This Might Be A Podcast

Gracie Davies is here to talk about the classic b-side "I'll Sink Manhattan". What's with the narrator of this song? Let's try and figure it out, hear some live versions throughout the years and find some cool covers. 

Lou Reid returns to the show after long last to talk about the Mink Car tune "Hovering Sombrero." We examine the confusing jumble of demo versions, a wacky ABC's one, some live takes and various awesome covers including one from TMBP favorites We Are Number Three.

Laser Webber, solo artist formerly of The Doubleclicks, joins me to talk about "Madam, I Challenge You to a Duel" from Glean. We go back in time to watch some Johnny Carson and learn about the inspiration for this song... you'll see. We also hear Flans botch the story hilariously in its live debut, and find a bunch of kickin' covers.  Check out Laser here: Laser the Boy

Kim Lumpkin makes her debut on the show to talk about the TMBG kids song classic, "Lazyhead and Sleepybones" from No! We debate a possible demo, hear a rare live version, and partake in a wide variety of quality covers. 

Brian Haigh joins me to talk about two "fake" songs, the early dial-a-song classic "Counterfeit Fake" and Long Tall Weekend's "Counterfeit Faker." We get deep in the trenches with these tunes, talking about their weird connections and song history, and we got an amazing amount of covers for this strange couple.    Episode edited and mixed by Daniel Kawka. Listen to his podcast How Did This Not Get Made

David Baker returns to the show, this time live from Velour Underground Studio, as we attempt a YouTube live stream episode for the first time. Hear (some of) our struggles with the streaming software (cut out most of the most annoying tech issues lol) as we discuss the unwarranted dissing of Mr. Xcitement by certan groups of the TMBG fandom. We will defend its honor as we talk about Mike Doughty, the Elegant Two, drum programming and synths and lots more.  Watch us chat Mr. Xcitement on YouTube! Here's Part 1, and here's Part 2.

Carmen Montoya makes her debut on the show to talk about one of the best tracks off The Spine, "Stalk of Wheat." We examine what makes this song special on this album and their discography as a whole, find a whole slew of live versions, and a wealth of fan covers. 

We're back with Josh Pilch and myself talking "Bird of the Bee of the Moth" from The Else. We go through some different live performances, a wealth of covers of all styles, and score the song. 

This one was such a doozy it'll give you TWO weeks full of TMBG fan content. You'll see why this got so long right away - our guest Josh Pilch is an animator who has worked on WEIRD: the Al Yankovic Story as well as the music video for "Your Horoscope for Today" so you'll get some solid inside info on Weird Al stuff, THEN the TMBG stuff! On part 1 we discuss the actual hummingbird moth and dissect the song. Part 2 you'll get to hear so sweet live versions of the song, rad covers, and our scores.    The Josh Pilch Show

Eve Gasse visits TMBP from that Frenchie part of Canada to bump the ranking of "Renew My Subscription" way up the TMBW song charts (be prepared to go score it on the wiki, for real). The song started as an exclusive from The Spine and then got a physical release on Venue Songs, but still has been relegated to deep cut status. Together we show you how impeccable the songwriting is, and how wild the lyrics are.    

Julie Klausner, actress, writer and comedian who created and starred in Hulu's Difficult People, appeared on the recent The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season, and has stacked up writing credits to amazing shows from the ongoing Apple+ show Schmigadoon to Kids in the Hall, Billy on the Street and SNL, is here to tell us about her love for TMBG and this John Henry song! We discuss the "Thermostat" demo, the strange lyrics on the live debut, and investigate the amazing horn players on the track before hearing some wild and awesome covers.  Schmigadoon on Apple TV+WATCH Julie Klausner on IMDB

Erin Rose O'Brien is here to talk about The Spine's closer, "I Can't Hide From My Mind." We talk its important appearance in Gigantic, the significant changes from the Dial-a-Song to the record, and the theory behind the brilliance of the ending chord progression.

Craig Parker is on the show to discuss a unique Elektra-era  b-side, "I Blame You" from The Guitar EP. We also discuss teaching and gun violence in schools (so get ready for a little politics, but  if you're against protecting kids fuck off) but it's all to talk more about the UPCOMING CHARITY TMBG COVERS COMPILATION to benefit The Sandy Hook Promise! 

Chris Oliviera returns to the show for a Patreon exclusive episode about The Beatles-related content TMBG have done over their career. Hear this 41 minutes teaser with us talking about TMBG's overall love of the Beatles as well as our own, and a focus on "Savoy Truffle."    Sign up as a Patreon subscriber to hear the rest of this episode where we discuss their instrumental McCartney solo "Ram On" cover, their parody of "Yellow Submarine," and their "Strawberry Fields"-inspired "Particle Man." Hear all the exclusive eps and get sick merch at our Patreon!

