THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #197 - March 11, 1997
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #197
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Topics for Today:
HOORAY!
The Battle reaches our shores..finally
Re: folds faves
Who's got everything ?
*****BEN FOLD FIVE WEEK*****
Gig at Manchester Uni, March 5th
re: Counting Crows are big fans!
Ben Folds Five Listening Party
Details
Manchester Gig...made my brain go woogy
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 1997 23:55:11 -0000
From: Tom Whitaker <tom@tw.prestel.co.uk>
Subject: HOORAY!
Just saw them live (Sheffield). Met the band. Got their signatures! AAAH!
They were SOOOOOO good! The best band still going - no question!
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 21:24:12 +1100
From: Alex <belawan@parramatta.starway.net.au>
Subject: The Battle reaches our shores..finally
Hey Everyone...
well "the battle of who could care less" finally reached the ears
of millions of Australian TripleJ (national youth radio station) listeners
just last weekend (yes! it only just got here!)...its a great
single...looking forward to a great album too...heres to hoping that the
band makes it here so i can enjoy it live...Cheers
Alex
*im getting tired of being mild...
i want my pants ripped off by
someone wild...*
Andy Cox, The Fauves
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 14:21:00 +0100
From: jonas nilsson <eng96jni@lustudat.student.lu.se>
Subject: Re: folds faves
HI!
This is a call from Sweden and Jonas Nilsson. I am brand new here and I
just thought I would start by telling you some of the things Mr. Folds told
me in an interview I did november last year. The fanzine I did it for is
called Popoga (in english: popeye)
*I asked him to name his ten favouriterecords of all time, but Ben quickly
changed the list to 5 old favouriterecords and 5 new ones. And it looked
like this:
old ones
1. "Sail away" Randy Newman
2. Jesus Christ Superstar
3. "Gratitude" Earth, Wind & Fire
4. "Blue" Joni Mitchell
5. "Axis..." Jimi Hendrix
new ones
1. "Exile in Guyville" Liz Phair
2. "R.A.T.M" Rage Against The Machine
3. "Life" Cardigans
4. "Pirates" Rickie Lee Jones
5. "Nevermind" Nirvana
Question: What did you listen to growing up?.
BF: In the beginning I only listened to black music like Otis Redding,
James Brown, Earth, Wind&Fire and Wilson Pickett. Then I got into melodic
writers like Burt Bacharach. And that interested me a lot. But the thing
that inspired me the most lately is definitely Liz Phair.
Question: Could you name a band you feel some kind of connection to?
(After a long discussion around the subject the answer was)
BF: Built to spill.
Question: So what does the perfect popsong look like?
BF: It´s a cliché but I guess "Imagine" is a pretty perfect popsong. I even
think 10 cc did two perfect popsongs: "I´m not in love" and "Things we do
for love". I could also say "Smells like teen spirit" or "Sliver" by
Nirvana. Or why not "Web in front" by Archers of loaf.
Then Ben got talking about recording an instrumental Ben folds-album this
summer with a lot of strings, clarinet and less piano. More disco
easy-listening with a lot of fuzzbass.
Question: So does Ben Folds sound like you thought it would when you
started it?
BF: Not really. We are doing the things I wanted us to do, but it doesn´t
really sound like I thought it would. The band has begun to live a life of
it´s own. But we have achived what I wanted us to achieve this far and I am
pretty sure we will achieve everything we ever wanted to achieve.
Then Ben got talking about differences between Europe and USA . And about
Eric Bachmann from Archers of loaf whom he worked together with on the
Barry Black-album and there he had a long interesting theory which I might
get back to some other time if people are interested.
The last thing I will tell you this time is this:
Question: What do you think of your first album today?
BF: I like it. I am proud of it. Fact is I think we managed to capture this
feeling that you can only find on really classic albums. And that is
something that becomes more and more rare these days. I am not saying it is
a classic popalbum, but I am saying it has got those qualities to it. It is
a cool album.
Damn sure it is. And in my world it is a classic album. Absolutely.
Would appreciate mail of all kinds.
Jonas Nilsson
eng96jni@lustudat.student.lu.se
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 13:36:57 GMT
From: Andy Hewitt <mbcx6adh@mh2.mcc.ac.uk>
Subject: Who's got everything ?
