How does “The World’s First Comic Book Rock Band” write a song?
The first song we ever wrote was the Mario Kart-inspired “Back to the Beginning,” in which the lyrics came first. We write songs that are, first and foremost, “good songs,” followed by lyrical content about characters we love. Other songs emerge from a guitar riff, like “Marvelous Girls.” “Marvelous Girls” lauds characters who, because of their gender, get short shrift. Jim had the idea of writing a dedication of love for what you might call “nerd girls.” The idea expanded into a musical love letter to the women of the Marvel Universe—almost as if written by a lovesick guy who lives, or thinks he lives, in that universe. Is Jim strictly a “lyrics guy”? You can say that. He possesses a huge backlog of references and lyrical ideas that, when combined with mine, results in songs we get really excited about. He’s a good editor, too. “One of the Guys” is a humorous song about Ben Grimm (the Thing). But you also tap into the character’s pathos. The Thing is actually the real heart of the Fan
