SPIN THE DIAL

Spin the Dial was a thing that TMBG did at live shows where they would turn on a radio and play along to the music that was on there. I'm going to be covering two improvs: Best of Spin The Dial and Spin the Country Dial.

TMBG has always had an interesting relationship to America, specifically playing this game of amping up American excess to comedic heights. When you're literally parodying radio ads and random things that show up, this tends to intensify this theme. It can be heard in the lyrics, too: this is an honest reflection of my personal expression.

This goes as far as parodying the pop culture of others, a classic American staple. Flansburgh does insane improv backwards vocals to The Beatles. He then makes fun of bad country music: but sadly I can't change cause I'm a creepy creepy man. A lot of these bits are just making fun of the hypothetical narrator of the song (which in the era of individualism is usually the artist). This is good and justified.

Best of Spin The Dial then ends on this inexplicably appearing on the radio:

...thank you, thank you. So rarely do we have a show... so rarely do we have a show that gives virgin ears of the musically deprived the opportunity to experience such great unattained music from that of mainstream garbage. What a...

Spin the Country Dial has someone screaming in the background and that's beautiful. Flansburgh then continues to make fun of country music, mumbling vocals. My brain is like a husk you could drive a truck through. That's all.