Editing John Linnell

{{Short description|American musician (born 1959)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = John Linnell 2011.jpg
| caption           = Linnell in 2011
| image_size        = 
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = John Sidney Linnell
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1959|6|12}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 2014 |title=Today in History |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/today-history-24100059 |access-date=2022-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613184441/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/today-history-24100059 |archive-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref>
| birth_place       = [[New York City]], New York, U.S.
| origin            = [[Brooklyn]], New York, U.S.
| instrument        = Vocals, [[accordion]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[saxophone]], [[clarinet]], [[bass guitar|bass]], [[guitar]], [[autoharp]], [[banjo]], [[stylophone]], [[marxophone]]
| genre             = [[Alternative rock]]
| occupation        = Musician, singer-songwriter
| spouse            = {{marriage|Karen Brown<br />|1997}}
| years_active      = 1976–present
| label             = [[Bar/None Records]], [[Elektra Records]], [[Restless Records]], Idlewild Records
| associated_acts   = [[They Might Be Giants]], [[John Flansburgh]], [[The Mundanes]]
}}

'''John Sidney Linnell''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ɪ|ˈ|n|ɛ|l}} {{Respell|lih|NEL}}; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist, and is one half of the [[Brooklyn]]-based [[alternative rock]] band [[They Might Be Giants]], with [[John Flansburgh]], which was formed in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Linnell Biography |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/John_Linnell-P98706/Biography/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606170424/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/John_Linnell-P98706/Biography/ |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |access-date=2011-10-11 |website=StarPulse.com}}</ref> In addition to singing and songwriting, he plays [[accordion]], [[Baritone saxophone|baritone]] and [[bass saxophone]], [[clarinet]], and [[Electronic keyboard|keyboards]] for the group.

Linnell's lyrics include strange subject matter and [[word play]]. Persistent themes include [[aging]], [[delusion]]al behavior, bad relationships, death, and the [[personification]] of inanimate objects. Conversely to some of these dark themes, the accompanying melodies are usually cascading and upbeat.<ref name="gigantic" /><ref name="nyt">{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=John |date=March 6, 1987 |title=Giants Duo Gauges Public Opinion, by the Dial |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==Early life==
John Linnell was born in [[New York City]], to father Zenos Linnell, (1925–2011), a psychiatrist,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zenos Linnell Obituary - Newton, Massachusetts - Eaton & Mackay Funeral Home |url=http://hosting-6673.tributes.com/obituary/show/Zenos-M.-Zee-Linnell-92486794 |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Tributes.com}}</ref> and mother Kathleen (née Glenn; 1926–2008).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kathleen Linnell |url=https://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/kathleen-linnell/article_50ee8e9d-4f73-5a50-91e7-0254bc0745c2.html |url-status=dead |website=[[The News-Gazette (Champaign–Urbana)|The News-Gazette]] |access-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812013619/https://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/kathleen-linnell/article_50ee8e9d-4f73-5a50-91e7-0254bc0745c2.html }}</ref><ref name="gigantic" /> When Linnell was a child, [[Walt Kelly]]'s ''Songs of the Pogo'' album made a strong impression on his musical sensibilities. The album contained lyrics that relied heavily on [[pun]]s and word play, which Linnell appreciated. In particular, he recalls "Lines Upon a Tranquil Brow", which later became part of [[They Might Be Giants]]'s live repertoire.<ref name="spin" /><ref name="zoogobble">{{Cite web |last=SAShepherd |date=August 27, 2009 |title=Interview: John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) |url=http://www.zooglobble.com/archives/2009/08/interview_john_linnell_they_might_b.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501082707/http://www.zooglobble.com/archives/2009/08/interview_john_linnell_they_might_b.html |archive-date=May 1, 2010 |access-date=2012-09-13 |website=Zooglobble}}</ref> At an early age, Linnell and his family relocated to [[Lincoln, Massachusetts]], where he attended [[Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School]]. Here, he worked on the school newspaper, the ''Promethean'', and met [[John Flansburgh]]. The two occasionally collaborated on home-recording projects.<ref name="gigantic" />

