Episode 538
Ep538: John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants Returns!
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds · Nate Goyer, Record Collector, Music Fan, Vinyl Maniac
March 16, 202655m 6s
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Show Notes
John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants talks rare vinyl rarities, the chaotic story behind the new album's cover art, why re-recording old music is almost always a mistake and lots more
Order the new album "The World Is to Dig" here
Topics Include:
- Flansburgh owns roughly 2,000 records across three turntable setups at home
- He doesn't identify as a collector — just a serious listener
- His rarest record: an Andy Warhol-autographed Sticky Fingers with wild provenance photos
- He also owns a peeled-banana Velvet Underground and a Blonde on Blonde rarity
- Deep dive into what makes each of those pressings so collectible
- TMBG's new album title comes from a Maurice Sendak-illustrated children's book
- That led to a fascinating detour on painter Ad Reinhardt's secret black-on-black canvases
- Flansburgh has been TMBG's de facto art director for 35 years
- The new album's cover art was nearly a Washington Post-licensed sinkhole photo
- Washington Post's mass layoffs killed the deal at the last possible moment
- A Hudson Valley School painting of Yosemite became the actual cover
- Flansburgh and Linnell don't stockpile songs — cuts are made for specific artistic reasons
- He once had to shelve a song because Linnell came in with a nearly identical opening line
- TMBG song titles are uniquely searchable — except the new one referencing Wu-Tang
- Flansburgh is firmly against re-recording old material — cites Zappa as a cautionary tale
- Great discussion on remastering: Beatles got it right, Hendrix remaster was disorienting
- TMBG evolved from NYC performance art venues to rock clubs — crowd energy changed everything
- Their boutique 8-track manufacturer couldn't keep up when TMBG needed a thousand units
- Dolby Atmos debate: Flansburgh is skeptical, Nate makes the case for spatial audio
- Nate's most collectible record is a Nevermind test pressing — rejected pressings are worth more
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