Don't Let's Start: A Podcast About They Might Be Giants

Dave and Jordan
  • 4.9 (154)
  • MUSIC

Every once in a while a band comes along that changes the course of human history. Your hosts and dear friends Jordan Cooper and Dave Fox take you on an in-depth musical journey over the career, albums, and songs of the band They Might Be Giants, and maybe have some hearty, completely authentic laughs along the way.

  1. JAN 23

    74: BONUS: EYEBALL Reflection

    They Might Be Giants have released new music, so we are duty-bound to pause our Factory Showroom series and provide you with our very raw, unsullied, virgin-eared reaction! We discuss our initial thoughts on the Eyeball EP, including the very Linnellian Linnell title track by Linnell, the Snuggle fresh-scented The Glamour of Rock, the tell-nothing instrumental biography of Peggy Guggenheim, and the quite elegant Elegant Too remix of Eyeball! You will not know what to think until we TELL you what to think! You're welcome! Join us on Patreon!: patreon.com/dontletsstartpodcast

    45 min

  2. 12/15/2025

    73: FACTORY SHOWROOM Part 4: Putting All Reason Aside

    We said we'd be back in just five minutes, but you could tell that we were lying! Welcome to our hypnotic and strange series on Mr. Factory Showroom, our sixth They Might Be Giants album! Which is not to say you'll like it! First, there's no way to stop the excellence of our segment on Spiraling Shape! Everyone says it's great! Then, in 1990, They Might Be Giants released James K. Polk as a b-side. But precious few were satisfied with that, and in six short years they fulfilled their manifest destiny of expanding the song for Factory Showroom!  Then it's a lucky thing that you'll be hearing us groove out to Pet Name! We've almost figured out how to discuss the song's obscure origins and saucy couple. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering! Listen to this podcast! There won't be a refund! Go, go, go! Join us on Patreon!: patreon.com/c/dontletsstartpodcast

    2h 28m

  3. 10/09/2025

    72: FACTORY SHOWROOM Part 3: Music Fills The Room

    Hope you're glad to hear from us! We're ringing the bell on the door and fighting for our place in rock and roll...podcasts! I can't believe it's true, but we're marching on through They Might Be Giants' 1997 album Factory Showroom, discussing a precious and few three more songs! First up is the best podcast segment of your life as we discuss New York City, the cherished cute and cuddly cult-favorite Cub cover. Your young and pretty hosts discuss the skyscraper highs and sewer grate lows of the titular city. Then the song we play is Your Own Worst Enemy, the short and (bitter)sweet TMBG throwback that leaves us softly weeping. And just when you think it's finished, the XTC Vs. Adam Ant segment is one of the biggest we've ever done. Jordan's love explodes for XTC and both he and Dave find new appreciation for XTC's friend or foe, Adam Ant...and even the singer from Bow Wow Wow! I can't tell you why, you'll have to listen! Ant music for XTC people! XTC music for Ant people!

    2h 54m

  4. 08/01/2025

    71: FACTORY SHOWROOM Part 2: I Dare Not Make A Sound

    If you thought we were out of style and long forgot, you were wrong! Watch us shine as we discuss the next three very songular songs on Factory Showroom, the sixth album by They Might Be Giants! How'm I s'posed to let you know the way we feel about them? Tell me how can we do our How Can I Sing Like A Girl segment without being stigmatized by the rest of the world? Our fingers point at each other's mouths as we devote over an hour to the complex history behind the song and our complex feelings about it! Then we swear we see our mouths move further as we hang with Exquisite Dead Guy! Finally, we have something to help you understand Metal Detector, as Jordan has a story to tell (if Dave's listening) about his experience with an actual metal detector, and we look to the curious book that inspired the classic hook. Never be alone! Listen now to the sound of THIS PODCAST!

    2h 29m

  5. 05/23/2025

    70: FACTORY SHOWROOM Part 1: We Can Never Go Home Again

    This is the way the description part goes! We are X-tra excited to clear our throats and begin our viewing of They Might Be Giants' 1996 album Factory Showroom! Unnoticed by few, beloved by many! First, we can't get away from a song that really fell between the grating, only appearing if you rewind to track 0 on the original CD, Token Back to Brooklyn! Then you gotta understand what S-E-X-X-Y is all about. Jordan and Dave talk more than enough around the clock with nobody else about this startlingly steamy song and the infamous fan interpretations! But we're not done, and we won't be until we suspiciously change the subject to Till My Head Falls Off! Is it sad or empowering? I'm not done typing yet...!

    2h 25m
  6. 69: GRAB BAG #3: Can You Keep A Secret?

    04/07/2025

    69: GRAB BAG #3: Can You Keep A Secret?

    Episode 69 and feeling fine! In this calm before the storm of Factory Showroom, we reach into the big old floppy grab bag and yank out five rare, special, unique, singular and startling songs not officially released by They Might Be Giants. We dare not reveal which ones, but let's just say they feature Johns Linnell and Flansburgh singing about some strange and varied topics. Don't delay and press play! Join Us on Patreon!: patreon.com/dontletsstartpodcast

    1h 30m

  7. 03/03/2025

    68: Letterbox 3: I Won By Not Even Trying

    That sexy E-Mail fairy has arrived again and left behind a huge backlog of letters from you, you, and also you! Topics addressed include our opinions on The Spine and The Else! What song would we leave off John Henry? What other bands are we experts on? Plus listener insights into Dinner Bell, Fake Out in Buenos Aires, Hell Hotel, It's Not My Birthday, and Mono Puff stuff! We also discuss some of the latest and most contagious news from the world of They Might Be Giants! Join us on Patreon for an EXCLUSIVE Letterbox episode! www.patreon.com/c/dontletsstartpodcast

    1h 26m

  8. 01/30/2025

    67: Interview with Don't I Have the Right singer Nancy Lynn Howell!

    A very special guest on John Flansburgh's Mono Puff album becomes a very special guest on the Don't Let's Start podcast! Nancy Lynn Howell, singer of Don't I Have the Right, talks to us about recording the song with Flansburgh, the special occasion where she performed it live, and we get to hear rare, exclusive recordings of her short-lived super group with Laura Cantrell and Robin Goldwasser! Plus we highlight a handful of tracks from her wonderful discography to discuss. Join us on Patreon!: patreon.com/c/dontletsstartpodcast

    1h 16m
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4.9
out of 5
154 Ratings

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Every once in a while a band comes along that changes the course of human history. Your hosts and dear friends Jordan Cooper and Dave Fox take you on an in-depth musical journey over the career, albums, and songs of the band They Might Be Giants, and maybe have some hearty, completely authentic laughs along the way.

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