You'll Never Guess What Happened Next

It has been so long since I did an Audience Participation post. Do you guys even remember how these work?

My dear friend, frequent travel companion and occasional blog contributor, Megan, has requested a post on Most Surprising Moments At Shows and I am happy to oblige her. Especially as I have had several of these myself recently.

The idea here is to identify those moments at shows that truly caught you off guard. The ones that left you standing in the audience with your jaw hanging open. The ones you still look back at and think "I can't believe that happened."

I can think of a few right off the bat that SHOULD have been surprising moments for me but, for one reason or another weren't. Like the Factory Showroom show where the band opened with Token Back To Brooklyn and NO ONE was expecting them to open with the bonus track that has never been played live before or since. Except at the time, I was such a new fan that I didn't know the song and didn't know that I should be surprised. Whoops. Or the Every Album show, where they played Unsupervised and West Virginia for the first time with TMBG, and no one had even considered that "every album" also included solo projects. But again, uneducated me was barely familiar with either song (it's possible I hadn't even heard at least one of them before) and so missed the boat on that one. There were also several songs played at an LPR show that I should have been stunned to hear (Puppet Head, Museum of Idiots, End of the Tour) but I could see Dan's setlist the whole time and knew they were coming and thus spoiled the surprise.

But here are a few show moments that I most certainly was NOT expecting.


The Mesopotamians Premiere
I was there the first time they played The Mesopotamians, but that wasn't the thing that surprised me. I had barely heard any of their music at the time and couldn't recognize new material from old. All I knew was that this band my boyfriend liked had all of a sudden started singing a song that mentioned an ancient Mesopotamians king (Sargon) who was the subject of a long standing joke among my friends in college (who were mostly all archaeology majors). It was so obscure and out of nowhere and I was completely floored. I didn't know anyone outside of my uber-geeky circle even knew who Sargon was, much less cared enough to write a song mentioning him. And it was a really good song too. I don't remember much else about that show, but I sure do remember that.

Danny Defies Gravity
I've seen Danny execute that leap in Doctor Worm every which way, but never did it take me so by surprise as in Richmond, where he had come out to the edge of the stage and was towering over me and Megan's heads while he played. And then out of nowhere and RIGHT in our faces he shot into the air with a rock start split designed to make even the most stalwart fangirl (which I am not) swoon. Pretty sure Meg will back me up that we just gaped at each other foolishly afterward as if trying to confirm with each other that yes, in fact, that really had just happened.

Spy
For the longest time, Spy was the song Gary had seen the most number of times, that I had yet to see at all. But that all changed at one of the spring LPR shows, when Stan stepped out and started playing the beginning of the song. And I didn't react. Gary hit me and I was like, "What?" "Spy!" he says. Holy shit, says my brain! Spy! I was so not expecting it, I didn't even recognize it.

Linnell's Katharine Hepburn Impression
This was one of those things that even as it was happening it was hard to believe it was happening. When Linnell announced he was going to perform Why Does The Sun Shine? as Katharine Hepburn, we did not take him seriously. Obviously, this was a mistake as he actually did perform the entire song in a spot on perfect Hepburn impression that had me laughing so hard it hurt. Note to self: when Linnell says he is going to do something silly, BELIEVE HIM.

Posed Photography
Remember that time I was taking a picture of Linnell playing the accordion and he looked down and realized I was having trouble getting him in frame because I was too close to the stage, so he bent down and held the pose until I got my picture? Remember that?! Because I remember that and it totally blew my mind.

Chinese Food Anyone?
Not actually during a show, but between two. Gary and I were enjoying a nice Chinese meal between a family show and a rock show at the restaurant next to the theater. I had my back to the door. I am mid-meal when all of a sudden I hear Flansburgh's voice behind me. Turned out Flans, Danny, Marty and his wife and kids had come in for dinner and sat at the table immediately behind us. This quickly became the  most awkward meal I have even eaten as I was terrified to say anything lest they realize we were fans and regret the decision to sit next to us. Can't remember when I have ever been so alarmed to have someone eating Chinese food with tofu a foot behind me.

Paleontologist Premiere
This wasn't quite as surprising as it might have been since Flans took a moment to introduce the new song before Danny started singing, but the fact that they played a new song at all and that is was a new Danny song at that was absolutely mind boggling. And even more so when it turned out to be such an exceptionally amazing song. Linnell doing the dinosaur names. Flans singing the "digging" backing vocal. And Danny completely rocking out on vocals. I was awed.

Marty's Drum Sticks
Marty has a unique knack for sneaking up on me when I'm not looking up, a skill never better executed than when he came out to present his sticks to me in Boston in July. I didn't see him coming and had no time to prepare myself so I was left staring stupidly at the sticks in my hand, trying to wrap my mind around where they had come from. I've now had informal encounters with all of the band members but Linnell, and I don't think any of them compare with this one on the surprise factor.

Hi Dan!
This is still just a few days old, but I am still completely stunned that Dan waved at me on stage. And so casually, as if he was just waving to a friend in the crowd, and not as if this was the first time in four years and 80 shows that he showed any inkling of recognizing me. It's a damn good thing this was captured on video because I would probably convince myself it hadn't happened other wise.

Purple Toupee
Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel.The Johns were announcing that they were playing something from Lincoln and we all assumed it was Ana Ng. And then they started playing and my jaw hit the floor. I hit Megan and was like "Purple Toupee!" And then every single person on our side of the stage stared at the band in abject horror as we tried to come to terms with the fact that they were playing Purple Toupee, and Stacy, who had been waiting YEARS to hear the song, wasn't there. I think there were audible gasps. They probably thought we were upset that they were playing it. I have never been so thrilled and horrified to hear a song before or since.

Famous Polka Lyrics
The American Museum of Natural History. The band is performing under a giant whale. It's the second show, same set. The band is ripping through The Famous Polka for the second time that day, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Flans starts singing the words to the song. The words they haven't performed in years. And he just randomly busts them out at a kids' show under a whale.



That's everything I can think of at the moment. I'll invariably think of other things later. But I really look forward to hearing about your most surprising show moments and hopefully this post lives up to Megan's expectations :-)

You'll Miss Me So

I am a TMBG concert junkie. You all know this. It is the whole reason this blog got started in the first place. You also know I've been without a fix for seven long months. This may not seem like very long to some of you, but for me it's an eternity. It is more than twice as long as any gap between shows that I've experienced since I've been following the band, and is, in fact, the longest break TMBG has taken in 20 years. And I have missed them. Oh, how I have missed them. Missed doesn't even seem like a strong enough word. I am sure I have missed things before. People and places, experiences and things. But I have no memory of ever missing anything as much as I have missed those five guys, the music and the stage, the crowd, the energy and the lights, the ritual, the anticipation and the experience of being at a show. There is nowhere I would rather be. Right there, in the middle of the crowd, with the guys on stage in front of me and the music washing over me, I am home.

And in a few short days I am going home. Four days from now, I will be in Toronto, the band will be on stage, and the grin on my face will be so bright you will be able to feel it shining across the globe. And it only gets better from there. The picture above is the current contents of my ticket box and represents a July and September spent doing what I love. In addition to Toronto, Gary and I will be hitting 5 shows in 11 days in July and 14 shows in 24 days in September. And with the band on tour through next spring, I am sure those numbers will only grow.

But for now, I have four days left to finish missing the band. And I am giving that horrible, loathsome feeling a proper send off and good riddance, with this (massive) list of things I have missed about the band and shows and the entire concert experience in general. Some of them are very personal. Some of them are pretty universal. All of them are things I will be so happy to see again I could cry (and I just might). Here's hoping I don't have to miss any of these things again for a long, long time.


100 Things I Have Missed About TMBG Shows

(in no particular order)

100. Waiting in line. I have legitimately missed the hours and hours of waiting in line before a show. It's part of the whole ritual and I have had some really good times waiting in line.

99. "Aw, shit, clap your hands!"

98. The mad dash from your chair to the front of the stage when Flans tells everyone to stand up.

97. Linnell's "Aw, yeah, check this out" face. I can't actually describe this. It's this face he makes sometimes while the band it executing something epic. I can replicate it for you if you ever see me in person.

