watched a documentary on They Might Be Giants last night. I love them. I even have a modest TMBG story. while working for the wine store years ago, I waited on a woman who's check read either Flansburgh or Linnell and who lived in Lincoln. I knew that the Johns hailed from Lincoln, so mentioned that the woman's name sounded familiar re TMBG. she was the mother of one. the boys had just been in Lincoln for their 10th reunion. which I suspect was less grim than Janis Joplin going to hers (check it out motherfuckers: I'm famous now). like Richard Thompson, their words have a literary feel. not so much that their songs are poems, which I think really not, but the care in the words chosen shows thru. I own none of their cds and am not expert in their ways but enjoy their work immensely. one song last night was about James Polk, based on the dry info you get in civics textbooks. another song I recall speaks of the sun as a glowing ball of gases, and the planets around it. the lyrics, in fact, come from a Golden Book kid's version of the universe. getting a band wasn't a bad thing. I continue to be leery of tape machines, drum machines (ick!!!) and keyboards that do everything. at least, in live performance, I will pass on that stuff. since I am speaking of music, Erin played a cd by a group called The Darkness. when he put it on I thought it was some 80s band, which is consistent with Erin's taste. I am sure the band listened heartily to AC/DC (as well they should). the vocals changed my assumption. the singer periodically switches into a weird falsetto that I've never heard the like. mostly it's true falsetto (huhn?), not screeching over the amps. pretty tasteful music, crisply done, but I would tire of it quickly.