Regular readers of this blog know that Tuned In Jr. and Tuned In Jr. Jr.–like the good alternaparent progeny they are–are fans of They Might Be Giants, and that we have a regular ritual of cruising for TMBG videos on YouTube. In the course of surfing, we’ve come across a strange genre: the burgeoning field of amateur videos for Particle Man. There’s something about the song that lends itself to YouTube. The bouncy music is a good fit for comedy, and the simple cast of allegorical characters—Particle Man, Triangle Man, Universe Man and Person Man–is tailor-made for fan mashup. Like this one, of clips from Lost:
OK, this is not technically a kid’s video (there’s some violence–though not any worse than this Tiny Toons take on the song–and a PG-13 curse at the end, and a polar bear dies). But for you adults pining for more Lost, Sawyer makes a good choice as (Love) Triangle Man, while there’s now a special poignancy to Charlie as Person Man. Hit on the head with a frying pan, indeed.
Oh, and although this is a Lost-biased blog, I don’t want to neglect the Heroes partisans:
So who wins? Does Hiro make a convincing Universe Man? He’s the smallest guy on the show, but if anyone’s watch has a millennium hand and an eon hand, it’s his.