Linnell studied English for a semester at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] before dropping out to pursue a career in music.<ref name="design matters">{{Cite web |last=Millman |first=Debbie |date=March 3, 2012 |title=Design Matters with Debbie Millman - John Flansburgh |url=http://observermedia.designobserver.com/audio/john-flansburgh/32458/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712043629/http://observermedia.designobserver.com/audio/john-flansburgh/32458/ |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |access-date=2012-09-30 |website=ObserverMedia.DesignObserver.com}}</ref>

==Musical career==

===Early work===
In high school, Linnell played with a band called The Baggs.<ref name="spin">{{Cite magazine |last=Dery |first=Mark |date=December 1985 |title=They Might Be Giants |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref> Prior to finding success in the [[alternative rock]] scene, Linnell was also involved with [[The Mundanes]], a [[Rhode Island]]–based [[New wave music|new wave]] band. Linnell played keyboards and saxophone for the group.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title="Make It the Same" 7" single |type=Liner notes}}</ref> Because of his unsatisfactory minor role in the band, and under the pressure of The Mundanes' unsuccessful search for a record deal, Linnell began leisurely recording music with John Flansburgh.<ref name="design matters" /><ref name="digboston">{{Cite web |last=Pitchel |first=Samantha |date=July 26, 2011 |title=Exclusive: John Flansburgh |url=http://digboston.com/listen/2011/07/exclusive-john-flansburgh/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629101622/http://digboston.com/listen/2011/07/exclusive-john-flansburgh/ |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |access-date=2012-09-13 |website=[[DigBoston]]}}</ref> His family did not support the transition from what they considered to be a more professional band to an experimental one.<ref name="gigantic" />

===Since 1982: They Might Be Giants===
[[File:2015LinnellFlansburghTMBG.jpg|thumb|John Linnell (left) and John Flansburgh (right)]]
Linnell co-founded [[They Might Be Giants]] in 1982 with high school friend [[John Flansburgh]]. While the two split singing and songwriting duties roughly in half, Linnell's songs enjoyed the most commercial success in their early years: singles like "[[Don't Let's Start]]" and "[[Ana Ng]]" introduced the band to [[Campus radio|college radio]], and they made waves on the ''Billboard'' charts in 1990 with "[[Birdhouse in Your Soul]]".<ref name="gigantic" /><ref name="single charts">{{Cite magazine |title=They Might Be Giants |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/they-might-be-giants/chart-history/alternative-songs/BillboardURLbyName |access-date=2012-08-06 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Linnell writes songs, sings, plays [[accordion]], keyboards, and various woodwind instruments for the band.

Linnell described his role in the group during an interview for ''Splatter Effect'' in 1994:

{{cquote|I have a personal, a real obsession, with melody and harmony. I can really never get enough of that kind of thing. I don't think too much about the cultural context of what we're doing. I think John [Flansburgh] is more on that end of it. He thinks more in terms of the larger picture, the larger meaning of what we're doing. I'm more into the technical end: the chords and the rhythms and the melodies.}}

In December 2005, the band began to produce a twice-monthly [[podcast]]. Early on, Linnell frequently contributed humorous spoken-word pieces to the program.

===1994–2021: Solo work===
[[File:They_Might_Be_Giants_-_John_Linnell.jpg|thumb|240x240px|John Linnell playing the accordion in 2008]]
Since 1994, Linnell has done some solo work: in that year he released the ''[[State Songs]]'' [[Extended play|EP]], which he expanded to a full-length album in 1999. The concept of the ''State Songs'' project is intentionally misleading: U.S. states feature prominently in the title and chorus of each song, but have very little to do with their actual narratives. "Montana", for instance, is about the insane ramblings of somebody who is about to die; "Idaho" explores a famous rock story in which [[John Lennon]], having consumed hallucinogenic drugs, believed he could drive his house; "South Carolina" is about getting rich as a result of a bicycle accident.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Interview with Linda Wertheimer |date=October 12, 1999 |last=Linnell |first=John |publisher=[[NPR]] |work=[[All Things Considered]]}}</ref>