96. Dan does this thing all the time where he'll play a single note or chord before the song starts to make sure the guitar is in tune and it almost always tips me off to what they are about to play.

95. Flans playing with his back to the audience.

94. Danny's strut-walk he does as he moves around the stage while playing.

93. Marty's mime act. This is another one I can't fully describe if you haven't noticed it. But because he's got earplugs in and is so far away from everyone he is perpetually miming things at people rather than just saying them.

92. Crew watching. I love watching the crew set up the stage. It fascinates me.

91. Band member sightings outside the venue while waiting in line.

90. The first moment you see the bus parked outside the venue and you know you found the right place.

89. Those few seconds of music in Birdhouse after "but I am", when the keyboard starts going and the drums start pounding and every single person in the room is pogo-ing like crazy.

88. Linnell bending over to squint at his setlist for the next song while still playing the end of the last one.

87. The noise the confetti blizzard canon makes when it goes off. I actually expect to hear it now every time I listen to Older and I'm always slightly surprised when it isn't there.

86. Flans waving his guitar around in the air while singing.

85. The way Dan bobs his head while playing.

84. The joy of getting a perfect shot with my camera and knowing I have captured a tiny little piece of the show forever.

83. Bellows mashing on the accordion during any of the accordion solos.

82. Blue Avatar's eyeball routine.

81. The fake ending on Istanbul when the confetti canon explodes and Flans is hopping up and down on one foot while playing.

80. Danny putting his hand behind his ear because he can't hear you yelling "The bass, the bass, the bass is Danny Weinkauf."

79. Marty's OCD drum adjustments. Admittedly I did not notice this until I started seeing him play with JoCo but just watch next time how many times he touches that cymbal between songs. And again. And again.

78. The pre-show playlist. One of my favorite parts of waiting for a show.

77. The excitement over realizing one of guys is wearing your favorite shirt.

76. The way Linnell sings "Mysterious" in Mysterious Whisper with a giant pause before it and between syllables.

75. The psychedelic freakout portion of The Guitar, especially the way Flans almost screams the last lyrics before it.

74. Here You Come Again in Particle Man. Particularly the "And here I gooooooo."

73. The opening bars of Damn Good Times.

72. Any time they are introducing a song and you think you know exactly what they are going to play and then they completely surprise you.

71. The repeating jokes that you only realize are repeating because you've been at the last five shows straight.

70. "Ladies and Gentleman"

69. Linnell's coffee cup. I continue to be amazed that it never spills on the keyboard.

68. Clarinet/Euphonium jokes.

67. The giant fan with the band logo on its center.

66. Watching Linnell reach for the light switch on the side of the keyboard stand knowing the canons are about to pop.

65. The Dan-Tone 3000

64. Linnell's spastic arm gestures.

63. Dan sticking his guitar picks in his mouth.

62. Danny playing with his tongue sticking out.

61. Screaming for Marty until I am hoarse.

60. "H-E-A-R-T attack to you girl."

59. The way both Flans and Danny twang their strings with this big arm flare in Don't Let's Start.

58. The crack of Marty's drum sticks as he counts off a song.

57. The slightly ratty, taped-together-in-the-middle, always confetti laden, occasionally treacherous carpet that they lay down on the stage. And all the little tape marks on it indicating where to put stuff.

56. Marty's light up drum kit.

55. The rock doves.

54. Every time one of the Johns cracks the other one up.

53. The boom car electronic drum demo.

52. Linnell jumping up and down while playing The Guitar.

51. Danny playing with his eyes closed and his head tilted up in the air.

50. The disco ball with the missing tiles.

49. Marty's noisemakers on Bed Bed Bed.

48. The way Flans always has to watch Dan to know when to come in on back-up.

47. The keyboard riff in Withered Hope.

46. The bass line in Ana Ng.

45. Miller Time.

44. Marty's sequined "M" wristbands.

43. Danny singing with his head tilted up at the mic because it is never at the right hight for him.

42. The look of absolute joy on Flans' face when he watches one of the guys solo.

41. Linnell standing on stage with his arms crossed while he is singing.

40. "Guatemala!"

39. Jumping up and down like an idiot with everyone else in the room when commanded to "jump in the air."

38. Dan's "ahhh" face from Meet the Elements.

37. There is this face/head gesture that Marty makes when someone has thanked him for something or paid him a compliment. It's this kind of silent nod with his eyes closed. It's very regal looking. Because he is the king of the drums after all.

36. Flans offering the guitar to the front row.

35. Either of the Johns asking what key a song is in before they start to play.

34. Celebration!

33. The banter. All of it. It's like watching a favorite sitcom every night. And so very quotable.

32. The ritual of setlist acquisition.

31. Dan's ginormous shoes. I have spent so many shows standing at his feet, I actually miss his shoes.

30. The red pants. Both as a harbinger of a good show and a most excellent article of clothing.

29. When everyone in the crowd shouts "WHO WATCHES OVER YOU!"

28. Being absolutely pummeled with confetti from the blizzard canon to the extent that you have to close your eyes and you get it in your mouth.

27. The crazed, surprised look that Marty does while he is wrecking his one good drum kit, when he stands up and stops playing for a second and then just explodes all over the drums.

26. "It's the green house at the end of the block."

25. Linnell's various ways of introducing Flans and Dan's guitar solo in Birdhouse.

24. Flans and Danny playing their guitars up in the air for the solo on Doctor Worm.

23. The guys' frozen in midair poses in Older while they watch the confetti fall.

22. Danny rocking back and forth from foot to foot when he gets really into a rhythm, especially when he does it while kind of shaking his head with his eyes closed.

21. The way Dan looks up and to the side while leaning into the microphone to sing sometimes.

20. Linnell's lazy flubbing of notes on the keyboard during difficult passages, particularly the end of Meet the Elements.

19. Flans singing with his hands in his pockets, Art Garkfunkel style.

18. Danny playing Marty's drums on Why Does The Sun Shine?

17. Marty's dancing.

16. Flans' drive-by solo on Bed Bed Bed.

15. The puppets staring at Dan while he plays the beginning of What Is A Shooting Star?

14. The lip blubbering at the end of Fibber Island.

13. Marty tossing his arm around Flans on the "when it's time to celebrate with all you friends" line of High Five!

12. Danny's Doctor Worm leap.

11. The little head flip thing Linnell does while singing.

10. The anticipation of not knowing what they are going to play next. Because it could be anything.

9. Knowing my job in all of the audience participation.

8. Danny's smile.

7. Dan's laugh.

6. Marty's drumming faces, tongue perpetually hanging out the side of his mouth.

5. Linnell's soul piercing gaze as he makes eye contact with you in the front row.

4. Flansburgh's hair after he has run his hands through it a few times and it is standing straight on end.

3. The post show break down where we spend hours dissecting the show and discussing favorite moments. And quoting good lines back and forth at random.

2. All of my band buddies, most of whom I have not seen since my birthday or the show last October or even longer.

1. The few seconds after the intro music has started but before the band hits the stage when you know the wait is over and the show is starting but you still have the entire show to look forward to.



I could go on. I keep thinking of more but I'll save them. I don't know how well this actually works as an Audience Participation topic, but if any of you would like to add your own contributions to my list, please, feel free.

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.

"You Open, You Close, Everything In The Middle Is Just Bulls**t"

The recent release of Can't Keep Johnny Down has got me thinking about where it falls in the rankings of greatest TMBG album openers. Many would argue these days that the album as a concept is dying due to the rise in digital music. The ability to buy individual tracks and the popularity of the shuffle feature on iPods means that having a strong opener (and closer for that matter) on your album, doesn't matter as much as it once did. But for those of us who still primarily listen to music on CDs and even vinyl, the opener is still as key as it ever was. It sets the tone for the whole album. There is nothing that beats putting on an album and just being knocked out by the opening track.

So where does Johnny land in the strong sea of opening tracks? It has some heady competition. Did it even break your top five? Spoiler: It didn't break mine, though I might be willing to concede it slot number six. Jury's still out on that.

