A Year On The Road With TMBG

They Might Be Giants played exactly 100 shows in 2013, more than they've played in any single year since the Mink Car tour in 2001. Prior to this year, my own record for show attendance was 32 shows in a year, in 2009 (largely thanks to a number of "double feature" days with a family show in the afternoon and a rock show in the evening). But this year I blew that record out of the water attending 52, or just slightly more than half the shows they played.

To put this in perspective, I saw shows in 45 cities, 26 states (plus DC), 3 countries, and traveled a somewhat staggering 25,432 miles following the band between February 27 and November 21. Counting travel days, I spent slightly over two months following these guys around.

I think Dan Miller put it best. He told me, at my last show, that I had been on a year long scavenger hunt, locating the band in cities around the globe. And it definitely felt like that some days, wandering around unfamiliar cities, looking for venues, parking, doors, lines, etc, etc.

And a particularly amusing fact for me, I actually attended as many or more shows than at least four members of the band's regular crew this year. And I'm not even on the payroll!

I'm sure many of you noticed that I stopped posting recaps after the March tour ended. There were a number of factors influencing this, but the biggest one was, simply, time. Traveling alone, usually driving, and seeing shows back to back to back, left little to no time in between to write recaps and the more shows I saw, the less I remembered the ones back at the beginning of the tour. I actually got about half way through the recap for the first show in Boston (which was where my recaps left off), but never finished it because I've never been able to recall the punch line to a very amusing story that was told on stage and I always felt the recap was incomplete without it.

So, by way of making up for the lack of recaps, please enjoy this "year in review", recalling the highlights of 2013, on the road with TMBG.

February 27, 2013 - Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME
The tour begins in disgusting sleety weather, in my home state. Linnell appears on stage in snow boots. The band kicks off the tour with the live premiere of You're On Fire. And spontaneously plays a cover of the Rockford Files Theme halfway through the show.

March 14, 2013 - The Blue Note - Columbia, MO
I am re-introduced to Moon Hooch, who begin their set with 20 minutes of meditation on stage. And I have the pleasure of hearing the Columbia venue song live, even if Linnell did mess up the lyrics.

March 16, 2013 - The Vic - Chicago, IL
John Linnell performs a keyboard solo using only his head. The results are....interesting.

March 17, 2013 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
Dan sports a "My Other Truck Is They Might Be Giants" hat on stage, while Marty realizes the full potential of the Marty Cam and strikes the first and, without a doubt, the most terrifying of many triumphant/threatening poses for the camera at the end of his solo.

March 22, 2013 - The Paramount - Huntington, NY
The final show of the first leg of the tour coincides both with a Sweet Sixteen party at the venue and the final Song of the Day post on my blog. Needless to say, this performance of Birdhouse (the final song of the day), was rather emotional for me.

April 3, 2013 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
My 32nd birthday turns out to be my most memorable when a legit crazy man breaks into the band's soundcheck and starts yelling at the band about my birthday, among other topics. After a truly bizarre sidewalk screaming match between the guy and security, this incident eventually leads to my birthday being mentioned on stage three times over the course of the show. The line "I've been on your bus for an hour!" is entered into our official fandom lexicon and I walk away with, hands down, the most insane story I've collected in all of my 161 shows.

April 5, 2013 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
One of the most unique shows I have ever seen. The band appears on stage for a short live radio set looking like they just rolled out of bed and found themselves on stage. Marty plays a drum kit constructed out of an upside-down recycling bin and various equipments cases, and just for radio, we participate in a Battle of Passengers vs Drivers.

April 7, 2013 - The National - Richmond, VA
Unexpected pre-show band member encounter leads to me being introduced to band family members as "one of our primary photographers." While outwardly I think I turned several shades of pink, inwardly, I was beaming with pride :-)

April 9, 2013 - Jefferson Theatre - Charlottesville, VA
CREPES!!!

April 10, 2013 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Still haunted by the terrifying image of Gitmo Elmo in the junk shop across the street. *shudder* After weeks of watching others do the honors, I am afforded the honor of playing Flans' guitar for the Famous Polka solo. Plus the "zipper incident" (if you know, you know).

April 11, 2013 - Music Farm - Charleston, SC
My first show in South Carolina! Best tour cupcakes of the whole year. And for being first in line, Susan and I are presented with chairs, bottled water and our very own potted plant to keep us company. Plus, Charleston venue song!

