The Postal Service finally acknowledges the Postal Service


"The Postal Service is a joke," President Trump announced in April, and lest you think the commander-in-chief has a bone to pick with the short-lived, two-person indie pop supergroup of the same name — not entirely implausible, seeing as he frequently fights with celebrities, tire companies, and musicians on Twitter — no, Trump indeed was talking about the people who deliver our mail.
Still, the joke about the band was just sitting there. And on Wednesday, Ben Gibbard, one-half of the band the Postal Service, finally bit. "For those who are not aware, I was in a band called the Postal Service," Gibbard, who is also a member of Death Cab for Cutie, said in his livestream. "We put out a record in 2003 and we made this music by sending CDs back and forth to each other … I think in the midst of this global pandemic, nothing is more important than being able to vote safely and securely and vote by mail has shown to be that over and over and over again." Gibbard then proceeded to perform the Postal Service's hit, "Such Great Heights," dedicating it to, well, the Postal Service.
The relationship between the two Postal Services has not always been quite so cuddly, Rolling Stone points out: "[T]he U.S. Postal Service sent a cease and desist notice to Gibbard and his bandmate, Jimmy Tamborello, when they first started performing as the Postal Service. The band later reached an agreement with USPS, and were given free license to use the name in exchange for promoting the postal service."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hey, you know what they say: in these trying times, Postal Services have to stick together. Jeva Lange
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play