Bluejake

There is a good article in this week's New Yorker about my favorite Brooklyn rock band, They Might Be Giants. I was introduced to TMBG by Anthony Milstein, an old friend of mine from Park Slope. The article talks about how TMBG has been an enduring small market success for the last 20 years, and about their obsessive, smart, and uncool nerd fan base. Somewhere on the third page it talks about how They Might Be Giants almost flamed out in 1990- right after Flood was released and became a big hit. The author talks about a May 1990 show at the Beacon on the Upper West Side, where hundreds of teenage girls were chanting for the two Johns to come out on stage. I was there at that show- it was the first concert I ever went to without parents- with Stella B., Isabel A., and a few other hipsters from JHS 51 in Park Slope. I remember how cool it seemed- me and these hot 13 year old girls at this big rock show (I was twelve). Anyway- the fame wore off pretty quick, but a lot of TMBG fans have hung on. I must have seen them about thirty times since then- at Tramps on 20th Street in Chelsea, at Summerstage in Central Park, at the bandshell in Prospect Park, at the Mercury Lounge, at Bowery Ballroom, and at many other downtown dives. I still love their music- even though my taste has changed a lot since 1990.

The best TMBG album? Hard to say. The best early album is definitely Lincoln- even though some purists prefer the Send Me an Angel flavored cuts off their first album. The best album from their middle period is probably Factory Showroom- Until My Head Falls Off is certainly one of their best songs. It's hard to say if TMBG has entered a late period in their career. I hope not- they certainly could go on for another 20 years. Whatever the case- their latest release, Mink Car, is just excellent. Three of the tracks (It's So Loud in Here, Another First Kiss, and Working Undercover for the Man) demonstrate that they haven't lost their touch.

TMBG is playing Summerstage on August 15th. If you haven't already heard them, come on out.

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