‘No!’
OK, it’s not exactly brand spanking new, but until the whole
world is listening to No!, I refuse
to rest. To fans of goofball omni-pop — both of us — They Might Be Giants are giants, and need no introduction.
For the rest of you, TMBG are Johns Flansburgh and Linnell, strange men who
play lots of instruments and write very silly songs with titles like “Road
Movie to Berlin” and “Statue Got me High.” They put lots of songs on every CD,
and then give you more on their website (www.tmbg.com).
No! is their first
CD explicitly for children, but listening to it and reflecting back, it’s clear
that John and John have always been headed in this direction (“Birdhouse in
Your Soul” from Flood is the greatest
rock lullaby ever). So, here we have songs about broken clocks, robots,
balloons, violin lessons, grocery bags, and going to bed, delivered in a
monstrous variety of styles with good humor and aplomb.
It’s my two-year-old’s favorite CD. It’s my five-year-old’s
favorite CD. It’s my eight-year-old’s favorite CD. My 12-year-old niece,
halfway through hearing it for the first time, pronounced it, “the best CD
ever.” After a year of hearing it almost every day, I’m not sick of it. It is,
proverbially, fun for the whole family.
On the opening cut, they sing, “Here on Fibber Island, no
one sings along,” but, well, they’re lying. You will.
— Adam A. Wilcox
This week for
families:
Cool Kids Thurs, Sept
16. Wild wings, Genesee Community College, 1 College Rd, Batavia, 7 p.m. Free.
637-3984, www.generationcool.biz
Hispanic Month
Events Wed,
Sept 22. Hispanic heritage night, Carter St. Community Center, 500 Carter St,
6-8 p.m. 428-7890
Interfaith
Forum Essay Contest Deadline: Oct 29. Theme: Building community, bridging our
differences, grades 9-12. Info: www.ggw.org/buildingcommunity
My School’s a Zoo Sun, Sept 18. Book signing and
discussion with author Stu Smith, Barnes and Noble, 3349 Monroe Ave, 2 p.m.
Free. 586-6020
RMSC
Strasenburgh Planetarium 657 East Ave. Pink
Floyd Laser: Sat 9 p.m.; A Trip to
Saturn and Pluto: Sat 1 p.m.; Pulse:
A Stomp Odyssey: Wed-Fri 4 p.m.; Sat 2, 3, 4, 8 p.m.; Sun 1, 2, 3, 4 p.m.; I See the Sky: Sat 9:30 a.m.; The Sky Tonight: Sat 10:30 a.m.; Tix:
$4-$7. 271-1880
Rochester
Museum and Science Center 657 East Ave. BUBLT Project Mission, Sat, Sept 18,
underwater science, ages 12 and up, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. 473-7112. $16, $13 kids | Surprise! It’s Science, through May
2005. | Rochester’s Frederick Douglass,
through January 2006. | Live Science! demos and theater, Wed-Fri 3:30 p.m.; Sat
2, 3, 4 p.m.; Sun 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 p.m. Sat 3 p.m. show sign-interpreted. |
Ongoing exhibits include: AdventureZone,
Carlson Inquiry Room, At the Western Door. | Hours: Mon-Sat 9
a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $5-$7. 271-1880, www.rmsc.org.
Seneca Park
Zoo 2222
St Paul St. Family Bunk with the Beasts, Sat, Sept 18, 5:30 p.m.-9 a.m. $20
kids, $18 adults. Preregister. | Christopher’s Teddy Bear Parade, Sat, Sept 18,
1-4 p.m. | Hours: daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tix: $5, $4 seniors, $2 kids. 467-9453,
www.senecazoo.org.
Strong Museum 1 Manhattan
Square. Zoom, zoom, zoom, Sat, Sept 18, trucks day, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Long-term
exhibits include National Toy Hall of Fame, Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame
Street? and Super Kids Market. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.-8
p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $7; $6 seniors, students; $5
children. 263-2700
Am I my mother?
My husband, Rob, is turning into his
father, Jack. I’ve seen it coming for years, but it was made clear during a
recent family walk. Rob and his dad strolled a few paces ahead of my
mother-in-law, our daughters, and me. Suddenly, we broke into laughter at the
sight of these men, one an identical but younger version of the other.
Both walked with hands thrust into
pockets of shorts that skimmed the tops of knees. Their socks — one pair
white, the other, black — poked out of the tops of their sneakers. Their
walk, posture, and even the way they tilted their heads as they chatted were
all so similar.
Pet phrases of Jack’s like, “Golly
Ned” and, “and stuff like that” are creeping into Rob’s vocabulary. I’ve even
seen Rob wandering around the yard, hands in pockets, looking around for the
next project or inspiration, just like his father.
Rob is quick to point out that I am
also becoming my mother — in looks, speech and mannerisms. We’ve come to the
conclusion that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our parents are fine role
models, if a little bit goofy.
Our children are amused by our
gradual transformations. But just in case they enjoy it too much, I like to
remind them that they too are a part of this gene pool, and their children will
have the last laugh.
— Marjorie Sangster Rolleston
This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2004.
