Linnell's lyrics include strange subject matter and word play. Persistent themes include aging, delusional behavior, bad relationships, death, and the personification of inanimate objects. Conversely to some of these dark themes, the accompanying melodies are usually cascading and upbeat.[3][4]
John Linnell was born in New York City, to father Zenos Linnell, (1925-2011), a psychiatrist,[5] and mother Kathleen (née Glenn; 1936–2008).[6][3] When Linnell was a child, Walt Kelly's Songs of the Pogo album made a strong impression on his musical sensibilities. The album contained lyrics that relied heavily on puns and word play, which Linnell appreciated. In particular, he recalls "Lines Upon a Tranquil Brow", which later became part of They Might Be Giants's live repertoire.[7][8] At an early age, Linnell and his family relocated to Lincoln, Massachusetts, where he attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Here, he worked on the school newspaper, the Promethean, and met John Flansburgh. The two occasionally collaborated on home-recording projects.[3]
In high school, Linnell played with a band called The Baggs.[7] Prior to finding success in the alternative rock scene, Linnell was also involved with The Mundanes, a Rhode Island-based new wave band. Linnell played keyboards and saxophone for the group.[10] Because of his unsatisfactory minor role in the band, and under the pressure of The Mundanes' unsuccessful search for a record deal, Linnell began leisurely recording music with John Flansburgh.[9][11] His family did not support the transition from what they considered to be a more professional band to an experimental one.[3]
1982–present: They Might Be GiantsEdit
Linnell (left) and John Flansburgh
Linnell co-founded They Might Be Giants in 1982 with high school friend John Flansburgh. While the two split singing and songwriting duties roughly in half, Linnell's songs enjoyed the most commercial success in their early years: singles like "Don't Let's Start" and "Ana Ng" introduced the band to college radio, and they made waves on the Billboard charts in 1990 with "Birdhouse in Your Soul".[3][12] John Linnell generally writes songs, sings, plays accordion, keyboards, and various woodwind instruments for the band.
Linnell described his role in the group during an interview for Splatter Effect in 1994:
I have a personal, a real obsession, with melody and harmony. I can really never get enough of that kind of thing. I don't think too much about the cultural context of what we're doing. I think John [Flansburgh] is more on that end of it. He thinks more in terms of the larger picture, the larger meaning of what we're doing. I'm more into the technical end: the chords and the rhythms and the melodies.
In December 2005, the band began to produce a twice-monthly podcast. Early on, Linnell frequently contributed humorous spoken-word pieces to the program.
1994–2021: Solo workEdit
Since 1994, Linnell has done some solo work: in that year he released the State SongsEP, which he expanded to a full-length album in 1999. The concept of the State Songs project is intentionally misleading: U.S. states feature prominently in the title and chorus of each song, but have very little to do with their actual narratives. "Montana", for instance, is about the insane ramblings of somebody who is about to die; "Idaho" explores a famous rock story in which John Lennon, having consumed hallucinogenic drugs, believed he could drive his house; "South Carolina" is about getting rich as a result of a bicycle accident.[13]
Linnell provided the singing voice for the Other Father character in the 2009 film Coraline, for which They Might Be Giants wrote the "Other Father Song", included on the film's soundtrack.[16]
In 2021, Linnell released a four-song EP containing original songs sung entirely in Latin, titled "Roman Songs".[17]
Personal lifeEdit
John Linnell is married to Karen Brown and has one son, Henry,[3] who appeared as a performer on They Might Be Giants' children's albums Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s,[18][19] as well as his father's solo album Roman Songs.[20]
People magazine pollEdit
In a People magazine online poll—"The Most Beautiful People of 1998"—John Linnell finished ninth (with 4,189 votes, eight ahead of Sarah Michelle Gellar, and 1,038 behind Madonna). He responded to the curious poll results with an op-ed piece in The New York Times:[21]
I had already gotten wind of the existence of the poll a few days earlier when I read that Leonardo DiCaprio had been knocked out of the No. 1 spot by a dark horse named Hank the Angry, Drunken Dwarf. The on-line voters, it seemed, had a new, more evolved definition of beauty that gave low marks to standard celebrity good looks. What they really valued was a person's inner beauty. Anyway, that's what I told myself as I went on line to see the results firsthand.
He went on to say, of online voting:
It has been suggested that the Internet might be a good way to vote for our elected officials. If my experience is any guide, though, it appears there are still a few bugs to be worked out before you'll be able to elect the next President while sitting at home in your underwear, unless you want Shecky Greene running the country.