But for the record, here are my top five. And just a note, I am only considering the actual opening song here, not sets or pairing or entire runs. I figure that's only fair since I have yet to hear Join Us past Johnny.


5. Science Is Real - It's not even one of my favorite songs on the CD but it makes such a powerful opening statement about the theme of the album and I really kind of like that it has no musical intro before the lyrics start.

4. Dig My Grave - I waffled on this one a bit, but ultimately decided that even though I think Everything Right Is Wrong Again has better vocals, this one makes more of an impact musically as a first song.

3. I'm Impressed - The crunchy drum beats and the electric guitar that open this track are like saying, hello, wake up, we are not playing this safe anymore. This is not your father's TMBG. So starts what I feel the is the band's most cohesive record to date.

2. Ana Ng - Bomp-ba-bomp-bomp-ba-bomp-bomp-bomp-bomp  Man, is there a better start to an album than that? Oh, well, obviously there is since this is number two. But this is a really, really close second.

1. Subliminal - Um, duh? This is the gold standard all those other songs are trying to live up to. In the first few minutes after Johnny was released, when Gary and I were on our second or third listen he asked me how I thought it compared as an album opener. I can't remember which one of us said it but the words "It's no Subliminal" were definitely uttered. Seeing as how this album also possesses the best closing track in the catalog, I think John Henry wins this game.


Now when it comes to closing tracks I can't yet say what Join Us will bring but it is going to have to be something really damn good to make this list.

5. Road Movie To Berlin - Something about this just feels like a last song. Perhaps it's the fact that it ends on "and we'll go."

4. Rhythm Section Want Ad - For an album that changes mood at least five or six times in 19 songs, I really like that it ends on this zippy up note.

3. Sleepwalkers - As the liner notes say, the end of this album is designed to put you to sleep and this is just the song to do it. Make sure you have your plush animals safely stowed.

2. The Bells Are Ringing - I love how this leaves those echoing drum beats hanging in the air even after the song is over.

1. The End of the Tour - Never was there ever a more perfect closer for an album. This song wouldn't be  at home anywhere else.

A Diabolical Choice

A day late, but I really didn't want to skip the entry again this week. This is inspired by a conversation Gabby and I were having the other night. 

You are going about your daily business when the Deranged Millionaire appears and presents you with a diabolical choice. He has the ability to whisk you back in time to attend an infinite number of TMBG duo shows. Just John and John and the drum machine and the silly carpet hats all the time. But the trade off (and this is the diabolical part) is that you can't go forward again. You have to give up the band. You can not go past 1992 and you give up any memory of any of the material past Apollo 18. What do you do?

Would you be willing to trade in the band for a chance to experience the duo? Consider carefully and explain why or why not (20 points):

It's an easy decision for me. No. Not for all the duo shows in the history of the world would I give up the band. I am far, far too fond of them and the music that has been produced with them. Yes, it would be cool to see one of the old show's but at the expense of the boys? Never. I think, for me, the decision is influenced strongly by when I became a fan and the order in which I heard the music. The band is all I have ever known, and I was seeing them live before I was listening to much of the music. And it was the later material I heard first and fell in love with before I heard the early stuff. I mean, I don't even own my own copy of The Pink Album. So no, I'm not trading in the band.

The much harder question for me would be the reverse. Would you give up all the duo stuff in order to keep the band? Now that would be a diabolical question. I'm not even sure I can answer that one. Yeash, I am getting a headache just thinking about it.

Join Us

I am short on time for Audience Participation this week so let's just talk about this new album news shall we?

First off:title. Join Us. I kind of love it. They have been saying all along that this album is kind of a "back to our roots" sort of record and that certainly seems to be backed up by today's early review of the preview tracks. They have always said that their only rule with their music was that they have to like it. They don't write to please anyone but themselves. I feel like the title is kind of inviting us to take them as they are and enjoy the ride.

Second: the new songs. I am intrigued. I really enjoy some of Flansburgh's relationship songs and don't care much for others so I am very curious to see where I fall on Never Knew Love. I'm also wondering if there is a twist in their somewhere since that sounds like an awfully traditional love song title for TMBG. Flans says it's optimistic. I wonder if maybe they have finally written something like a happy love song. The review certainly makes it sound that way.

Old Pine Box sounds like classic Giants. Death imagery right there in the title. And I like Flansburgh's comment that it is about a burnout but not sung by a burnout. That too sounds like classic Giants. Plus, handclaps, vocoder, how could they go wrong?

And Can't Keep Johnny Down, the song I can not keep the name of in my head. I think this may be the song Flans was talking about in that interview a couple of years ago when he said that Linnell had written a song that he really admired and Linnell was all surprised that Flans felt so strongly about it. Just the comments that Flans made about it in the Spinner interview, gave me that feeling. I'm pretty excited about this one honestly. I have an early feeling this is going to be my favorite.

Very curious to see what the fourth preview track is. Canajoharie? Duende? Something else entirely? Way to build anticipation guys. Tell us just enough but not everything.

I love the idea of the preview being included in the price of the album. Saves me from buying the thing an extra time, since you know I'm gonna need the download and Gary's gonna need the download and we are each going to need a CD and then we'll probably buy a signed one somewhere and then the vinyl and you see where I am going with this?

I don't yet know how I feel about the cover art. Weird. I need to see it bigger. Jury is still out on that one.

And in addition to all this album news there is the tidbit about a 6 country world tour which I am sure will make the international fans very happy and the 50 city US tour which makes me very happy. Now I am just waiting for my invitation to go with them as official photographer/merch girl/coffee runner (yes, I know, keep dreaming).

And finally, tucked into all this great news was the announcement that the new Jonathan Coulton album is called Artificial Heart. Which is the name of one of the songs on the new album; one of the few he has not yet performed. Sweet! Super excited for that too. This is going to be a great year. I can just feel it.

So what do you all think? Thoughts? Impressions? Things you hope they do or don't do? Let's get this discussion rolling!

P.S. Happy Birthday to John! Yay!

P.P.S. I have a shit load of, if I do say so myself, fantastic pictures of Marty (and JoCo and Chris) from PAX on Saturday that I will upload as soon as I get back from Florida.

Say Your Cup Of Tea Is A Wall Of Trombones

We've talked about favorite songs in multiple different ways before, but today I am taking a new approach. A much more specific approach. There are plenty of songs I love for the whole song, as a product of all of it's parts. But there are others I find I love especially for one specific instrument. You know those moments in your favorite songs when you are just waiting for a specific guitar riff or drum pattern and you can't help rocking out all by yourself when it starts playing? Yup, those are what I'm talking about.

So I have compiled for you a list of my favorite songs featuring each of TMBG's primary instruments. I went with four. You can do more or less as you see fit. I picked out guitar, keyboard, accordion, bass, drums, and a general category for hornish things. You can of course add others if you really feel like have a sax list or melodica list or whatever other instrument you see fit. Also, you can totally have the same song on more than one list. That is definitely allowed.


Guitar - This may have actually been the hardest of the lists to compile because, except for some specific intros and solos, I don't really have favorite guitar songs.


-Fibber Island - Acoustic guitar. So pretty. The intro is the best.

-Letterbox - The super fast strumming pattern is one my favorite things about this song.

-Sensurround - I can not help bopping my head to this guitar riff. Doing it right now.

-The Guitar - They don't call it that for nothing. That guitar riff is iconic.


Keyboard 


-Flying V - Beautiful intro and it just continues right through the whole song.

- Alphabet of Nations - Again with the intro. What is it with the album and awesome keyboard intros?

-Meet the Elements - This may have very well make this list just from the last couple of bars.

-Withered Hope - I have talked ad nauseum about the piano riff from this song. It is my very favorite thing in all of the TMBG catalog. It fills me with joy and glee every time I hear it.


Bass - If the guitar list was the hardest to fill, this one is the hardest to cut short. So many good bass songs.

-Take Out The Trash - Do you like the fuzz bass? Do you love the fuzz bass? Are you ready for the fuzz bass? Why yes I am!

-The Guitar - This song is just favorable to anything with guitar in it's name.

-Museum of Idiots - Wasn't I just talking about the bass in this song? I was wasn't I.

