Ep538: John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants Returns!

Ep538: John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants Returns!

From The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds by The Vinyl Guide

March 16, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 538

About this episode

John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants discusses rare vinyl, album art, and the music industry.

John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants talks rare vinyl rarities, the chaotic story behind the new album's cover art, why re-recording old music is almost always a mistake and lots more Order the new album "The World Is to Dig" here Topics Include: Flansburgh owns roughly 2,000 records across three turntable setups at home He doesn't identify as a collector — just a serious listener His rarest record: an Andy Warhol-autographed Sticky Fingers with wild provenance photos He also owns a peeled-banana Velvet Underground and a Blonde on Blonde rarity Deep dive into what makes each of those pressings so collectible TMBG's new album title comes from a Maurice Sendak-illustrated children's book That led to a fascinating detour on painter Ad Reinhardt's secret black-on-black canvases Flansburgh has been TMBG's de facto art director for 35 years The new album's cover art was nearly a Washington Post-licensed sinkhole photo Washington Post's mass layoffs killed the deal at the last possible moment A Hudson Valley School painting of Yosemite became the actual cover Flansburgh and Linnell don't stockpile songs — cuts are made for specific artistic reasons He once had to shelve a song…

People in this episode

Guest: John Flansburgh

Topics covered

  • vinyl collecting
  • album cover art
  • music re-recording
  • art direction
  • songwriting process
  • remastering

Keywords

  • They Might Be Giants
  • vinyl rarities
  • album cover
  • music re-recording
  • collectible records
  • art direction
  • remastering

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: They Might Be Giants, Washington Post

Books & works: Sticky Fingers, Velvet Underground, Blonde on Blonde, The World Is to Dig, Beatles, Hendrix

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