47: JOHN HENRY - Part 1: Now I'm Where A Snail Has To Be
Don't Let's Start: A Podcast About They Might Be GiantsShow Notes
We Hate They Might Be Giants!...For making such a great album in 1994 named John Henry! IT'S TOO GREAT! Welcome to part 1 of our John Henry Prestige Limited Series. Before getting to the songs, Jordan and Dave (with backup from archival audio of John and John!) get into a discussion that's even longer than the entire album all about the changing music scene in 1994, TMBG's experience recording John Henry in Bearsville, New York, and their clashes with Elektra Records. We also discuss the album's sequence, title, and album art!
Joining us for an incredibly fun and revealing album art discussion about halfway through the episode is our very special guest, SCARLET KIM, one of the little John Henry rascals from the album art (holding the skull on the back, the cover of the Back to Skull EP, and more!) After reminiscing with Scarlet about that eventful day in Central Park, Jordan and Dave talk about SONGS!
We stare into the Subliminal for as long as we can! We notice something about car crashes, dreams, and the subtle (subliminal???) but effective arrangement of the opening track! We slooooowly but eventually get to consider Snail Shell, the slimy and strange single. We debate Linnell's intention behind the song, and we also talk about...well, snails, of course, in a brand new segment called Snail Tell: all snail stories, all the time. Ah....ah....ah....Thank you!
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More from Don't Let's Start: A Podcast About They Might Be Giants
We clear our inbox and fill your podcast box with our latest Letterbox special! So many boxes! We respond to listener e-mails that cover such frenzied topics as Bob Dylan, Cast Your Pod To The Wind, Factory Showroom stuff, TMBG's children's music, and of course, scarecrows of the grinning and filthy variety! And so much more, much, much more...Plus, long overdue addendums to our past episodes! More about songs from Flood, Apollo 18, et-friggin-cetera! Listen and listen well!
Get away! Unless you want to hear us talk about the demos and alternate versions of songs They Might Be Giants cooked up from the Factory Showroom era! There's too many lo-fi delights to list here, but let's just say, incidentally, you might want to buy your Token Back to Brooklyn, head to New York City, and hitch a ride on a Rocket Ship! What are you, some sort of Alternate Take of I Can Hear You? Stop standing around like there's something to get! Sit down and listen!
From May 28th to May 30th They Might Be Giants performed at Brooklyn Steel, only a short drive, or an absurdly long walk, away from Jordan and Dave. We interrupt our Factory Showroom run once again to bring you our official unofficial report. What songs were performed? And WHO performed them?!? (TMBG?) Listen and find out!
Look what the cat has dragged in! They Might Be Giants have released a new album, The World Is To Dig! And here's what you get: our reaction! Do we dig it? Did it make us sleep or go feral? Is it an overnight sensation or flawed garbage? (Ok that's a bit harsh, I'm just trying to make wordplay from the song titles, people!) Get down with Jordan and Dave's brains, put that telescope up to your ears and give this a slow, careful listen! Join us on Patreon!: patreon.com/c/dontletsstartpodcast
Why? Because it's extra, baby! In this episode we're kicking back onto our seductive red leather couch to discuss a few songs left off of They Might Be Giants' sixth album Factory Showroom that managed to slide right into the S-E-X-X-Y EP! Our big earth-shaking discussion is Sensurround, a catchy, crafty and collateral-damage filled John Linnell classic! We don't know where he got the idea for this song, but we go ballistic for it! Next is We've Got A World That Swings, a cute and...Oh, wait, sorry. Next is Unforgotten, a somber and soberingly sweet sentiment from John Flansburgh that surprised us! Is this song what we want at all? Hey, what's the hassle? The nutty We've Got A World That Swings is next. Even though by this point we're sleepy and yawning, we give it our all and dive into the history of this curious cover! What a lucky guy I am! And finally, we grab our glow sticks and rave out with our fellow kids to the feature length S-E-X-X-Y (The Warren Rigg Microwave Mix)! You don't have to know what we're thinking now, listen to the episode to find out!