Jeanne Harrel returns to the show to talk about the beloved deep cut "Marty Beller Mask" found on Album Raises New and Troubling Questions. We enjoy some Whitney Houston tunes, discuss the odd conceit of the song, and hear the song's live debut and the song's return to the live set last year. 

Movie writer and television personality Jake Fogelnest (Squirt TV, The Runaways, Corporate, Wet Hot American Summer, Gigantic, The Sparks Brothers) gives over two hours of his time to talk all about his love of the Giants, getting to know the Johns, and being at the Horse With No Name 50-guitar show in 1994. We also investigate a budding tmbg fan romance caught on tape, and get two amazing custom covers to play for y'all.

Avren Keating flies from Oakland to scenic Lafayette to record in studio with me, and record a cover of John Postal with guest Dana Williamson. At the top of the show, check out an important announcement about exciting things happening with the pod!!   Episode edited and mixed by Avren Keating!

Musician Eric Gaines makes his first podcast appearance to talk about the Glean sleeper hit "Good to Be Alive." With two percussionists chatting, of course we get into the weeds on percussion and percussion technique in response to the arrangement of this tune. We break down the song throughly, and also talk about how much more poignant this song has become in the past year for Mr. John Flansburgh. 

Sophie McKenna joins us to discuss the song "I'm All You Can Think About" from The Spine Surfs Alone EP. Sophie tell us about the insane amount of TMBG shows she's chalking up in 2023, then we ponder the  song's odd titling, gush over bass saxophones, and barley attempt to talk Proust. 

Strap yourself in for a 7-song (plus bonus songs) episode with two members of the band Catscan!, Mason Shelby and Paul  Tsiaperas. We discuss the entire Planet of the Apes song series that was included at the end of Severe Tire Damage, as well as ape-related songs found elsewhere. We talk about the movies that inspired the song and chat about songwriting and The Simpsons.

Bruce Triggs, author of Accordion Revolution: A People's History of the Accordion in North America and host of the Accordion Noir radio show/podcast, is here to talk about "The Day", an accordion-based track! We discuss Linnell's unique playing style, Flans' different vocal deliveries for this tune over the years, and learn a ton about accordion history.  Find Bruce at accordionrevolution.com

Michael Valencic introduces himself to the show with an episode on the best introduction song ever, "Theme From Flood." We investigate the musicians who play on the track, hear the band's evolution on its live performances, and find a wealth of amazing covers. 

Michael King makes his first appearance on the show to discuss this Phone Power cut. We talk about the amazingly obnoxious guitar pedals featured in the song, try to decipher these bummed-out lyrics, and find the only cover in existence. 

Acey Nickel returns to the show to talk about one of the most fucked up TMBG rarities, Clowntown. Hear a debatable dial-a-song track, a McSweeny's version, and three custom covers- the only covers of this song in existence - to finish out the episode. 

Matt Miller of Homeless Gospel Choir and Endless Mike and the Beagle Club visits the show to talk capitalism, whip cracks and choir patches on keyboards. We discover the inspirations of the sonics of this song, play a wide-spanning selection of live versions, and covers that are all over the map. 

Santa came a little late to TMBP this year, so Stephanie Cummings visited to talk about "Santa's Beard" from Lincoln. We check out the Dial-a-Song, the live debut, and try to figure out exactly what's going on with the relationship portrayed in the song. 

Pat Ford of the amazing band Colossal is on the show to talk about Lincoln's "Piece of Dirt." We get y'all hip to Colossal then dive into the song, talk Television, and play an incredible cover from Pat's new band Romanesc. 

Joseph Devens returns to the show to talk about the Mink Car banger "My Man." We discuss the dark and odd lyrics, changes from the infamous "leaked tape" demo, and Joseph's band United Shapes rocks a cover. 

First time guest and White Sox journalist and podcast host Brett Ballantini is on the show to talk about "Token Back to Brooklyn," originally found as the secret track to Factory Showroom. We discuss the different vibe of its Dial-a-Song, the political folk tune that inspired it, and get a couple sweet Covers Crüe covers. 

Tim Shoppa makes his debut on the show to talk about the Book track "Lord Snowdon." He's done his research and read the book 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret to learn about her and her husband, Lord Snowdon, and is here to fill us in and talk all about the track. 

Bestests friend and artist of the pod Abi Bash returns to the show for the dozenth or so time to talk about "Ondine" from the Back to Skull EP. This is a fan-favorite deep cut and we try to parse through the old lore that may or may not play a part in the lyrics, we listen to dial-a-song and demo versions and the live debut, and get a bunch of awesome covers from the Covers Crüe. 

