In unfortunate news over night, John Flansburgh, one half of inspiring American pop rock band They Might Be Giants, was involved in a car accident on his way home from their Bowery Ballroom NYC gig and will be out of action for quite some time. The band’s other member John Linnell posted the following to the band’s website:
John L. here. Last night’s show was amazing and it was so wonderful to finally be back up on stage and playing for all of you again. It was a joy.
Unfortunately, Mr. John Flansburgh was in a rather serious car accident on his way home from the gig. The initial report is that he has seven broken ribs, several of which have multiple fractures. The good news is that no vital organs were involved and the long-term prognosis seems positive. Of course, there will be a lengthy recovery process.
Sadly, we are going to have to postpone the rest of the June tour dates once more. We will return with more details on all of that in due time. For now, we are hopeful that the late summer dates beginning August 30th will be able to continue as planned.
Please send your healing rays to Flans, drive safely, and we look forward to seeing everyone as soon as possible.
Yours,
John Linnell
That message was followed up by one from John F himself posted to Facebook from hospital:
A note to all from John F. of TMBG
Greetings from the hospital. I am writing to you with my glasses a crumpled memory, while under a thick cloud of pain medication. In spite of that, I wanted to write to all of you to explain what exactly happened to me.
Last night in a car service on the way my to my apartment after the magnificent Bowery Ballroom show, I was in a rather dramatic car accident. Crossing into an intersection, our car was t-boned by a vehicle going at a very fast speed. The force of the impact actually flipped our car over to its side. While the driver and I oriented ourselves to our new sideways, broken glass and airbag-filled reality, we sensed the ominous smell of motor oil and smoke. Remarkably, just a moment later it seemed, a dozen NYC firemen arrived and set their minds on finding a way to liberate us. To them and the fantastically efficient EMS who whisked us to a trauma center, I will be forever grateful.
While sitting in the CT scan machine, I was working out how much more time I would need to get to DC for the next show in my diminished state. When I explained my plan to the doctor, he explained I had broken seven ribs (a majority of the ribs on my right side) and some of them in multiple places, and I wasn’t going to be anywhere but in a bed for the foreseeable future.
While the pain in my side has only gotten worse since, it is my heart that is really breaking over these events. The entire band and crew have been working so hard to create a new show worthy of your interest and your endurance over these miserable COVID years. Last night was such a victory, and with unplayed new songs in the works and rearrangements of older material with the horn section, it was all feeling like a new beginning. But today I am in the hospital. I would understand anyone thinking we are just a band born under a bad sign and giving up hope, but I also know someday we will rock again — and for me, that day couldn’t come soon enough.
Until then I will be watching reruns of Sex in the City until I am strong enough to reach the remote. Wish me luck. I’m going to need it.
They Might Be Giants were just a couple of gigs into their extensive USA ‘Flood’ tour, playing the 1990 album in full. The album which contained their hits Birdhouse in Your Soul, Istanbul, and Twisting kick-started their career. The band has an extensive Australian following and has toured here several times, releasing recordings from some of their Australian concerts
The band’s current release is BOOK, a music+art book project. BOOK in its most deluxe form is a beautiful first-edition, cloth-bound, 144-page, 12” x 12” hardcover book including the photography of Brian Karlsson and lyric illustrations by Paul Sahre created by hand on an IBM Selectric typewriter.
We wish John Flansburgh well in his recovery.