The Postal Service finally acknowledges the Postal Service

Ben Gibbard, one half of the band the Postal Service.

(Image credit: YouTube/Ben Gibbard)

published 19 August 2020

"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."

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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.