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They Might Be Giants
From The TV IV
| They Might Be Giants | |
| Years Active | 1982- |
| Members | Current: John Flansburgh (1982—) John Linnell (1982—) Dan Miller (1998–) Danny Weinkauff (1998–) Marty Beller (2004—) Former: Dan Hickey (1997—2004) Brian Doherty (1993—1997) Graham Maby (1993–1998) Eric Schermerhorn (1996–1998) |
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They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American rock band known for their quirky, intellectual songs. They have had numerous ties to TV, including performing on shows and contributing theme songs and incidental music to numerous programs and commercials.
Contents |
Biography
They Might Be Giants started in 1982 with just the two Johns, John Flansburgh (guitar) and John Linnell (accordion/keyboards), with a drum machine. They stayed that way until the early 90's, when they recruited a full band. They've released 13 albums since 1986.
Roles
Guest Starring Roles
| Series | Role | Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Toon Adventures | Music performer | 1x51 - Tiny Toon Music Television | February 1, 1991 |
| Malcolm in the Middle | Themselves (Music Video), Daniel Von Bargen (Edwin Spangler), Eric Nenninger (Cadet Eric), John Michael Miller (Lifeguard), Amanda Fuller (April), Marsha Clark (Babysitter), Laura Roth (Teenage Girl), Jared McVay (Elderly Man), Adam Vernier (Large Man), Kasan Butcher (Joe) | 1x16 - Water Park | May 21, 2000 |
| Home Movies | 4x09 - Camp | January 11, 2004 |
Talk, News and Game Show Appearances
| Series | Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | July 5, 1992 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | October 26, 1993 | |
| Recovery | March 27, 1997 | |
| The Daily Show | September 10, 2001 | |
| The Screen Savers | June 12, 2002 | |
| Nick News with Linda Ellerbie | March 23, 2003 |
Musical Performances
| Series | Song Title(s) | Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Rocks | "Why Does the Sun Shine?" | 1985 | |
| The Joe Franklin Show | ??? | December 17, 1985 | |
| The Arsenio Hall Show | "They'll Need a Crane" | June 15, 1988 | |
| 120 Minutes | "I'll Sink Manhattan" "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" "Letterbox" "Your Racist Friend" |
December 25, 1988 | |
| Record Guide '88 | "I'll Sink Manhattan" "Lie Still Little Bottle" |
1988 | |
| Late Night with David Letterman | "They'll Need a Crane" | February 1, 1989 | |
| Post-Modern MTV | "Letterbox" "Lucky Ball and Chain" "Maybe I Know" Whistling in the Dark" |
July 1989 | |
| Nick Rocks | "Nick Rocks ID" | 1989 | |
| 120 Minutes | "Particle Man" "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" |
February 4, 1990 | |
| Top of the Pops | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | March 1990 | |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" |
April 3, 1990 | |
| Late Night with David Letterman | "Your Racist Friend" | May 12, 1990 | |
| The 8:15 from Manchester | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | 1990 | |
| 120 Minutes | "Mammal" "She's Actual Size" |
April 26, 1992 | |
| Late Night with David Letterman | "I Palindrome I" | May 19, 1992 | |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | "The Guitar" | July 5, 1992 | |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | "The Statue Got Me High" | July 5, 1992 | |
| Late Night with David Letterman | ??? | February 19, 1993 | |
| 120 Minutes | "Why Does the Sun Shine?" | September 5, 1993 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Why Does the Sun Shine?" | Show 32 | October 26, 1993 |
| 120 Minutes | "Why Does the Sun Shine?" | October 1994 | |
| 120 Minutes | "AKA Driver" | October 6, 1994 | |
| 120 Minutes | "Snail Shell" | October 19, 1994 | |
| Good Morning America | "Dirt Bike" | October 30, 1994 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "AKA Driver" | Show 261 | October 31, 1994 |
| The Jon Stewart Show | "Destination Moon" "Snail Shell" |
1994 | |
| Sound FX | "Dirt Bike" "Spy" "The Guitar" |
March 15, 1996 | |
| The Larry Sanders Show | "S-E-X-X-Y" | September 21, 1996 | |
| Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular | "Doctor Worm" "They Got Lost" |
October 11, 1996 | |
| The Spud Goodman Show | "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?" | 1996 | |
