The
phone rang about 10:30 that morning, which is something
it usually doesn't do. I had just woken up and was getting
ready to start the day.
" Hello. Is this David Brack-in?" the voice on the other end of the
phone asked. The typical mispronunciation of my last name gave
him away: a telemarketer.
" Yes," I replied hesitantly, the answer itself almost boring me back
to sleep.
" Hi, this is John Flansburgh."
It was John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, a band that I've been a fan
of for quite a while. My High School Self would piss his pants if I could go
back
in time and tell him in a booming voice, "sometime in the future you will
receive a phone call from one John Flansburgh, slightly before 10:30 in the
morning!"
High School Self: "Dude, how'd he get my number?"
" Oh, hi!" my voice responded, in the completely new I-wanna-talk-to-you
tone John had yet to hear.
This actually was no mystery call from a rocker to a fan via some VH1 show -
my house had not been redecorated. Actually, I was scheduled to interview John
for Under the Radar that day, but not until later that afternoon.
I thought the anticipation prior to interviewing John would make me slightly
nervous, but it turned out he wanted to do the interview early, which means no
anticipation, no nervousness.
" Yeah let's do it now," I replied. "Let's me just turn on my
CIA-type phone recording equipment here."
He was pleased, and ready. "Great, I'll go get a cup of
coffee."
Here's the verbatim transcript of the conversation I had with
John, complete with all the "um"s, "you know"s, "I mean"s,
and words I think he made up.
Don't call them "aging nerd rockers"
David Brackeen, Under the Radar (UTR) : [Alone,
coughing.] Testing. Okay, we're going.
John Flansburgh, They Might Be Giants (JF) : [In
background, talking to someone else.] So we now have 'till 7, plenty
of time to get there, so that's good.
JF : [At phone, with coffee.] Hey.
UTR : Hi John. Okay.
JF : So, uh, what are the soft-hitting questions?
UTR : All right, well, uh, the first one is, uh: so I hear you guys are in a
rock 'n' roll band?
JF : That's right. We've been rocking and rolling for twenty years.
UTR : Yeah it's pretty amazing you guys have been, uh, around for, uh, twenty
years and have such a longevity, um.
JF : I know, I actually just read a review in a newspaper
that referred to us as " aging nerd rockers".
UTR : "Aging nerd rockers."
JF : Which, I have to say, like, you know, the only thing,
you know, the only thing that could heighten the shittines of being called
a "nerd rocker" for
me would be… would be being called an " aging nerd rocker." I
really, I felt like saying like, dude, ev erybody's aging.
UTR : [laughs]
JF : We're all aging.
UTR : That's right; you even have a song about aging.
JF : Yes, exactly.
Pixies: arena-filling arena-rockers
UTR : So, uh, if there, if there were any bands that formed in the eighties,
uh, are there any bands that formed in the eighties that you wish were still
around?
JF : Um… you know, I… it's… I wish the Pixies
were still around. You know, I mean the Pixies I guess formed in '89.
UTR : Yeah. [Actually they formed in '86]
JF : But you know I think that… they sort of, you know,
they burned really brightly and, you know, obviously just kind of, you know,
crashed into the earth,
you know, very quickly. I mean, they made, you know, that - the whole saga
of that band was such an enigma to me. I mean, having, I mean the Pixies actually
opened for us in Boston, you know, before they were signed and sort of seeing
them go from, seeing them go from being, you know, just like the babiest of
baby
bands to being, you know, actual stadium-filling, you know, stadium-rock, you
know, arena-filling arena-rockers.
UTR : Right.
JF : You know, um, and in Europe, it was really quite amazing. I mean, I felt
like it was sort of the opposite - you know, their experience was kind of the
opposite of ours. You know, everything that we've done has come, has come in
such doable, manageable doses. You know, I mean our reality has never - it's
never been that - it's just, you know, I mean we've had lots of good thing happen
to us, we've had, you know, some bad things happen to us, and - but none of them
were, like, beyond our, you know, um, you know kind of like where we were at
emotionally. And I feel like if even half of what happened to them happen to
us we would just be in pieces on the ground.
The next twenty years
UTR : So do you think you'll be together for another twenty years?
JF : Um, yeah! Yeah, I do, actually.
UTR : Yeah? That will be pretty interesting.
JF : I think we'll probably, you know, basically be together, you know, 'till
we - one of us dies .
The last twenty years (on CD)
UTR : Wow. So, um, the Dial-a-Song CD, that just came out.
