorite of mine. I enjoy the piano melody but the lyrics just never really grabbed me. I think I find the morbidity of the song a little overpowering. The idea of coming to the end of your life and finding that you haven't done any of the things you wanted to do is just not something I am comfortable thinking too much about (probably related to some long term issues I have with death and mortality in general).
Holy crap, this post just got depressing.
By far the best performance of it I have in my collection is the one Linnell performed solo at the Bowery Ballroom in 1998, when Flans got ill and had to leave the stage. It's just Linnell and his accordion and the entire audience trying to fill in for Flans and helping out Linnell when he completely forgets all the lyrics in the bridge. I may not love the song, but I love how enthusiastic and supportive the crowd is.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 171
Today's song is...
Havalina
I'm not really sure this song should count but it does technically meet my arbitrary criteria for inclusion in SOTD so here it is. Unfortunately, I don't have it on this computer and the CD is at Gary's place so I don't remember what it sounds like at all. I remember thinking it was odd. Usually it's Flans doing the Pixies covers. Well not this time, I guess. I also have no memory of Henry being on it, which apparently he is. Obviously, I need to go back and listen to it again.
Havalina
I'm not really sure this song should count but it does technically meet my arbitrary criteria for inclusion in SOTD so here it is. Unfortunately, I don't have it on this computer and the CD is at Gary's place so I don't remember what it sounds like at all. I remember thinking it was odd. Usually it's Flans doing the Pixies covers. Well not this time, I guess. I also have no memory of Henry being on it, which apparently he is. Obviously, I need to go back and listen to it again.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 170
Today's song is...
Birds Fly
For reasons I can not explain, my mind always confuses the opening line of this song with the opening line of She's Actual Size. It's weird.
Very nice harmonies, especially at the end.
Birds Fly
For reasons I can not explain, my mind always confuses the opening line of this song with the opening line of She's Actual Size. It's weird.
Very nice harmonies, especially at the end.
There's A Picture Opposite Me - 5/4/11
I feel like I'm getting back into poorly executed ideas because I'm doing them last minute again.
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Please send submissions to theroommustlistentome@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 169
Today's song is...
In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle
Such a nice arrangement on this song. It's fun and lively, with the keyboard and the xylophone type thing and is that a bass clarinet or a bass sax? Whatever, I like it. I also enjoy it performed by puppets. But I enjoy anything performed by puppets. But I think my favorite performances are some of the live ones I have recordings of, where Linnell fudges his way through the keyboard part at the start, dropping notes and slurring runs, and is immediately shown up by Dan Miller finger picking his way through the same melody flawlessly on the guitar. Those make me laugh every time.
In the Middle, In the Middle, In the Middle
Such a nice arrangement on this song. It's fun and lively, with the keyboard and the xylophone type thing and is that a bass clarinet or a bass sax? Whatever, I like it. I also enjoy it performed by puppets. But I enjoy anything performed by puppets. But I think my favorite performances are some of the live ones I have recordings of, where Linnell fudges his way through the keyboard part at the start, dropping notes and slurring runs, and is immediately shown up by Dan Miller finger picking his way through the same melody flawlessly on the guitar. Those make me laugh every time.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Don't Die Wondering
So I had this completely surreal experience last Wednesday. Gary and I made a very last minute decision to drive down to Brooklyn to see the Johns perform in a variety show called The Talent Show. It could have been a disaster, as I had to work in the morning and we had almost exactly four hours to make the four hour drive to Brooklyn in time for the show. One traffic jam or any trouble parking and we would have been late. But I think the TMBG gods were looking out for us, because we made it in perfect time, with no traffic and found free street parking a block from the venue.
This show pretty much could not have been a weirder setting to first see the Johns in after six months forced separation. The Talent Show is a monthly event at this theater. And theater is a very loose term for it as it's just a little room with a stage, some folding chairs, a bit of standing room in back, and a bar. Each month they choose a different theme and have a variety of local celebrity guests come and perform. This month's theme was Speech and Debate. They set up the show like an informal competitive debate competition with pairs of performers competing in different styles of debate. In addition to the Giants, some of the other celebrities participating in the show included, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry and a very unique street performer called T-Berry whom I will get to later. We also learned as we were in the car driving down that Jonathan Coulton was going to be making an appearance (this was one of these, "this just keeps getting better and better" moments), and indeed he did, paired with musician Dave Hill.