Ekelemchi Okemgbo returns to the show to talk about "Bed Bed Bed" from No! as well as the "Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed" version from the Bed Bed Bed book's CD... we say "bed" a lot in this episode! Listen to us debate which version is best, talk about punk bands no one else has heard of, and hear great covers with Ekelemchi taking part in two of them. 

Fresh-faced fan Belle Steiert joins me to talk about a song she heard a lot as a kid, "Here in Higglytown," the theme TMBG wrote for the Disney show Higglytown Heroes, and collected on Here Come the ABCs. We chat about this silly show, nesting-doll Johns, and even get a custom cover for the song!

Contributor to both McSweeny's and the Onion (amongst other things) Maura Quint is on the show to talk about "Prevenge" from The Spine. We lust for that sweet prevenge and wonder what a "headfo" is, while checking out the live debut and getting a custom cover, the only "Prevenge" cover in the world.

Dan Leary makes his third appearance on the show to talk about the Apollo 18 classic, "My Evil Twin." We try our damndest to get to the bottom of this song, and along the way hear live versions from decades apart, some drastically different covers, and a Dan-engineered mashup. 

Tom Miller makes his debut on the show to talk about the Join Us track "Never Knew Love." We attempt to figure out if this is a happy or sad song, find a live version with a twist and play a couple of unique covers. 

Fresh off her first TMBG live experience, Jaya Crites is here to talk about a song they did not play and have never played live, "The House at the Top of the Tree" off of No!  She tells us about her concert experience and her rad dad getting her into TMBG as a kid, and then we talk about this fun, winding tune which has inspired quite a few covers for being a relatively deep cut.  

Jacob Freer-Balko is here to talk about the Stone Pony, immortalized on the Venue Songs track "Asbury Park." He tells us all about the venue, and we give many props to Marty and Danny as we discuss this swingin' tune. 

Thomas Tutt makes his debut on the show to talk about TMBG's cover of the Meat Puppets "Whirlpool" from the Why Does the Sun Shine? EP. We talk bari sax models, the Mountain Goats, and about embracing your true nerd self. 

On episode 200 (!!!) Cristina Fernandez makes her first appearance on the show to talk about "Daylight" off of Phone Power. We discuss Don Quixote, hear a duo performance of the song, and get a percussion question answered by Flans.

Jonathan Strickland of the iHeartRadio podcast Tech Stuff joins me to talk about Venue Song's "Atlanta," a song he was lucky enough to see debuted. He tells us all about that experience and the amazing venue The Variety Playhouse, and we talk about Yoko Ono, dead media, an one not-so-pleasant TMBG live experience he had. 

Jonathan Strickland of the iHeartRadio podcast Tech Stuff joins me to talk about "Atlanta," a song he was lucky enough to see debuted. He tells us all about that experience and the amazing venue The Variety Playhouse and we also talk Yoko Ono, and one not-so-pleasant TMBG live experience of his. 

Mike Buffington returns to the show to talk about the Here Come Science track "Computer Assisted Design. We talk about what works and what doesn't work with this track, and Mike schools us on the Joseph Gerber and some of the history of computer assisted design. 

Seymour Schmitt returns to the show for the Bed Bed Bed book/CD song "Impossible." We try to get to the bottom of this kid's tune and it's weirdness, touching on Captain Beefheart, Zappa and Ween along the way. Hear a few classic live recordings and a cover from Argentina. 

It's a crossover! Optometrist and podcaster Andrew May is on the show to talk about "Dr. Sy Fly" from The Escape Team to coincide with my appearance on Andrew's Daily Five where we talk about my top ten bands of all time throughout this week. Here on TMBP we manage to get into lots of TMBG-related lists before we break down this little Linnell ditty, and hear a parody cover from Andrew himself.    To hear the first episode of my appearance on Andrew's Daily Five click here! To hear Andrew's cover parody of the song, check it out on Apple Music and Spotify!

Scott Greenberg makes his debut on the show to talk about "Mainstream U.S.A.", a deep cut collected on the Then double CD. Scott wrote a chapter of his master's thesis on TMBG, which has an accompanying podcast series and album, and tells us all about it as we get into the ins-and-outs of this incredibly bizarre tune. 

On this monolithic episode of classic Lincoln track "Shoehorn with Teeth," Jared Pike and Alex Botkin team up and make their second appearances. We'll tell you the childhood story that inspired the song, and we talk shoehorns, glockenspiels, live versions crossing three decades and covers almost as vast, all in an attempt to do this epic song justice.