JF : Yep.
UTR : Tell me a little bit about that.
JF : Um, you know, it's a compilation, it's like, sort of a career, uh, you know,
it's kind of like that Decade album by Neil Young. You know, it's like a career-overview,
um, and, you know, in some ways, you know, disc one kind of functions as a greatest
hits record and disc two is kind of like, um, you know, They Might Be Giants
at their They-Might-Be-Giantest.
UTR : [laughs]
JF : Um, you know, um, I think, you know I was actually -
I was really grateful that Rhino let us, um, uh, sort of, um - what would the
term be - curate the
album because I think there's… I mean we write different kinds of songs,
you know, there's a wide range of songs in our repertoire, I mean I think one
of the reasons we even still exist is that there's actually more for us to do,
um, musically. But, um… I think it would have been very easy to fill up
the second disc with kind of, likeable… mid-tempo… pop songs… by
us… that were almost as good as the songs that were successful in rock
videos or indie, you know, alternative rock, singles. Um, but I don't think
it would be nearly as interesting on a collection. I think, you know, what's
nice
about this - the sequence of this collection is that it really gives you the
full, the full span of what we do.
UTR : Kind of the overall feeling of They Might Be Giants.
JF : Yeah, yeah. I think it's really true to the spirit of
the band in that it includes the fringiest, um, impulses of our work. And,
and I think, you know,
if we had not been involved, it probably would have gone in a much safer direction.
You know, I mean this compilation includes "Fingertips" and includes,
um, you know, "Minimum Wage." And, you know, songs that aren't even
really songs.
UTR : [laughs]
JF : You know, and it includes "I can hear you", you know, which was
recorded on an Edison wax cylinder. And I don't think, you know, people are thinking,
like, "that's it, man, that's the sound, that's a hit," you know. "People
are gonna love that," you know. "That wax cylinder sound." But,
you know, it's, it's kind of what we're about. And, um, I'm just glad that
it all got, um, put together in a, you know, in a good package. And the actually
package is really interesting.
UTR : Yeah, it's a neat cover.
JF : Yeah.
UTR : Um, would you, uh, would you say this is a good entry point for, maybe,
new fans?
JF : Well that's, you know, that's actually the best thing
about it. You know, I think, you know, having grown up with the Beatles we
have this kind of, um,
almost orthodox view of - of the way albums should work, but, you know, as
we've grown order and sort of seen, you know, become more worldly, um, like,
we realize
that there's this practical thing about a compilation album - especially when
they're done with care - that they're incredibly powerful, sort of advertisements
for the band, and I think, you know, the Dial-A-Song compilation is - it's
a really good example of that. I mean I - I remember buying that album, um,
Singles
- what was it? Not Singles Going Steady, that's the Buzzcocks one, which is
also good, but uh, Singles on - what was it? [Voice heard in background.] Singles
On 45? [Actually it was "Singles - 45's and Under"] Is the Squeeze
one - the Squeeze Greatest Hits record was an amazingly good record, you know,
and you know, you might have a hard time convincing your, you know, your friend
at work that like, Squeeze are worth checking out, but, you know, when you
have an album that's sort of as concise as that record, or just as strong as
that
record, um, you know, it kind of makes the argument for you. I found that I
gave that record as a gift to a lot of people who were kind of on the - who
weren't
really up with the, uh, the punk rock.
Children's songs vs. the day job
UTR : Right. Cool. Alright so, um, the other album that recently came out was
No!, that was the children's album.
JF : Uh huh. Yep.
UTR : So what inspired you guys to do a children's album? I know Linnell has,
uh, one kid.
JF : You know, it would be - it would make so much sense if that had anything
to do with it, but it actually doesn't. Um, uh, you know, the idea of doing a
children's album had been kicking around pretty much since we started the band,
and I think, um, one of the nicest things about being around as long as we have
is that we finally become self-defined. You know, we're not - nobody accuses
us of wanting to be like anybody else, or - you know, it's like - or the people
they compare us to are so in everybody's rear-view mirror - that we get to kind
of stand up on our own as a band and, uh, so you don't run the same risk of being
really misunderstood if you - when you make a children's album after, you know,
making records for 15 years or whatever. You know, um, as you would if, you know,
if we had made - even if we - even if our, you know, forth or fifth album had
been a children's album, I think people would've been really confused as to where
- as to what the direction of the band was going in. I mean, I remember when
we made my first Mono Puff album a lot of people just immediately assumed that
the band was breaking up, which would have been, you know, which obviously was
not the case, but it was just kind of a drag , you know. It was like a side-effect
of doing, like, an outside project, that I had not anticipated at all . Um, uh,
so I think, you know, we've actually been able to do this kid's album and kind
of expand our audience without alienating our core, you know, alcoholic, swear
word loving crowd.