ReferencesEdit
^. ABC News. Associated Press. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 13, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
^. StarPulse.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
^ abcdefGigantic. Dir. AJ Schnack. 2002. Plexifilm, 2003.
^Pareles, John (March 6, 1987). "Giants Duo Gauges Public Opinion, by the Dial". The New York Times.
^. The News-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
^ abDery, Mark (December 1985). "They Might Be Giants". Spin.
^SAShepherd (August 27, 2009). . Zooglobble. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
^ abMillman, Debbie (March 3, 2012). "Design Matters with Debbie Millman - John Flansburgh". ObserverMedia.DesignObserver.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
^Braiker, Brian (December 20, 2021). "'I've never been hip': Catching up with John Linnell of They Might Be Giants". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
^They Might Be Giants (2008). Here Come the ABCs (Liner notes). Disney Sound.
^They Might Be Giants (2005). Here Come the 123s (Liner notes). Disney Sound.
^"John Linnell - Roman Songs EP Download". TMBGShop.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
^Linnell, John (May 13, 1998). "They Might Be Nearsighted". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Linnell (musician).
john, linnell, other, people, named, disambiguation, john, sidney, linnell, born, june, 1959, american, musician, known, primarily, half, brooklyn, based, alternative, rock, band, they, might, giants, with, john, flansburgh, which, formed, 1982, addition, sing. For other people named John Linnell see John Linnell disambiguation John Sidney Linnell l ɪ ˈ n ɛ l lih NEL born June 12 1959 is an American musician known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh which was formed in 1982 2 In addition to singing and songwriting he plays accordion baritone and bass saxophone clarinet and keyboards for the group John LinnellLinnell in 2007Background informationBirth nameJohn Sidney LinnellBorn 1959 06 12 June 12 1959 age 64 1 New York City New York U S OriginBrooklyn New York U S GenresAlternative rockOccupation s Musician singer songwriterInstrument s Vocals accordion keyboards saxophone clarinet bass guitar autoharp banjo marxophoneYears active1979 presentLabelsBar None Records Elektra Records Restless Records Idlewild Records Linnell s lyrics include strange subject matter and word play Persistent themes include aging delusional behavior bad relationships death and the personification of inanimate objects Conversely to some of these dark themes the accompanying melodies are usually cascading and upbeat 3 4 Contents 1 Early life 2 Musical career 2 1 Early work 2 2 1982 present They Might Be Giants 2 3 1994 2021 Solo work 3 Personal life 4 People magazine poll 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditJohn Linnell was born in New York City to father Zenos Linnell 1925 2011 a psychiatrist 5 and mother Kathleen nee Glenn 1936 2008 6 3 When Linnell was a child Walt Kelly s Songs of the Pogo album made a strong impression on his musical sensibilities The album contained lyrics that relied heavily on puns and word play which Linnell appreciated In particular he recalls Lines Upon a Tranquil Brow which later became part of They Might Be Giants s live repertoire 7 8 At an early age Linnell and his family relocated to Lincoln Massachusetts where he attended Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School Here he worked on the school newspaper the Promethean and met John Flansburgh The two occasionally collaborated on home recording projects 3 Linnell studied English for a semester at the University of Massachusetts Amherst before dropping out to pursue a career in music 9 Musical career EditEarly work Edit In high school Linnell played with a band called The Baggs 7 Prior to finding success in the alternative rock scene Linnell was also involved with The Mundanes a Rhode Island based new wave band Linnell played keyboards and saxophone for the group 10 Because of his unsatisfactory minor role in the band and under the pressure of The Mundanes unsuccessful search for a record deal Linnell began leisurely recording music with John Flansburgh 9 11 His family did not support the transition from what they considered to be a more professional band to an experimental one 3 1982 present They Might Be Giants Edit nbsp Linnell left and John FlansburghLinnell co founded They Might Be Giants in 1982 with high school friend John Flansburgh While the two split singing and songwriting duties roughly in half Linnell s songs enjoyed the most commercial success in their early years singles like Don t Let s Start and Ana Ng introduced the band to college radio and they made waves on the Billboard charts in 1990 with Birdhouse in Your Soul 3 12 John Linnell generally writes songs sings plays accordion keyboards and various woodwind instruments for the band Linnell described his role in the group during an interview for Splatter Effect in 1994 I have a personal a real obsession with melody and harmony I can really never get enough of that kind of thing I don t think too much about the cultural context of what we re doing I think John Flansburgh is more on that end of it He thinks more in terms of the larger picture the larger meaning of what we re doing I m more into the technical