Ben Folds and his marvellous band have .
I saw the gig last week and it was excellent (the Manchester one)
although I'm not sure if I preferred the first one or not .
I think that they shouldn't have started with 'Missing the War' as
people were talking during it and so it didn't get started until a
few songs in . I also think they should have kept 'Battle...' for a
bit later on and not the second song .
I was impressed with how they dealt with the problem of Robert's bass
screwing up and him havind to spend ages fixing it . Ben did a solo
version of 'Cigarette' and explained where it all came from (it was a
newspaper article) and said that they had never played this before
and were unlikely to do so again . I hope that this is true , a
little bit of history or did this happen elsewhere as last time they
played at Manchester the piano had some technical difficulties .
Maybe I'm just cursed .
Also does anybody there (Mark ?) know what it was that he played as
the bass finally got fixed as I caught very little of the lyrics .
Did he make it up on the spot as I seemed to hear him say something
like :
"I don't know the f^ck^ng words to this f^ck^ng song"
or something along those lines .
Still , the gig was absolutely excellent and I was ecstatic that they
did a second encore .
'Underground' was brilliant , as was 'Song for the dumped' but this
is not to say that everything else wasn't as the whole gig was damn
good .
The songs they played :
From the first album :
All except 'Jackson Cannery' (shame)
'Sports and Wine'
'Video' (I think , my memory is getting hazy now ..)
'Boxing'
From 'Whatever...' :
All except 'Evaporated'
They also played 'Theme from Dr. Psyer' quietly when Robert broke his
bass and some other weird song that I mentioned before .
Oh , and Robert gave us a little Black Sabbath on the double bass
before they played one of the songs and I forget which one . Maybe it
was 'Selfless...' but my memory ain't what it was .
Oh , this is too long so I'll stop ...
'Those bastards who stole my dog don't know what they did to me' -
Adolf Hitler .
Andy Hewitt
Look out for the web page coming to a screen near you soon !
(I can feel the anticipation ... not)
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 06:19:41 -0800 (PST)
From: Robert Mcgovern <mcrobert@hotmail.com>
Subject: *****BEN FOLD FIVE WEEK*****
No it's not a new national holiday but it would be a cool idea! Anyway the
reason for the "Ben Fold Five week" is that from March 3rd to march to
March 8th, all that I've listened to or done has been "BFF" related.
Monday- Got the new album. Excellent! Don't belive the hype. It's just as
good as the first album,and while i'm on the subject isn't "Evaporated"
one of the most beautiful songs you've ever heard. It's one of those songs
that you wish you had written.......March 5th-BFF gig in Manchester. My
friends and I arrived at Manchester Uni about a hour before the show and
successfully found ourselves lost in the building(Much beer had been
consumed). Anyhow...on the third floor we found the guys dressing room
which was right next to an "Arabic" and "Erotic oriental" Exhibition. We
decided not to bother the guys but went back down to the lobby to get out
t-shirts. While buying the shirts(Incidentally they didn't have any
posters,Bummer!) I noticed two guys with an American accents standing next
to me. It was the Manager and the tour manager. we talked a while about
the new album and the reviews they were getting in the English press. I
also asked them when they were going to finish off that interview on "The
Armchair". He said that when they had some free time they would.(By the
looks of things with the Counting Crows tour and finishing off the English
tour it will be a while). we than said our goodbyes and left for the show.
The Ben Folds Five live experience was amazing.It was stood less that 2
feet from him and the piano. They kicked off with "Missing the war" and
went on to "BoWCCL" where in the finale Robert bust one of his bass
strings. While he was fixing it, Ben talked to the crowd about the new
album and also made up a song about "Robert fixing the bass" it was a
cross between "Rock'in Robin" and "Johnny B. Goode" and finally just
before the bass was restrung he performed "Cigerette" which he said would
probibly be the only time he played it live. He said the reason for the
lyrics not being printed was that he copied them "Word for word" from a
newspaper article and didn't want to risk being sued. They also performed
nearly every song from the new album except for "Evaporated". "Selfless,
cold and compossed" was played with a double bass and "Steven's last night
in town" was played by ben on this little hand held keyboard that you blow
into.(It sounded a lot like an accordian). My friend Sassa wrote a note
for ben asking for the set list and threw in on stage but he didn'r see
it. The set finished with two encores the last song being "Juliette" which
started off really slowly and built up speed.Great! and ended with the
piano keys getting a good spanking with the stool. I'll end there or i'll
be here all day. sorry for the length or this but i just had to get it
out.(note:don't read that last sentence slowly)
Robert Mcgovern
*** mcrobert@hotmail.com ***
p.s. is it me or is there a beeper or cellular phone going off in the backgrond
in "Stevens last nigh in town". I think i'm going mad.