UTR : Right. So do you think you'll, uh, continue - maybe do more children's
albums in the future?
JF : Yeah, we're actually doing a children's - we're doing a book with three
new songs and uh, like a book that's gonna accompany it for a publisher and it'll
be out next fall [2003].
UTR : Oh, neat.
JF : Yeah.
UTR : Great. Yeah you guys have had, like, a busy 14 months.
JF : Yeah, it's - well, you know, I mean, in a - a lot of stuff that's happened
has actually been in the pipeline for a bunch of years. I mean, we actually finished
No! before we finished Mink Car.
UTR : Okay.
JF : Um, but it wasn't, it didn't have a - it didn't really have a home for a
while. Um, so, you know it was a, I mean, in a lot of ways, like, doing the No!
- we did all the No! sessions while we were recording incidental music for Malcolm
in the Middle, and um - which was kind of our day job for like a year and a half
- and it was - the Malcolm in the Middle job was really difficult. Like emotionally,
it was really taxing. And um, you know, just - it was like serious work and really
like um, you know, we were dealing with like deadlines on a, you know, on a pretty
much on a daily basis, which, you know, it doesn't seem like such a big deal
to people who work in offices , but, you know, we've - we've had kind of a, you
know, Peter Pan existence for a long time. And uh, you know, it's just - it just
wasn't where - we just didn't have the kind of skills that, like, your average
work-for-hire incidental music writer does. I mean, we kind of write music in
a, you know, it takes time. It's very hard. I mean, we - doing the job actually
changed the way we write because we've figured out ways to write much, much faster
which was, interesting. But, um, the thing that was cool about the No! project
was that it was kind of our personal work between sessions for our day job so
there was a lot of, uh, a lot of good feeling about the project. You know, it
was kind of that guilty, you know, secret pleasure that you could kind of get
away with doing your personal work at your job. Um, 'cause we were doing these
big, you know, these big sessions with the band doing incidental music in a studio,
and then we'd actually be able to just kind of address, like, a really simple
children's song and do it kind of like on the side.
UTR : So it was a nice little thing to relax to after -
JF : Yeah, yeah. I mean it was just also - it was like a purely artistic thing.
UTR : I see.
JF : You know, as opposed to, like, trying to make somebody else happy with something,
you know, that had been edited and modified and, you know, revised a few times.
I mean, the work-for-hire thing is tough on your - is tough on your soul.
UTR : So, uh, what all is involved in making music for a show
like Malcolm in the Middle? Does some one just come up to you and say, "Okay, we some, you
know, happy music for this scene," or how does that work?
JF : [sighs] Well, you know, I mean all shows are different.
I think, you know, the Malcolm experience, I mean, was very different, um,
than… most… um
- in some ways I don't think we had a very realistic idea of what was going
to be asked of us. In other ways, I think there was kind of - it was kind of
an
inefficient setup, um, because we working out of New York and the show was
working out of LA, and I think the communication breakdown was pretty immediate
and really
at the core of a lot of our problems, but, uh, you know, they were nice people,
you know, and it was like a very ambitious - it was just a very ambitious show,
and the role of incidental music doesn't necessarily have to - you know, it
is almost designed to - it's complicated , but it's like we recorded so much
more
music for that show than any other, um, show. I mean, you look at an episode
of, you know, The Brandy Bunch, and they're using the same cues from the pilot,
you know, in the forth season, you know, and - I mean, we basically were, you
know, creating an episode, you know, an original episode's worth of music a
week if not more because a lot of stuff just got rejected. So, it was strange.
UTR : Wow.
JF : Um, but, you know, we've done lots of other work for advertising and for
television as well, and um, you know, it's - people, you know, people - it's
actually - some of it's, you know, very straightforward, and um, and pretty pleasant.
Um.
UTR : Like the opening for The Daily Show.
JF: The Daily Show, um, The Daily - we did all these different - all the incidental
music for The Daily Show.
UTR : Okay.
JF : And, um, that was, you know, very interesting just because it was so genre-specific.
