John Flansburgh
[Judy is your Viet Nam] "did start as a Christmas song, and then sort of veered a hard left."
—2011 WXRT Radio Interview
Interviewer: There's something I find vaguely disturbing about some of the songs on [Factory Showroom].
Flansburgh: The songs we recorded in the nude, you mean? You figured that out?
Flansburgh: The songs we recorded in the nude, you mean? You figured that out?
"...frankly, I was a terrible science student in high school. My last memory of the periodic table was right before I lost consciousness."
On why They hired a consultant during "Here Comes Science".
John Linnell
It wasn't a "get rich quick" scheme - it's a "get rich really really slowly" scheme.
—Discussing Dial-A-Song
Other
Gloria: What do you think—what do you make out of that recording?
Guy on Phone: I don't know, Gloria, I just do—
Gloria: Some kind of singing. They sound like all kinds of people, right?
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: And then it says, "Another child is born in India every time you call this number," right?
Guy on Phone: Yeah, right.
Gloria: Does that make any sense to you?
Guy on Phone: No, it doesn't make no sense to me.
Gloria: Bu—and the guy that spoke—I don't know who he is.
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: But that—that—it doesn't sound like no answering machine, right?
Guy on Phone: No, it ain't an answering machine because they're not saying anything; they just—
Gloria: But what does he get—how does he make money on this? Whatever he's advertising in the paper. This is the part that don't make no sense.
Guy on Phone: Oh, he's advertising this in the paper you saw it.
Gloria: In the Village Voice, yeah. They got—that's where the Kiss Clinic, but they give you another number if you wanna join it. Then I got the "intellectuals meet with other intellectuals..."
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: "...speak another language."
Guy on Phone: Yeah. Oh.
Gloria: They meet at La Met—La Maisonette restaurant. They give you the price. Then they give you another number to call if you're interested. This guy... all you get is this here recording, but u-w—I don't see how he makes money.
Guy on Phone: Yeah, yeah.
Gloria: You know what I'm saying? It's just.... They got the craziest things in that paper.
Guy on Phone: Yeah, yeah.
Gloria: They come over with all—they got the craziest things. But this one here— "There Must Be Giants," it's called. And it says "call machine," and they got the phone number.
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: But what kind of money does he make? It don't make no sense. Well, he don't make any money, right?
Guy on Phone: No.
Gloria: But, that's—then he's a nut, right? Do you see—do you see any sense to that? "There May Be Giants?" That reco—that recording I have on. The new one. Did you hear it? I changed it. I took off the intellectuals. I put on There May Be Giants.
Guy in Background: What?
Gloria: Who's They May Be Giants?
Guy in Background: What are you talking about?
Gloria: That's what's on my—the phone, There May Be G— well I can't explain it, 'cause I don't know what it is.
Guy in Background: (unintelligible muttering) you could make sense once in a while.
Gloria: Look in the paper! Don't blame me if the guy's a nut.
Guy on Phone: I don't know, Gloria, I just do—
Gloria: Some kind of singing. They sound like all kinds of people, right?
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: And then it says, "Another child is born in India every time you call this number," right?
Guy on Phone: Yeah, right.
Gloria: Does that make any sense to you?
Guy on Phone: No, it doesn't make no sense to me.
Gloria: Bu—and the guy that spoke—I don't know who he is.
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: But that—that—it doesn't sound like no answering machine, right?
Guy on Phone: No, it ain't an answering machine because they're not saying anything; they just—
Gloria: But what does he get—how does he make money on this? Whatever he's advertising in the paper. This is the part that don't make no sense.
Guy on Phone: Oh, he's advertising this in the paper you saw it.
Gloria: In the Village Voice, yeah. They got—that's where the Kiss Clinic, but they give you another number if you wanna join it. Then I got the "intellectuals meet with other intellectuals..."
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: "...speak another language."
Guy on Phone: Yeah. Oh.
Gloria: They meet at La Met—La Maisonette restaurant. They give you the price. Then they give you another number to call if you're interested. This guy... all you get is this here recording, but u-w—I don't see how he makes money.
Guy on Phone: Yeah, yeah.
Gloria: You know what I'm saying? It's just.... They got the craziest things in that paper.
Guy on Phone: Yeah, yeah.
Gloria: They come over with all—they got the craziest things. But this one here— "There Must Be Giants," it's called. And it says "call machine," and they got the phone number.
Guy on Phone: Yeah.
Gloria: But what kind of money does he make? It don't make no sense. Well, he don't make any money, right?
Guy on Phone: No.
Gloria: But, that's—then he's a nut, right? Do you see—do you see any sense to that? "There May Be Giants?" That reco—that recording I have on. The new one. Did you hear it? I changed it. I took off the intellectuals. I put on There May Be Giants.
Guy in Background: What?
Gloria: Who's They May Be Giants?
Guy in Background: What are you talking about?
Gloria: That's what's on my—the phone, There May Be G— well I can't explain it, 'cause I don't know what it is.
Guy in Background: (unintelligible muttering) you could make sense once in a while.
Gloria: Look in the paper! Don't blame me if the guy's a nut.
—Untitled, off the Hotel Detective EP