We arrived at the theater about fifteen minutes before the show started, to find the place fairly packed. After briefly saying hi to our friends John and Rebecca who were also in attendance, we opted to stand at the back of the room where there was a pretty clear view of the stage. The show's two hosts, a lively young woman named Elna, and a flamboyantly gay man named Kevin (who was wearing a nice jacket and tie with tiny red short shorts) introduced the proceedings and the show opened with a reading by "judge" Mark Oppenheimer, from his book about his time on the Yale debate team. Mark made quite an amusing show of judging the contestants throughout the show on fairly arbitrary grounds while passing a flask back and forth with the hosts.
Near the beginning of the show I turned around at the sound of the door behind me opening to see a woman entering the back of the room. I had a brief thought of "hmm, she looks kind of familiar" but I think it took me a good 30 seconds before my head snapped back around again to confirm that yes, that was Linnell's wife now standing off to my left.
There were three musical guests featured in the show, all of whom were competing in a category called Extemporaneous Song (a take-off on extemporaneous debate). The guests were brought out on stage and given a choice of two topics to write a song on. They were allowed to confer and select their topic, then were given one article on the subject and 30 minutes in which to compose a song. They then had to return to the stage and perform the song for the audience. This category was the only one of the evening that was not judged as it was deemed too difficult to judge songs.
The first contestants were a band called Stuckey and Murray (and The Band, which consisted of one guy with an accordion). They were given a choice between writing on Muammar Gaddafi or The Death of Jon Benet Ramsey: Murder or Accident? They picked Jon Benet and headed off to start writing.
Next up were Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirman who were competing in a traditional extemporaneous debate. They were given three choices of topics. The first was Is God Real? The middle one I don't remember and the last was Should Animals Be Given The Power of Speech? They picked Is God Real with Kristen on the affirmative side and Eugene on the negative side, then proceeded to have a ridiculous debate during which Kristen argued that God was real because we had imaginations and could imagine heaven. Eugene attempted to shoot down this argument by pointing out that we could also imagine Star Wars and that wasn't real. Ultimately, bringing up a turtle god and a reference to Passover that appealed to the Jewish judge won Eugene the debate.
I am not 100% on the exact order of the performers after that. I believe they next brought out Dave Hill and JoCo to give them their song assignment. They were given a choice between some study that showed that ovulating women were attracted to the scent of dominant men and the Royal Wedding. They went with the wedding though JoCo had to ask the names of the people getting married. They got one of the souvenir magazines for research material, then trooped off.
Next up, the hosts Elna and Kevin competed against a husband and wife couple in a very bizarre form of debate/performance. I missed part of the explanation, because I got distracted noticing that Linnell had stuck his head out of the stage door at the side of the room and was searching the crowd, presumably for his wife. But he gave up and I focused in again. I believe the idea was the competitors had to dramatically act out a scenario but were not allowed to touch or look at each other. There may have been other rules too. The hosts did a selection of final scenes from episodes of Murder, She Wrote, while the husband and wife, Nate Starkey and Ashley Ward, did a dramatic performance of parts of a fundamental Christian sex book. Personally, I liked their performance better because it was really damn funny, but the hosts won out.
Finally, the Johns came out to receive their challenge. Linnell walked out to his mic, but Flans came out and sat down at the head table next to Elna in the seat Kevin had vacated to move some mic stands. Linnell kind of looked at him like, "what the hell are you doing?" and there was some brief humorous banter that I don't recall. Then Flans stood up to move to his mic, telling Elna that he didn't want to invade her personal space. She said she hadn't minded :-) Then Kevin took his seat back and said that if he was worried about people invading his personal space he wouldn't have worn such short shorts. Hehe.
The Johns first option was writing on the anniversary of the wreck of the SS Sultana. Flans seemed very keen on this one and implied that they didn't even need to hear the other, but Linnell pushed to see what it was. It turned out to be Reptiles Eat With The Bones We Hear With, based on a study that recently came out showing that the bones in the human middle ear were once part of the jaw of our reptilian predecessors. Linnell pushed for this one. I think he was a little worried about having to compose a good fact based song in 30 minutes and felt like there was more room to maneuver with the reptile topic. I think he actually said something along those lines. Then they headed off to write. The hosts realized they had forgotten to give them the stuffed alligator they had brought for reference material and threw if after them as the exited the stage.
More extemporaneous speech followed, this time between Mike Albo and Virginia Heffernan, former roommates, who argued on whether the audience was good. This debate was only moderately successful and they both just resorted to telling stories about each other. Mike made several funny references to Virginia's drug use which got her mad because he had apparently promised not to mention the drugs. They failed to stay much on topic but the debate was funny none the less.