April 13, 2013 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
There is a story from this day that I've sworn not to tell, but suffice it to say, it was memorable. Very memorable.

April 16, 2013 - Academy Records Annex - Brooklyn, NY
Fourth official signing with the Johns, following a neat little in-store performance that I couldn't see at all from where I was standing.

May 30, 2013 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
Fresh off the Australian tour, the boys are back to conquer the remainder of the good old US of A.

May 31, 2013 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
Hilarious soundcheck version of 9 Secret Steps precedes show plagued by tech issues, on a comically slanted stage.

June 2, 2013 - Englert Theatre - Iowa City, IA
This show should get some sort of prize for prettiest lighting of the tour.

June 5, 2013 - Slowdown - Omaha, NE
First visit to exciting Nebraska! Live goal achieved - hug from Dan Miller :-)

June 6, 2013 - Crossroads - Kansas City, MO
Beautiful outdoor show. Live premiere of Icky (sans melodica)! Duo Istanbul!

August 10, 2013 - Prospect Park - Brooklyn, NY
And another beautiful outdoor show, this time with horns! Highlights include Dan's interpretive dance during soundcheck and Flans sneaking up on Dan, on all fours (the image of that just made me crack up while writing this).

September 7, 2013 - Penn's Landing - Philadelphia, PA
Combining two of my favorite things. TMBG and tugboats!

October 11, 2013 - World Cafe Live at The Queen - Wilmington, DE
They Day! Never have so many foreheads been decorated in one place! Plus, the band actually managed to surprise me by unexpectedly pulling out Rhythm Section Want Ad before the Pink Shows. Pretty sure I watched the entire song wearing a stupid grin.

October 12, 2013 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
The legend of the boa is born. Also, the delightful experience of the DJ Flans dance party complete with glowsticks, a contortionist, and a dancing ice cream sandwich lady.

October 13, 2013 - Ziggy's - Winston-Salem, NC
More beautiful lighting. What is it about these specific venues that transform the same lighting set up it something so gosh darn pretty?

October 25, 2013 - Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
If any show was a Pink Show preview it was this one. Quite possibly the coolest setlist of the tour (outside of the Pink Shows themselves). And some truly hilarious/adorable antics from some guys named Dan.

October 26, 2013 - Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA
CONFETTI! Marty dancing, Danny singing, construction hats, and that was just the first show! Did I mention the full performance of the Pink Album in the evening? Songs I pretty much never thought I'd get to see live. Spectacular doesn't even begin to cover it. Only slightly marred by Danny scaring the crap out of me (and himself) by nearly taking a header off the front of the stage.

October 27, 2013 - Rio Theatre - Santa Cruz, CA
Stop the presses. Linnell said hi to me. Voluntarily. Year=made. Extremely nice venue staff let me wait for this show inside once it got cold too, making this one of my favorite pre-show experiences of the year.

November 1, 2013 - Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, CT
Awwwwoooooooooo! Let's be honest, the pre-show cocktails made this show pretty entertaining, even if I was watching it from under the keyboard. The ridiculously enormous post-show pancake didn't hurt either :-)

November 2, 2013 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Pink Album show in NYC. A thousand TMBG fans singing along with The Day will forever remain a live show highlight. And I walked away with the gift of a thoroughly soaked setlist, because who else would appreciate such a weird gift?

November 15, 2013 - The Queen's Hall - Edinburgh, UK
Surprise! This fangirl is international! My plan to surprise the band didn't go exactly as expected but I sure surprised Brunette!

November 18, 2013 - Vicar St - Dublin, Ireland
This show makes it onto my all time top ten. Killer jokes, hilarious banter, high energy, and an Irish crowd that was starved for some TMBG. So. Much. FUN!

November 19, 2013 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, UK
I've got a lot of pretty cool souvenirs from my years on tour, but nothing quite as special as the guitar pick I was gifted at this show. Still stunned.

November 20, 2013 - Manchester Academy 2 - Manchester, UK
End of the tour. Happy day and sad day at the same time. But for the first time ever, I actually got to say goodbye to all three of the boys when I left, giving a valuable sense of closure to a year unlike any other.


