Giant Step: Raising Funds to Ensure the Kids Are Alright

A A A Comments By Ken Switzer Tuesday, May 25 2004

photo: Joshua Kessler

TMBG's John Linnell and John Flansburgh

Details

Benefit for 826NYC Featuring They Might Be Giants, David Cross, Todd Barry, People Are Wrong!, and Sarah Vowell
Southpaw
125 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, 718.230.0236
826nyc.org, ticketweb.com
Fri at 8

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Having successfully launched 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing lab out in San Francisco, Dave Eggers and McSweeney's have decided to start a branch here in the Big Apple. Set to open this summer, 826NYC (372 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn) will offer storytelling; one-on-one tutoring; workshops in creative and nonfiction writing, zine making, and online publishing; and much more to kids ages eight to 18, for free. To help raise money for this great cause, some of the city's most talented and endearing oddballs offer their entertainment services tonight. They Might Be Giants were already giants to many way before they wrote the Malcolm in the Middle theme song—if you're lucky, they'll play "The Statue Got Me High." David Cross charmed his way into every hipster's heart through the hilarious Mr. Show; his scathing comedy album, Shut Up, You Fucking Baby; and his outstanding comedic performances on Arrested Development. Todd Barry is another impressive goofball, who you may have seen doing stand-up on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. People Are Wrong! is a twisted musical production about a "charismatic cult leader" that stars David Driver (Rent), Maggie Moore (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Chris Anderson (of the band Muckafurgason), and TMBG's own John Flansburgh. Sarah Vowell, a contributing editor to NPR's This American Life and author of The Partly Cloudy Patriot, offers her wry wit as emcee.