Kyle Bishop
Professor Bishop
ENGL 2010.16
Mocking the Racist into Submission
Like most fans of They Might Be Giants, I first became enchanted with their quirky style of music in 1990. The album was Flood, and the song was “Birdhouse in Your Soul.” It became a kind of signature piece for my last two years in high school, and the album reminds me of those carefree times to this day. Remarkably, the album has lost none of its poignancy over the years, and I now approach their unique lyrics with a greater sense of literary sophistication. In fact, many of the tracks on Flood convey some remarkably insightful societal criticisms. Perhaps the most visceral is “Your Racist Friend,” an apparently lighthearted narrative piece that mockingly criticizes racist behavior in a way most listeners can relate to.
They
Might Be Giants are really John Flansburgh and John Linnell. They became
something of an underground sensation in the 80s, but it took Elektra
Entertainment to launch them into the musical spotlight in the early 90s. According
to All Music Guide writer Stephen
Erlewine, their unique style “borrowed from everywhere, but their freewheeling
eclecticism was enhanced by their arcane, geeky sense of humor” (par. 1).
Although clearly talented musicians, they never seem to have taken themselves
very seriously when creating Flood,
writing about such banal topics as getting mail, wrapping string around a rock,
and debating the true name of Istanbul. Yet their use of humor and obscure
subject matter only enhanced their subtext, for the realm of the clown is often
where the most profound observations are made, and They Might Be Giants certainly
hit on some universal truths in their song about racism.
“Your Racist Friend” is essentially a narrative poem, describing a party and the reactions of one guest to a verbose and prejudiced drunk. Although the narrator assures listeners the party was of the highest quality, he can no longer stand idly by and listen to the mad remarks of “some bullet-head” (Giants). He informs the offender of his behavior and walks away; the racist friend follows him, attempting to apologize, while blaming his crass comments on inebriation. The narrator is far from placated—he observes that once a person has said or done something, he or she must be held accountable for their actions.
Curiously, the lyrics are addressed not to the racist directly, but to the racist’s friend. I presume most listeners can relate to such a situation: sometimes a friend of a friend is offensive, but it’s hard to know how best to address the problem. Most people would talk to their own friend first before attempting to talk to the stranger. The narrator of “Your Racist Friend” takes just that approach, making a polite yet clear stand against the offensive behavior.
The music itself makes a critical statement. Although racism is a serious problem, the jocular style of the song seems to make light of the matter. On the contrary, the light-hearted nature of the music is in fact a major part of the criticism. The music is rather upbeat and almost silly, juxtaposing a variety of styles—a heavy, industrial beat; a sing-song melody; and a festive Calypso trumpet solo. This satirical presentation paints the racist as a clown; his opinions are silly and don’t deserve serious consideration.
They Might Be Giants take the heavy subject of racism, present it in a narrative setting to which most listeners would be able to relate, and make a clear statement against such prejudiced behavior. The lyrics and music work in tandem to make their argument: racist behavior is both inappropriate and intrinsically silly. The rest of us can just as easily make a joke of the racist, rendering his or her narrow-minded opinions invalid.
Works Cited
Erlewine,
Stephen Thomas. “They Might Be Giants.” MSN
Music 2005.
They Might Be Giants. “Your Racist
Friend.” Flood. Elecktra
Entertainment, 1990.