From This Might Be A Wiki

Article from Spin Magazine, December 1988. Written by They Might Be Giants. How much trust will you put in a 50-year-old "record producer" who begins a conversation with "I remember when rock and roll were two completely separate genres"?

If rock is an in-bred dinosaur, do you think its eyes are different colors, or are they both in one socket?

If you, They Might Be Giants, really believed in the integrity of a product, wouldn't you be compromising it by having it do a crass corporate sponsorship deal with a rock band like yourself?

When you meet someone famous whose work you don’t respect, do you stand there with a frozen smile like a rabbit staring at oncoming headlights?

Do you prefer playing at small, intimate clubs, or large, insensitive discos?

Advice for new bands-Should you press a club owner on his attendance figures if you see bullet holes in the office wall behind where you are sitting?

Was that question based on something that actually happened to you on the road?

When you heard that I.M. Pei was designing the rock'n'roll hall of fame, did you think the building would be in the shape of: a.) Philip Johnson’s glasses? b.) Philip Glass’s johnson? You often think about growing your hair long. Is that a statement?

Did you get involved in rock music to avoid working for a living, or did you see it as a way to avoid sleeping and eating well?

If you're not roadies for the Replacements, which band is?

Was Michael Dukakis formerly a cast member of "Fireball XL5"?

Do you believe the ozone hole and classic rock radio are somehow connected?

When you stay in budget motels, is it upsetting to realize that they're much more pleasant and organized than your own homes?

Do you find the "influences" questions difficult because: a.) you’ll lie to be interesting and your friends will call you on it? b.) you’ll tell the truth, and no one will respect you anymore? Who do you think will emerge as the spokesmodel for this generation?

Are you terrified of the people who stand perfectly still near the front of the stage smiling enigmatically, as though waiting for the right moment to do something really horrible?

Does it ever bother you that these people often show up unexpectedly at shows in widely separated cities, acting as though nothing is unusual?

When the mainstream press refers to you as wacky nerds, is your first reaction to pull out a gun and blow them away, or to go home and invent a death ray?