They Might Be Giants' Flood

For a few decades now, They Might Be Giants album Flood has been a beacon (or at least a nightlight) for people who might rather read than rock out, who care more about science fiction than Slayer, who are more often called clever than cool. Neither the bands hip origins in the Lower East Side scene nor Floods platinum certification can cover up the record's singular importance at the geek fringes of culture. Floods significance to this audience helps us understand a certain way of being: it shows that geek identity doesnt depend on references to Hobbits or Spock ears, but can instead be a set of creative and interpretive practices marked by playful excessa flood of ideas. The album also clarifies an historical moment. The brainy sort of kids who listened to They Might Be Giants saw their own cultural options grow explosively during the late 1980s and early 1990s amid the early tech boom and Americas advancing leftist social tides. Whether or not it was the band's intention, Floods jubilant proclamation of an identity unconcerned with coolness found an ideal audience at an ideal turning point. This book tells the story.