| Viva Variety | "Till My Head Falls Off" | February 15, 1997 | |
| Recovery | "S-E-X-X-Y" "Till My Head Falls Off" |
March 22, 1997 | |
| The Daily Show | "I Can Hear You" | December 15, 1999 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Boss of Me" | Show 1274 | May 25, 2000 |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | "Boss of Me" | February 5, 2001 | |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | "Boss of Me" | February 6, 2001 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Older" | Show 1385 | February 15, 2001 |
| Top of the Pops 2 | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | July 1, 2001 | |
| Top of the Pops | "Boss of Me" | July 27, 2001 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Man, It's So Loud in Here" | Show 1472 | September 7, 2001 |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Robot Parade" "G-L-O-ckenspiel "Shoehorn with Teeth" |
May 8, 2002 | |
| The Screen Savers | "Bed, Bed, Bed" "Older" "Robot Parade" "Shoehorn with Teeth" |
July 17, 2002 | |
| The Early Show | "Bed, Bed, Bed" "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" |
August 2, 2002 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "No!" "Clap Your Hands" |
Show 1625 | August 13, 2002 |
| The Screen Savers | "Older" | December 26, 2002 | |
| Call for Help | "Older" | January 6, 2003 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Alphabet of Nations" | February 15, 2003 | |
| The Screen Savers | "Au Contraire" "Wicked Little Critta" |
November 4, 2003 | |
| The Screen Savers | "Particle Man" "Stalk of Wheat" |
December 4, 2003 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Experimental Film" | Show 1941 | August 13, 2004 |
| Today | "Alphabet of Nations" | February 12, 2005 | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "I'm Impressed" | Show 2444 | July 13, 2007 |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | "The Mesopotamians" | Show 579 | October 12, 2007 |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | "Alphabet of Nations" | Show 583 | October 18, 2007 |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "Seven" | Show 2559 | April 10, 2008 |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | "The Mesopotamians" | Show 2719 | February 12, 2009 |
| Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | "Meet the Elements" | Show 126 | October 6, 2008 |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | "Why Does the Sun Shine?" "Why Does the Sun Really Shine?" |
Show 998 | December 11, 2009 |
| Good Morning America | "Get Up And Go" "Santa Claus" |
December 20, 2009 |
Theme Song Performances
The following are theme songs performed by They Might Be Giants that appear as opening and/or closing themes of various programs. Some were written for the show, some were previously written songs and a couple were reworkings of the program's previous theme
- Amazing Vacation Homes: "True and Amazing"
- America's Most Wanted: "America's Most Wanted Theme"
- Cartoon Planet: "No One Knows My Plan"
- The Daily Show: "Dog on Fire"
- The Drinky Crow Show: "The Drinky Crow Show Theme"
- Higglytown Heroes: "Here in Higglytown"
- Life 360: "Life 360 Theme"
- Mickey Mouse Playhouse: "Hot Dog", "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"
- Malcolm in the Middle: "Boss of Me"
- The Oblongs: "Oblongs Theme"
- Resident Life: "Am I Awake?"
- The Wrong Coast: "The Wrong Coast"
Awards and Accolades
Grammys
2001
(1 Nomination/1 Win)
- Won: Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- They Might Be Giants - "Boss of Me" (main theme)
Trivia
- Two of They Might Be Giants' songs were made into animated music videos for an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures: "Particle Man" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)". Both videos featured Plucky Duck — the former had him as a fighter in a wrestling ring, and the latter as a thief in Istanbul. In one of the segments where Buster and Babs Bunny introduced the videos by TMBG, Buster asked, "Who are these guys?"
- They Might Be Giants appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien more than other rock band, with a total of 13 appearances.
External Sites
- Official website for They Might Be Giants
- This Might Be A Wiki: The TMBG Knowledge Base