You know, doing this kind of bombastic news music was um, was kind of an interesting
change, you know. Um, and - but, you know, that show's a perfect example. We
did like one - we did one week's worth of work for The Daily Show and it's been,
you know, on the air everyday for three years.
UTR : Right.
JF : Um, we're using all, you know, our music and, you know, it's - actually,
I mean, I was watching the show last night and I have to say, you know, we gave
them a really good package. There's a lot of different stuff that they draw on,
and um, I think it still sounds really good, you know.
UTR : Yeah.
JF : It sounds - it's like their cool recording, and it's
pretty varied, and the tone of the show, it's so strange, it's so specific
'cause they're really
- they're walking this very thin line between "legit" and "humor".
Um, I mean, obviously, you know, it's a comedy show, but they want the form
of the show to be very serious. So, you know, I think the music kind of supports
that.
UTR : Actually it's funny, when I first saw The Daily Show,
I heard the song, and I felt like, "I know that band". I just - I
couldn't quite put my finger on it, and of course I didn't find out till later.
I was pleasantly
surprised when I found out you guys did it.
JF : Mmm hmm, yep, sounds good.
Gigantic documentary
UTR : So, um, you guys actually have a documentary written about you.
JF : Um, a film about us, yeah.
UTR : That's right, "Gigantic".
JF: It's was, um, this, um, this friend of mine, AJ Schnack,
uh, we actually - he was my video rep - he's a producer. And um, he, uh, had
this crazy idea,
and, you know, I mean I think people hear, like, oh you know, a friend of your
made a documentary about you, and they think [coughs] and they immediately
think like, oh, it's, you know, it's um, an inside job. You know, actually
this is
like - this is just the opposite. It was um, I was really taken aback when
he told me that he wanted to do this project in part because - even though
I had
worked with him on lots of videos, even on videos for They Might Be Giants,
um, I never really, you know I knew AJ was a fan of my directing and I knew
he liked
the band but I didn't think of him as a fan of the band. Um, I mean, he certainly
never - he was very professional about, you know, his, you know, his interest
in working with me. Um, and uh, and also you know AJ is a really - he's a very
successful person in the rock video community. He's done, you know, Bonfire
Films is like a really, um, A-list video production place. Um, and you know,
I mean
they do videos for, you know, people who are hot, you know what I mean? It's
like they do - they did the Blink-182 videos with - when the guys were naked
. And they did the Papa Roach videos when they're singing to all the people
in the crowd . You know, they did - they do videos that are like in the Buzz
Bin.
You'll go, "like wow that video's fucked up , man." You know, so, like,
I sort of never, you know, I mean the stuff we've done with They Might Be Giants
with them - I always sort of saw it as me calling in a favor , you know. So to
have them kind of turn around and - to have AJ and Shirley, his wife, who's also
the producer of the film, turn around and say, "We wanna make a feature-length
documentary about your band! " I was like, "huh?"
UTR : [laughs]
JF : Um, and also, you know, just - like, John Flansburgh and John Linnell aren't
really the subjects of They Might Be Giants, in like the most - in the most essential
way. I mean, I think Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are kind of the subjects
of the Rolling Stones and that's fine, because there is something sort of super-human
about them as a topic. I think, in some ways, They Might Be Giants, as an idea,
really resides very far into our imaginations and it's a very abstract, projected
kind of reality for us. And we're really trying to figure out ways to make rock
songs that are completely singular, um, and so we have a very different approach
to what we do, than, I think, a lot of musicians do. I don't think there's like
a big social component in what we do. Um, you know, it's like even though I think
over the years we've become a very effective par ty band as a live act , um,
I don't think that's our natural inclination. I think we've just come to realize
that that's kind of a good strat egy for doing a live show. But um, but you know,
at the core of it, you know, our ambition - our ambitions aren't really wrapped
up in, you know, con fes sional song writing or um, you know, anything more personal
than like what your average, um, kind of, um, creative writer would be involved
in. You know, it's like, I mean it's - it's a weird thing to say because I think
obviously ev erything's per sonal on some level, but it's like - it's more about
your orientation. I don't think our orientation is that - is that much about
ourselves or our feelings or our biographies or our politics, you know.
UTR : Yeah.
JF : Which is what most, you know, most creative people sort of have something
they need to get off their chest. I think for us, it's like we kind of approach
it in a more experimental, kind of, exploratory way. This sounds incredibly pretentious.
UTR : [laughs]
JF : But you know, I mean, I think [laughs] ultimately we probably are incredibly
pretentious [laughs].
