THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #246 - April 22, 1997
Magical Armchair Digest Tuesday, April 22 1997 Volume 01 : Number 246
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Mailing List
Topics for today:
hmmm
bad idea
Torhout/Werchter
vibraslap
BFF cover question
BF5 covers Paul Weller or Style Council
No Subject
Re:Philly show?
twin cities
Re: Norwood Cheek ?
Re: Boxing with bricks
cover songs
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Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 01:15:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alice Childress <el266071@hvcc.edu>
Subject: hmmm
BFF covers? ....how about Rusty Cage by Soundgarden :) i just
think that opening guitar riff would sound mighty cool on piano done BFF
style and all..dunno..i'm tired :>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 01:57:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: MissDa@aol.com
Subject: bad idea
i wish i could hear them do "bad idea" from the soundtrack to "the truth
about cats and dogs" live. have they done this one at all? i've been to two
shows and haven't heard it... just curious 'cause i also don't hear it
mentioned much by fans of the group. okay, i'll shut up now....
amanda
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 08:02:22 -0700
From: gillet <gillet@pi.net>
Subject: Torhout/Werchter
It's kind of old news but i can't remember it being
mentioned here but BF5 will be playing at this years
Torhout/Werchter-festival the 4th and 5th of july in
Belgium. Let's just hope they do some other European
dates as well......
Joris Gillet
*updated*:http://home.pi.net/~gillet/joris.html
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 97 10:05:00 PDT
From: "Riley, Adrian D [DBE]" <A.D.Riley@lmu.ac.uk>
Subject: vibraslap
Just following up the vibraslap (percussion instrument used on 'Whatever..')
discussion...
The greatest ever use of vibraslap is on the track 'Too Much Attention' from
the album 'Himself' by Gilbert O'Sullivan. (I can recommend this album to
all BFF fans - but I wouldn't bother with his other stuff).
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 97 10:11:00 PDT
From: "Riley, Adrian D [DBE]" <A.D.Riley@lmu.ac.uk>
Subject: BFF cover question
In response to:
<< "What would be the coolest cover BFF could do?" >>
"Staying Alive"? *shrugs* :)
(Armchair Digest V1 #240)
They performed this song at the 1996 Sheffield UK gig (immaculate Bee-Gee
vocals from all the band). Ben then continued to say that he'd written the
next song whilst watching Saturday Night Fever and launched into Alice
Childress.
And no, sorry I don't have a recording of it (AMAZING gig though).
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 08:53:46 -0400
From: Matt <buoy12@earthlink.net>
Subject: BF5 covers Paul Weller or Style Council
I would like to her the band cover Entertainment by The Jam or My Ever
Changing Moods by SC. Anyone else out there.
Matt
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 08:22:28 -0500
From: MZipko@nhbpr.com (Mike Zipko)
Subject: No Subject
This was from the Saint Paul Pioneer Press on Sunday, 4/20/97. The music
critic, Jim Walsh, produced the first album by the Gear Daddies - "Lets Go
Scare Al" and he used to write for an alternative weekly.
BFF has a strong Minnesota following thanks to the late/great REV105 fm
which played BFF in heavy rotation long before others.
(((hotwax)))
Every review of Ben Folds Five's 1995 debut album (including mine) mentioned
Elton John. Well, I was a huge Elton John fan when he was good (pre-Diet
Coke), and trust me, Ben Folds is no Elton John. He's better.
After only two records. What bugged me about Elton was knowing that Bernie
Taupin had written all those great words; Elton sang 'em with guts, but
something got lost in the transaction. Folds pens lyrics that seem to gush
from his veins onto his pad, into his fingertips and onto the piano keys.
After ``Ben Folds Five,'' I had my doubts that the guy's songcraft could
keep up with his playing and arranging talent. But from the marvelously
spiteful opener, Folds digs deep and exposes himself -- warts and wonder of
pending middle age and all -- skewering old girlfriends, cliques and his
nerdy, poetic self along the way.
There is passion, vulnerability and a raw, taut band -- and the most
unpretentious between-song asides since the Replacements' ``Sorry Ma.'' We
also get the most elegant lyric sheet since Liz Phair's ``Exile in Guyville.''
