Errors-To: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Reply-To: tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Sender: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Precedence: bulk From: owner-tmbg-digest@tmbg.org To: tmbg-digest@tmbg.org Subject: tmbg-list Digest #46-16 tmbg-list Digest, Volume 46, Number 16 Wednesday, 17 October 2001 Today's Topics: TMBG: tmbg-list FAQ TMBG: Mink Car artwork Re: TMBG: Mink Car artwork Re: TMBG: Mink Car artwork TMBG: Re: Free TMBG MP3 Of The Week at EMusic! TMBG: re: Man, It's So Loud In Here TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Administrivia: If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing send mail to tmbg-digest-request@tmbg.org for instructions on how to be automatically removed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. --------------------------------------------------------------------- tmbg-list is digested with Digest 3.5b (John Relph ). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 03:15:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Majordomo Message-Id: <200110160715.f9G7F0Y19426@ussenterprise.ufp.org> Subject: TMBG: tmbg-list FAQ *** ADMINISTRIVIA *** This notice is posted twice a month to tmbg-list and tmbg-digest, as well as sent to all new users. Please read it if you have questions about the list. The TMBG mailing list is administered by Leo Bicknell . It provides a forum for discussing They Might Be Giants and Their music. 1) Unsubscribing from the list It is easy to unsubscribe from this mailing list. If you are subscribed to the regular, or "bounce" list, send the command unsubscribe tmbg-list e-mail@address in the body of a message to . To unsubscribe from the tmbg-digest digested version of the list, send the command unsubscribe tmbg-digest e-mail@address in the body of a message to . "e-mail@address" stands for the email address that is subscribed to the list. If you are sending the command from the email account that is subscribed, this part of the command is optional. If you have problems, send mail to . 2) Subscribing to the list Follow the instructions above for unsubscribing but send the word 'subscribe' rather than unsubscribe. :-) Keep in mind that tmbg-list will send you a copy of each message as it's written, which may be a lot. tmbg-digest will send you all the messages written in a day in the middle of the night. See http://www.tmbg.org/mail-news/ for more information. 3) Sending messages to the list To send a message to the list just mail it to tmbg-list@tmbg.org and it will get sent out to everyone. Please don't mail any chain letters, make money fast schemes, "me too" messages, or anything else that doesn't contribute to the discussion about TMBG. IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT When you send a message to the list you are sending messages to hundreds of people. Make sure that your message is one that hundreds of people need to read. Do not send "me too" messages to the list. Do not send messages about non-tmbg topics to the list. Hold private conversations in private e-mail. Sending messages that the list administrator deems off topic will result in your being removed from the list. 4) The TMBG FAQ The They Might Be Giants Frequently Asked Questions list is a compilation of the most requested information about the Johns. It is maintained by John Relph . To get the latest copy of the FAQ, you can do any of the following things. First, it is available on the World Wide Web at: http://reality.sgi.com/relph/music/TMBG-FAQ.html and, for a plaintext version: http://reality.sgi.com/relph/music/TMBG-FAQ Second, it is posted regularly on the newsgroup alt.music.tmbg. Third, if you can't get to one of those places, you can mail me and I'll send you a copy. 5) The websites The unofficial web site, http://www.tmbg.org/ has all sorts of good TMBG information including information on this mailing list (http://www.tmbg.org/mail-news/) as well as pointers to where you can read the list via news. You'll also find lyrics, chords, and interpretations for many of the songs. Also try out the Official TMBG Website at: http://www.tmbg.com/ As always, thank you for your mind. *** ADMINISTRIVIA *** ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20011017002505.007fb440@student.anu.edu.au> Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 00:25:05 +1000 From: Ryan Mooney Subject: TMBG: Mink Car artwork We all know the meaning of the 718, the 