Stuckey and Murray and The Band came out and performed their Jon Benet song. It was comically inappropriate but didn't hold a candle to either of the other two songs.
Cintra Wilson and Matt Oberg participated in an off the cuff presentation of a Powerpoint display they had never seen before. They had to act like they knew exactly what they were talking about. Cintra's was on ebonics and she played it like a recovering ebonics addict who was speaking on the dangers of ebonics. Matt's was on exorcism and I was more amused by his interpretation of what was depicted on the slides but Cintra won out by convincing the judge that she really could speak ebonics.
Dave Hill and JoCo came out to perform their Royal Wedding song. Dave had some issues getting the volume of his guitar right but he sorted it out with a few jokes along the way. My video of this song is crap, but the audio came out fine. I put it on my Tumblr for your listening pleasure: The Royal Wedding Song. Warning, contains explicit language.
Todd Barry was asked to present a six minute speech on one of three topics. I don't remember what the first one was. He briefly attempted to talk about Roe vs. Wade before going back and choosing The Career of Todd Barry. He didn't make it the full six minutes and honestly, I didn't find him that funny. At least not compared with some of the other performers of the evening.
Going against him was a street performer called T-Berry. He was one of the sorts of people who acts completely crazy but you can't tell if he really is a bit crazy or if it's just part of his schtick. He apparently stands on the street with a sign that says "T-Berry: World's Greatest Storyteller" and for $1 he will tell you a story on any topic you give him. Elna said she hired him because he told her a story about a monkey. He came on stage and was showing off his lunchbox (Spiderman, I think) which is his donation box. They announced that he would be outside after the show and would tell you a story for $1 if anyone wanted to hear one. He selected Freak Shows as his speech topic, then proceeded to tell the raunchiest, funniest, most disgusting story I have ever heard about nasty hookers throwing a huge party and all the demented degenerates that came to the party. Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster all played a part. There was a bit about one of the hooker's breaking wind so hard it blew the doorknob off the door, which made the judge do a legitimate spit take into his water glass. Honestly, I couldn't even begin to describe to you the full scope of this awful epic tale. The most relevant part was the description of the guy with a preference for dead women who showed up at the party with a nine year old corpse and was sucking maggots out of her breast. And yes, I know that is incredibly disgusting but you have to hear that in order for the next part to make sense.
So this guy finally finishes (they allowed him well over the six minutes because he was on a roll) and the judge declares a tie between him and Todd Barry. Then they call out the Giants again to close the show. Flans comes on stage and stage whispers "Stall!" to the hosts. Linnell goes up to the mic and complains that T-Berry has stolen all of their material.
Elna: "Wait you've had sex with a corpse filled with maggots?"
Linnell: "You know that."
Elna: "I didn't even know that could happen."
Flans: "Don't die wondering."
From this point on, I have everything on video, so I'll just post that. I really enjoyed that Linnell, rather than Flans, took point on all the talking at this event. And he really did seem to be in his element and enjoying himself. It was just one more thing that made the experience surreal. I'm still not convinced I didn't dream the whole thing. "Children smile with the bones we hate with" is such a great line. And I love the bit about prepositions.
Oh, and just for you, Ana. I saw Ira Glass in the audience after the show. That makes two TMBG shows (and an OK Go show) I've seen with him in the audience!
This show pretty much could not have been a weirder setting to first see the Johns in after six months forced separation. The Talent Show is a monthly event at this theater. And theater is a very loose term for it as it's just a little room with a stage, some folding chairs, a bit of standing room in back, and a bar. Each month they choose a different theme and have a variety of local celebrity guests come and perform. This month's theme was Speech and Debate. They set up the show like an informal competitive debate competition with pairs of performers competing in different styles of debate. In addition to the Giants, some of the other celebrities participating in the show included, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry and a very unique street performer called T-Berry whom I will get to later. We also learned as we were in the car driving down that Jonathan Coulton was going to be making an appearance (this was one of these, "this just keeps getting better and better" moments), and indeed he did, paired with musician Dave Hill.
We arrived at the theater about fifteen minutes before the show started, to find the place fairly packed. After briefly saying hi to our friends John and Rebecca who were also in attendance, we opted to stand at the back of the room where there was a pretty clear view of the stage. The show's two hosts, a lively young woman named Elna, and a flamboyantly gay man named Kevin (who was wearing a nice jacket and tie with tiny red short shorts) introduced the proceedings and the show opened with a reading by "judge" Mark Oppenheimer, from his book about his time on the Yale debate team. Mark made quite an amusing show of judging the contestants throughout the show on fairly arbitrary grounds while passing a flask back and forth with the hosts.
