A.V. Club Undercover

They Might Be Giants covers Chumbawamba (2011x18)

Data di messa in onda: Lug 05, 2011

As you may recall, They Might Be Giants’ “Birdhouse In Your Soul” was on this year’s Undercover list, and was tackled by Titus Andronicus. Many vocal commenters weren’t too fond of the version—though we got a bunch of e-mails from people who liked it. One of those people was They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh, who offered up his band’s services for a rendition of Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping.” Flansburgh also had the brilliant idea of recruiting backup singers from our office to sing/shout the chorus. He asked me to determine how many people we could fit in that room—it was 16, plus two camera men, plus the band—and on Memorial Day, TMBG made a special stop in Chicago to perform the song. Needless to say, when I set about finding A.V. Club staffers and friends to populate the room, nerdgasms abounded: You’ll see Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, Kyle Ryan, and new web producer Sarah Collins in the room. Oh, and Pop Pilgrims co-host Dan Telfer! And a special appearance by my baby boy Jasper! (You may notice that the lights are a little low in the round room, both for atmosphere and to keep things cooler.) Anyway, we think this one’s epic, and we think you will, too. They Might Be Giants’ new album, Join Us, will be released on July 19. It doesn’t feature “Tubthumping,” but it’s awesome nonetheless.