John Flansburgh
John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician and a co-founder of the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, which was formed in 1982. He is the lead writer and singer, playing rhythm guitar for the band.
Flansburgh was born in Lexington, Massachusetts to Earl Flansburgh and Polly Flansburgh. His brother is political organizer and activist Paxus Calta. Flansburgh attended the George Washington University and got an arts degree at Pratt Institute.
He writes and sings for his band They Might Be Giants though has also done solo projects. Flansburgh founded and was the lead singer of the solo band Mono Puff. He has directed music videos for various artists and produced Jonathon Coulton's album ''Artificial Heart.''
Life and music career
Childhood and education
Flansburgh was born left-handed in Lexington, Massachusetts. His father, Earl Flansburgh, was a well-known Boston architect. His mother, Polly Flansburgh, is the founder and president of Boston By Foot. His brother, Paxus Calta, is an anti-nuclear activist and political organizer. John Flansburgh attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School where he met future band member John Linnell.Flansburgh attended the George Washington University, where he learned to play guitar while working as a parking garage attendant. He then attended Antioch College and Pratt Institute, where he graduated with an arts degree.
Formation of They Might Be Giants
Flansburgh and close friend John Linnell united in 1981 after moving to Brooklyn to start their music career. They began performing with Flansburgh on guitar and Linnell on other instruments backed by a drum machine. In 1982, he created a telephone service called Dial-A-Song. In 2000, John Flansburgh wrote and sang the theme song "Boss of Me" for hit show Malcolm in the Middle. The song won a Grammy award in 2002. As of today, the band has released 23 albums.Marriage
Flansburgh has been married to musician Robin Goldwasser since 1996, with whom he occasionally performs. Later in 2004, as a one-off, Flansburgh produced and starred in the Off-Broadway musical People Are Wrong!, which was co-written with her.Early side projects
Mono Puff
John Flansburgh made a solo band Mono Puff with his off-time from They Might Be Giants. The side band's bassist was Hal Cragin and drummer was Steve Calhoon. Mono Puff released two albums, Unsupervised and It's Fun to Steal in addition to four EPs and one single.Other side projects
Flansburgh also ran a subscription-based record label called the Hello Recording Club. He has also directed music videos for such artists as Soul Coughing, Ben Folds Five, Frank Black and the Catholics, Harvey Danger, and Jonathan Coulton. He also produced Coulton's album, Artificial Heart.In 1998, Flansburgh guest-starred as himself in the season 4 finale of the Cartoon Network animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 2004, Flansburgh created and hosted a series on WNYC entitled Now Hear This. The program spotlighted a variety of his musical interests, featuring interviews with artists such as Stephin Merritt, David Byrne, Matt Stone, and The Darkness. While no longer in production, it continues to be archived on the station's website. In 2007, Flansburgh played a short role as "Computer" in the Adult Swim comedy series Xavier: Renegade Angel.
Car accident and EP
On June 8, 2022, while in a rideshare on his way home from a They Might Be Giants show at the Bowery Ballroom, Flansburgh's ride was involved in a collision with a drunk driver. Flansburgh had several broken ribs, many of which had multiple fractures, but none of his vital organs were damaged.In 2023, he released a solo EP entitled Forest/Trees.