-Till My Head Falls Off - Oh my god, best bass. And that solo. Yum.


Accordion


-Drink! - The accordion really is the key to making this sound like a drinking song.

-Four of Two - I kind of picture the accordion here being performed by a street performer on the opposite corner from the guy waiting under the clock.

-The Famous Polka - Do I really need to explain this? Nope.

-Subliminal - The intro to this is maybe my second favorite thing after the Withered Hope riff.


Horns


-Cowtown - Clarinet for the win!

-The Guitar - (again) How many times have I said this song was meant to have horns? Because it needs the horns!

-Seven - Euphonium. Love that oompa oompa noise.

-Museum of Idiots - The only thing better than the bass in Museum of Idiots is the horns.


Drums - Here is the thing about the drums. I realized when I was compiling my list that all my favorite drum songs feature artificial drums and that just doesn't seem right. So I went hunting and found some tracks with live drums that I like too but now I have to make two separate lists.

Drum Machine/Loops

-Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head - I honestly believe this song would not be nearly as good with a different drum track.

-I'm Impressed - Killer rhythm track. Thank you Dust Brothers.

-Rhythm Section Want Ad - This would have been so lame with a crappy drum track.

-Birdhouse in Your Soul - It is the rhythm track in this song that starts you head banging in the beginning and keeps you hopping throughout. I love how it kind of rolls into each measure.

Live

-Road Movie to Berlin - Those crashing cymbals. I love me some cymbals. Also, props to the tambourine.

-Meet James Ensor - Have you ever really listened to the drums on this song? Because I hadn't and I just realized they are excellent. Why did I never notice that before?

-The Cap'm - Just a good old classic rocking drum beat.

-Damn Good Times - When searching for the best drum songs, look for the ones where the drummer has been given a writing credit first. And there you shall find salvation.



I have a very strong feeling that while I was writing this I forgot about half the songs I wanted to include. I was going to do five in each category but then I couldn't come up with five in every category and I am sure I am missing some doozies and I will smack myself when you remind me of them. I am also looking forward to someone pointing out at least one excellent instrument part in a song that I have never noticed before.

You may also be thinking that I have made a terribly glaring omission given how often I profess my undying love and admiration of the bass line in Ana Ng. But the thing is, the one I love does not exist on the recording. There is a mere shell of it. It doesn't even exist in older live recordings with other bass players. The part I love is entirely a product of Danny's creation. He took it and made it his own and made it into something truly special. Same goes with the bass on Withered Hope. It's good on the recording. It is nothing to what it is live. Maybe one of these days I'll do an entry on songs that are better live. Or just on the evolution of live performances of songs. The history of Istanbul in 62 recordings. Another time.

The TV Is In Esperanto

I've been racking my brain, trying to come up with topics that I haven't yet covered in Audience Participation and it suddenly occurred to me that I haven't done a post on Their best television appearances yet. So without further ado, here is my selection of favorite TMBG TV appearances (in no particular order).




Dan Hickey just cracks me up in this one, the way he is bouncing on his stool.





What on earth is Dan Miller wearing? He's got like a nerd/cowboy thing going on. I LOVE it!





There are many things I enjoy about this video but I just can't quite get over the disaster that is Danny's hair. But it is from the brief period of time post-Danny but pre-Dan which makes it historically important. Also, I have seen Dan Levine perform in that shirt 12 years later.





Oh god, the facial expressions. Can you imagine how many people who are not familiar with the band were watching this and just thinking "what the fuck?"





Check out this super early Marty appearance a good six months before he first performed live with the band. My favorite part is the shot of him sitting their playing drums with the slide whistle in his mouth at the end of the song.




Older - They Might Be Giants from They Might Be Giants on Vimeo.


So serious. But I love the look on Dan's face at the end (and his hair) and that funky thing Linnell does with his hands when he starts singing.





I admit I am actually kind of terrified of this video but I love that it exists.





This is here for sentimental reasons because it's Their first TV appearance I actually watched after hopping aboard the fandom train. I would actually have more to say about their performance of this song on Conan two years later because I am amused by the disparity between all their outfits in that one, but I'm pretty sure Dan is wearing the same shirt in both appearances so I can tie in that comment to this video.



There you go. Enjoy some video watching (sorry about the crappy quality on some). Don't get lost in the YouTubes and forget to come back to post your favorites. Cheers!

You Guys Must Be In To The Eurhythmics

As promised here is my playlist, with video links. They aren't in any particular order and they aren't necessarily my favorite songs by these artists. Particularly, this was not the Dave Mallett song I wanted to include but I wanted one with a video and there were very few. Kudos to anyone who actually makes it through this list. It is way longer than I intended. I got carried away. Maybe I should have bolded all the ones I really care about.

Brandy - Looking Glass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-tRXewCAmU

Dancing Queen - ABBA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

I Drove All Night - Roy Orbison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ZVFngqvzA

Time to Pretend - MGMT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dSYgd5Elk

Baba O'Riley - The Who http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g

Wisdom - The Guggenheim Grotto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpFmn0r5Cy4

Piano Man - Billy Joel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0

Ikea - Jonathan Coulton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUPu_ipbVB0

Never Tear Us Apart - INXS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oRI1-PznQw

Hey Jude - The Beatles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBWW3OAhgw

Walkin' On Sunshine - KC and the Sunshine Band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U

This Too Shall Pass - OK Go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

21 Guns - Green Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00ikilDxW4

Band on the Run - Wings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBX2dySWGew

Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjjO_lhf9c

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PNun-Pfb4

Online - Brad Paisley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE6iAjEv9dQ

God Only Knows - The Beach Boys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOMyS78o5YI

You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsEjsIbWq88

Spirit - John Denver http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npNzMPOOrW0

The Garden Song - Dave Mallett http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE5Y2umQjYM

Under Pressure - Queen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM

Break On Through - The Doors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbiPDSxFgd8

Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_swaxOidGU

I've Gotta Get A Message to You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RUjnqH3kMw

Let the River Run - Carly Simon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-0mmVnxPA

Prisoners of Their Hairdos - Christine Lavin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95c9tdZIPHk

Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight and the Pips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRjfrj0N7eY

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSv-lKwOQvE

Tiny Dancer - Elton John http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRK5vLUYLmg

Girls in Their Summer Clothes - Bruce Springsteen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PB1a1c9zA

Faithfully - Journey http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMD8hBsA-RI

We're All Light - XTC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEu5PkGBHRc

If You Dig Menudo Or MDC We Salute You

Inspired by my recent 1,227 mile trip to see Jonathan Coulton for the 9th and 10th times (a trip I would, under normal circumstances, probably not have made to see any band but TMBG, but desperate musical times call for desperate travel measures, plus he had Marty with him), I have been meaning to do an Audience Participation entry on other bands and musicians that inspire your love and dedication.

Then John suggested putting together a playlist or "mix-tape" of completely non-TMBG (or related projects) songs for each other to share other musical interests and see where else we overlap, or don't as the case may be. And I thought that was a pretty great idea too. So I am going to do both. And at the same time too, to make up for all the recent weeks without Audience Participation entries. It'll be in two parts, the first now and the second when I finish work today.

So, first off, my list of other artists who have even come close to inspiring TMBG levels of dedication. Although really, only one of the artists on this list can even begin to compare (though I think there is another one or two heading in that direction).

Brad Paisley - I am not a country music fan. Repeat: I am NOT a country music fan. But I am however, a Brad Paisley fan. Go figure. His funny songs are just too damn funny and his romancey type songs are really sweet and damn, that guy can play a guitar. I credit my dad for turning me on to him a few years back. He does have the occasional song that is just a little too country for me, but how can you not appreciate a guy with a whole song about how the best gift you can give a woman is to put the toilet seat down?


