Two Johns Show Why They Might Be Giants
By: Linda Laban - Boston Herald
August 26th 2002 12:19am
They Might Be Giants, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Saturday night. ``This is an unusual gig,'' said John Linnell halfway through They Might Be Giants' early set at the Museum of Fine Arts. Indeed, the 350-seater Remis Auditorium's sober lecture hall feel was not easily overcome. ``It's kinda blowing our bad-boy image,'' he quipped ironically. Now in their 40s, Linnell and his partner, John Flansburgh, remain detached from the school of rock 'n' roll debauchery. What was blown at that moment, however, was the power. The stage darkened and silence ruled. ``This seems like a good time for `Kumbaya,' '' said Flansburgh, a man not easily quieted. He then led an impressively voiced audience, up for any silliness offered, on an a cappella sing-a-long. It was not a typical rock 'n' roll moment, but then, this was a TMBG show. The two special sold-out 20th anniversary concerts (a second set followed at 9:30), and the MFAs summer engagement of the documentary, ``Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns),'' celebrates an unusual approach to rock music as much as it does the longevity of these Lincoln natives. While Flansburgh rocked on guitar, Linnell handled keyboards and accordion. Backed by the three Dans: Weinkauf (bass), Miller (guitar), and Hickey (drums), and with Flansburgh's wife, Robin, handling lead vocals on ``In The Middle,'' two decades of eccentric conceptual pop merged seamlessly together. Whether it was Flansburgh's or Linnell's voice leading, such silly but biting observations as `Istanbul (Not Constantinople)` showed off harmonies as sharp and complicit as the Johns abstract wit. Two superb new songs, ``Older'' and ``No!'' (both from TMBG's summer-issued children's CD of that name), revealed little has changed. The finale of the band's debut hit, ``Birdhouse in Your Soul,'' was an unabashed audience bounce-along and that staid auditorium became a playground of oversized kids. Earlier on, Flansburgh introduced the pop punk anthem ``New York City'' as, ``A song about where we're from.'' Like artsy snobs ditching parochial roots, they paraded this song of mythical big city charms, with the line ``the best thing about New York City is you and me'' defining this arrogant dynamic duo's trend-defiant career. There, after all, the Johns proved that if you're smart, silly really can be art.
 ©2002 Boston Herald. All rights reserved.
| 
