COOLEST NEW WAVE MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE

[DougMash]

Awesome shots Dan! I love the Run DMC backstage one.

A They Might Be Giants show in the lobby of the "Puck Building" on Houston St. was the wackiest off-stage distraction-show I've ever been to. The building normally didn't have shows in the lobby, and apparently had a timer to shut down the AC after hours, so it got really hot, prompting staff to open all the windows.

The blowing drapes were a cool effect, but shortly into the show, the smell of smoke started, and we realized a car was on fire right outside the building. The FDNY then responded, causing siren sounds and flashing lights to enter the building, while all the time John & John (and their beatbox) played on.

I interviewed John Flansburgh in 1988 for my school newspaper, and the answering machine I used kept interrupting with a beep every 20 seconds. I saw John after a show a few years ago and after first saying there's no way he'd recall the interview, I told him about the beeping, and he remebembered, calling it "like water torture."