Paul Simon - I have been a Paul Simon fan for pretty much as long as I can remember. Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints played in my house from the time my parents bought their first CD player. There is one track on Rhythm of the Saints with this really killer drum solo that my dad used to blast out of the stereo to wake me up for breakfast on Sunday mornings (when he didn't use the 1812 Overture). Then at some point in high school my grandparents gave my mother a boxed set of Simon & Garfunkel CDs for some occasion and I pretty much stole it until I left for college. I just adore his song writing. And the music. When I was still playing piano regularly (read: when I still had a piano instead of my sad, doesn't-even-have-88-keys keyboard) I would sit around pounding out Sounds of Silence from memory. I've seen him live twice. The first time was a concert when he was on tour for his album You're The One. I went with my parents but we could only get single seats in the theater so we didn't get to sit together. It was kind of insane but wonderful. The second time was a reunion tour of Simon & Garfunkel at the Fleet Center with my roommate at the time. We could barely see but it didn't matter because it was so amazing seeing them perform together. Excuse me a moment. I need to go pull out my keyboard and play Sounds of Silence again for old times sake. (Note: Wow, I am terribly out of practice.)


John Denver - This is another one I got from my parents. I have been listening to JD, literally, all my life. My parents went to a concert when my mother was about eight months pregnant with me. When I was little I loved the song Grandma's Feather Bed. Then I got into my tween years and got super into musicals and didn't listen to much else for quite a while. But I remember quite vividly the morning in high school when my mother woke me up and told me that John had been killed in a plane crash. I remember going to school and trying to talk about this with my friends and being absolutely horrified that most of them didn't even know who he was. That was definitely the turning point for me. I did my own personal tribute to him, performing A Baby Just Like You at the Christmas chorus concert that year, partly for myself and partly to begin to educate my classmates about his music. And in the process fell back in love with his music myself. I did Annie's Song for an audition (which I didn't get) and both Montana Sky and Friends With You for my senior recital (the later with all my girlfriends on stage with me singing back-up). I think one of my biggest regrets will always be that I never got to see him perform live.


Queen - I discovered Queen in such a bizarre way. For the most part, if an artist was not either someone my parents listened to or someone who was played on the Oldies or Soft Rock radio stations I listened to throughout my youth, I was completely unfamiliar with them. For years and years, all I knew of Queen was Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You. Then I went to work in London after college and saw a lot of theater because I didn't have much else to do after work. One of the shows I saw was a musical based around the music of Queen (ala Mamma Mia/ABBA) called We Will Rock You. It was a wonderfully bizarre, campy, futuristic sci-fi story and I just got addicted to the music. I bought the soundtrack and a big 3 disc box set of Queen music and listened to virtually nothing else for several months following. It hit me right at a time when I was craving something harder rocking than the folk music and oldies I had been listening to but wasn't sure where to go. Queen hit the spot perfectly.


OK Go - Like TMBG, this is one I got from my boyfriend. I'm pretty sure he discovered them as a TMBG opener. I know he played their CDs when I was around a number of times but it was, of course, the treadmill video he showed me that made more of an impression. I finally started calling myself a fan right about the time their most recent album came out. It was a combination of the album, the Rube Goldberg video and the first time I saw them live. Those guys sure know how to put on a show. And they make the best music videos I have ever seen. I've seen them thrice more since that first time, putting them in fifth position on the list of bands I've seen most frequently.


The Guggenheim Grotto - I've talked about these guys a lot on this blog. Mostly because I discovered them while we were following TMBG on tour in the fall of '09. They opened for seven of the shows on our fifteen shows in eighteen days extravaganza. And they are good. Really, really good. Folk rock with some of the most beautiful lyrics. And Mick's voice is probably the most beautiful male vocal I have ever heard. I especially love their latest album because the mixing allows his vocals to come through so much more richly. I've seen them three times on their own since that tour, tying them for third place on that most seen list. They are one of a very few number of bands that I will see EVERY time they come around.


Jonathan Coulton - Again, no surprises here. I started following JoCo on Twitter before I ever listened to any of his music because both John Hodgman and Neil Gaiman mentioned him so much in their feeds that I had to figure out who they were talking about. I finally listened to a few tracks on his website and loved them and spontaneously decided to drag Gary to a show right before our big '09 road trip. Excellent decision. LOVED it. No turning back after that. Four shows opening for TMBG in '10, then the epic PAX East show. The first two band shows with Marty and Chris in July and the next two in January have tied him with TGG for third place. But the next PAX East show in three weeks will break that tie... for about a month until my next TGG show :-)


David Mallett - I could probably safely bet money on the fact that none of you have ever heard of Dave unless you've heard me mention him before. He's a folk singer that has been a presence in my life since my toddler years listening to him on the record player. He's a bit of a legend in Maine but hasn't gained much acclaim outside folk music circles in the rest of the world despite a career spanning over 30 years. If you've ever heard any of his songs the most likely is The Garden Song. "Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow." It's been recorded by everyone from John Denver to the Muppets. I saw my first Dave Mallet concert when I was maybe seven or eight, and sporadically over the years after that. But for a period of about ten years from the middle of high school to my first few years living in Massachusetts, I followed him like a groupie. I coerced friends into driving me to shows in college and dragged them to Cambridge to see him at Club Passim. I spent my days off from the summer camp I worked at trekking around Maine to shows. I got to be friends with his soundman Tom and with Dave himself. He did a tour in England while I was studying abroad there and I took a bus into the middle of nowhere England to see him perform. I sat at a table with his wife and kids and toured around the town with them the next morning before my bus came. For a while I didn't have to pay for his new albums any more because Tom gave them all to me for free. If you want to know where I learned to be a TMBG groupie look no further than right here. Admittedly, I pretty much stopped following Dave when I started following TMBG and I haven't been to one of his shows in a couple of years, but that doesn't mean I love his music any less. His songs are timeless and I return to them whenever I need something a little quieter or I'm just feeling homesick. I lost track of how many times I saw him live but it was something in the twenties so while TMBG passed it long ago, it'll be a while before anyone steals the number two spot on my list.


When I get out of work today (first day at the new store... little nervous) I'll put up my playlist of non-TMBG songs including tracks from all the above artists and then some. Stay tuned!

Does This Sound Like You? You Aren't Alone.

This game was originally Stacy's idea, then Megan adopted it for a forum thread. It started life as a "You Know You've Been To Too Many TMBG Shows When..." fill in the blanks game. For Audience Participation, I am adapting it to "You Might Be A Little Obsessed With TMBG If..." so that people who haven't been to a lot of shows can play too. I'll get it started and everyone can add to it in the comments.


You Might Be A Little Obsessed With TMBG If...


There are 45 different versions of Istanbul on your iPod.

You can recognize a song from the first chord or drum beat (this is a whole game in and of itself).

You can identify at least three pieces of clothing each member of the band wears on a regular basis.

You can tell what song the band is about to play based on where they are standing on stage.

You have had entire conversations about a band member's shoes.

There is perpetually confetti turning up on the floor in your house even months after a show.

You start clapping on the back beat before you are instructed to.

You can tell when a band member gets a haircut.

You know four of the five band member's middle names.

You plan your vacations around the band's touring schedule.

You have at least five Facebook friends or Twitter followers that you only know because of the band.

You can identify pictures/videos from different shows based on what the band is wearing.

Crew members recognize you when they see you in the audience at concerts by other bands.

You have seen the film They Might Be Giants with George C. Scott, just because you were curious.

You have ever contemplated buying a pair of red pants (bonus points if you actually did).

You can not listen to Drink! without quietly saying "drink, drink" aloud during the chorus.

You see pictures of guitars on the covers of music magazines and think "that looks just like Dan's Telecaster."

You are willing to drive 572 miles to see a single member of the band performing with someone else.

You have serious opinions about the appropriate length of Linnell's hair.

It no longer phases you when confetti falls out of your pants.

All of your "people you may know" on Facebook are people related to the band.

There are states you have only visited to see a TMBG show.

Gigantic is on your list of five films to have while trapped on a desert island.

You started a whole blog chronicling your obsession with the band.


I could go on and on, but I want to leave some for other people to fill in. Have fun!

Bringing Back-up To the Forefront

Today I am subjecting you all to one of my silly little pet projects. I warned you I was going to last week, if you were paying attention. Some of you have, no doubt, been subjected to it before. I get these ideas in my head and then I can't shake them and keep coming back to them over and over again. This one involves Dan Miller as a back-up singer.

