Thursday
Jul082004
TMBG Get Political
Thursday, July 8, 2004 at 7:04PM 3 Comments Wired this month has an interview with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, who seems to have caught the political bug. TMBG and Spike Jonze are producing the benefit album Future Soundtrack for America for MoveOn.org. TMBG are contributing "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too."
I've heard leftward complaints of late that pop musicians aren't stepping up with music that protests the Iraq war and the current administration. To me, this album and the Rock Against Bush series demonstrate that while you won't hear much protestation from top-40 "artists" (who are primarily concerned with not offending any of their audience), many artists are not afraid to take risks artistically and commercially.
They Might Be Giants' new album The Spine is out Tuesday.
Reader Comments (3)
TMBG have always been politically obsessed. look at lincoln. so that don't really suprise me.
they have a new album out soon? man, i still need to get their last one. i can't believe how badly i've gotten behind with them. bad sid. hit with pointy fork in head. bad.
While I don't think anyone could have spotted TMBG as card-carrying Republicans based on their work with NPR alone, their music itself has always struck me as apolitical - but maybe I was just missing the point. I couldn't tell you what the political message of Lincoln is. So that's why I was a bit surprised and pleased by Flans' being more overt about it.
And I definitely know more about Mr. James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump thanks to them.
JF said The Spine had a double meaning and I don't think he spelled it out exactly. But there has been a lot of talk this year about the Democratic Party needing a "backbone transplant" or "growing a spine." Of course, Howard Dean was the surgeon in that operation, heh heh. I wonder if that is the other meaning he was hinting at.