Hey, this group is ecclectic enough that there ought to be at least a FEW other They Might Be Giants fans… Let me know. Do you love Them? Do you hate Them?
Actually, I have a theory that it’s impossible to hate TMBG… I’ve never met anyone who did, and anyone who says they don’t like them hasn’t heard more than a song or two… Even people who listen to nothing but Gangsta Rap or Deicide ALWAYS find at least one TMBG song that just makes them so happy they become a fan. There’s something magical about Them.
I’ll never forget the time I was right in front of the stage at a TMBG concert and the guy next to me, a punk rocker with an Anarchy-sign-clad Leather jacket (it was friggin’ hot in there, too, so you KNOW he’s a true punk) was jumping and screaming “YEAH! YEAH! SPIRALING SHAPE! PLAY SPIRALING SHAPE!”
-Justin Farris J Goldstein Miguel Dorado
Friend, you have no idea what kind of TMBG fans we’ve got here. They scare me–and I’m one of them. Check out this thread for proof: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=30493
AFAIK, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like at least some of their songs a lot.
Well, kick ass! I just bought a new 12-=bass accordion, and next time They come through town (Dallas), I’m going to get Linnell to sign it, right next to where my other musical idol, “Weird Al” Yankovic, is going to sign it at the Oklahoma City show on August 25.
-Do you sing like Olive Oyl on purpose? You guys must be into the Eurythmics.
If you here about Them coming to Dallas, please post the date. I’d hate to miss it. Maybe we could get a whole Doper contingent going–I’m not sure how the rest of the Dallas Dopers feel about TBMG, but we could find out.
Well, Farris, now you’ve met your first.
I do not like TMBG.
Now, to be fair, this could be because the roommate that introduced them to me played them constantly for a six week period. (this was the same roommate that turned me off of Queen for a full year for much the same reason.)
After I spent two weeks with “Ana Ng” and “Constantinople” doing battle in my head I began to actively avoid both TMBG and the roommie. Haven’t looked back, sorry.
Well, there’s still hope for you… You don’t like them because of a dipshit roommate. There’s a Them song for you, I know it.
As for the Dallas Dopers getting together for a TMBG concert, I’m all for it, but I don’tthink they’ll be back soon, unless they tour for their new album coming out, entitled “No!” It’s a children’s songs album.
Speaking of which, how many Dallas dopers are there?
-Farris J Goldstein, the kilted Jew
Love 'em. You know, it’s interesting how it works. The first time you hear a song, you end up thinking “what the hell?” Then a day or so later, it will be running through your head, driving you nuts until you listen to it again. They make no sense, but they’re so damn catchy!
“There’s only two songs in me, and I just wrote the third!”
I’m a Dallas Doper and a huge TMBG fan. I haven’t heard anything about them coming to town anytime soon, but I’ll be there when they do.
im a TMBG fan too, but i dont live in dallas.
Did you go see them at the Gypsy Tea Room last fall? I was there, and it was quite possible THE happiest few hours in my life. AND their opening band was unbelievable. They were this “alternative” band called You Were Spiraling… I never did get into the whole “alternative” thing, but they had sort o an 80s retro feel to them, although they seemed pretty young. They covered that old Aha song “Take On Me”, and it was just too friggin’ awesome. I bought a couple of their CDs and it was a wise purchase. The keyboard player/lead singer had a really stylized voice and a very weird but amusing way of playing his keyboard. He held his fingers in really weird, jumpy positions.
A few weeks later I was watching a VH1 Meatloaf concert special and thought his keyboardist looked familiar, and when they showed a closeup of his hands I just KNEW it had to be him… Looked it up on You Were Spiraling’s website… Sure enough, Tom Brislin is Meatloaf’s touring keyboardist.
It’s a small word.
“Relaxing on my hands and knees, relaxing on my face.” -J. Linnell, Maine
Nope Farris. I missed them. I remember them coming, but there was some reason I couldn’t go. I had completely forgotten about that. I’ll catch em next time though. 
I’m a TMBG fan. Have been for years. I saw them in concert about 11 years ago in New Jersey, they were fantastic of course, but I must say, a bit whiny a few times. They just wouldn’t stand for any heavy moshing. Oh well.
I’ll just leave you with this thought:
Purple toupee will show the way when summer brings you down, purple toupee and gold lame will turn your brain around.
Ehhh, they’re just looking out for their fans (mostly) and their asses. People die moshing. Besides, They aren’t exactly a mosh-type band. They’re more of a jump-around-happier-than-a-dog-in-a-room-full-of-denim-covered-legs-type band. When you hear Them, you’re sort of calm and warm within, you don’t feel like jivin’ around and bashing skulls with some sweaty guy next to you. You wanna dancing in place or screaming with joy or making love.
-“The Spiraling Shape Will Make You Go Insane”
I used to call them Nasal Retentive Colliope Music