end the chords and the rhythms and the melodies In December 2005 the band began to produce a twice monthly podcast Early on Linnell frequently contributed humorous spoken word pieces to the program 1994 2021 Solo work Edit Since 1994 Linnell has done some solo work in that year he released the State Songs EP which he expanded to a full length album in 1999 The concept of the State Songs project is intentionally misleading U S states feature prominently in the title and chorus of each song but have very little to do with their actual narratives Montana for instance is about the insane ramblings of somebody who is about to die Idaho explores a famous rock story in which John Lennon having consumed hallucinogenic drugs believed he could drive his house South Carolina is about getting rich as a result of a bicycle accident 13 Other side projects include the limited release House of Mayors EP in 1996 through the Hello CD of the Month Club and in 1997 a flexi disc of the song Olive the Other Reindeer accompanying promotional copies of the children s books Olive the Other Reindeer Linnell has also appeared as a guest musician often as an accordionist on a number of musical efforts by other artists including Suzanne Vega s Days of Open Hand and David Byrne s Grown Backwards 14 15 Linnell provided the singing voice for the Other Father character in the 2009 film Coraline for which They Might Be Giants wrote the Other Father Song included on the film s soundtrack 16 In 2021 Linnell released a four song EP containing original songs sung entirely in Latin titled Roman Songs 17 Personal life EditJohn Linnell is married to Karen Brown and has one son Henry 3 who appeared as a performer on They Might Be Giants children s albums Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s 18 19 as well as his father s solo album Roman Songs 20 People magazine poll EditIn a People magazine online poll The Most Beautiful People of 1998 John Linnell finished ninth with 4 189 votes eight ahead of Sarah Michelle Gellar and 1 038 behind Madonna He responded to the curious poll results with an op ed piece in The New York Times 21 nbsp Linnell performing with They Might Be Giants in Fort Lauderdale on March 12 2008I had already gotten wind of the existence of the poll a few days earlier when I read that Leonardo DiCaprio had been knocked out of the No 1 spot by a dark horse named Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf The on line voters it seemed had a new more evolved definition of beauty that gave low marks to standard celebrity good looks What they really valued was a person s inner beauty Anyway that s what I told myself as I went on line to see the results firsthand He went on to say of online voting It has been suggested that the Internet might be a good way to vote for our elected officials If my experience is any guide though it appears there are still a few bugs to be worked out before you ll be able to elect the next President while sitting at home in your underwear unless you want Shecky Greene running the country References Edit Today in History ABC News Associated Press June 12 2014 Archived from the original on June 13 2014 Retrieved November 22 2022 John Linnell Biography StarPulse com Archived from the original on June 6 2011 Retrieved October 11 2011 a b c d e f Gigantic Dir AJ Schnack 2002 Plexifilm 2003 Pareles John March 6 1987 Giants Duo Gauges Public Opinion by the Dial The New York Times Zenos Linnell Obituary Newton Massachusetts Eaton amp Mackay Funeral Home Tributes com Retrieved November 22 2022 Kathleen Linnell The News Gazette Archived from the original on August 12 2022 Retrieved August 12 2022 a b Dery Mark December 1985 They Might Be Giants Spin SAShepherd August 27 2009 Interview John Linnell They Might Be Giants Zooglobble Archived from the original on May 1 2010 Retrieved September 13 2012 a b Millman Debbie March 3 2012 Design Matters with Debbie Millman John Flansburgh ObserverMedia DesignObserver com Archived from the original on July 12 2012 Retrieved September 30 2012 Make It the Same 7 single Liner notes Pitchel Samantha July 26 2011 Exclusive John Flansburgh DigBoston Archived from the original on June 29 2012 Retrieved September 13 2012 They Might Be Giants Billboard Retrieved August 6 2012 dead link Linnell John October 12 1999 Interview with Linda Wertheimer All Things Considered NPR Vega Suzanne 1990 Days of Open Hand Liner notes A amp M Records Byrne David March 16 2004 Grown Backwards Liner notes Nonesuch Various artists February 3 2009 Coraline Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Liner notes Koch Records Braiker Brian December 20 2021 I ve never been hip Catching up with John Linnell of They Might Be Giants Brooklyn Magazine Retrieved September 29 2023 They Might Be Giants 2008 Here Come the ABCs Liner notes Disney Sound They Might Be Giants 2005 Here Come the 123s Liner notes Disney Sound John Linnell Roman Songs EP Download TMBGShop com Retrieved November 22 2022 Linnell John May 13 1998 They Might Be Nearsighted The New York Times Retrieved November 22 2022 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Linnell musician Official They Might Be Giants site John Linnell Article on This Might Be a Wiki John Linnell at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Linnell amp oldid 1177834337, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
