Mr. Klaw: A Song, a Memory, and a Talking Claw
Dive into the whimsical world of 'Mr. Klaw,' a raw and eccentric TMBG gem that sparks vivid memories and playful imagination.
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Someone is sitting in a large, red chair facing away from you. The back of the chair is quilted velvet and impossibly high—blocking the inhabitant from your view. On the right arm of the chair, something insidious gleams: a metal claw, tapping its fingers impatiently, scheming.
“So, you’ve finally found me?” A voice cackles from beyond the chair. “Tell me,” the voice continues slowly as you approach the velvety seat. “Are you ready to meet, the famous—”
You grab the backrest of the chair and spin it around to face you. Your jaw drops, not at the body belonging to the voice and claw, but instead at the empty seat.
“—the FAMOUS MR. KLAW?!”
The claw remains on the armrest, now curled into a fist. Your nemesis is not a person at all, but something no one has seen… a talking claaaaAWWWW.
This Inspector Gadget intro-inspired scene is what my mind conjures when I listen to “Mr. Klaw,” a quirky and raw track from They Might Be Giants' compilation album Miscellaneous T. It’s a song with a sound and feel so unique, it transports me not just to the imagined lair of a talking claw, but to moments of nostalgia, imagination, and the essence of TMBG’s early work.
The B-Sides and Beyond
Beyond the sinister metal disembodied claw of my imagination, ‘Mr. Klaw’ is a song that also brings other vivid memories to mind; those of even rarer, lesser known songs by the band. ‘Mainstream U.S.A.1’ and ‘The Big Big Whoredom’2. Those are two tracks I first heard as part of TMBG’s anthology collection “Then: The Early Years” - an entombment of the first two albums, Miscellaneous T, and other singles like the two I mentioned that had previously not been released.
In “Mainstream” and “Whoredom,” a messy, raw guitar strum dominates—giving both tracks an unpolished, gritty flare. “Mr. Klaw” shares this sound, courtesy of John Linnell taking over guitar duties from the more experienced John Flansburgh. By putting Linnell behind those six strings, the band achieves a deliberately imperfect and intriguing style—a hallmark of their experimental creativity.
Inspector Gadget Mornings
More than TMBG’s early catalog, “Mr. Klaw” evokes a core childhood memory: Saturday mornings spent downstairs with a bowl of cereal. As a kid of 5 or 6, I’d wake up early while my parents slept, grab the cereal bowl my mom had prepared the night before, and pour milk from a small plastic cup (because a full carton was too heavy for me). The family footstool doubled as a cereal tray, and the living room TV became my portal to Saturday morning cartoon bliss.
One staple of those morning shows was Inspector Gadget, where the villainous Dr. Claw remained a mysterious, shadowy figure with a menacing metal hand. The visual of Dr. Claw, endlessly scheming from his chair, is the source of the imagery I associate with “Mr. Klaw.” Yet, the song’s nostalgic pull doesn’t end with a cartoon claw; it reminds me of those mornings spent learning independence—and the thrill of discovering pop-culture that defined my childhood.
Lyrical Parallels: Mr. Ed Vs. Mr. Klaw!
On the surface, “Mr. Klaw” has more in common with the 1960s talking horse Mr. Ed than it does with Inspector Gadget. Consider the lyrics:
Mr. Ed:
“A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
and no one can talk to a horse of course,
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.”Mr. Klaw:
“A claw is a claw, and nobody has seen a talking claw,
nobody has seen a talking claw,
unless that claw is the famous Mr. Klaw.”
Whether intentional or not, the parallel adds another layer to the band’s ability for blending absurdity and pop culture references. It’s a sly nod to the bizarre, like a lyrical wink that fans like me can’t help but appreciate.
A Raw Gem with a Twist
“Mr. Klaw” might be an odd little number, but its rawness and messy guitar riff make it an unforgettable part of the early TMBG catalog. It’s a song that offers a unique sound while invoking nostalgia while creating imagined worlds.
Listening to this song, I’m reminded that the real magic of the song is its ability to turn even the strangest of images—a talking claw, a scheming nemesis—into something as familiar and comforting as childhood itself.
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I've long ago stopped attending concerts, but if I could I would go to every TMBG show in my area (south Cal). This would probably be my number 1 song to chase, and I suspect They have rarely performed it in the band era (eon) apart from maybe a <i>Lincoln</i>-focused show.
"In my day..." listening to the Johns before the <i>Flood</i> I was paying more attention to the way they put out singles as if they were The Smiths, devouring those delightful audio epistles. Those small collections of 3-5 unpredictably-variable songs were even more wonderful than the albums.