Today I met a member of the They Might Be Giants named Dan Weinkauf. That gives me a brothers Chaps number of 2 since presumably Dan has met the brothers, a Dan Weinkauf number of 1, and a the-rest-of-the-Giants number of also 2. Hurray a for me! Also the concert they put on was very nice. I may write about it later.
They Might Be Giants concert
It FREE! No Pay! What a deal!
So yeah it happened at tulip festival and no money required. How nice. I stood there with all the other peoples just hangin round and waiting for music. Then they begin. I am barely impressed by their first song. I cannot even remember the title. I think, “Oh man this is one of those ones that don’t sound nice without overproduction in a studio.” But I admit I was wrong. They sound nice, you just have to forgive certain songs. Every other song had something to recommend it. Most had either funny lyrics, a driving beat, catchy riffs, or all of the above. My favorite live song was the Nations Alphabet wherein they recite musically a list alphabetized nations- one for each letter. The last word ‘Zimbabwe!’ Was all drawn out and harmonized. The CD version clip I found on the web pales by comparison to this live version. They also did the song ‘Experimental Film’ which is a personal favorite of mine for the simple fact that it is a Brothers Chaps collaboration and there is a video to it including Strong Sad and the cheat produced toonage. The commentary for this video is hysterical (my best word for extreme funny types) and both are available on the brothers chaps website:
homestarrunner.com
This is the end of TBC plug. Now we return you to TMBG news.
So after the concert wandering around with Dan (my husband) I say, “I want to meet them. No I really do. I will feel so bad later if I don’t try to meet them.” So I go back and forth behind the stage three times and finally ask a nice looking lady if I can say something to the band or a member. There are big gaps in the fence and I *could* just walk or run right in but that might be rude. She says I should just call at them and get them to come over. I do but my voice is quiet so she taps one on the shoulder and says, “Excuse me this lady would like to meet you.” and he walks on over. He says his name is Dan but not the one from Rochester. He says they are all named Dan and not to worry about being confused. I say I’m Tracey and we shake right hands. I say I am a fan thru homestar runner and he muses how nice that crossover works. He mentions they just did an Atlanta concert where TBC appeared. I say how sorry I am to have missed that. He says something indicating he’s walking away and goodbye and I say I liked the songs and tell the others the same. Then I leave all smiley. The end and that was my good meeting-someone-famous time.