One of the best things about traveling the country/the world to see the band, is all the wonderful and interesting people I get to meet along the way. And this year I got to spend a lot of time with friends I already love, and make a lot of new friends in places near and far. Thanks to all of you for helping to make the year so fun. I hope to see all of you again in 2015!

Happy Birthday, Danny!

Every year, I write up a post for each member of the band's birthday, in which I wax lyrical about how awesome I think they are, and share a whole bunch of pictures of them from the last year. Well, this year, for Danny's birthday, I'm going to do something a bit different.

You are all, hopefully, aware by now, that Danny has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund his new solo kids' album, No School Today. Thanks to 349 generous backers, the campaign has already been funded with 40 days still to go. But he's still about $3,500 away from his stretch goal, which will allow more music videos to be made to accompany the album. And every extra dollar makes a big difference in getting the album out into the world.

So, possibly for the first time, we have an opportunity to give a member of the band a real, tangible and very meaningful birthday present, by backing his album. If you haven't backed already, tell Danny "happy birthday" by doing so right now. Any amount helps. $10 will get you a download of the album. $25 will get you a CD. For $80 he'll make you a video teaching you how to play any of his songs. $100 will get you an Executive Producer credit. For $10,000 you can even have his car! Even, if you don't have kids, back the album to support Danny, and great music.

And if you have already backed the album, kick in an extra $10 today, as a special happy birthday wish. And then, please, share the campaign with your friends. I don't think I have enough clout to get him all the way to his stretch goal today, but I am sure as heck going to try and I need help from every one of you.

And for my part, I am making two promises. First, to any fan who backs at $10 or more or adds $10 to their pledge, I will offer a PDF of my TMBG calendar I put together every year. It has previously only been a Christmas present I make for my band friends, but I am offering it up as an incentive for TMBG fans who back the campaign. Just show me you've backed, send me your email and I'll send you the PDF near the end of the month, when I finish assembling the calendar.

And second, I will, personally, kick in an extra dollar for every person who backs today at any level. Whether there are ten of you or 100. 

I can honestly say that Danny is one of my very favorite people. A tremendous musician, and just the nicest guy you are ever likely to meet. He has been nothing but kind and supportive of me over the years, and it means a great deal to me to be able to give back in such a real and positive way by helping get his album out to the world. I sincerely hope you will all join me in saying, "Happy Birthday, Danny. We are behind you 100% and can't wait to see the results of your new endeavor!"

Now go, Red Pants Team, go!

This link to the Kickstarter campaign: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/242408143/danny-weinkauf-bassist-for-tmbg-new-kids-music-lp

I also made this video to celebrate Danny's birthday and his quest to reach new heights :-)

Introducing Danny Weinkauf Dot Com!

Check it out! Danny has just launched a new website at www.dannyweinkauf.com! You can listen to samples of all the songs on his upcoming kids album, No School Today, and get a sneak peak of what's in store! There will also be a new video for the song, Marsupials, coming soon! And did I mention this adorable adorable cover art?

Is it just me or does that red-pants-wearing, blue-guitar-pick-wielding, too-cool-for-school kangaroo look like a certain bass player we all know? ;-)

No School Today

A funny think happened recently. I was talking to a friend about the backing band and commenting about how I would gladly pay to see any one of them play a show on their own. And then later that same day, Danny announced that he was going to be releasing his own solo album of children's music! The coincidence was a little spooky but the announcement was most welcome.

Now, I am a HUGE fan of Danny's music. Two of his three songs with TMBG are in my Top 25. So I am beyond excited about the new album. It is called No School Today, and in the very near future, he will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. Kickstarter is all about the power of the people and Danny will be counting on us, the fans, to make both the funding campaign and the album itself a success. Kickstarter also means that in addition to getting copies of the album, there are bound to be some other fun backer rewards that we can throw our money at!

In my own small way, I'm going to be doing as much as I can to make this project go, so expect to see future posts with all the details of the Kickstarter, and any other updates that come along. Danny needs a street team and by gosh, I am going to be one! It is the very least I can do. Honestly, I wish I could do more.

So, watch this space for more details and start saving your pennies for cool Kickstarter rewards. And if you know any kids or parents of kids, or people who are acquainted with kids, or people that just like fun, family friendly tunes, please tell them about the album! We can make this happen, people!

