John Flansburgh
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| John Flansburgh | |
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 At Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, March 12, 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Conant Flansburgh |
| Also known as | Flans, Rolf Conant |
| Born | May 6, 1960 |
| Origin | Lincoln, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupations | Songwriter, Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Trumpet |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Associated acts | They Might Be Giants Mono Puff John Linnell |
John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960, Lincoln, Massachusetts) is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar. He is left-handed.[1]
Commonly referred to by the nicknames "Flans" or "Flansy"[citation needed], he is married to writer/singer/puppeteer Robin Goldwasser, with whom he occasionally performs. His father, Earl Flansburgh, was a retired architect and former principal of his own firm. His mother, Polly Flansburgh, is the founder and president of Boston By Foot. Her father, Brig.-Gen. Ralph Hospital, was an artilliery commander in the U.S. Army in the Italian Campaign during World War II. His brother, Paxus Calta (born Earl Schuyler Flansburgh), is an anti-nuclear activist and political organizer.
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[edit] 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 Grammy Award-winning effort, "Boss of Me", which charted in Europe and served as theme song to the hit television series Malcolm in the Middle.
[edit] Side projects
Self-described as "manic depressive, without the depression"[citation needed], he is known to keep extremely busy when not touring with They Might Be Giants. Some side-projects include:
- His band Mono Puff, which recorded two LPs in the late 1990s and toured occasionally.
- Directing music videos for such artists as Soul Coughing, Ben Folds Five, Frank Black and the Catholics, Harvey Danger, Jonathan Coulton, and TMBG themselves.
- Starring in (and writing some of the music for) the Off-Broadway musical People Are Wrong!.
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 Stephen Merritt, David Byrne, Matt Stone, and The Darkness. While no longer in production, it continues to be archived on the station's website.[2]
In 2007, John played a short role as "The Computer" in the Adult Swim comedy series Xavier: Renegade Angel.
[edit] Instruments
Flansburgh has been known to play a Gibson ES-335 frequently. He commonly plays a Fender Telecaster. He also plays a Gibson Les Paul. He is known by such unique guitars as his custom made Mojo guitar, along with his Coral Longhorn guitar.[3]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official They Might Be Giants site
- John Flansburgh at This Might Be a Wiki – more detailed information on Flansburgh
- John Flansburgh at the Internet Movie Database
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