Near the beginning of the show I turned around at the sound of the door behind me opening to see a woman entering the back of the room. I had a brief thought of "hmm, she looks kind of familiar" but I think it took me a good 30 seconds before my head snapped back around again to confirm that yes, that was Linnell's wife now standing off to my left.
There were three musical guests featured in the show, all of whom were competing in a category called Extemporaneous Song (a take-off on extemporaneous debate). The guests were brought out on stage and given a choice of two topics to write a song on. They were allowed to confer and select their topic, then were given one article on the subject and 30 minutes in which to compose a song. They then had to return to the stage and perform the song for the audience. This category was the only one of the evening that was not judged as it was deemed too difficult to judge songs.
The first contestants were a band called Stuckey and Murray (and The Band, which consisted of one guy with an accordion). They were given a choice between writing on Muammar Gaddafi or The Death of Jon Benet Ramsey: Murder or Accident? They picked Jon Benet and headed off to start writing.
Next up were Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirman who were competing in a traditional extemporaneous debate. They were given three choices of topics. The first was Is God Real? The middle one I don't remember and the last was Should Animals Be Given The Power of Speech? They picked Is God Real with Kristen on the affirmative side and Eugene on the negative side, then proceeded to have a ridiculous debate during which Kristen argued that God was real because we had imaginations and could imagine heaven. Eugene attempted to shoot down this argument by pointing out that we could also imagine Star Wars and that wasn't real. Ultimately, bringing up a turtle god and a reference to Passover that appealed to the Jewish judge won Eugene the debate.
I am not 100% on the exact order of the performers after that. I believe they next brought out Dave Hill and JoCo to give them their song assignment. They were given a choice between some study that showed that ovulating women were attracted to the scent of dominant men and the Royal Wedding. They went with the wedding though JoCo had to ask the names of the people getting married. They got one of the souvenir magazines for research material, then trooped off.
Next up, the hosts Elna and Kevin competed against a husband and wife couple in a very bizarre form of debate/performance. I missed part of the explanation, because I got distracted noticing that Linnell had stuck his head out of the stage door at the side of the room and was searching the crowd, presumably for his wife. But he gave up and I focused in again. I believe the idea was the competitors had to dramatically act out a scenario but were not allowed to touch or look at each other. There may have been other rules too. The hosts did a selection of final scenes from episodes of Murder, She Wrote, while the husband and wife, Nate Starkey and Ashley Ward, did a dramatic performance of parts of a fundamental Christian sex book. Personally, I liked their performance better because it was really damn funny, but the hosts won out.
Finally, the Johns came out to receive their challenge. Linnell walked out to his mic, but Flans came out and sat down at the head table next to Elna in the seat Kevin had vacated to move some mic stands. Linnell kind of looked at him like, "what the hell are you doing?" and there was some brief humorous banter that I don't recall. Then Flans stood up to move to his mic, telling Elna that he didn't want to invade her personal space. She said she hadn't minded :-) Then Kevin took his seat back and said that if he was worried about people invading his personal space he wouldn't have worn such short shorts. Hehe.
 |
| Picture By Rebecca |
The Johns first option was writing on the anniversary of the wreck of the SS Sultana. Flans seemed very keen on this one and implied that they didn't even need to hear the other, but Linnell pushed to see what it was. It turned out to be Reptiles Eat With The Bones We Hear With, based on a study that recently came out showing that the bones in the human middle ear were once part of the jaw of our reptilian predecessors. Linnell pushed for this one. I think he was a little worried about having to compose a good fact based song in 30 minutes and felt like there was more room to maneuver with the reptile topic. I think he actually said something along those lines. Then they headed off to write. The hosts realized they had forgotten to give them the stuffed alligator they had brought for reference material and threw if after them as the exited the stage.
More extemporaneous speech followed, this time between Mike Albo and Virginia Heffernan, former roommates, who argued on whether the audience was good. This debate was only moderately successful and they both just resorted to telling stories about each other. Mike made several funny references to Virginia's drug use which got her mad because he had apparently promised not to mention the drugs. They failed to stay much on topic but the debate was funny none the less.
Stuckey and Murray and The Band came out and performed their Jon Benet song. It was comically inappropriate but didn't hold a candle to either of the other two songs.