Song of the Day - Day 858

The band has released a new song! You know what that means?!!!

For one day only, Song of the Day is BACK!!

Today's song is...

100 Cars For Good

http://youtu.be/57Gee_mcymU

Okay, so it's an ad and as presented in this video, it is pretty repetitive. But the animation is really cute and the tune is surprisingly catchy. It's not gonna make any Top 25 lists, but hey, NEW SONG, right?! Woot!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Ready yourself for the traditional chant, cause it's Dan Miller's birthday, and you know what that means!

Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan!

A couple of weeks ago in Hartford, I approached Dan to ask him to sign my copy of Nanobots. I'd been carrying it around with me, on and off, for months, but every time I had run into him, I had either not had it with me or the moment just wasn't right. But this time it worked out. I asked and he said sure.  The conversation went something like this. "You're missing," I explained, meaning his signature. "Am I the only one?" he asked. "Yeah," I said. "You're hard to find." "I'm not hard to find! I'm always around," he said. "Yeah, I just hate bugging you guys," I replied. "You're not bugging me. I just don't do the front of the stage thing. I wish I was like Marty and Danny, and I could do that, but I can't. It's just not me." "I totally understand that," I said.

And the thing is, I do. That just isn't Dan. And I would never expect it of him. 

Several months ago, I was talking to a friend, and mentioned how much I appreciate the guys in the backing band. I believe my exact words were "As much as I love the Johns, and they drive the show, my heart really belongs to those three guys at the back of the stage." And the response I got made me a little sad. "I knew you were gaga for Danny and Marty, but I didn't realize you felt that way about Dan." 

Upon reflection, it is true that I am more vocal about my affection for Danny and Marty. But it is not true that I don't feel the same way about Dan. In the very same way that you won't find Dan signing autographs for fans at the front of the stage, because it just doesn't come naturally to him, I don't tend to publicly gush about my fondess for him, as much as I do the other boys. Instead it is a quieter affection and respect, held more tightly in. But look a little closer and those feelings are dug deep. A picture of Dan is the background wallpaper on my phone. I carry one of his guitar picks in the pocket of each of my band hoodies. At the first show of every tour, nearly without excepetion, I pick the spot in front of Dan by the stage. And one of the absolute highlights of this year, which has already included 36 shows and enough memorable events to write a book, was the hug I got from Dan on the sidewalk in Omaha. Dan is every bit as important to me as the other boys, and I would never want anyone to believe otherwise, especially him.

If Marty is the heart of the band, then Dan is the soul. The vibrancy and life in his playing, as well as the awesome power house of his talent are wrapped into every piece of music the band produces. He is a giant among Giants and just plain one of the nicest people you will ever meet. And I am ridiculously fond of him.

So please join me in wishing Dan, a very happy birthday filled with family and friends and love and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter, because no one laughs with as much sheer joy as Dan. You're the best of the best, Dan. Rock on!

Statistics

With a day off after the most recent shows, I spent some time updating the spreadsheet I keep of TMBG songs I have seen live. I hadn't updated it at all this year, so it needed some major revision. I must admit, I am somewhat fascinated by the statistics it reveals about songs I've seen most or least often. I can track which albums have been best represented in my live experience and which the least. Things like the rarest songs I've seen and the most common. And often, the results are pretty surprising (though occasionally not surprising at all). So I thought I would share some of the statistics I find most interesting.

Total Number of Songs Heard Live: 201

25 Most Frequently Heard Songs

1. Istanbul - 133
2. Birdhouse In Your Soul - 114
3. Doctor Worm - 109
4. The Mesopotamians - 101
5. Damn Good Times - 94
6. Clap Your Hands - 90
7. The Guitar - 77
8. Alphabet Of Nations - 74
9. Ana Ng - 70
10. Cloisonné - 68
11. New York City - 67
12. Particle Man - 66
13. When Will You Die - 66
14. Fingertips - 57
15. Drink! - 56
16. Withered Hope - 56
17. Can't Keep Johnny Down - 50
18. James K. Polk - 50
19. Why Does The Sun Shine? - 50
20. Battle For The Planet Of The Apes - 49
21. Dead - 49
22. We Live In A Dump - 48
23. Whistling In The Dark - 46
24. Celebration - 45
25. The Famous Polka - 44

