TMBG Shirt #66: Instant Fan Club

Last year, They Might Be Giants introduced the Instant Fan Club. Included with membership was this lovely shirt with a Giant version of the IFC logo, featuring Paul Sahre's green escape key.

The TMBG Instant Fan Club 2012 edition is available right now. Included with this year's membership, among other fabulous things is a new version of the shirt with a blue escape key. There's even an option this year to order extra shirts for friends and family. Membership is limited, so be sure to Join Us soon before all the slots are filled!

MP3 of the Week:
We Live in a Dump

Performed at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI on 3/9/12.
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TMBG Shirt #65: Apollo 18

In honor of the 20th anniversary of They Might Be Giants' Apollo 18, which is today. Just a few shirts left to show you, and I've been saving this one. Happy Birthday, Whale & Squid Record!

Here's the official album cover shirt.

And here's the official Apollo 18 Tour Shirt, which I also own in white. 1992 tour stops and the NASA Lunar Lander adorn the back.

MP3 of the Week:
Fingertips

This Apollo 18 staple was performed at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI on 3/9/12.
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TMBG Shirt #64: 1919

I was not initially sure why this is called "1919". The only connection that I could find was that William Allen White is known for having reported from the Versailles Conference of 1919, and his face is predictably repeated thrice, mimicking their stage setup at the time. However, this investigator has learned that this shirt is a homage to a well-known 1919 lithographic Soviet propaganda poster called "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge". This 2008-2009 tour shirt has a very interesting design. It features the first names of our five guys cleverly melded together into two pseudo-ambigrams consisting of the original duo and their backing band, with their common letters in red. It is also of note that highlighting the difference between "DAN" and "DANNY" produces "NY", which warrants no interpretation.

JOHNHOɾ 

DANNYʇɹɐɯ

*Sorry, I couldn't flip 'MART'. 

The back reads "They Might Be Giants on Tour 2008-9" in a charming crossword fashion. This shirt is available at the TMBG Merch Store under the name "1919 on Creme", though my shirt as well as what's pictured appear to be white. I suspect that it's an error caused by the subsequent availability of "1919 on Creme Fine Jersey Slim Fit" t-shirt for women that actually does appear to have a creme hue.

MP3 of the Week:
Ana Ng

Performed at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, MA on 3/8/12, featuring the new "cacophony of sound" opening.
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TMBG Shirt #63: Saint Joseph's University

On April 24, 1997, I attended my 12th They Might Be Giants show. They were supposed to open for the Violent Femmes, who were also managed by The Hornblow Group. However, the Femmes were late in arriving so TMBG went on first. Years later, I found this shirt on eBay. True story.

Yup, staff shirt. Nice color!

MP3 of the Week:
Cowtown

Performed at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD on 2/17/12.
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TMBG Shirt #62: Home Taping

"Home Taping Is Killing Music" was the slogan of a 1980s anti-copyright infringement campaign by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), a UK music industry trade group. With the rise in cassette recorder popularity, the BPI feared that people being able to record music from the radio onto cassettes would cause a decline in record sales. The logo, consisting of a Jolly Roger formed from the silhouette of a cassette tape, also includes the words "And It's Illegal". 

TMBG has appropriated the cassette-and-crossbones logo and slogan for this Fall '09 tour shirt. Why exactly, I'm not entirely sure. I suppose because it's amusingly retro. I attended both of the New York City shows on the list: October 4 and October 18.

Hey guys, here's the plan for my 2012 TMBG Tattoo, which is four months away. I'm getting their newest logo above tattoo #1 of John Flansburgh's autograph. This really may be the final leg area available that could be considered "ankle space".

MP3 of the Week:
Mr. Me

Performed at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD on 2/17/12.
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