This article is about the musical group. For the film, see They Might Be Giants (film).
They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) are an American pop/ rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as "the two Johns" or "John and John". Known for their experimental pop music, they have been popular on college campuses and earned a reputation for "intellectual rock" or "nerd rock." The band has maintained a loyal following over its 20+ years of existence, enough that fans rushed an online poll and got John Linnell voted one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful People" in 1998.
TMBG's most famous songs are probably one single from each of their first three albums, " Don't Let's Start" (from They Might Be Giants), " Ana Ng" (from Lincoln), and " Birdhouse in Your Soul" (from Flood). Their appearance on the show Tiny Toon Adventures also gained recognition for their songs " Particle Man" and " Istanbul (Not Constantinople)". They are also known for their version of the Bob Mould song "Dog on Fire" (the theme song to The Daily Show), and " Boss of Me", the theme to the hit television comedy Malcolm in the Middle, for which they won a Grammy Award. They also provide the theme song for The Travel Channel's "Amazing Vacation Homes", Disney Channel's Higglytown Heroes, and Teletoon's The Wrong Coast. Two They Might Be Giants albums have been certified platinum: Flood and Here Come the ABCs.
The two Johns first met as children in Lincoln, Massachusetts. They began writing songs together in high school, but they never officially formed a band. The two went to separate colleges after high school (Flansburgh attended Pratt Institute), and Linnell joined The Mundanes, a New Wave group from Rhode Island. The two finally reunited after moving to Brooklyn (to the same apartment building on the same day) to continue their career.
