TMBG Concert - 5 Mar 2010

"These might be guys!"

On March 5, 2010, They Might Be Giants again performed at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia. As with their previous engagements there in September of 2004, May of 2006, and March of 2008, they were joined on stage this time by Puppet Homestar Runner during an encore; Homestar sang "Tropical Lazor Beams" and a version of "With a Little Help from My Friends."

According to at least one of the uploaded videos' information, the band asked the audience to videotape Homestar and post it online in hopes of making a compilation film from the footage.

Transcript

Below is the transcript of the portion of the show which They Might Be Giants asked the audience to record.

Note: Many of the lyrics are unintelligible, especially in the chorus to "With a Little Help From My Friends".

FLANSBURGH: ...And, if you're- if there's like, a really tall person who's been standing in front of you for the entire show, this is a great opportunity to ask them to get out of the way, {audience laughs} so you can do your film part. This is our experiment in crowdsourcing, if you could post this video online as, just like, uh, TMBG, Variety Playhouse, and whatever today's date is, and we'll uh, compile them all, and we're gonna make a 35 millimeter movie out of this. {audience cheers} So is everybody-

LINNELL: It'll be like, five hours long. {audience laughs}

FLANSBURGH: Yes. We're gonna say it was directed by Martin Scorsese but not tell him. {audience laughs} So, uh, is everybody out there, is everybody rolling? {audience cheers} Is everybody spinning, everybody in the back out there? We have some long views in the back? ...This is very nice, it's like there's some crickets in here, and fireflies-

LINNELL: Fireflies, yeah.

FLANSBURGH: ...yeah, it's very nice. It's like an electronic, uh, campfire. Alright, well, ladies and gentlemen, we want to bring back Mr. Curt Ramm on the flugelhorn, ladies and gentlemen, {audience cheers} the flugelhorn... and we want to— oh wait, we need to get the video screen down, the video screen needs to come down. {the audience goes "Oooh"}

{a video screen slowly drops down}

LINNELL: ...There it is. People, this is some peoples' favorite part, is watching the screen... {audience continues to "Oooh"} ...coming down. Will it reach the bottom?

FLANSBURGH: Oh, one second, I just gotta get the...mic in place... This whole crowdsourcing thing is really working out for us.

LINNELL: I'm gonna watch this video over and over again, this part, this part right here. {audience laughs} Watching the part where I'm going, {mocking his previous comment} "I'm gonna watch the video, over and over". {audience laughs}

FLANSBURGH: {without microphone} ...Wait, why is there something... there's something in the way.

{the screen continues to come down, the audience reluctantly says "Awww"}

LINNELL: {unintelligible, but referring to what is seen on the video screen} ...Was like that. {audience reacts negatively to the screen} I think it looks nice. Very realistic.

FLANSBURGH: I think it looks nice too. Alright, here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, from Atlanta, Georgia... Homestar! Runner!

{audience cheers, Puppet Homestar appears on the screen}

Tropical Lazor Beams

{music starts, Puppet Homestar moves in time with the music}

PUPPET HOMESTAR: {singing} Aaaaah
Tropical lazor beams
Lazor beams of love
Tropical lima beans... Oh
When you're away it's like a void
I try to avoid it
Every time you're away
I put my lazors on stun!
Because I've got to stun you
Just to get my point through!
Lazor beams!
And-the-lazor beams!
Pretty please!
With the lazor beams!

{flugelhorn solo}

Lazor beams in Fiji
Or maybe Tijuana
Even though that's not tropical
Lazor beams in Tahiti
Ooh! Tropical! On the sunset!
I can't believe that you left me (crying, crying)
For that cabana boy
I can't believe that you left me (crying, crying)
Crying tropical lazor beams (aaaaah)
Aaaaah (crying, crying)
Always crying tropical lazor beams (aaaaah)
Lazor beams of love (crying, crying)
Tropical lazor beams
A-da-da-daaaa, da da da da-da-da da-da-da daaaaah
Tropical lazor beams
Lazor beams of love {audience cheers; Puppet Homestar holds the last note, then drops it an octave, raises it two octaves, and drops it two octaves again} ...ugh... ugh-ve. Ughve.

LINNELL: Homestar Runner, ladies and gentlemen. {audience cheers}

PUPPET HOMESTAR: Ladies, I hope you're wearin' two belts... 'cause I've just charmed the pants off y'all! {audience cheers} S'right. A-T-L, L-5-P... {audience cheers} Decateur... {audience cheers}

LINNELL: How the devil are you, Homestar?

PUPPET HOMESTAR: I'm doing great, how're you guys doin'?

