I can picture every part of your comeuppance.

January 11, 2012 4:57 PM

They Might Be Giants' new video for "When Will You Die?" in which they build a giant paper monster hearse.
posted by joannemerriam (26 comments total)

don't forget that you can print out and make your own paper monster hearse! instructions! pdf!
posted by radiosilents at 5:05 PM on January 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

Awesome. I expect bands to roll slowly down (up?) suck mountain, but TMBG is consistant year after year, with slight upgrades in the musicianship department. That's a perfect video for them.
posted by Huck500 at 5:06 PM on January 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Don't miss designer Paul Sahre (not Paula Scher) talking about the giant paper monster hearse.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 5:09 PM on January 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Pssssh. They were better without the band. All you noobs know them as TMBG. They were awesome when they were El Groupo De Rock n Roll.

Seriously tho' this is awesome. I love these guys. What a great video.
posted by hot_monster at 5:10 PM on January 11, 2012

My stupid happy heart, I swear.
posted by psoas at 5:12 PM on January 11, 2012

I love this song, but I keep having horrible visions of a group of bullies singing it to the kid who always gets picked on...
posted by straight at 5:13 PM on January 11, 2012

I love this song, but I keep having horrible visions of a group of bullies singing it to the kid who always gets picked on...

Does that describe the band or their listeners? Or both?
posted by fijiwriter at 5:15 PM on January 11, 2012

I may not know when I'll die, but I do know that I'm older then I've ever been, and now I'm even older, and now I'm even older, and now I'm older still.
posted by Panjandrum at 5:18 PM on January 11, 2012 [5 favorites]

this is a very good post about a very good thing and yay for it existing.

amen.
posted by hollisimo at 5:18 PM on January 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

I love TMBG. The wife and I are travelling to New Orleans for their February concert; it will be our fourth concert, which have ranged from Jackson, Miss., NYC and Birmingham.

My one touch of TMBG fame...they are quite active on Twitter, usually with John Flansburgh at the helm. Last year, I sent them a request for a birthday Tweet. (Yes, I'm THAT guy on Twitter.) My local fiends join the fray/retweet for the mention...and the bday Tweet goes out....to my best friend. Robbed!
posted by fijiwriter at 5:23 PM on January 11, 2012

I love this song, but I keep having horrible visions of a group of bullies singing it to the kid who always gets picked on...

Bullies don't listen to They Might Be Giants. And there are many worse, more aggressive "you should die" songs that I'm sure the theoretical bully barbershop quartet I'm currently imagining could choose. So take heart!
posted by penduluum at 8:06 PM on January 11, 2012

Dammit, I really want to see them in New Orleans, but my brother and sister are taking their spouses to a Mardi Gras ball that night and someone has to tend the farm.

Great video.
posted by ColdChef at 8:42 PM on January 11, 2012

Yeah, but is that hearse an Electric Car?
posted by JHarris at 8:51 PM on January 11, 2012

We got see them on the last night of the 2011 leg of the tour, and They put on a hell of a show - puppets, video, jokes about the weird-ass furniture shops down the street, and a long and slightly punchy gig. They also bought the audience a keg of Stella, which I don't think is a regular feature but you should still go if they come to your town.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:33 PM on January 11, 2012

The most consistently fun live performers that I can think of.
posted by weinbot at 9:41 PM on January 11, 2012

Thanks for this! A few weeks back I took Wonderboy, my 12-year-old, to a TMBG show. They were a ton of fun and what a perfect first rock concert. His big sister is 26 and her first concert was also TMBG, at about the same age. We have a family tradition going here.

Awesome. I expect bands to roll slowly down (up?) suck mountain, but TMBG is consistent year after year, with slight upgrades in the musicianship department.

That is exactly right isn't it? Flood was their best album, but even the most recent albums are pretty close to that mark.
posted by LarryC at 10:12 PM on January 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh, here is the official TMBG Youtube channel.
posted by LarryC at 10:31 PM on January 11, 2012

what is the genre that they and cake are part of, what is it called
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 10:56 PM on January 11, 2012

what is the genre that they and cake are part of, what is it called

Ok so I'm terrible at knowing when I'm being trolled but dude, c'mon.
posted by no mind at 12:06 AM on January 12, 2012

Fingertips!
posted by erniepan at 12:34 AM on January 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

this is the only tmbg song ive listened to and it sounded a lot like "sick of you"

sorry
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 1:05 AM on January 12, 2012

I was a big TMBG fan up until 2001 (9/11 changed everything!) and haven't really listened to anything they've released since then. I have a playlist of my favorite 22 songs up until 2001 and kind of wish I could just get a mix of their Best-Of since then.
posted by yeti at 7:55 AM on January 12, 2012

I've seen TMBG more than any other band -- double digits now, they were my first real show, too -- and I'm still beside myself with excitement to be seeing them again in a few weeks. Cheerful, witty, fun, and the audiences at shows are always so doggone NICE. I realize this is a Deadhead sort of thing to say, but I've never felt more at home than with a crowd of folks who ALSO know all the words to every single song, when in my "real life" there are very few folks I know who feel that way about TMBG.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:57 AM on January 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

Dammit, I really want to see them in New Orleans, but my brother and sister are taking their spouses to a Mardi Gras ball that night and someone has to tend the farm.

You mean I came this [] close to meeting ColdChef in his natural environs?
posted by fijiwriter at 8:46 AM on January 12, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think The Else (including the disc of B-sides Cast Your Pod Upon the Wind which includes the essential "Brain Problem Situation") is as good as any other TMBG album, including Lincoln and Flood. The recent Join Us needs more time to be sure, but I think it's at least in the top half of their studio albums.
posted by straight at 8:56 AM on January 12, 2012

As a fan since Lincoln, I have to say Join Us is the best thing they've done in just about forever.
posted by dortmunder at 11:43 AM on January 12, 2012