Ep538: John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants Returns!

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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