Anyone who has been to a show, or even watched enough YouTube footage, should be aware that Dan pretty regularly provides backing vocals on some songs during live performances. It's even mentioned on his page on the wiki. Well, I've got this theory that there are actually a bunch of these songs on which Dan sings back-up on the recorded version as well. As time has gone on, I grown more convinced that this theory is not that far fetched, and yet a fair number of fans seem to discount this idea entirely. I'm not saying that people disagree with me, more just that it just doesn't seem to occur to them that it is a possibility.

The way I see there are three possibilites: a) I am completely wrong and Dan has never recorded backing vocals, which is entirely possible and will make me feel very silly. b) Dan has recorded backing vocals but somehow this fact has completely escaped all the people who record these types of things on the wiki. c) Everyone takes it for granted that Dan sings back-up and they just never bothered to note down when and where.

Well, my little pet project is to get to the bottom of this matter. I hate to see Dan so completely uncredited  for his vocals if in fact they are present. Believe me, if I ever run into Dan at a show, I am going to try to drum up the courage to ask him. But in the meantime, I've slowly been compiling a list of songs that I believe Dan sings on. I would very much like to get your opinions on what is already on the list and see if any of you would like to nominate any other songs for inclusion.

If you're not sure what Dan's singing voice sounds like, I suggest going back to listen to Infinity or  Stuck, as a reference.

Thus far I haven't found any good candidates on Mink Car or No! and only sketchy possibilities on ABCs and 123s, but I would love to hear arguments for anything from Dan's tenure.

Here's my list:

These are the ones I'm pretty sure of...
Experimental Film
Thunderbird
The Cap'm
The Mesopotamians
Meet the Elements

These are the ones I'm not fully convinced on...
Feign Amnesia
Alphabet of Nations (just the Zimbabwes)
Stalk of Wheat

As I noted last week, I also think that's Dan on Linnell's Song of the 50 States.

Also if someone can figure out who is singing back-up with Dan on Infinity I will be eternally grateful. It's really been bugging me. Is it just another track of Dan doing back-up on himself or is there actually a different voice in there?

Thank you for indulging my pet project. Happy hunting.


-This has been a public service announcement from the self-proclaimed president of the Society for the Appreciation of Backing Band Members -

I'm Not Gonna Say They're Great, I Ain't Gonna Say They Ain't

"State songs, state songs, I can't wait for my favorite one"

I said I needed to do a State Songs post and here it is :-) I don't know how to describe the State Songs album except to say that is so classically Linnell. Like if I were to try to imagine the type of album Linnell would produce on his own this is exactly what I would have envisioned even if I had never heard it. Right down to the band organ.

I rather love Linnell's explanation that the state names were "just a way to create more music without getting having to get bogged down in verbal ideas." So that he can write a song called South Carolina that is actually about a bike crash. Because in Linnell's world, why the hell wouldn't you write a song about a bike crash? I've heard/read Linnell mention a few times that he frequently writes the melody of a song before the lyrics. I like to think of him sitting around with this melody worked out and needing a topic to tie some lyrics together and just latching on to the first thing that pops into his brain. Hmmm, bike crash... that'll work.

Even the band organ makes perfect sense to me, because I think, at heart, Linnell is really kind of a fan boy. And something as antique and complex and precise and really unique sounding as a band organ, is exactly the sort of thing I envision him geeking out over. And putting together this album finally gave him an excuse to write some band organ music.

One of the things that is so unique about this album is the incredible variety of music styles. From songs that essentially sound like TMBG without Flans playing guitar, to ballads, to dirges, to the peppy pipey band organ. Almost every song is a complete 360 from the last and yet there is still a cohesiveness that holds the whole collection together. You know, I think that Linnell fellow might have something here ;-)

A few random thoughts before my list of favorites. I actually prefer the versions of both Pennsylvania and Nevada that appeared on the Hello EP to the ones that ended up on the album. I find the vocal more appealing on the original PA and I like the additional lyrics in NV. "The acorn of the squirrel" and all that. I love the concept of Arkansas and the lyrical idea presented, but the song is a bit too plodding for my taste. However, this quote from the wiki is the best: "However, none of these ships have been the same size or shape of Arkansas, as such a project would be extremely difficult to build, and probably wouldn't float." I love that someone felt the need to say that. And finally, the Montana single is one of the niftiest pieces of vinyl ever created, but sadly we have never successfully gotten it to play on my record player because the state of Maine is slightly bent and keeps bumping into the arm rest. So it's a damn good thing I have Louisiana as an mp3 :-)




Here goes my list. There are six. Don't question it.


6. Louisiana - See I told you it was a good thing I had this as an mp3, otherwise I might never have heard it (well, ok, it's on YouTube). I can't fathom how this didn't make it onto the album. It is a wonderful song. 


5. Maine - No, the fact that I am from Maine doesn't make me biased at all. What are you talking about? Actually, I just really love the drums. Boom. Boom. Boom. 


4. Montana -  "A le-eeeeee-eeeeg" I just love the way he sings that. And the song is just funny. Fantastic imagery.


3. The Song of the 50 States - I love the self referential quality of this and the melody. If one was to make an argument that any of the songs on this album were just TMBG without Flans on guitar, this would be the shoe in since it's got the entire band of Dans playing on it. It is literally TMBG without Flans. Best line? This one: "The time has come for us to sing about a certain place, where everything is in the control of men who are controlling my mind." Also, I am submitting this to my list of songs that Dan Miller is uncredited for singing back-up on (this is one of my pet projects that will probably turn up in one of these posts in the near future).


2. South Carolina - Everything about the song is excellent. The melody, the lyrics, just everything. Perfect. I can not praise this song enough. It makes me happy.


1. West Virginia - This and South Carolina are neck and neck but this is sneaking ahead for sentimental reasons due to how much I love it's live performance. Linnell throws himself all in when he sings this. While I may have been a decade too late for all of Linnell's solo performances, I was there the first time TMBG covered this. Afterward, I read a comment someone made jokingly, that you could hear the Linnell-girls in the audience thudding to the floor as he began the last chorus. The only thing missing from the recording to make it perfect is the absurdly high falsetto Flans lays in of the chorus when the band does it. Priceless.




"Keeping my awake, late at night, can't get them out of my mind"

2010 In Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Think I've Heard This One Before

They Might Be Giants have covered a lot of songs by other folks over the years. In-show features like Stump the Band and Spin the Dial contributed some memorable covers, many of which were documented in some form for us later generation fans to enjoy. And still more remakes have made it all the way to official recordings, including some pretty popular tracks for the band.

In today's Audience Participation you get to talk about your favorite TMBG covers (the band covering other bands, not other bands covering them - that's a whole other ball game). They can be live tracks or recorded tracks or whatever you want, as long as the tune wasn't written by TMBG.

I pulled up the TMBG Remakes page on the wiki to assist me in my selection process, to make sure I didn't forget about anything, and I think I found as many songs I would really have loved to have heard the band cover as songs I actually have heard (and if anyone can provide me with a recording of the band doing Baba O'Reilly I will be eternally grateful as the concept of my favorite band doing my favorite Who song kind of blows my mind).

But anyway, here is what I came up with.


Zilch - This is probably the only cover that isn't one of the usual suspects (Istanbul, NYC, WDTSS, Shooting Star, etc) that I have heard live A LOT. Actually, come to think of it, I was there the first time they did it. And it never fails to crack me up. The expression on Dan's face as he says "Never mind the furthermore, the plea is self defense" is priceless. When they execute this well it sounds like a speeding train at the end and when it bombs it sounds like a train wreck. I love it either way.

To All The Girls I've Loved Before - I have a recording of this but I've also seen it performed live once. By puppets. And it is that performance that earns it a place on this list. Because watching Linnell trying to play the keyboard with one hand and operate a sock puppet with the other and sing is an experience that deserves to be on any "best of" list.

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - This is in one of my live show recordings in a Spin the Dial segment. Spin the Dial songs typically feature Flans on the vocals but on this one, Linnell enthusiastically joins him on the "Baby, baby" portion of the song with superb results. A+ boys.