387 and the 6962 on the front cover of Mink Car... but does anyone have any ideas about the 08 and the 8.5 on the back cover? It's driving me mad. ------------------------------ From: "Erich Cannon" Subject: Re: TMBG: Mink Car artwork Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 12:05:16 -0700 Message-ID: Yeah that was discussed on the newsgroup a while back. the 718-387-6962 is the number for Dial-A-Song. And the theory is 8 and 8.5 mean it's considered the eighth album or 8.5 if you count Severe Tire Damage as a .5 of an album. Erich ----- Original Message ----- From: Ryan Mooney To: Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 7:25 AM Subject: TMBG: Mink Car artwork > We all know the meaning of the 718, the 387 and the 6962 on the front cover > of Mink Car... but does anyone have any ideas about the 08 and the 8.5 on > the back cover? > > It's driving me mad. > > ------------------------------ Message-ID: <017901c15677$0ba25710$3a1410ac@avesta.com> From: "Bryce" Subject: Re: TMBG: Mink Car artwork Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 15:16:22 -0400 Ryan Mooney : > We all know the meaning of the 718, the 387 and the 6962 > on the front cover of Mink Car... but does anyone have any > ideas about the 08 and the 8.5 on the back cover? > > It's driving me mad. I think 08 stands for August, which Flansburgh had originally announced as the month in which the album would be released. And of course 8.5 is the average reliability, in percentage points, of Flansburgh's announcements. If not, the 08 could be a counter, counting down the number of times they have yet to release Older in order to fulfill their contractual obligation. Then 8.5 would be the score that the olympic judges gave the version that's on Mink Car. Bryce We're number 8. ------------------------------ From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" Subject: TMBG: Re: Free TMBG MP3 Of The Week at EMusic! Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 20:36:10 +0000 Message-ID: From the latest eMusic newsletter: >October TMBG Unlimited is on-line and rockin' with "Battle of The Bands!" >With nine full length new songs and one little soundbite, TMBG are the >undisputed "Kings of Content" with EMusic's Unlimited offerings. Check out >the four new additions to the Giants' misguided "Battle of the Bands" >project >where we write songs for bands we only imagine exist. Includes "Blind," >"Cut >the Strings," "Something You'd Like To See," and "Kids Are Different Now." Nine full length new songs? Most of the songs there are pretty old by now, and they're also, for the most part, quite short. Granted, most of the stuff there hasn't been officially released before, but, if they're trying to pass "O Tannenbaum" off as a new song, that's total crap. Also, "Kids Are Different Now" was an eMusic freebie last year, so that really can't be considered a previously unreleased song, either. -- May the light shine upon thee, Nathan DinnerBell@tmbg.org http://www.geocities.com/fablesto/ _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Message-ID: <3BCCC671.F2E90E5E@alltel.net> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 18:44:49 -0500 From: Tara Weber Subject: TMBG: re: Man, It's So Loud In Here > From: "jon jenkins" > Subject: TMBG: Man, It's So Loud In Here > Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 10:57:32 -0400 > Message-ID: > > No one has mentioned which version of so loud in here they have been playing > at shows lately. I would hope it's the album version, but have a feeling > they're wussing out and playing the old rockin version. What have those of > you giong to the shows been hearing; old or new? > Last week in Lincoln they did the new version--complete with strobe light and disco ball. oh yeah, and Linnell messed up the beginning of I Palindrome I. He missed his cue and they had to start over. :) --Tara The guy working the counter at my favorite local coffee shop saw me wearing my TMBG shirt the other day and told me Flans was there the day of the show. He said, "He was right over there using the computer and we all had to pretend we didn't know who he was." ------------------------------ Message-ID: <3BCCCB68.666B0735@alltel.net> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 19:06:01 -0500 From: Tara Weber Subject: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Found this on a tip from my friend in Iowa City...is it just me, or does this guy sound like he's