John Flansburgh
John Flansburgh | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | John Conant Flansburgh |
Also known as | Rolf Conant[1]
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Born | |
Years active | 1980–present |
John Conant Flansburgh (/flænzˌbərɡ/ FLANZ-berg; born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York–based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar.
Commonly referred to by the nickname "Flansy" or "Flans",[a][1] he is married to musician Robin Goldwasser, with whom he occasionally performs.
Early life
Flansburgh was born in
Flansburgh attended the George Washington University, where he learned to play guitar while working as a parking garage attendant, then Antioch College and Pratt Institute, where he graduated with an arts degree.[4]
Since 1982: They Might Be Giants
Flansburgh co-founded They Might Be Giants, with longtime friend John Linnell, in 1982 while a student at Pratt Institute. The two share singing and songwriting duties, with Flansburgh on guitar, in addition to performing a variety of instruments when the need arises. In the 2002 documentary Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns), he was described as holding a leadership role in the group, managing most details of their live act and handling much of the promotion effort.
As a songwriter, Flansburgh enjoys a mix of styles; many of his songs have an absurdist and satirical bent, but he often breaks for more earnest and romantic themes as well. He penned and performed vocals on the group's first
Side projects
Flansburgh has pursued a number of solo projects during his time with They Might Be Giants. His band Mono Puff recorded two full-length albums and four EPs in the late 1990s and toured occasionally. The band also included bassist Hal Cragin and drummer
Flansburgh also ran a subscription-based record label called the
In 1998, Flansburgh guest-starred as himself in the season 4 finale of the Cartoon Network animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast.[9] In 2004, Flansburgh created and hosted a series on WNYC entitled Now Hear This. The program spotlighted a variety of his musical interests, featuring interviews with artists such as Stephin Merritt, David Byrne, Matt Stone, and The Darkness. While no longer in production, it continues to be archived on the station's website.[10] In 2007, Flansburgh played a short role as "Computer" in the Adult Swim comedy series Xavier: Renegade Angel.[11]
In 2023, Flansburgh released a solo EP entitled Forest / Trees.[12]
Personal life
Since 1996, he is married to musician
On June 8, 2022, while in a ride share on his way home from a They Might Be Giants show at the Bowery Ballroom,[15] Flansburgh's ride was involved in a collision with a drunk driver. Flansburgh had several broken ribs, many of which had multiple fractures, but no vital organs were damaged.[16]
Instruments
Flansburgh frequently plays a red
References
- ^ a b Millman, Debbie (March 3, 2012). "Design Matters with Debbie Millman - John Flansburgh". ObserverMedia.DesignObserver.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ Symkus, Ed (March 28, 2013). "Kings of Quirkiness: They Might Be Giants at Paradise April 3-4". The MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ TMBG Info Club (1994). "John and John Answer Your Questions". TMBW.net. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- NBC New York. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ Unsupervised (Liner notes).
- ^ The Devil Went Down to Newport (Liner notes).
- ^ Rosenberg, Joel (April 4, 1997). "Mono Puff: Unsupervised". The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Q&A with Gothamist". November 12, 2004. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Flansburgh, John (April 17, 2019). "Hey Flans, do you remember anything specific about your Space Ghost: Coast to Coast interview? It seems that aside from a very small clip, it was never aired". Tumblr. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ Flansburgh, John (April 2, 2004). "Now Hear This". WNYC.org. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ Rosner, Bennett (January 7, 2019). "John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants Interview with WRSU". Radio.Rutgers.edu (Podcast). WRSU-FM. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Forest / Trees EP." Accessed August 6, 2023.
- ^ Hallenbeck, Brent (November 15, 2015). "Sanders' Campaign Stands at the Intersection of Entertainment, Politics". USA Today. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "TMBG.org FAQ". Archived from the original on April 6, 1997. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved 2012-09-30. - ^ "Shows/2022-06-08 - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base". TMBW.net. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ @tmbg (June 9, 2022). "An important message from John L." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Mojo Chessmaster". TMBW.net. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- Guitar.com. Archived from the originalon November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
Notes
External links
- Official They Might Be Giants website
- John Flansburgh at This Might Be a Wiki – more detailed information on Flansburgh
- John Flansburgh at IMDb