They Might Be Giants Declare ‘The Communists Have the Music’ in New Video
By Bill Pearis
They Might Be Giants continue their Dial-a-Song singles series with “The Communists Have the Music,” a melodic manifesto where the only battle line is if it’s a good song or not. “On the one hand, Fran Lebowitz memorably said of Communism vs. Fascism that one was too dull and the other too exciting,” says TMBG’s John Linnell. “However, our song takes its cue from somebody (I can’t remember who) in our high school, who once compared two bands (I wish I could remember which bands) by declaring that one had the power but the other had the tunes. This enduring metaphor seems to apply to any pair of things we can think of.” Or, as he sings here, “I hear a melody and just as suddenly I know who I’m supposed to be.”
The very eye-catching video for “The Communists Have the Music” was created by an animation team led by David Plunkert, who did the New Yorker cover with Trump and the KKK sailboat. Watch that below.
TMBG’s fall tour, which is spending a considerable amount of time in Canada, kicks off next week in Vancouver, and hits NYC at Terminal 5 on October 27 (tickets). Updated dates are listed below.
They Might Be Giants – 2018 Tour Dates
OCT 16 TUE – Imperial Vancouver – Vancouver, Canada
OCT 18 THU – Bella Concert Hall – Calgary, Canada
OCT 19 FRI – Starlite Room – Edmonton, Canada
OCT 20 SAT – The Broadway Theatre – Saskatoon, Canada
OCT 21 SUN – The Garrick Centre – Winnipeg, Canada
OCT 23 TUE – Barrymore Theatre – Madison, WI, United States
OCT 24 WED – Michigan Theater – Ann Arbor, MI, United States
OCT 25 THU – State Theatre of Ithaca – Ithaca, NY, United States
OCT 26 FRI – Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore, MD, United States
OCT 27 SAT – Terminal 5 – New York, NY, United States
OCT 28 SUN – Columbus Theatre – Providence, RI, United States
OCT 30 TUE – Theatre Fairmount – Montreal, Canada
NOV 1 THU – Bronson Center Theatre – Ottawa, Canada
NOV 2 FRI – Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, Canada
NOV 3 SAT – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY, United States
DEC 30 SUN – Daryl’s House Club – Pawling, NY, United States
DEC 31 MON – Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA, United States