Last week Jay asked me why They Might Be Giants are my favorite band, and have been for twenty years. It's a good question. There are so many great bands, so much excellent music out there. Why have I latched on to this band as my absolute favorite, so much so that I don't have to stop and think when someone asks, "What is your favorite band?" Especially me, who abhors the idea of having a favorite among so many great options. Favorite movie? Ummm, how much time do you have for me to list at least ten movies, naming them all as my absolute all time favorite and breaking down what makes them so great? I used to say I have a minimum of ten slots in each "favorite" slot, so that I have ten number one favorites, ten number two favorites, and so on, so that my top ten actually consists of 100 and my top 100 houses 1000 entries.
But when it comes to music: They Might Be Giants. Absolute, top, best, ever. And then there are very many bands/artists who come in at a close second. Why is this? When Jay asked me, "Why?" I said that it's because their music is unique, and they are very talented on a variety of instruments.
They don't sound like anyone else, I can't even categorize what type of music they are. Record stores throw them into "Alternative Rock" but they don't really fit there. They don't fit anywhere. When I first started listening to them and people would ask me what they sound like I would say something like, "Experimental Contemporary Neo-Folk Pop Electronica Big Band" or some mix of those, possibly with other genres thrown in. But they fit nowhere, much like me. No single genre, or mix of genres can describe them. I can't even compare them to another band so that someone can get an idea of what they sound like. "Well, they kind of sound a little like _______ with some _______ thrown in and perhaps a little _______" No. There is nothing to fill in those blanks. They sound like nobody. They are unique. They are pioneers of music. Since they hit the scene more than twenty years ago, there are bands who try to sound like TMBG, and some of them are good, but they don't measure up to the original. Some bands have been inspired by TMBG and have found a good sound in their own right that is all their own, like Barenaked Ladies.
I also told Jay that their lyrics are genius. They squeeze philosophy into the strangest lyrics. Sometimes the lyrics don't seem to make a damn bit of sense, they are bizarre, random, and all over the place. But if you listen, they are saying something, usually about the state of society, or the human condition. Their music, to me, is cerebral. Even without lyrics, the music just makes my mind jut here and there. I went into more detail here than I did when I gave Jay his answer. Mostly because I write better than I speak, but also because I'm not groggy and just waking up right now as I was then.
All those are very good reasons for why They Might Be Giants are hands down my favorite band of all time. But I was listening to them today in the car, and I was thinking about Jay's question, "Why?" And a much simpler answer popped into my head without really having to think about it. They Might Be Giants are my favorite band because if I were music, I would sound like their songs. If my personality and my soul were sound waves, and you could listen to me, that is what I would sound like. I identify with their music because it sounds how I feel, and no other band can really do that for me. Other bands/artists write music with which I can identify, write lyrics that speak of emotions I have experienced, but no other artist that I've heard has written a song that connects with me in a way that makes me feel like, "This song and I are the same thing."
I just had a very amusing (to me) mental image of a mash-up between Lord Of The Rings and Silence Of The Lambs. Gollum, as Buffalo Bill, leaning over the pit, looking panicked, it pans down to the girl holding Precious, the dog. Gollum says, "It puts The Precious in the b (Read More)
I am in desperate need of the catharsis one experiences upon slitting someone's throat with a razor-sharp blade followed by the joy and elation obtained from watching the life drift from their eyes turning them to dead, glassy orbs as I am filled with the energy that used t (Read More)
I rushed out of work at 5pm
Plopped my ass in my car again
Welcome to the land of lazyness,
hey, gotta get my rest in.
Started up the car
headed home for my free time
Look at the street and I see a really bad sign.
Traffic looks so crazy
Everybody's in my way, s (Read More)
I envy a person who can hear their alarm go off, turn it off, and get up out of bed, ready to start the day. I live by the snooze button. It is my best friend in the morning. Well, it and my coffee. I'd marry it if congress would hurry up and pass that bill legalizing m (Read More)
So, my car's wrecked, I told ya that. The bumper was precariously attached. It began to become unattached. I'll fix it with some Gorilla Glue just as soon as the snow is gone and the temperature is more moderate. For now, I removed it and placed it on my porch. So the (Read More)
The last few weeks have been kind of hectic and draining. Last Wednesday I wrecked my car. Hit a patch of ice, slid off the road, down a hill, into a pole. I wasn't hurt. The car was. I spent nearly a week with my brother-in-law trying to fix it. Had to replace the ra (Read More)
Depressed. And I'm quite tired of being depressed. There's no reason for me to be depressed. No logical reason, anyway. I'm insane, that's obvious. I have great friends. What's left of my family, my sister, brother, nephews and niece, et al, are wonderful. I'm w (Read More)