actually a closet fan? He slams TMBG, but he knows way too much to be a non-fan. First I thought maybe he just did his research for the sake of journalistic integrity, but I dunno. He sounds so painfully conflicted, don't you think? aww, it's ok, Dave. Come on out of the closet. :) > They might be lameness > By Dave Strackany > The Daily Iowan > They Might Be Giants has always been lame. > Though it's nearly impossible not to sing along to such > classics as "Don't Let Start" from the group's 1986 self-titled debut, or > "Particle Man" from its gold record Flood, the same Metallica devotees > that beat up They Might Be Giants visionaries John Linnell and John > Flansburgh in high school are beating up their fashionably challenged fans > every day. > However, things are changing for Flansburgh and Linnell and > their followers. Ever since alternative guru Billy Corgan of the Smashing > Pumpkins claimed that he was a genuine dork, nerdiness seems to be in > vogue. Moxy Fruvous and presidents of the United States have both used > They Might Be Giants' dork aesthetic to lift themselves to celebrity > status. From all sides, the lame trademarks that They Might Be Giants > pioneered are being borrowed by cool people. Indie-rockers such as Neutral > Milk Hotel are picking up the accordion, and post-punk rockers Weezer and > Promise Ring are influencing millions of college scenesters, whether they > have poor eyesight or not, to don thick black-rimmed glasses. With spotted > incidents of Dave Matthews Band fans cycling between a wardrobe of > Abercrombie sweaters and Apollo 18 T-shirts, Flansburgh and Linnell simply > had no choice but to reinvent the very nature of what it means to be > nerdy. > Having long abandoned their MIDI sequencers and classic > Casio keys, the duo and their newly acquired band of Dans have been slowly > metamorphosing into something far lamer than even their contemporaries, > Devo, could have ever imagined. They Might Be Giants is becoming > radio-friendly. Its contribution to the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged > Me soundtrack and the penning of the now-famous theme song to Fox's hit > sitcom Malcolm In The Middle were only the beginning. They Might Be > Giants' new album, Mink Car (a play on the Cure's 1996 single, "Mint > Car"?), may be its worst album yet. "Cyclops Rock" may as well be a cover > of a Supergrass song, and "Another First Kiss" sounds horrifyingly close > to a David Grey tune, generic drum beats and all. > Yes, it appears > Linnell and Flansburgh have been chillin' with Sugar Ray and > Smashmouth just a little too much of late, the only respite coming from a > reworking of Long Tall Weekend's "Older," a marvelously depressing ditty > about mortality. But for Tiny Toons fans who've measured their entire > existence by the quirky releases of this slightly avant-garde duo, Mink > Car is, on the whole, a disaster E or maybe that is just what the guys > want you to think. > Perhaps for those of us that failed to ace our SATs and > could never quite make it past "sheriff" in the spelling bee, it may seem > as if They Might Be Giants has sold out its lovable lameness for a new > pair of Jordans. However, perhaps on some deep and intellectual level that > none of us can fathom, Linnell and Flansburgh are testing the hypothesis > that to be cool like all those MTV pop-star icons is really just a whole > new territory of uncharted and vastly lamer territory. If this is the > case, however unlikely, then Mink Car is a masterpiece; otherwise, it is > just an experiment gone horribly awry. > Either way, Linnell, Flansburgh, and their band of Dans has > a chance to prove themselves in front of their fans tonight at the IMU > Main Lounge at 7:30. They have three phenomenal albums, several fair to > good releases (not including Mink Car), and a reputation as quite a unique > and entertaining live act. ------------------------------ From: MsTanbul@aol.com Message-ID: <111.6e7c87a.28fe25ca@aol.com> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 20:07:38 EDT Subject: Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander In a message dated 10/16/01 8:04:13 PM, taraweber@alltel.net writes: << the same Metallica devotees > that beat up They Might Be Giants visionaries John Linnell and John > Flansburgh in high school are beating up their fashionably challenged fans > every day >> All I wanted to say is that I have a good friend who's 2 favorite bands