Other side-projects include the limited-release ''House of Mayors'' EP in 1996 through the [[Hello CD of the Month Club]] and in 1997 a [[flexi disc]] of the song "Olive the Other Reindeer" accompanying promotional copies of the children's books, ''[[Olive, the Other Reindeer]]''. Linnell has also appeared as a guest musician—often as an accordionist—on a number of musical efforts by other artists, including [[Suzanne Vega]]'s ''[[Days of Open Hand]]'' and [[David Byrne]]'s ''[[Grown Backwards]]''.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Days of Open Hand |title-link=Days of Open Hand |type=Liner notes |last=Vega |first=Suzanne |publisher=A&M Records |date=1990}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Grown Backwards |title-link=Grown Backwards |type=Liner notes |last=Byrne |first=David |publisher=Nonesuch |date=March 16, 2004}}</ref>

Linnell provided the singing voice for the Other Father character in the 2009 film ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'', for which They Might Be Giants wrote the "Other Father Song", included on the film's soundtrack.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=[[Coraline (film)|Coraline Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] |type=Liner notes |author=Various artists |publisher=Koch Records |date=February 3, 2009}}</ref>

In 2021, Linnell released a four-song EP containing original songs sung entirely in Latin, titled ''Roman Songs''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braiker |first=Brian |date=2021-12-20 |title='I've never been hip': Catching up with John Linnell of They Might Be Giants |url=https://www.bkmag.com/2021/12/20/ive-never-been-hip-catching-up-with-john-linnell-of-they-might-be-giants/ |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=Brooklyn Magazine}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Linnell married Karen Brown in 1997 and has one son, Henry, who was born in 1998<ref name="gigantic">''[[Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)|Gigantic]]''. Dir. AJ Schnack. 2002. Plexifilm, 2003.</ref> and appeared as a performer on They Might Be Giants' children's albums ''[[Here Come the ABCs]]'' and ''[[Here Come the 123s]]'',<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Here Come the ABCs |title-link=Here Come the ABCs |type=Liner notes |author=They Might Be Giants |publisher=Disney Sound |date=2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Here Come the 123s |title-link=Here Come the 123s |type=Liner notes |author=They Might Be Giants |publisher=Disney Sound |date=2005}}</ref> as well as his father's solo album ''Roman Songs''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Linnell - Roman Songs EP Download |url=https://tmbgshop.com/collections/all/products/john-linnell-roman-songs |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=TMBGShop.com}}</ref>

==''People'' magazine poll==
In a ''People'' magazine online poll—"The Most Beautiful People of 1998"—Linnell finished ninth (with 4,189 votes, eight ahead of [[Sarah Michelle Gellar]], and 1,038 behind [[Madonna]]). He responded to the poll results with an op-ed piece in ''[[The New York Times]]'':<ref>{{Cite news |last=Linnell |first=John |date=May 13, 1998 |title=They Might Be Nearsighted |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/13/opinion/they-might-be-nearsighted.html |access-date=2022-11-22}}</ref>

{{cquote|I had already gotten wind of the existence of the poll a few days earlier when I read that Leonardo DiCaprio had been knocked out of the No. 1 spot by a dark horse named [[Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf|Hank the Angry, Drunken Dwarf]]. The on-line voters, it seemed, had a new, more evolved definition of beauty that gave low marks to standard celebrity good looks. What they really valued was a person's inner beauty. Anyway, that's what I told myself as I went on line to see the results firsthand.}}

He went on to say, of online voting:
{{cquote|It has been suggested that the [[Internet]] might be a good way to vote for our elected officials. If my experience is any guide, though, it appears there are still a few bugs to be worked out before you'll be able to elect the next President while sitting at home in your underwear, unless you want [[Shecky Greene]] running the country.}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{URL|http://www.theymightbegiants.com/|Official They Might Be Giants site}}
* [[tmbw:John Linnell|John Linnell]] – Article on [[tmbw:|This Might Be a Wiki]]
* {{IMDb name|0513057}}

{{They Might Be Giants}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linnell, John}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American rock saxophonists]]
[[Category:American male saxophonists]]
[[Category:Bass clarinetists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Melodica players]]
[[Category:People from Lincoln, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Singers from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:They Might Be Giants members]]
[[Category:Zoë Records artists]]
[[Category:21st-century American keyboardists]]
[[Category:21st-century American saxophonists]]
[[Category:21st-century American accordionists]]
[[Category:21st-century American clarinetists]]
[[Category:Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American keyboardists]]