Cintra Wilson and Matt Oberg participated in an off the cuff presentation of a Powerpoint display they had never seen before. They had to act like they knew exactly what they were talking about. Cintra's was on ebonics and she played it like a recovering ebonics addict who was speaking on the dangers of ebonics. Matt's was on exorcism and I was more amused by his interpretation of what was depicted on the slides but Cintra won out by convincing the judge that she really could speak ebonics.
Dave Hill and JoCo came out to perform their Royal Wedding song. Dave had some issues getting the volume of his guitar right but he sorted it out with a few jokes along the way. My video of this song is crap, but the audio came out fine. I put it on my Tumblr for your listening pleasure: The Royal Wedding Song. Warning, contains explicit language.
Todd Barry was asked to present a six minute speech on one of three topics. I don't remember what the first one was. He briefly attempted to talk about Roe vs. Wade before going back and choosing The Career of Todd Barry. He didn't make it the full six minutes and honestly, I didn't find him that funny. At least not compared with some of the other performers of the evening.
Going against him was a street performer called T-Berry. He was one of the sorts of people who acts completely crazy but you can't tell if he really is a bit crazy or if it's just part of his schtick. He apparently stands on the street with a sign that says "T-Berry: World's Greatest Storyteller" and for $1 he will tell you a story on any topic you give him. Elna said she hired him because he told her a story about a monkey. He came on stage and was showing off his lunchbox (Spiderman, I think) which is his donation box. They announced that he would be outside after the show and would tell you a story for $1 if anyone wanted to hear one. He selected Freak Shows as his speech topic, then proceeded to tell the raunchiest, funniest, most disgusting story I have ever heard about nasty hookers throwing a huge party and all the demented degenerates that came to the party. Dracula, Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster all played a part. There was a bit about one of the hooker's breaking wind so hard it blew the doorknob off the door, which made the judge do a legitimate spit take into his water glass. Honestly, I couldn't even begin to describe to you the full scope of this awful epic tale. The most relevant part was the description of the guy with a preference for dead women who showed up at the party with a nine year old corpse and was sucking maggots out of her breast. And yes, I know that is incredibly disgusting but you have to hear that in order for the next part to make sense.
So this guy finally finishes (they allowed him well over the six minutes because he was on a roll) and the judge declares a tie between him and Todd Barry. Then they call out the Giants again to close the show. Flans comes on stage and stage whispers "Stall!" to the hosts. Linnell goes up to the mic and complains that T-Berry has stolen all of their material.
Elna: "Wait you've had sex with a corpse filled with maggots?"
Linnell: "You know that."
Elna: "I didn't even know that could happen."
Flans: "Don't die wondering."
From this point on, I have everything on video, so I'll just post that. I really enjoyed that Linnell, rather than Flans, took point on all the talking at this event. And he really did seem to be in his element and enjoying himself. It was just one more thing that made the experience surreal. I'm still not convinced I didn't dream the whole thing. "Children smile with the bones we hate with" is such a great line. And I love the bit about prepositions.
Oh, and just for you, Ana. I saw Ira Glass in the audience after the show. That makes two TMBG shows (and an OK Go show) I've seen with him in the audience!
Song Of The Day - Day 168
Today's song is...
Working Undercover for the Man
Oooo, I love this song. I find the idea behind it, of a band actually being undercover agents in disguise, really amusing. I think that would actually make a pretty good plot of a TV show. This is pretty high on my list of songs I would like to hear live. I just really want a shot at singing along with the "Sha-la-la-la-la-la" part. Sigh. This one just makes me happy. Going to work humming now.
Working Undercover for the Man
Oooo, I love this song. I find the idea behind it, of a band actually being undercover agents in disguise, really amusing. I think that would actually make a pretty good plot of a TV show. This is pretty high on my list of songs I would like to hear live. I just really want a shot at singing along with the "Sha-la-la-la-la-la" part. Sigh. This one just makes me happy. Going to work humming now.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Song Of The Day - Day 167
Today's song is...
I Palindrome I
I have never thought too deeply about this one. I like the very circular sounding guitar riff and it's got a great drum track. It's another great example of Linnell's twisty-turny lyrics. I've always really enjoyed the word palindrome lyrics in the middle. And that's about as far as my thoughts on it go.
I Palindrome I
I have never thought too deeply about this one. I like the very circular sounding guitar riff and it's got a great drum track. It's another great example of Linnell's twisty-turny lyrics. I've always really enjoyed the word palindrome lyrics in the middle. And that's about as far as my thoughts on it go.
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