Jessica - And we are back to the instrumentals again. One of my favorite things about the old Stump the Band recordings is hearing all the songs played on the accordion. This song benefits from that same thing. And I just like the melody.

Frankenstein - Rock! I've heard bits of this live as a puppet intro but I also have a whole batch of recordings of it and they all rock. Especially the ones with horns.

We've Got A World That Swings - I really like the lyrics to this song and Linnell's vocal performance is lovely. Plus, toy piano!

New York City - I actually really love the lyrics. "Now I walk through blizzards just to get us back together." At least among songs that I can immediately think of, this is the only out and out love song the band plays. But if I were to apply it to my own life, it wouldn't really be about a boy/girl relationship but rather about my relationship with the band. The majority of my trips to NYC in the last five years have been to see TMBG. "The best thing about New York City is you and me."

Savoy Truffle - We do not need to have a discussion about how good Linnell's voice sounds on this song do we? Didn't think so. Thus I don't need to explain why it's on the top of my list? Right. Good. Excellent. Thank you.

There. I don't know why there are eight songs on my list. I guess five was too few and ten too many. I look forward to seeing others selections.

This Song Is An Instrumental And Has No Lyrics

I had meant to do an Audience Participation on They Might Be Giants instrumentals ages ago and then I completely forgot. But since someone so kindly reminded me, here it is.

TMBW has 129 songs labeled as instrumentals. A quick pass through my iTunes turned up 30 and that wasn't counting any Mono Puff, House of Mayors, State Songs, live only tracks or any of the songs from Partly Cloudy Patriot, which all seem to make up a majority of the remainder of the 129 (and which, for the most part, are all also in my iTunes, I just skipped them). I also skipped a few things that were technically on the list because I considered them to have just a little bit too much vocal presence to be an instrumental. It seems to be a lot of theme songs and incidental music from Malcolm in the Middle that I am missing, for the most part.

So here follows my list of favorite instrumentals, which I declare to be accurate, as far as I know, because I have not actually heard all 129 songs, merely most of them.


Be Kind and Gentle - A short but rich little track from the McSweeney's album, also know as Budnitz #1 from Unlimited. It features lovely guitar instrumentation, an interesting keyboard part and a simple bass line to carry it from one end to the other. And it's got a nifty little ending.

Severe Tire Damage Theme - Horns! Yay, horns! It's so peppy. I wonder if I put this on my alarm clock if it would energize me when I wake up in the mornings?

Drinkin' - Wonderful sax and guitar parts. This has a very retro feel to it. And I enjoy songs with beats of silence for some reason.

Theme from McSweeney's - There is so much going on in this song. I really like the quote about it on the wiki about Linnell switching on to something with this song. That is so accurate. I would have loved to have seen the rest of the guys faces when he presented this to them. Hello. Wake up. Get your fingers movin'.

Too Cool Girls - This makes me want to swing dance. And I don't even know how to swing dance. Horns. Happy, happy horns. Snappy drums. And don't even get me started on the bass part. My only complaint about this song is that it is too short. I could listen to this all day!

All right, there is my two cents. Anybody else want to take a stab?

These Might Be Side Projects

I guess this would more properly be titled, Side Projects and Previous Gigs. In today's edition of Audience Participation, I am compiling a brief list of my favorite tracks from the various side projects and previous gigs the various members of They Might Be Giants have been involved in over the years. The catch is, I'm not just gonna list my very favorite tracks in general because then, the list would either be really long or completely dominated by State Songs. (I think I'll have to devote one of these to State Songs at some point.) Instead I'm just gonna pick five favorites, one each from five different projects.

For Audience Participation purposes you can include anything any member of the band (I'll even take past or present) has been involved in. And you can totally pick all of your tracks from one project if you want to. I just wanted a little variety in my list. Basically, anything goes. Do what you want. Oh wait, that's a different band. (Sorry, obscure joke.)

5. Processional #3 - This is my very favorite part of House of Mayors. It kicks some serious ass. It kind of reminds me of what I like about the Dropkick Murphys but without all the parts that I don't like (primarily the vocals). Rock accordion! My second choice off this album would be the title track. It reminds me of The Hall of Presidents at Disney World, as it is supposed to I believe.

4. More Than a Feeling - No, none of the members of the band were in Boston, but Marty was in a band called Meow with David Driver and they recorded this cover of More Than a Feeling that I kind of adore. Their version is a bit less synthesized than the original and the vocals are a little...harder I guess would be the word for it, but David can sure hit the necessary high notes. I'm not really sure why it appeals to me so much but it does. My second choice would be an original called Walk Me Home.

3. Backstabbing Liar - There are actually a lot of the Mono Puff songs that I enjoy but I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite. I have to admit though, a lot of Mono Puff just sounds like Flans' TMBG tracks to me. Regardless, this is a great song. Second choice: Don't Break the Heart.

2. Sucker - I was far too late to the party to ever experience Lincoln when they were together but fortunately for me their album lives on for me to enjoy. And enjoy it I do. Oddly, this tends to be the album I turn to when I am in a really bad mood. It helps. There is actually only one track on the album I don't care for, but among the others this is the one I love best. It's a close call but I think my second choice would be Unhappy.

1. South Carolina - It's a rock song about a bike crash. A really good rock song about a bike crash. This is kind of proof of my theory that John Linnell can write a great song about absolutely any subject if he puts his mind to it. I really will have to do a whole entry devoted to State Songs at some point but for now my second choice is West Virginia.


Your picks? Anybody?


P.S. I could really use some suggestions for future topics for Audience Participation, if anyone has any ideas. My brain has been running a little dry of late which is why these things keep being so late.

They Might Be Giants? Never Heard Of Them

It happens all the time. I'll be talking to some one and mention something about this band I follow. "Oh, what band?" they say. I answer, "They Might Be Giants." And nine times out of ten the person has never heard of them. Then I am faced with my inevitable dilemma. What TMBG song do I mention that this person might have heard but doesn't know is TMBG?

This is part one of Audience Participation. What do you use as your reference song for people who haven't heard of the band? Do you always use the same one? Do you tailor it to the person?

For my part, I usually start with Boss of Me. I figure even if somebody has never consciously heard TMBG, there is a pretty good chance they watched Malcolm in the Middle. Actually, and this had honestly never occurred to me until just now, I guess Boss of Me was almost (excepting Istanbul) the first TMBG song I heard, as I was certainly watching Malcolm in the Middle in college, several years before I met my boyfriend and began being introduced to the band.

If that doesn't ring any bells, I usually try Istanbul next. I guess I steer towards the songs I "knew" before I knew the band figuring if I knew them, then other people must too. If that still doesn't work, I'll typically try the Dunkin Donuts ads, or if I know the person has kids in the family, even Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Occasionally, I'll throw Birdhouse in their too, but I guess I generally figure if they don't know Istanbul, they wont know Birdhouse either. And if I haven't gotten them by that point, I tend to give up and accept that they have just not heard the band.

Now, part two of this Audience Participation. A friend expresses interest in hearing some of the band's music. They are either only familiar with one or two songs or have never heard them at all. What album (or collection) do you play them first?

I am often tempted to play a collection first, either homemade or the User's Guide or Dial A Song. But that, at least in my mind, always seems to reduce the band to their greatest hits which, especially in the case of TMBG, are not terribly representative of their entire body of work. There is just too much variety in the catalog. So instead, I always go with Flood. That may seem like the "easy" choice, but I have legitimate reasons for choosing it. First, if the listener has heard anything by the band before, it was probably Istanbul or Birdhouse and their presence on the album can help develop a pre-existing comfort level with the album. Second, it is TMBG's most popular album for a reason. It is really, really good. Over one million album purchasers agree. Third, it is a great showing of the range of They Might Be Giants songs. There is a little bit of everything on that album. Some great songs. Some weird songs. Fast songs. Slow songs. Songs with whips. There is really something for everybody. And lastly, whether the person likes the album is a great gage for whether they should delve further into the band. Because, while it is entirely possible to enjoy Flood, and then not enjoy much of the rest of the band's music, it is pretty unlikely that someone who dislikes Flood is suddenly going to like an entire different album. A song maybe, but probably not the whole album.