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:38:10 GMT
From: Kate <iis5kem@ARTS-01.NOVELL.LEEDS.AC.UK>
Subject: Gig at Manchester Uni, March 5th
Wow. If you didn't go and you live anywhere within a fifty mile
radius of Manchester then you deserve to be shot. Having spent most
of my formative teenage years being squashed by sweaty bodies and
having my toes trodden on all in the name of music, it was such a
relief to go somewhere with such a cool atmosphere.... and where if,
in the joy of the moment a foot or two was trodden on, it was all
apologies and smiles. The band were absolutely superb. The new
material was welcomed as well as the old stuff and every song was
greeted as the classic it was. I'm crap at rewiewing things but if my
inane gibbering gives you any sense of how much everyone there
enjoyed it, then I'm glad.
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 17:59:05 +0000
From: Marsh <winkie@easynet.co.uk>
Subject: re: Counting Crows are big fans!
yellosno@tiac.net wrote:
>... Anyway.. In the song "Mr. Jones" Adam Duritz changes
> "I want to be Bob Dylan,
> Mr. Jones wishs he was someone just a little more funky."
> to:
> "I want to be Alice Childress,
> Mr. Jones wishs he was someone just a little more famous."
Are you sure he's not saying "Alex Chilton"? that's what's on some of
my boots....
Chris
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:36:10 -0400
From: Andrea G <andreag@sonicnet.com>
Subject: Ben Folds Five Listening Party
http://www.sonicnet.com/cybercasts/
Check out SonicNet's listening party of BEN FOLDS FIVE's new album,
"Whatever and Ever Amen" starting Tuesday, March 11th @12:00 noon
EST-US for one week only!
Ironic, heartfelt, melancholy, hopeful, and altogether unique: The music
of Ben Folds Five truly is representative of its three (not five)
members. All these traits and more shine through the Chapel Hill, NC-based
band's new album and 550 Music label debut, "Whatever and Ever
Amen."
You must have Real Audio 3.0 (http://www.realaudio.com) to get the sounds.
Please spread the word on your website! Thanks.
Andrea Goldstein
andreag@sonicnet.com
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 09:26:06 -0500 (EST)
From: DMedsker@aol.com
Subject: Details
As a digest subscriber, this is probably old news, but there is an article on
the boys in the new Details (Gwen Stefani on the cover). They talked about
how they started lying to interviewers after they started asking stupid
questions like "Why are you called Ben Folds Five when there are only three
of you?" and "Why don't you have a guitar player?" They also mentioned us,
and how Ben got sick reading a digest where one of us was debating whether
Ben's hands were big enough to play those mondo chords he plays.
So fess up. Which one of us has that much time on his/her hands?
David M
P.S. Did the Sony thing and got a copy of the BoWCCL import, the one with the
Champagne Supernova cover. Very funny. Especially the part where one of them
starts singing Stop Me If you Think... by the Smiths.
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 17:31:10 +0000 (GMT)
From: Matthew Bloom <mbloom@newport.ac.uk>
Subject: Manchester Gig...made my brain go woogy
Just a short note to say that my brain is now mush. The Manchester UK
gig earlier this month was undoubtedly the best I've ever been to. I was
right at the front...Ben's sweat flew into my eye (I'll never wash etc
etc etc). They played a hurried but excellent set and even the new songs
which I heard for the 1st time there, had me humming all the way back to
the asylum. I'd appreciate it if anyone who was there could mail me and
share their opinions.
Matt
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I wonder if she knows which way is up and which is down