UTR : [laughs] So, in other words you were kinds taken aback when -
JF : I didn't think - I just didn't know what - it's like, there's no story there.
It's like, you know, the story of two guys who get along.
UTR : [laughs]
JF : You know, see the drama of people who, you know, learned
how to, you know, communicate and, you know, find common ground. You know,
it's just you know,
it's not the thing that movies are made of, you know. And I think we sort of
felt like we didn't know, you know, how to - I mean we sort of didn't know
how to break it to AJ that there was no "Behind the Music" there.
There was no sensational story there. But I think that's what actually makes
the movie
so interesting is that it actually shows, you know, a band that works, you
know. Like a creative project that actually keeps on going. And um, you know,
it's
sort of artistically successful on its own terms. And um, and it shows our
friendship, you know, which is fine - which is good, I think. That was the
biggest surprise
for me, actually, is that, you know, it makes you realize, like, it's not a
surprise that we're still working together. You know, there's something very
easy about
our setup. You know. And it kind of complements our personalities.
They Might Be Giants deny a Tetris addiction
UTR : Right. Yeah it seems like I have a vague, uh, recollection
of a piece from The Onion about uh, how they were - how there was going to
be a They Might Be
Giants "Behind the Music" -
JF : Oh yeah, about Tetris addiction.
UTR : Yes, except uh - but most they could find out about you guys was that you
were addicted to coffee and Linnell might have been addicted to Tetris for some
certain time.
JF : Yeah, yeah. Well that's a funny, like, sort of generational thing, 'cause
I don't think, um, you know, we're kind of, I mean, the reality is we're actually
like too old to be gamers.
UTR : Yeah.
JF : You know. We're of that generation, you know, we're pre- George W. Bush
where we - we look, uh, we look a scant at gaming.
UTR : Yeah. So, uh -
JF : Are you a gamer?
UTR : Um, I uh, occasionally dabble but not as much as I was when I in, like,
junior high, and stuff.
JF : Which one? "Ultra Violent Super Death"?
UTR : No, I, uh, play "Ultra-Violent Super Death 2: The
Sequel"
JF : Uh huh, right. "Severed Head"?
UTR : Yeah. [laughs].
JF : I can't believe, you know, like sometimes, like you know,
there are a lot more game commercials on TV now. And I really - I can't believe
the level of,
uh, you know - to call it "fantasy violence" is sort of an understatement.
You know, it's really, uh, pretty vivid .
UTR : Yeah, very realistic and bloody violence.
JF: Yeah. I'm kind of confused that there aren't more, um, kind of, um, surreal
and kind of mod video games. Like so many of them have this kind of you know,
sort of, uh, not Dungeons and Dragons but sort of like gothic quality. I don't
see where there isn't more that like, look like, you know - bloops and bleeps!
Oh hold on one second, I got another call.
UTR : Oh, no problem.
JF : [click]
UTR : [sighs]
JF : [click] Hello.
UTR : Okay.
JF : So, um, oh yeah, I'm just surprised that there aren't cooler games. It seems
like there could be, you know, like where's the - where's the Hello Kitty of
games? You know, or not even Hello Kitty. Like - I'm trying to think what the
weird, mod, like, where's the Powerpuff Girls of games?
UTR : I think, uh, I think, uh, The Sims is one of those non-violent sort of,
uh, slightly quirky games.
JF : Yeah, but The Sims has got that ug ly interface. Like, like, I guess the
thing is, I just find games ugly. Like, they're so ugly. Like they are these
complete - they are 100% graphical. You know, which seems like an open invitation
to do something that would be, like, an interesting, aesthetic dreamscape kind
of a thing. And instead, it's just like purely the domain of like these weird,
kind of icky surfaces. I don't know, I just think it's a weird direction that
it's going in. I don't think it necessarily has to be that way.
UTR : Yeah. There are some games that have kind of a cartoon look to them instead
of the more realistic, gritty look.
JF : But like, you know, think of like, uh, I don't know. I mean, what's weird
is that there are all these games that are based on real-life scenarios, but
they still have that kind of, uh, you know, gothy , contoured shadowed look.
Like, why does the surf game look like, uh, the dungeon master game? You know
the thing about the surfers? You know, like, think about surfers and the way
like, like surfer logos are, and like, how everything like, you know, like all
surfer guys wear like really cool shaped sneakers and everything kind of got
that weird, morphing, futuristic, you know, very 2002-and-a-half look to it,
you know? Like why can't - why can't - why doesn't the surf game look like a
surf logo?
