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Talk:Turtle Songs Of North America

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Ok, what the heck is this? And why is it on their free download page, are they trying to scare people away from them? I consider myself to be a hard core fan, but this makes my list at my new number 1 worst song from TMBG. -- Sir Zman


Okay, it's a send up of Marty Stouffer, which is screamingly funny if you are old enough to remember him. Otherwise, you may just be puzzled. Here's a transcript from his old show to let you see the genesis and the flavor of Stouffer:

http://www.waol.com/pages/s22.html


I just don't think it should be on their free download page, people who check them out for the first time shouldn't be given this as an intro to the band...even if you do know the band, this is just weird. --Sir Zman

You wanna pay for it? -Ecks

I agree with Sir Zman...and no, i wouldn't even pay for this song (or whatever you want to call it). Even with being the complete-ist that i am... --Duke33 10:51, 7 Dec 2005 (EST)
I would refer to it as a 'track'.

Contents

[edit] Consider this

To download tracks from the Free Tunes page, one needs the password. How does one get this password? By subscribing to the TMBG newsletter. Who reads the TMBG newsletter? TMBG fans, who are already familiar with the band. Thus, not many people who are unfamiliar with the Giants will be downloading tracks from the Free Tunes page anyway, and we shouldn't worry about the impression this track will give them. Anyway, I found this track to be very funny, especially the Fibonacci sequence line (with the gasps in the background actually following the Fibonacci sequence) and the Downy Tortuga song, which requires a huge stretch of the imagination to sound like "Unclean."

Yes, it was quite hilarious. Song?...no. I wouldn't call it that. But I found myself cracking up. Good track. If this is what the "They-cast" is going to be like it's going to be a riot.
I agree. Maybe it's my age (I clearly remember the Marty Stouffer "Wild America" shows that this channels), but this track is absolutely hilarious to me. Every time John says "Mudflail" I completely fall apart. Coffee shoots out my nose and I can't stop giggling in uncontrollable spasms.

[edit] Blast from the Past

Yeah, this sounds like old school Giants - weird throw away modern culture mocking. Spoken funny stuff like Critic's Intro where they read fake reviews by professional game show contestants from our (or just their, if you're younger) childhood, such as Orson Bean or Peggy Cass. Just silly spoken stuff with sound effects. Either you dig that stuff or you don't, but it is vintage TMBG.

I love the critic intro. "If you only hear one song this year, there's something terribly wrong with you!" Genius!

Well, I loved this a lot. But are we sure John L did this? Doesn't really sound like him to me. Sounds a bit like John Hodgman? --Fwahobadagadz 10:21, 27 Feb 2006 (CST)

Something must be wrong with your ears, because it's just John Linnell's normal speaking voice. And he doesn't sound like John Hodgman at all in this. -CapitalQ / @ / 10:47, 27 Feb 2006 (CST)

[edit] This is a GREAT song... thing... track

This vituperative venom is puzzling. Worst TMBG track? Not as long as Yeh Yeh and Another First Kiss are around. I support Turtle Songs of North America and urge all anti-Turtle Songs of North America persons to reconsider their mistaken views, and realize their opinions are incorrect. This is a fantastic effort, and you would do well to realize it. Huzzah for Turtle Songs of North America, They Might Be Giants' finest effort to date regarding turtles.

Yeh Yeh!? That's my favorite track on Mink Car! -Ecks
The only other turtle effort is I Need Some Lovin'. --badqueso 09:41, 12 Mar 2006 (CST)
I just heard it on the free downloads page. It's bizarre, wonderful, and doesn't sound like Linnell's singing voice at all. Oh well. It's awesome. Is there any way I can download it to my mp3 player? My music program doesn't have it, and it takes me to a quicktime page on the free download thingie. Thanks for your help, keep on listening to the songs and facts of Linnell's made up turtles! --Lemita 17:09, 8 Apr 2006 (CDT)
Sounds exactly like Linnell's voice to me. --pat 09:50, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quite frightening for the first new free mp3 in a long time

I had faith that this wasn't gonna set the tone for their songs to come after this, but it was certainly a strange way fo them to break the silence. I say all of this amusedly. I'm not bitter or nothin'. -Cronny

[edit] Linnell's voice...

Sounds so much like Mr. Rogers on this thing. Which cracks me up. He also reminds me of him on the Fresh Air interview. Hehe. --Valerie

I thought he sounded a lot like John Hodgman. In fact, for a long time I thought it was Hodgman doing the narration. --MrB

[edit] pro-turtle-songs, all the way

ever laugh so hard your face hurts and no more sound is actually coming out of you other than a choking wheeze? Since when is the utterly bizarre and totally hilarious of lesser value than anything else? TMBG is built on the unexpected. Is a happy poppy song about the disintigration of a marriage or drinking away depression supposed to be more acceptable, or are "turtle songs..." critics simply disappointed that the track wasn't poppy enough to jive to?

I love your description; the first time I heard this, I was so surprised and disturbed, I couldn't stop laughing at it. It's certainly not my favorite track of all time, but I don't think it's deplorable, either. I'd rather experience the occasional "wtf is this?" than the same-old, same-old. TMBG doesn't do same-old, same-old very well. - Ms F.
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