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September 25th: TMBG and NYT

2007-09-25 · letter vlog · Hank · 2:58 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Pop culture (also: Books & writing) · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: song or performance, on location

Hank, in a mock British-naturalist voice, presents his footage of a bra striking John Linnell during a They Might Be Giants concert, then says he is pleased to have landed a New York Times Book Review assignment.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Mock nature-documentary narration of a They Might Be Giants concert: a bra strikes John Linnell during 'The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas'

  • ★★ Hank, speaking as a British naturalist, says he recently witnessed and filmed a rare They Might Be Giants 'nerdfighter' event at their concert. (playful) — 00:00:03
  • ★★★ Hank's footage shows John Linnell being struck by a black bra during 'The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas' and pushing it away from his instruments. (playful) — 00:00:46

00:01:57 — Hank's New York Times Book Review assignment and the people at Kinko's being happy for him; sign-off

  • ★ Hank drops the voice because it makes him cough, and says it was a good show. — 00:01:57
  • ★★★ Hank got a gig reviewing a couple of children's books on global warming and the environment for The New York Times Book Review. — 00:01:57 · The New York Times, climate change
  • ★★ Faxing his tax form on New York Times letterhead at a copy shop, Hank told the excited staff about it. — 00:01:57 · The New York Times
  • ★★ Hank says it is nice to have people you don't know be nice to you and happy for you. — 00:02:32

Humor (significant)

  • In the naturalist voice, Hank describes They Might Be Giants as a rare species of nerdfighter. — 00:00:46

    “gave me a glimpse into what it might be like to might be a giant”

  • In the naturalist voice, Hank invites viewers to study his footage of the bra striking John Linnell. — 00:01:28

    “the blackness of the brassiere, the shocked look on the skinnier John's face, and the subsequent thrusting of the brassiere away from his instruments”

  • Hank drops the British naturalist voice because it makes him cough. — 00:01:57

    “David Attenborough had to go. Sorry.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: The New York Times

Also: climate change · David Attenborough · John Flansburgh · John Linnell · nerdfighter · The New York Times Book Review · They Might Be Giants · Why Does the Sun Shine?

Later videos replying to this one

  • 2007-09-26 · September 26th: Norbert Wiener (John) — answers — “your video yesterday reminded me of all those months when you were in high school when you always spoke with a fake British accent” (00:02:55)