in college were Metallica and They Might Be Giants. Closet fan.. I dunno. people tend to find out lots of information about things they don't like. ------------------------------ From: "Shannon Schipper" Subject: Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 19:33:40 -0500 Message-ID: In a message dated 10/16/01 8:04:13 PM, taraweber@alltel.net writes: << the same Metallica devotees >that beat up They Might Be Giants visionaries John Linnell and John >Flansburgh in high school are beating up their fashionably challenged >fans every day >> >>All I wanted to say is that I have a good friend who's 2 favorite >>bands >>in college were Metallica and They Might Be Giants. I think that's funny. I took my best friend randy to the show in sauget over the weekend. he's a HUGE metallica fan. not to mention Ozzy and Alice Cooper and the like. The boy had a BLAST at the show. Watching a huge scary guy in a metallica shirt grinning and dancing to the Johns is an awesome sight! shannon This next song sort of dwells on a universal theme; its about falling in love, falling out of love, then finding that person and killing them. -John Flansburgh, of the song I'll Sink Manahattan _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20011016212033.007bc4d0@fisticuffs.org> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 21:20:33 -0400 From: Meg Subject: Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander At 07:06 PM 10/16/01 -0500, Tara Weber wrote: >Found this on a tip from my friend in Iowa City...is it just me, or does >this guy sound like he's actually a closet fan? No. He sounds like he's read the press kit. There's nothing really obscure in the article. Do note the delicate name dropping- Neutral Milk Hotel & The Promise Ring? This guy is INDIER THAN U!!!!!!!! Meg -- "If I die because people are stupid, don't give me a twenty-one-gun salute." (Cheryl Wagner) + http://fisticuffs.org + ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20011016223548.00801450@fisticuffs.org> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 22:35:48 -0400 From: mandyshekleton Subject: Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander At 09:20 PM 10/16/01 -0400, Meg wrote: >Do note the delicate name dropping- Neutral Milk Hotel & The Promise Ring? >This guy is INDIER THAN U!!!!!!!! And he mentions the blatant TMBG reference inherent in NMH even *thinking* about accordions...and do you know who plays/played the accordion in Neutral Milk Hotel? That's right, Julian Koster, who also played the singing saw on "James K. Polk". OBVIOUSLY, Mr. Koster (if that's his REAL name), while infiltrating the ranks of Them, discovered the secret of ALL GOOD MUSIC EVERYWHERE - that it MUST involve accordions! With his newfound knowledge, he scampered back to Athens where he would proceed to use said accordion knowledge for the benefit of outsiders. TMBG should sue his ass for stealing their signature sound and using it on songs about semen and kiddie porn and Nazis!!1! -mandy (and now you know.) -- http://heck.fisticuffs.org/ "oh, sunday, screw you and your yawning parks up yours and your quiet walks." (mk ultra) ------------------------------ From: "jon jenkins" Subject: Re: TMBG: an intriguing bit o' slander Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 23:11:28 -0400 Message-ID: < << "Cyclops Rock" may as well be a cover of a Supergrass song, and "Another First Kiss" sounds horrifyingly close to a David Grey tune, generic drum beats and all. Yes, it appears Linnell and Flansburgh have been chillin' with Sugar Ray and Smashmouth just a little too much of late, the only respite coming from a reworking of Long Tall Weekend's "Older," a marvelously depressing ditty about mortality>> > >> Hmmm...I dont' usually like to make posts in which I argue w/people, but what the heck is this writer talking about? Comparing supergrass to tmbg? He's obviously never HEARD supergrass. And another first kiss sounding like david grey...wow...not at all pal. i think the silliest thing this guy is claiming is that TMBG is attempting to go mainstream with this record. hardly...mink car is probably tmbg's most experimental, f'd up, "even farther" out there record yet. If he thinks Older is the only "strange" song on this CD, maybe he only listened to half the album. later on folks, jon "we are penn state" jenkins _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ End of tmbg-list Digest #46-16 ******************************