John Linnell

John Linnell, recognized primarily for his contributions to the whimsical pop act They Might Be Giants, first entered the world on June 12, 1959, in New York City. During his upbringing in Lincoln, Massachusetts, he formed a friendship with John Flansburgh that soon led to shared songwriting sessions. Following high school, their routes diverged when Linnell joined the little-known Rhode Island new wave outfit the Mundanes. Both men nevertheless converged again in Brooklyn, New York, in 1981 and resumed their partnership by writing and recording under the They Might Be Giants name. Their absurd yet melodic material, paired with eccentric videos, quickly earned the duo a devoted following after the 1986 self-titled LP and prompted a move to major-label Elektra. Linnell also ventured into solo work, releasing the EPs State Songs and Hall of Mayors on the band’s Hello Recording Club label; an expanded State Songs appeared on Zoë in 1999, the year after an online poll conducted by People magazine placed him among the Ten Most Beautiful People, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf.