Show Notes
Yo ho! We're back from our 93 million miles away space trip to visit the land beyond, and we have a special job discussing They Might Be Giants' 1993 release, the Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass Of Incandescent Gas) EP! Their first studio recording with their new full band, this bright and shiny release is a jaunty, spirited and eclectic mix of cover songs and one early version of an original classic. Review: 7.5 stars. Actually, one GIANT star!
After a medium-sized investigation of the EP artwork, a majority of the episode turns up the heat on the origins of Why Does The Sun Shine and the album it originated from, Space Songs. A million podcasts could fit inside our discussion of TMBG's first encounters with Space Songs, their early approaches to Why Does The Sun Shine live, and the final (but not!) result of the recorded version you now hold in your hand (I hope?)
Next we get lost in the original endless version of Jessica and theorize on TMBG's decision to cover the bouncy-but-sophisticated instrumental. The Meat Puppets get a little mini-episode dedicated to them, as we gush over Whirlpool and spin some other Puppets songs we've enjoyed. Finally, the first studio recording of Spy gets scrutinized through our spy glasses, as we compare, contrast and congratulate its differences and similarities to the version that would be released on John Henry in 1994. This episode features exclusive insights from some of TMBG's friends and collaborators! Hot enough for ya?
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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!