Interview and Podcast 37A

Over the weekend, the folks from Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child had an interview with John and John before a show. After a round of questions on Benjamin Franklin, we find out that Here Comes Science will concern itself with ideas in science and not famous scientists themselves, though Flansburgh reveals that at one point he was working on a song about Nikola Tesla. Also revealed in the interview is the story of "Doctor Worm"'s origin.


Released yesterday is They Might Be Giants Podcast 37A. This special Halloween themed episode has some scary poems, some scary songs, and some songs related to Homestar Runner. Along with the recent "200 SBemails", a new song titled "Crystal Fortress" is played, which will appear in a future Homestar Runner project.

Included in this episode is the topical "Vote or Don't," a new song exclusive for the podcast. As US election day is upon us, the most recent TMBG newsletter includes a healthy "guide to voting" which you can re-forward to all of your friends. (And why not keep in the info on the podcast and show dates as well?)

Speaking of show dates, news is that the November 29 show at Le Poisson Rouge will be an Apollo 18 show featuring a full play-through of They Might Be Giants' fourth album.

Flansburgh interview, MySpace Music

This week They Might Be Giants sent out news through their usual channels (e-mail, MySpace) on their string of Flood shows, which has already begun. In anticipation for today's show in Northampton, MassLive.com ran an interview with John Flansburgh yesterday. Read the article to hear John talk on the preparation for the Flood shows, early career aspirations, and which band they opened for that he recalls as "intimidating ... guys from a pirate ship."

Finally, an odd end on the business side. BusinessWire has news that IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance), of which recent TMBG label Rounder Records is apparently a part of, has made a deal with MySpace Music to bring their artists' music to the social networking site. So what does that mean for you, me, and TMBG? It's likely that it just means their music will be promoted and sold through the site, but MySpace Music is also involved in hosting concerts. I find that one a long shot, but we bring you the small stuff here folks.

Info on past and future videos

This Might Be A Wiki, that wonderful, user-created guide to all things TMBG, has the good info this week. First is an insider's look at the "Dallas" (aka "Trees") Venue Song's video by the folks at Asterisk Animation. The blog post details how they got people involved in the project and includes video and images of the work in progress. It's an interesting read into the process of getting things done by working with who you know.

If you are wondering with the rest of us what Here Comes Science will bring, TMBW also found a blog post that suggests Tiny Inventions, creators of the "Davy Crockett" video, is working on a new video for the upcoming CD/DVD set. The post tells us that the video will be a "collage of all different mediums: cut paper, After Effects, stop-motion, and 3d CGI," much like their previous video for the band.

Upcoming show and podcast details

A post to TMBG's MySpace on Wednesday and a newsletter today spill the details on some upcoming shows on the schedule. Sunday's free kids show in NYC at the New York Times book festival will feature Hannah Levine and a horn section to get the full power of their recent kids songs.

The next day They Might Be Giants will be playing a short three-song set at a benefit for Barack Obama in a sold out event. The updates state that Yo La Tengo and Marshall Crenshaw, among others, will also appear at the event.

Lastly in show sneak peaks, TMBG will be performing Flood in its entirety for three shows on this circuit: Oct. 24 in Northampton, Oct. 25 in NYC, and Nov. 28 in Washington DC. Some shows may be have a Flood set while others may disperse the songs throughout their normal set.

Rounding out the news is word on Podcast 37A. The TMBG Podcast has recently been updated with new episodes and these are a good way to feature recent work. 37A is said to include Homestar music. This most definitely means the recent "200 Sbemails" will make an appearance, but if they want to make it a theme they might also include "Different Town," from another Strong Bad e-mail, and possibly "Experimental Film" and "Figure Eight," for which the Homestar creators made the music videos for. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast feed on either iTunes or the web to hear what gets played when it comes out.