They Might Be Giants' Flood (Paperback)

S. Alexander Reed

ISBN 10: 162356915X / ISBN 13: 9781623569150

Published by Continuum Publishing Corporation, New York, 2013

About this Item

Paperback. 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. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781623569150

Bibliographic Details

• Title: They Might Be Giants' Flood (Paperback)
• Publisher: Continuum Publishing Corporation, New York
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 162356915X
• ISBN 13: 9781623569150
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

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 band's hip origins in the Lower East Side scene nor Flood's platinum certification can cover up the record's singular importance at the geek fringes of culture.

Flood's significance to this audience helps us understand a certain way of being: it shows that geek identity doesn't depend on references to Hobbits or Spock ears, but can instead be a set of creative and interpretive practices marked by playful excess-a 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 America's advancing leftist social tides. Whether or not it was the band's intention, Flood's jubilant proclamation of an identity unconcerned with coolness found an ideal audience at an ideal turning point. This book tells the story.

About the Authors

S. Alexander Reed, PhD is a musician and professor, currently teaching at Ithaca College, US. He is author of Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music.

Elizabeth Sandifer, PhD, publishes and blogs about the psychic history of comics and science fiction. She is author of TARDIS Eruditorum and a graduate of The College of Wooster.