European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                They might be  Day by Hillel Italie associated press crammed into John Flansburgh s basement apartment in Brooklyn Are film reels old framed portraits Brand new polaroids used rugs a Box of Punk 45s and a pharmaceutical typewriter. A Small statue of Chiang Kai Shek is perched on the refrigerator. On the stove rests a Large scratched espresso pot. The answering machine that activates the Quot dial a song Quot Telephone message for his Rock duo they might be giants lies on the Kitchen floor next to a shiny Silver trash can. No Gold records hang from the Walls but a used copy of the duo s first up can be found slouched atop an old Cabinet in the crowded living room studio that a squeezed Between the Kitchen and bedroom. Flansburgh a lived there for years near fellow giant John Linnell they first moved in when the two Man band was just getting started playing to crowds that could fit comfortably into these tiny rooms. But Flansburgh 29, and Linnell 30, Are no longer College age and they might be giants is no longer just a College band. Sales for their second album Lincoln neared 100,000, and they should do even better with their new record flood. The duo is now signed with a major Label Elektra records which Flansburgh recalled in a recent interview at his apartment rejected they might be giants three years ago because Quot they had no  Quot some of the songs Are incredibly old and some of them were incredibly new and some were medium. Its your classic third album syndrome Quot Flansburgh said with a laugh. Quot there a this sort of obsession with melodic things a Linnell said. Quot we try and come up with a set of words that would be interesting to use with that Melody. Quot i think we re really into our kind of music there s a Small Range of stuff that we feel we re actually Good at. 1 definitely would t say we re making a  so Don t look for duets with Label mate Anita Baker or Jam sessions with Elektra a heavy Metal Star Metallica and Motley Crue. Flood is More of the same a or the different a Catchy melodies Quirky arrangements and lyrics both Sublime letterbox and ridiculous hearing Aid. There is one change. Four of the songs Are produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley Elvis costello madness the result of what Linnell reluctantly Calls a a  a we wanted to produce it ourselves a Linnell said Quot and we had never produced a record before by ourselves. Elektra said of produce the record but for the single we want to get somebody to do it with  we went through a lot of producers and those were the Guys we liked  Flansburgh and Linnell both grew up in the suburbs of Boston but did t write songs together until 1981, when they happened to move into the same building in downtown Brooklyn. Commercials nearly preceded commercial Success. The two Johns a As friends Call them a were on their first tour at that Quot tender Rock moment after quitting their Day jobs when they Learned crazy eddies wanted to make use of their song i m insane. A Quot you re in a Van and you re making $75 a night and you need $80 a Day to stay alive Quot Flansburgh recalled. Quot our manager said what difference does it make take the Money it la be fun.1 Quot we definitely wanted the Money. We really had Basic needs to fulfil. That was very difficult to actually to go like a not to. But then we said no and they did this song that was based on it. They pulled it right  sponsors stayed away and so did radio. But thanks to heavy exposure on mtg a Quot Whitney Houston us Whitesnake us Quot was How Flansburgh described it a and a live act that featured prerecorded backing tracks and a most memorable stick they might be giants built an audience two minutes at a time. A when we first started out All our songs were fairly Short had a verse a chorus kind of thing happening and there was always a Middle Section to break it up a Linnell recalled. Quot the Middle Section was always the free Range part of the song. I think 90 percent of All our songs still follow that  with enough Money in the Bank Flansburgh and Linnell calmly turned Down the hamburger Chain that recently approached them. They can even afford to look Back reflecting on Success that thankfully did no to occur overnight Quot we get letters that say in a starting a band and you Guys make me feel like you can Start a  it s been a bumpy ride but the cart has kept moving Quot Flansburgh  we be been going for seven years doing this thing and every month has been a Little better than the previous month by some Small increment Quot Linnell said. Quot we never had the frightening a Wake up and suddenly your lifestyle is totally different  a pop a singles 1. Black velvet a Alannah Myles 2. Love will Lead you Back a Taylor Dayne 3.1 wish it would rain Down a Phil Collins 4. I la be your everything a Tommy Pago 5. All around the world a Lisa Stansfield 6. Don t Wanna fall in love a Jane child 7. Escapade a Janet Jackson 6. Keep it together a Madonna 9. Get up a techno tronic 10. Here and now a Luther Vandro Stop a los 1. Forever your girl a Paula Abdul 2. Janet Jackson s rhythm nation 1814 a Janet Jackson 3. Nick of time a Bonnie Raitt 4. Soul provider a Michael Bolton 5. But seriously a Phil Collins 8. Alannah Myles a Alannah Myles 7. Cosmic thing a the b-52 s 8. Cry like a rainstorm. Howl like the wind a Linda Ronstadt amp a. Neville 9. Girl you know it s True a Milli Vanilli 10. Pump a Aero Smithton a country a singles 1. Hard Rock Bottom of your heart a Randy Travis 2. Seen my father in me a Paul Overstreet 3. Not counting you a Garth Brooks 4. Five minutes a lords Morgan 5. Chains a Patty Loveless 6. Here in the real world a Alan Jackson 7. Quitting time a Mary Chapin Carpenter 8. Stranger things have happened a Ronnie Milsap 9. Love on arrival a Dan seals 10, just As Long As i have you a Don William Stop a Black a singles 1. All around the world a Lisa Stansfield 2. Love under new management a Miki Howard 3. Spread my wings a troop 4. Whip Appeal a baby race 5. Treat you right a Luther Vandross 6. T need your lovin a Alfson Williams whl0 7. The secret Garden a Quincy Jonas with Al Labarge amp Barry in 8. Comfort of a Man a Stephanie Mills 9. Everything you touch a Smokey Robinson 10. Never too far a Dianne Reeve Stop pop cd 1. Nick of time a Bonnie Raitt 2. Forever your girl a Paula Abdul 3. Alannah Myles a Alannah Myles 4. But seriously a a Phil Collins 5. Janet Jackson s rhythm nation 1814 a Janet Jackson 6. Soul provider a Michael Bolton 7. Cosmic thing a the b-s2�?Ts 8. London Warsaw new York a Basia 9. Blue sky mining a Midnight Oil 10. Affection a Lisa Stansfield Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes wednesday March 28,1990