LINNELL: We're doing well, I heard, I heard you've been, you've been in, in storage.

PUPPET HOMESTAR: I've been on a vision quest. {audience laughs} I been watching that movie Vision Quest. {audience laughs} Whoo, that is rough! {nods}

LINNELL: Um, well, would you like to sing another... {dryly} song?

PUPPET HOMESTAR: I'd love to, I'd like to make it worthwhile... for the people, puttin' up with the puppets twice in one night! {audience cheers} Yeah.

LINNELL: Two puppet shows!

PUPPET HOMESTAR: "What? This isn't what we paid for!" {audience laughs} "I want some flesh and blood!" {audience laughs, Puppet Homestar nods} Let's do it!

LINNELL: Alright, let's do it.

With a Little Help From My Friends

{music starts, Puppet Homestar moves in time with the music}

PUPPET HOMESTAR: Ladies and gentlemen, I wrote this song! That's right, I wrote this song... and then they used it as the theme to The Wonder Years. {audience laughs}

{singing} What would you do if I took off my shoes?
Would you throw 'em right out in the street?
Give me your nose,
I'm gonna give you a clothespin,
'Cause you know that I got stinky feet! Oh!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

I need french fries!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

You guys remember high five fives!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

How about a dozen large pizza pies?

What do I do when my shoes go away?
Like to the cobbler, that place in the mall
That says "while you wait
Repairs done cheap"
But I know that's BS! Oh!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

Oh, you know I try!

(By with a little help from my friends)

I'm always hangin' round the fry guys!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

Whoa, these might be guys!

{Puppet Homestar begins shaking}

(Do you need anybody?)

AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! {drops out of view}

(Could it be anybody?)

{comes back into view} Maybe somebody,
Somebody with no arms,
Somebody with a propeller cap on,
Somebody... with a broomstick for a girlfriend!

(By with a little help from my friends)

Oh, I get by!

(By with a little help from my friends)

You know They Might Be Gi... Ants!

(Try with a little help from my friends)

Oh, I get by!

{singing with the chorus} By (with a little) help from my friends!

I get by... help from my friends! {Puppet Homestar stretches the last note, audience cheers}

{speaking} I've got so many friends! My friend is Dan! My friend is Dan!

LINNELL: Homestar Runner! {audience cheers}

PUPPET HOMESTAR {over Flansburgh}: My friend is John! My friend is John! My friend is Marty!

LINNELL: {weakly} A-T-L!

PUPPET HOMESTAR: Whoo! Thank you guys again!

LINNELL: The Homestar Runner!

PUPPET HOMESTAR: I'm gonna go... back in a Hefty bag in a storage space for a couple more months!

LINNELL: We'll see you there!

PUPPET HOMESTAR {frightened}: Okay, bye! {audience laughs, then cheers}

LINNELL: We'll be in the storage as well.

FLANSBURGH {with a Western accent}: Say hello to Strong Bad, Homestar!

{audience begins to cheer louder}

LINNELL: Alright, we should just quit right now.

{audience shouts "NO!"}

Fun Facts

• Homestar breaks the fourth wall by mentioning that he will "be put back in his storage space".
• Puppet Homestar refers to himself as having no arms.
• "With a Little Help from My Friends," which Homestar claims to have written, is a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, originally performed by The Beatles. The theme to The Wonder Years is the Joe Cocker version, which Homestar's performance heavily borrows from.
• Homestar says his friends are "Dan", "Dan", "John", "John", and "Marty", the first names of the five current members of They Might Be Giants.
• Homestar mentions "BS", which is another allusion to swearing.
• Homestar remarks that the audience is "puttin' up with the puppets twice in one night". Earlier on during the concert, They Might Be Giants performed a song under the guise of two sock puppets known as The Avatars of They.

External Links

• Show information at This Might Be A Wiki
• TMBG - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta 03.05.10 They Might Be Giants with Homestar Runner
• They Might Be Giants & Homestar Runner. Variety Playhouse 3/5/10
• TMBG & Homestar Runner @ Variety Playhouse 3-5-10 Atlanta, Ga THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
• They Might Be Giants - Variety Playhouse 3/5/2010
• They Might Be Giants + Homestar Runner
• They Might Be Giants and Homestar Runner
• TMBG's direct audio feed of "With a Little Help From My Friends"
• Vimeo: They Might Be Giants and Homestar Runner, Variety Playhouse, 3/5/2010
• Vimeo: TMBG and HomestarRunner at the Variety Playhouse 3/5/10
• Flickr video: tmbg and homestar
• forum thread re: TMBG Concert - 5 Mar 2010