They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The duo's current backing band consists of Marty Beller, Dan Miller, and Danny Weinkauf.
At their first concert, They Might Be Giants performed under the name El Grupo De Rock and Roll (Spanglish for "Rock and Roll Group"), because the show was a Sandinista rally in Central Park, and a majority of the audience members spoke Spanish. Soon discarding this title, the band assumed the name of a 1971 film They Might Be Giants (starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward), which is in turn taken from a Don Quixote passage about how Quixote mistook windmills for evil giants, which itself was taken from Dante's Inferno Canto 34. According to Dave Wilson, in his book Rock Formations, the name They Might Be Giants had been used and subsequently discarded by a friend of the band who had a ventriloquism act. The name was then adopted by the band, who had been searching for a suitable name. A common misconception is that the name of the band is a reference to themselves and an allusion to future success. In an interview, John Flansburgh said that the words "they might be giants" are just a very outward-looking forward thing which they liked. He clarified this in the documentary movie Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns) by explaining that the name refers to the outside world of possibilities that they saw as a fledgling band. In an earlier radio interview, John Linnell described the phrase as "something very paranoid sounding". The duo began performing their own music in and around New York City - Flansburgh on guitar, Linnell on accordion and saxophone and accompanied by a drum machine or prerecorded backing track on audio cassette. Their atypical instrumentation, along with their songs which featured unusual subject matter and clever wordplay, soon attracted a strong local following. Their performances also featured absurdly comical stage props such as oversized fezzes and large cardboard cutout heads of newspaper editor William Allen White. Many of these props would later turn up in their first music videos. From 1984-87, They Might Be Giants were the house-band at Darinka, a Lower East Side performance club. One weekend a month they played on the stage there and by the end of their three-year stint sold out every performance. On March 30, 1985, TMBG released their 7" flexi-disc, dubbed "Wiggle Diskette" at Darinka. The disc included demos of the songs "Everything Right Is Wrong" and "You'll Miss Me".

Q: How did the band members meet each other?
A: unknown

Q: what's something they did in their early years?
A: The duo began performing their own music in and around New York City

Q: What are some other songs they released in their early years?
A: "Everything Right Is Wrong" and "You'll Miss Me".

Q: Did they play other concerts or performances?
A: The duo began performing their own music in and around New York City

Q: What other songs did they release?
A: unknown

Q: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
A: A common misconception is that the name of the band is a reference to themselves and an allusion to future success.

Q: did they go anywhere or meet anyone important in the 1980s?
A: From 1984-87, They Might Be Giants were the house-band at Darinka, a Lower East Side performance club.
how did the band form together in the beginning?
unknown unknown unknown unknown
unknown