UTR : Right. That's a good point.
JF : I'm not satisfied.
UTR : [laughs] I think you need to call up some people.
JF : I actually - I have called up people.
UTR : Yeah?
JF : They have no explanation for me.
UTR : [laughs]
Top ten albums of …?
UTR : Alright, so, uh, I got some questions from the editor.
JF : Okay.
UTR : For this next issue, we're kind of doing a look back at 2002 and look forward
to 2003.
JF : Uh huh.
UTR : I don't know if you were like, warned of these questions in advance or
not.
JF : Well there was something about, like, a top ten.
UTR : Yeah.
JF : And I don't have that available to me at all.
UTR : Yeah, like a top ten favorite albums of 2002. Do you
have like a top three, or…?
JF : Uh, no, off of the top of my head I couldn't even say.
UTR : Oh really. Okay.
JF : I mean, I don't - I don't listen to music in, like, a linear way. It's not
like I go pick up the new record and listen to it 'til it's old. I mean, for
me, most music is about, you know, listening to, uh, you know, stuff from forty
years ago, and just checking in with it.
UTR : Okay, so -
JF : You know what I mean. So I mean - but I could cook up a list for ya. Is
it - do you want comments ? Or do you want a list ?
UTR : You could just have a list.
JF : Okay.
UTR : Or, if you didn't want to do 2002, just how about, uh, ten albums maybe
you bought in 2002, or you started listening to in 2002 or something like that.
JF : Okay. How about the best ten albums of, you know, 1968 that people should
check out?
UTR : Sure.
JF : I'll do something. I'll cook up something for ya.
UTR : Okay. Um, and then there was, the bands you recommend to keep an eye on,
or you think are going to be big in 2003.
JF : What do I know about that stuff?
UTR : [laughs] You could just make up band names if you wanted to.
JF : Right, right. The, uh, the High Integrity Name-Check Band.
UTR : Right. [laughs]
JF : The Phony Vibe Band.
Highlights of 2002
UTR : Okay, the next question is more about the band, or just personal questions.
JF : Uh huh?
UTR : This is just kind of open-ended: what was the highlight of 2002 for you?
JF : Oh, well…
UTR : And it could be anything, like you taught your dog to catch a Frisbee or
just whatever.
JF : Um, no, there are two very specific highlights. Um, they kind of rival each
other and they're - you know, one was - we uh, we actually, uh, we won a Grammy
in, uh, February. And uh, that was just a very, uh, unreal kind of experience.
And really quite exciting, you know. It was as unlikely as anything that's ever
happened to me. Like, we really didn't think we were going to win. We were surprised
when we were nominated and just downright confused when we won. So, you know,
it was great. It was a really, you know, fun moment. And uh, the other really
big, you know, uh, thing for, uh us as a band was, uh, kind of watching the odometer
flip to twenty at - doing the Central - we did a big pre-show in Central Park
with like 8,000 people there. And uh, we actually did our very first show in
August of 1982. Um, and so, to actually be back in the same place where we started,
playing for a gigantic crowd of people, on a beautiful summer night, was just
like a, you know, just a really - it was a special time, you know.
UTR : Wow, yeah.
JF : It just felt really amazing.
The demise of the Republican Party
UTR : Wow, cool. Alright so, um, and what are you looking forward
to in 2003?
JF : I'm looking forward to the demise of the
Republican Party.
UTR : [laughs] That's right, they pretty much
took over the Senate yesterday.
JF : Yeah, well, you know, it's um, they're um,
now that they're in control, um, they're going to have a lot of
explaining to do when stuff still doesn't come together, you know?
UTR : Right.
JF : I think it's going to be an interesting period,
'cause I don't think things are going to turn out quite as rosy
as they have planned. I think um - I'm afraid that our international
policies, uh, make about as much sense as sticking your head in
a hornet's nest.
UTR : Yeah I'm one of those people that get embarrassed
for America whenever George W. Bush gives a speech.
JF : [sighs] If he could just learn how to say
the word "nuclear," that would be fine.
UTR : Yeah, that would be a big step.
JF : Yeah.
UTR : Yeah.
At the end of the interview I gave him some contact info to send
the top-ten list and proceeded to kiss his ass. I never received
the top-ten list, so maybe
I scared him off. Oh well, the world will have to wait for John Flansburgh's "best
of 1968." But we still have the next twenty years to look forward to. |
