Few bands survive after 20-plus years of existence. Among those that belong to this elite club, it’s even more difficult to find modesty mixed in with rockin’ riffs that have lead to zealous fans ranging in age from 5 to 35. But They Might Be Giants fits exactly into this category, and luckily for Eugeneans, the band will be performing at the University’s Agate Hall on Saturday.
John Linnell and John Flansburgh formed They Might Be Giants in high school, when dreams of becoming rock stars seemed as real as being the first man on Mars.
“I couldn’t play the guitar and sing at the same time when we started this band, so it’s hard to have the dreams of greater glory starting from such humble beginnings,” Flansburgh said.
Arguably one of the most original bands in the world, TMBG has produced hits such as “Don’t Let’s Start,” “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Doctor Worm,” and “Ana Ng.” But these college-chart hits weren’t the sole provider of success for TMBG. “Particle Man” and their cover of “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” were featured on the television show “Tiny Toon Adventures,” which introduced TMBG to a whole new generation of children in the early ’90s. The dreams of greater glory were coming true, even if it was completely unexpected.
Although TMBG was clearly established as an adult act in the late ’80s and ’90s, more success came to the band in 2002 when it released a children’s album titled “No!” Releasing a children’s album wasn’t a high aspiration for TMBG and although the two Johns didn’treally have any specific hopes for “No!,” it went on to become one of their most popular albums.
“(‘No!’) seemed like a very easy side project. We weren’t at the risk of being redefined as a kids’ act. We were so established as an adult act, we knew we weren’t going to really confuse people,” Flansburgh said. “The record we put out turned out to be wildly successful and that surprised everybody. We just didn’t have the commercial aspirations for the album at all, but it really struck a chord with parents and kids. It’s really been an entirely new audience.”
But this new audience hasn’t been left in the dark. In 2003, TMBG released a bedtime picture book titled “Bed, Bed, Bed,” which was released with an accompanying CD. “Bed, Bed, Bed” contains four original songs, which were illustrated by Canadian artist Marcel Dzama for the book. Earlier this year, TMBG also released a DVD/CD titled “Here Come the ABCs,” which has also found success with this new audience.
But TMBG never stopped dipping into other creative outlets. In 2002, TMBG won its first and only Grammy award for “Boss of Me,” the theme song for Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle.” This success was another surprise for TMBG.
“Like a lot of things we’ve done in our careers, we didn’t really have any preconceived notion of how successful the show would be,” Flansburgh explained. “And the show just took off. They had finished about four shows when the first episode went on the air and it was instantly Fox’s number one show and that just added this whole level of pressure for everybody.”
But while “Boss of Me” might be TMBG’s most well-known theme song, the band has also lent its musical brilliance to such shows as “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Disney shows and The Travel Channel’s “Amazing Vacation Homes.”
Although these creative projects have produced much success for TMBG, Flansburgh still sees himself as a guy just doing what he loves, regardless of whether people like it. Fortunately for him, people seem to like it.
“We don’t really project much into what people think about us or what people know of us. – We don’t spend a lot of time and energy into trying to figure out how we connect with the world. We’re really involved with this inward-looking, creative project and we welcome the world to check it out,” he said. “We really respect individuals and individuality and we just want to be an original band. In some ways, we’re more private than people realize. Our goals are personal and our interests are personal. Being a performer and being famous really doesn’t motivate us. I think there’s a general notion that if you’re in a rock band, you’re on an ego sled to the moon.”
But for TMBG, egos aren’t getting in the way of doing what the band loves to do: rocking out and enjoying every minute of it.
“We’ve been doing this for almost 25 years now, and it’s a very common question that people ask, ‘How come you’ve kept on doing it?’ And it’s never been hard,” Flansburgh said. “It’s always been a very interesting, satisfying, challenging project. I think we’ve done a good job in designing our dream project at the beginning and keeping up with it has really been a pleasure.”
The pleasure is continuing as TMBG gears up for yet another album to put under its already large belt. TMBG has also recently released a DVD/CD combo titled “Venue Songs,” which Flansburgh described as an “unusual project … unlike anything else.” “Venue Songs,” which contains original songs written for every venue that the band played in during a certain period of time, is only available at concerts or by visiting www.tmbg.com.
“We’re working on the difficult 12th album but we’re really just in the thick of the whole writing process right now. It’s in the pre-production. For me and John, it’s the big scary part. But definitely, we’re making a new album that will be out sometime very soon,” Flansburgh said. “And this venue thing that just came out with a DVD and a CD – it’s like a two disk set – it’s a real special item. It’s kind of our holiday gift for the front row.”
Tickets can be purchased for $20 from www.ticketswest.com. The show begins at 8 p.m. in Agate Hall, located on East 18th Avenue and Agate Street. And although
Flansburgh can’t remember whether TMBG has been in Eugene before, he is definitely excited to rock out at this Saturday’s concert.
“I really look forward to this show; it’s going to be a gas,” Flansburgh said. “Bring your crash helmet and we’ll see you there.”
