The smart, eminently quirky duo They Might Be Giants released its eponymous debut 20 years ago. While TMBG quickly became a collegiate novelty hit, few could've foreseen that in '06, Johns Flansburgh and Linnell would be alt-culture icons, documentary film subjects, TV theme-song composers and children's entertainers. Like Ween, another enduring project that's unarguably heavily indebted to the two Johns, TMBG continues to stand as proof that there's still room — and a decent living — in the music industry for artists more interested in following their own eccentric muses than the pop-culture rules.
ATTENTION PARENTS: This They Might Be Giants concert will not focus on material from the group's children's records — it's not a kids' show. The band is asking fans not to bring young ones under 16, not because they're going to be throwing goat skulls into the audience or anything, but because, after all, this is a rock show.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2006.