26 Songs Only Heard Once

Auld Lang Syne
Charleston
Columbia
Contrecoup
Everything Is Catching On Fire
Hall Of Heads
Horse With No Name
I Can Hear You
Live Free Or Die
Metal Detector
Mink Car
Minneapolis
Phone Calls From The Dead
Raleigh
Reptiles Eat With The Bones We Hear With
Spine
Spiraling Shape
The Bells Are Ringings
The Cap'm
The Shadow Government
Till My Head Falls Off
To All The Girls I've Loved Before
Token Back To Brooklyn
Towson
Tubthumping
Violin

Albums By Songs Heard Live

Flood - 19 of 19
Apollo 18 - 38 of 38
The Else - 11 of 13 (1 remaining has been performed)
Factory Showroom - 11 of 13 (both remaining have been performed)
Lincoln - 15 of 18 (all remaining have been performed)
No! - 12 of 17 (none of the remaining have been performed)
The Spine - 9 of 16 (4 of the remaining have been performed)
Join Us - 11 of 18 (none of the remaining have been performed)
Here Comes Science - 10 of 19 (none of the remaining have been performed)
Mink Car - 5 of 17 (10 of the remaining have been performed)
Long Tall Weekend - 3 of 15 (9 of the remaining have been performed)
John Henry - 6 of 20 (all of the remaining have been performed)
They Might Be Giants - 5 of 19 (all of the remaining have been performed)
Here Comes the 123s - 9 of 24 (none of the remaining have been performed)
Nanobots - 9 of 25 (1 of the remaining has been performed)
Here Comes the ABCs - 3 of 23 (4 of the remaining have been performed)

For the record that puts John Henry, Mink Car and Long Tall Weekend at the top of the list of albums with songs that have been performed that I haven't seen. I'm not currently counting the Pink Album since I'm gonna see that whole thing twice in just a few months :-)

(There is no recorded setlist for my very first show, but, based on other songs being performed at similar shows at the time, there are two other songs from ABCs that I may have seen but can't confirm.)

Venue Songs Heard Live

Asbury Park - 15 (3 times in original venue)
Los Angeles - 11
Albany - 4 (2 times in original venue)
Pittsburgh - 4 (2 times in original venue)
Asheville - 3 (all in original venue)
Atlanta - 3 (all in original venue)
Brooklyn - 3 (1 in original venue)
Charlottesville - 3
Dallas - 3
Anaheim - 2
Glasgow - 2
Philadelphia - 2 (all in original venue)
Vancouver - 2
Charleston - 1 (original venue)
Columbia - 1 (original venue)
Minneapolis - 1 (original venue)
Raleigh - 1 (original venue)
Towson - 1 (original venue)

Rarest Songs Heard

Reptiles Eat With The Bones We Hear With (only performance)
Tubthumping (only performance)
Token Back to Brooklyn (only performance)
The Bells Are Ringing (1 of 2 performances)
Live Free Or Die (1 of 3 performances)
How Many Planets? (3 of 3 performances)
Black Ops (3 of 3 performances)
Three Might Be Duende (3 of 4 performances)

Songs Heard At Soundcheck But Not Performed

You Don't Like Me
9 Secret Steps
Wearing A Raincoat
Destination Moon

Songs Performed Most Often That I Have Never Seen

Man, It's So Loud In Here - 164 times
Sleeping in the Flowers - 144 times
Exquisite Dead Guy - 139 times
AKA Driver - 89 times
Counterfeit Faker - 77 times

Songs On The Dial-A-Song Collection I Have Yet To See

You might remember that I have a personal goal to someday see all the songs from the Dial-A-Song compilations performed live (since that was my first album). These are what remains.

Man, It's So Loud In Here
Bangs
Another First Kiss
(She Was A) Hotel Detective (soon to vanish from the list!)
I Should Be Allowed To Think
Stormy Pinkness (yeah right! This is the one that is going to prevent me every reaching this goal)
Exquisite Dead Guy
Boat of Car (also soon to vanish from the list!)
Number Three (this one too!)
Nightgown Of The Sullen Moon (and if Stormy Pinkness doesn't do it this one will)

Other Fun Stats

I have seen about 13% of the known performances of Istanbul and 11% of the performances of Birdhouse.