Agree? Disagree? What's your approach? And have you successfully developed any TMBG converts? I have one: my friend Marie. Though I suspect she enjoys the kids music better than the grown-up stuff which is handy since she is about to have a baby and I shall be converting him into a tiny TMBG rock fan at the first available opportunity.

P.S. Doesn't it feel good when you tell someone that your favorite band is They Might Be Giants and the person has actually heard of them? It happens so rarely for me, but is so very appreciated.

Hypothetical Live Album

They Might Be Giants are wonderful about indulging my love of the live concert experience, not just with their frequent and "reasonably" accessible touring schedule but also with the vast quantity of live shows they have made available for download (though I must admit I have not gotten to take advantage of those as much as I would like and now find that many of the ones I was interested in are no longer available. I frequently seem to be a little late to the party with these guys). They haven't, however, released a true live album since Severe Tire Damage.

So, your assignment for today's Audience Participation: what songs from the band's live show repertoire do you think should be included on a hypothetical future live album? What songs particularly shine in the live show setting or have something unique in their live performance?

Here are my suggestions:


The Guitar (with horns): This song is amazing live. You can't not dance and hop up and down while listening to this song at a show. The solos and the improv and the crackling energy this song creates are not to be missed.

Alphabet of Nations: The live version is practically a different song, what with the bridge and all and it very much needs to exist in an official recording as such.

Fingertips: This is going in so I can eternally enjoy Dan's guitar solo at the end and Megan can have Flans' ad-libbing during Heart Attack (which he will of course do in my hypothetical recording).

Withered Hope: I need this for the kick-ass bass part and the horn attack. But someone had better make sure the keyboard is turned up enough for me to hear my favorite riff without it being drowned out.

Seven: I love the adorable children on the recording but there NEEDS to be a recording of Dan saying "It's the green house at the end of the block."

Spy: Please, let Stan Harrison loose on that sax solo and then go nuts at the end. That it all.

West Virginia: I really think the TMBG version of this needs to be released into circulation. It's like the original x10.

Damn Good Times: This will give both Dan and Marty a chance to rock out.

Road Movie To Berlin: Odd choice, I know, but this is always one of my favorite parts of a Flood show. It's all quite and pretty, then the band explodes in with a surprise attack, only to retreat again into the background.

Why Does the Sun Shine? (Pirate Version): Not that this song needs another official recording, but this can't be helped. Let Linnell do any one of his ridiculous voices or just sing like a pirate with Flans, as long as the recorder is on, I'm happy.

Istanbul: Yes, we've all heard it a bazillion, million times, but I still think the current live version takes it to a whole other level. Let Dan go all Miller Time on the beginning and the horns take over the end. And if we could get Flans to scream "they say we have to go but we don't want to go" at the end too, it would make a perfect closer for my hypothetical album.


That's what I'm going with for now. I can think of a half dozen more that I'd include but I want to see what other people's ideas are. It has occurred to me before, to put together a sort of ultimate live show CD with live versions of my Dream Setlist culled from the various downloadable shows but I don't think I actually have shows with all the songs I would want to include. It's the problem of not having any shows post-'07 except for a couple of poor audio quality bootlegs. Maybe someday.

Have fun everyone!

First Things First

I was all set to write an entry on a completely different topic and I had even started writing it when I realized it wasn't going to work. I was going to do an entry called "This song always reminds me of..." about memories we associate with specific songs but I realized that, while I was looking forward to reading other people's entries, I had none to share myself. All of my memories associated with specific songs are of things directly related to the band: the first time I saw it live, some funny piece of banter associated with it, an interview quote about it, some bit of Gigantic, etc. And those don't seem like they would be very unique memories to share. I attribute this to the fact that, with very little exception, I only ever listen to music in my car, so the only associations I have are of driving. I actually do associate specific sections of road with certain songs because they would always play at the same point in my commute. And a list of intersections in Massachusetts roadways permanently linked to They Might Be Giants songs in my head does not seem like a worthy Audience Participation entry.

I also realized, since I've decided to go forward with the Song of the Day idea, that all of your "this song always reminds me of.." comments can be saved for when those songs come up in the cycle, so the idea wont be totally abandoned.

This does, of course, leave me needing to pick a new topic for the, now terribly delayed, Audience Participation. I've decided to go with TMBG Firsts. I thought this might be kind of a fun "getting to know you" exercise since I have so many newer readers. And while it may re-tread some previously covered ground, hopefully I'll think of some stuff I've never mentioned before. I'm just going to list a whole bunch of my own personal "firsts" related to the band, with some explanations where appropriate. You can use as many of my prompts as you like or make up your own unique ones.

First song I ever heard: If we are talking "heard and knew it was TMBG," On The Drag. It was the 2nd song on a mix CD I borrowed from my boyfriend, probably two years before we were dating. In terms of "heard and later realized it was TMBG," I'm pretty sure I heard Istanbul in middle school.

First album I listened to in it's entirety: Factory Showroom, though again, I had no idea it was TMBG. I was painting what was to be my bedroom, in the most ill advised housing decision of my life, with a friend from college. She had become enamored with James K. Polk at a TMBG concert a bunch of my friends had attended in Boston a few years earlier and had bought Factory Showroom just for that song. I know the album was among those we listened to while painting because I remember her talking about the Polk song. I honestly couldn't tell you which was the first album I heard and knew it was TMBG.

First song I loved: Doctor Worm. They played it at my first show. I've loved it ever since. To this day, it is one of my favorites.

First show I attended: February 21, 2005 at the Borders in Braintree, MA. It was an in-store promoting Here Come the ABCs. I was completely unfamiliar with the band (except for On the Drag and She Was a Hotel Detective, the 2 songs on the previously mentioned mix CD). I went with my boyfriend and his girlfriend at the time. I only remember four of the songs they played and the full setlist has never been entered into the wiki. But it was fun.

First thing I ever said to John Flansburgh: "Can I have some stickers?" Very eloquent. But I still have those stickers somewhere.

First album I ever bought: Miscellaneous T. Odd, I know.

First picture I ever took of the band: (This is assuming the undetermined blob in the photo prior to this one is not actually a person. I can't quite tell, but I don't think it is.)

First song I really identified with: Damn Good Times. I can not fully explain this but, the first time I heard this on the album I knew I had heard it before. I've never figured out where. Probably just in the background in my boyfriend's car or apartment or someplace. But from that moment and despite the fact that, I am by no means a "natural dancer," I have always felt this song was describing me somehow.

First TMBG T-shirt I bought: The Flood shirt. I was at a Flood show. It seemed fitting.

First member of the band I met: Not counting Flans and the exchange with the stickers (which I don't since I couldn't even tell the Johns apart at the time), it was Marty. I got him to sign our setlist after a show last fall.

First internet friend I made because of the band: A guy named Armando. He sent me a message because he liked a slogan I had submitted to a contest the band was having on MySpace. I haven't talked to him in forever, but he, unlike most of the rest of the world, is still on MySpace.

First real life friend I made because of the band: Stacy! We met in the parking garage going to Linnell's 50th birthday show in Portland, ME. She's awesome :-)

First TMBG inspired tattoo: The bird from the Nine Bowls of Soup video. He rides around on my shoulder begging for soup.

First show I wore the pigtails to: I think it was the Northampton show on 10/24/08. I'm not positive. I know it was a weekend we went to two shows so it was either that one or the Lupo's show in January. Either way, I haven't not worn them since. They are tradition. And if you don't know what I am talking about, go back and look at the picture of me in the post on the Boston concert in April.

Songs for which I was present for the first live performance: I'm Impressed, Take Out the Trash, Upside Down Frown, The Shadow Government, Countrecoup, Withered Hope, The Mesopotamians, Why Does the Sun Really Shine?, I Am A Paleontologist, Science is Real, Canajoharie, Duende, Nonagon and How Many Planets?


Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. If I come up with others I'll add them in the comments. Sorry about the extremely late post. I hope it's still fun, even if it wasn't what I originally intended. I'll start Song of the Day tomorrow.