They Might Be Giants, formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell in
Brooklyn, New York, emerged from a teenage partnership that began in Lincoln,
Massachusetts, where the duo met at Lincoln‑Sudbury Regional High School. John
Flansburgh, born 1963, handled guitar and vocals, while John Linnell, born 1964,
contributed accordion, keyboards, and woodwinds. Their early work was
characterized by unconventional instrumentation and quirky lyrics, and they
first gained attention through the Dial‑A‑Song answering‑machine service, which
distributed demo recordings to fans and attrac...