I've seen just about half of the performances of all performed songs from Join Us, Nanobots, Here Comes Science and Here Come the 123s.

I have seen the live premieres of about 34 songs.


And finally, for the super curious and/or bored, I am gonna post my whole spreadsheet as a page in the side bar so you can all go "wow, I can't believe you haven't seen _____" or "I am so jealous that you have seen ______" as the case may be.

Happy Birthday, Marty!!!

Happy birthday to the King of the Drums, Mr. Marty Beller!!! Let us shower him with birthday wishes fit for a king!

I think TMBG themselves said it best:

"The drummer is the heart of the band, the drummer is the soul of the band, the drummer is the core of the band, uh huh"

Marty really is the heart of this band. He's got larger than life talent, seemingly endless energy, and a dynamic and entertaining performance style, that are integral to everything I love about TMBG. I truly believe his creative input is one of the reasons the band's music just keeps getting better and better. Most of my favorite songs on Nanobots are the ones with the most unique and interesting rhythm tracks. And I've said it countless times before, but I will never, ever get tired of watching Marty play. I still watch every single performance of Call You Mom in absolute awe. And one of the stand-out elements on this year's tour was the inclusion of the Marty Cam, a feature that evolved into the perfect vehicle to allow Marty's talent and personality to truly shine, with just the right touch of humor, and one I enjoyed with delight.

No other member of the band puts in as much face time with the fans at a show as this guy. I can tell you, both from first hand experience and from witnessing interactions with countless fans, that the time Marty puts into high-fiving, signing memorabilia, and posing for photos, means the world to the fans. He is a class act and an absolute one in a million and I for one am honored to have been fortunate enough to witness so much of his awesome talent.

And on a personal note, I can not thank Marty enough for making me feel appreciated as a fan and a welcome presence in the audience, night after night. Following the band around the country on tour is one of my greatest joys. But for a long time, I worried that what for me was pure fun and a deep love of the band and their music, would get me labeled as "the crazy fan" and would eventually be seen as an annoyance. But through friendly words of welcome and encouragement, and small acts of kindness and appreciation, Marty and the other boys have helped me let go of that worry and relax and enjoy the shows feeling like I really belong there. And that means more to me than I could possibly say, as there is nowhere I feel happier and more at home than a TMBG show.

So please join me in wishing one of my favorite people a most wonderful and excellent birthday, and a splendid year ahead. Happy Birthday, Marty!! Thanks for keeping the beat. Thanks for being you. Rock on!


Here are a couple of my favorite Marty performances from the most recent tour and some of my favorite shots.

Happy Birthday, John Linnell!!

gen-ius

Noun
1. Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.
2. A person who is exceptionally intelligent or creative, either generally or in some particular respect: "musical genius."


art-ist

Noun
1. One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.
2. A person whose works show exceptional creative ability or skill.


po-et

Noun
1. A writer of poems.
2. One who is especially gifted in the perception and expression of the beautiful or lyrical.


Consider, for a minute, these definitions. These are all words I would use to describe John Linnell, who celebrates his birthday today. And he embodies all of them with a quiet, unassuming humility. I am quite certain, if you presented him with these terms, you would receive a shy, "aww, shucks" kind of shrug. And yet, with a careful combination of words and notes, that on the surface seems almost careless, but in actuality are thoughtful brilliance, he breathes life into songs that are tiny little masterpieces. One minute he is busting your gut with a deadpanned tune about flaming heads, and the next he is reaching into the depths of your very soul, grabbing on and pulling out emotions and thoughts you didn't even know you had, much less thought to put into words. And put the man on a stage and he can win over an entire crowd in an instant, while simultaneously making each audience member feel like he is singing to them and only them, in turn.

I love words. I love the stories you can tell with them, the various emotions you can evoke by mixing them in different combinations. And I don't know anyone who has more skill at manipulating them and getting them to do his bidding than John Linnell. And that he is equally skilled with musical notes and creates melodies that can make you dance, or make you weep, puts him in a class above all others in my book. I am in complete and total awe of the man.

So it is with utmost respect and adoration that I would like to wish Mr. Linnell a happy birthday. May the world (and myself) he privilege to many more years of whatever feats of brilliance fall out of that beautiful mind of yours. Thank you for sharing your talents with us mortals.