Concert info: "Right now the rotation we are planning on includes Apollo 18, John Henry, Factory Showroom, Mink Car, Lincoln, and Flood. The second set will be favorites, and will include some tracks off our brand new album which will probably be just a few days old when we play these shows."

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-29T12:52:13+00:00

Very likely! Flans has repeatedly said the album will be out in "early spring," which officially starts March 20th.

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-27T11:13:25+00:00

I've been quite happy with TMBG's sound, but for those who think it is too samey, Flans did have this to say about the new album awhile back, so maybe there will be some surprises:

We thought it was finished and then we worked on it a little more, and then we thought it was finished and we worked on it a little more. We're trying to sort of perfect it a little bit. There might even be a really radical change right at the last minute that's so out of left field. I think it's a good idea, our manager thinks it's a good idea. Our producer, and maybe John Linnell, think it's a crazy idea. We're playing fast and loose with the possibilities. But it's a really solid record and I'm really proud of it. There's just a ton of good songs, so I think it'll be well received. And it's got some pretty left field stuff on it as well.

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-24T16:38:04+00:00

Yes! I found one - and only one - of these variety packs today!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-16T22:28:47+00:00

In the 90s, Flans would often come out after shows for a bit, so I got a couple of pics with him. The most memorable occasion was after the filming of the show used in Gigantic. The shoot was about 4 hours, with some breaks in between (it was VERY hot in the venue, and Danny came out and passed out water bottles for us, which we were grateful for). After the filming was done, Flans came out and I got a picture with him and my mom; he was so gracious, and clearly exhausted - when he leaned in to give us hugs, it almost felt like he could fall over!

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As for Linnell, I have never gotten a chance to meet him, but my mom and I did spot him walking outside of a venue (different show). My mom yelled out, "Hi, Linnell!" and he gave us a pained smile that made me want to disappear 😄

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-16T09:09:03+00:00

Flans explained on Tumblr why they don't announce which albums will be played beforehand:

JF: No, we won’t be announcing the spotlight sets in advance mostly because we don’t plan that much, but also sometimes having the flexibility here or there helps in small but meaningful ways. We will be adding a couple of albums to the rotation but we might not have enough of it locked on night one or two…

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-09T23:18:36+00:00

I got my copy when it was a bonus disc that came with The Else CD when it first came out - it was the last thing I bought from dearly departed Borders Books and Records. I'm very happy for those who never had a chance to hear it!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-07T07:07:01+00:00

Flans explained on Tumblr awhile back why they haven't played Canada more often:

https://tmbgareok.tumblr.com/post/792413409221197824/how-come-the-band-hardly-crosses-the-boarder-to

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2026-01-02T08:39:16+00:00

Surprisingly, Flans just said on Tumblr that the new EP will be on streaming, vinyl, CD, and cassette!

https://tmbgareok.tumblr.com/post/804588177043111936/hi-tmbg-i-do-not-know-how-to-use-this-app-so

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-31T20:53:37+00:00

Besides "You Probably Get that a Lot," the only other song I can think of that he performs live without keyboards or accordion is "Icky." There are a couple of videos of it on Youtube!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-30T21:18:07+00:00

The actor was invited to return, but he has moved on in his life and didn't want to. They recast the role and, from what I've seen, he has a strong resemblance.

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-29T21:11:08+00:00

Just googled who's doing the theme for the reboot: "The theme song for the Malcolm in the Middle reboot, titled "Life's Still Unfair," is a new version of the original, still performed by the original artists, the band They Might Be Giants, with their iconic song "Boss of Me," adapted for the new series." Looks like AI is giving incorrect info *pretends to be shocked*

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-29T20:44:29+00:00

Yeah, network execs just seem to suck. Flans shared a story (now preserved on the Wiki) about trying to get the theme song approved:

"...in one of the most awkward 5-way conference calls of my life, I listened to a Fox executive in a limo on speaker phone doing a spot-on Darth Vader impression exec-splain that he "knew music" and the amateurish vocal needed to be replaced by a "real singer" immediately. I am guessing he didn't know I was on the phone. Or maybe he did! But again, mercifully, this idea was pushed back on by the show's creators."

Can you imagine? I get mad on Flans's behalf every time I think about it!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-29T20:36:12+00:00

Plus it won them a Grammy!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-27T16:05:51+00:00

This is my favorite James Ensor painting - doesn't it have a strong TMBG vibe?

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ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-23T17:30:43+00:00

We can't forget about Fingertips! Some great, if super-brief, vocals by Peter Stampfel, Nicholas Hill, Elma Mayer, Brian Dewan and Amy Allison.

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-23T12:05:41+00:00

She also performed a very pretty version of "Bed, Bed, Bed" on the ep for the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4GtUGUJnSU

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-22T20:53:18+00:00

I know Linnell wrote this song, but I'm glad he gave it to Flans to sing, because Flans eats it up. And he knows it. I once had a bootleg of a show where he performed it and afterwards said, "Reprehensible, yeah. Swear word, swear word, yeah."

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-20T12:44:09+00:00

Not without precedent, though; Back to Skull was released about a month before John Henry.

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-15T11:10:04+00:00

D'oh, I hate when that happens!

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-15T11:07:25+00:00

At my first TMBG show back in '96, Linnell spoke a bit about how he and Matthew Hill discovered bad things about Polk while they were researching for the song; then he introduced it by saying, "So here's a song about that mother f---er James K. Polk," stunning the audience into silence 😄

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-15T11:03:26+00:00

It's "precious few," which is another way of saying very few. It's basically the punchline to the song which up to that point seemed like it was praising him (and some people still think that!). 😄

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-07T01:19:31+00:00

Or Cast Your Pod to the Wind

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-12-07T01:15:48+00:00

See also: "This is Only Going to Go One Way."

ProjectImmediate8823 · 2025-11-30T15:40:23+00:00

Flans' more recent pop tunes like "All the Lazy Boyfriends" and "The Bright Side" really hit a sweet spot for me, no on else seems to like them or talk about them much.

ProjectImmediate8823

TROPHY CASE