Why is that important?

Well, I think, uh, you know, I mean, the, the album, the, the al- the musical album as, like, a form of artistic output, which is, like, uh, like so many cultural things these days, is kind of like an endangered species.

It's like what it represents is kind of up for grabs, and a lot of times, you know, people will come at you and sort of say, like, "Is this a concept album?" Or, you know, like, "What's the deal?" But I think there is something about making, uh, making a whole musical project in a moment that kind of freezes it in a very exciting way.

And, uh, so it w- it was just really...

I, I was probably responding to the, like, is this a concept album thing, which our albums never are.

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music]From the watchtowers I've been spotted.

Fingers pointing at my mouth.

Nice.

I, I appreciate it when people say that they like what we do.

Like, uh, you know, we put a lot of wo- ourselves into our work.

We put a lot of energy into our work, and it's not designed to...

You know, it's kind of left of center.

It's, like, a very take it or leave it kind of musical project.

So to find an audience for what you're doing, for us, is very gratifying because it's just like, it's not a given that a band like They Might Be Gi- you know, as, you know, as I've said in many interviews, like, you know, w- we were a very stoppable force.

Right.

Uh, why do you say run the risk of communicating with an audience?

Well, I mean, y- you know, what's interesting is that, like, when we started, like I remem- I do remember our very first show in They Might Be Giants.

We played at a place, well, we, we, before we were called They Might Be Giants, we played, uh, outside at a, at, like, a political rally, and that was just, that was sort of a UFO.

I didn't really have any takeaway from what, what that meant to anybody.

But the first time we p- actually played in a nightclub, it was me and John and a tape recorder pl- with a drum track, and we sort of set it up, uh, so that the songs kind of ran into one another, 'cause we were nervous that people weren't gonna applaud.

And, um, and we were doing a lot of material that w- uh, half the material was kind of histrionic, like a little bit art rocky.

Like, it was not, it was not so song-based.

If you have a day to work, what does a creative day look like to you?

How did you come up with the idea to put this tour together and do it this way?

Well, we wanted to do multi-night stands, and that way we kind of slow things down a little bit for us.

It's not quite so physically exhausting, like, just, you know, being awake in the middle of the night on a tour bus.

You know, we actually can get to a museum every now and then, actually see the places we are, get some, uh, high-quality cheesesteaks.

But as far as the show goes, what makes it challenging for us, and interesting for audiences, is that we've sort of taken on the responsibility of creating a whole bunch of different shows.

We're doing an evening with, and the first set we will do an album spotlight where we play, like, a half dozen to a dozen songs off a given album.

You know, really, like, the 40 minutes off an album.

One last question: what was the first record you bought with your own money?

How did you come up with the idea to put this tour together and do it this way?

Well, we wanted to do multi-night stands, and that way we kind of slow things down a little bit for us.

It's not quite so physically exhausting, like, just, you know, being awake in the middle of the night on a tour bus.

You know, we actually can get to a museum every now and then, actually see the places we are, get some, uh, high quality cheesesteaks.

But as far as the show goes, what makes it challenging for us, and interesting for audiences, is that we've sort of taken on the responsibility of creating a whole bunch of different shows.

We're doing an evening with, and the first set we will do an album spotlight where we'll play, like, a half dozen to a dozen songs off a given album.

You know, really, like, the 40 minutes off an album.

One last question: What was the first record you bought with your own money?

For their election-themed pick, here's a live performance of their song James K. Polk.

[upbeat music] In 1844, the Democrats were split.

The three nominees for the presidential candidate were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist, James Buchanan, a moderate, Lewis Cass, a general and expansionist.

From Nashville came a dark horse riding up.

He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump.

Austere, severe, he held few people dear.

His oratory filled his foes with fear.

[cheering] [clapping]

Yeah.

Is we s- we, we're bad at our jobs.

[upbeat music] Get down.

Get down.

They broke the code, here's what they found.

Get down.

Get down.

I believe I said apolitical.