Just when I thought song-oriented bands -- and quality -- had gone out of
style for good, a record like this comes along and makes it all better. For a
couple of weeks, anyway. Or forever and ever, amen: In a world where real
rock 'n' roll radio means nonsense (Stern Howard) vs. nonsense (Tom Barnard),
Ben Folds Five feels not like the Diet Coke fade, but the Lipton plunge. In
Minnesota. In May. Jim Walsh
Mike Zipko
mzipko@nhbpr.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 22:10:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: SteveJG22@aol.com
Subject: Re:Philly show?
wow my first post after receiving the armchair for months,. Well obviously
the new album rocks. You know that you love a band when all you need to do is
hear the first word from the singers mouth. Brick is the song that makes me
cry, i get pumped when i hear "song for the dumped" and i laugh at "steven's
last night in town" all around favorite is definately "bowccl". The only
thing is i first heard on the "cmj" sampler and i listened to like a
gazillion times so whenever the song is over i always start to sing "the
state of minesota has to fill its quota" I know i can not be the only one who
does this.
Anyway due to technical problems i must forgo the show in irving plaza in nyc
but i am into going to the show in philly is there tix left?
scurvy scarpa mitpervis,
styeve
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 09:27:29 -0500 (CDT)
From: Clio <carv0022@maroon.tc.umn.edu>
Subject: twin cities
hey all in case any of you were wondering the show on june 4th is All
Ages ! i was worried about that. Also i haven't been keeping up on
reading all my armchairs but i heard talk of a meeting at the purple
onion and no one will set a date or time. Anyone have free time friday
afternoon of this week ? just a prelim meeting... I'm free after 12.
either email back to the list or just email me
Amie
- --Amie Carvel
"Absence makes the heart grow fungus"
Barenaked Ladies
http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m429/carv0022
carv0022@maroon.tc.umn.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 97 10:57:10 -0000
From: Charles D Folds <4rachuck@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Norwood Cheek ?
>After reading the liner notes on the new album and having seen the video
> for BOWCCL about 10 times, I have now seen Norwood Cheek's name as director
> of the video and for synthesizer space sounds on One Angry Dwarf what is
> his relation to the band and is there a story here that I am mossing.
Norwood Cheek is from Eden, NC and played in bands around here
(greensboro, chape hill, etc) for a while- such as Notes From a Strange
Mailbag, and Kickin' the Bucket , and the most popular was the Sex Police
(which had a couple of members from the Presure Boys, and actually one of
the guys who is now in the Squirel Nut Zippers). So as you can see, he's
been around the NC music scene for a while.
He's always been into film and video production etc, and has done several
videos that have been on MTV, but I can't think now of which bands, duh.
He has a pretty successful one right now, he directed the new Squirel Nut
Zippers video, "Hell". It was cool hearing Bill Bellamy say Norwood's
name on the top 20 countdown the other night!
It is great to see another local guy doing well.
Congrats Norwood!
chuck folds
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 10:58:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: Rahoolio@aol.com
Subject: Re: Boxing with bricks
I think Carrie Shanafelt has nailed the "Brick" controversy. I mean, this
guy is taking his girlfriend to the abortion clinic and, by the way, they
don't really seem to be in love anymore. What other interpretation can there
be?
And I'd like to clear a little something up for our friends across the
pond: In America, there is no such thing as Boxing Day. The phrase means
nothing. On December 26th, EVERYTHING is open. People flock to stores to
return gifts that they got (except the guy in "Brick," who sells his). Life
returns to normal; the holiday is over. I just want to stress this because I
believe Boxing Day has been brought up TWICE by British BF5 fans trying to
interpret lyrics--didn't we go through this with "Boxing" last year?
Next thing you know, we'll be arguing about whether "smoking a fag" is a
heinous hate crime or merely a health-endangering habit...
--R.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 12:17:09 -0300
From: dmaceach@is2.dal.ca (Daniel MacEachern)
Subject: cover songs
Some cover songs I'd like to see them play:
1. "Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
2. "Ball of Confusion" - Love and Rockets
3. "Beds Are Burning" - Midnight Oil
4. "Rio" - Duran Duran (or "Hungry Like The Wolf". Hell, anything by
Duran Duran)
Hmmm. Guess you can tell I'm a child of the 80's. I liked the idea of a
cover of Africa. Then again, my favorite song, "Video Killed The Radio
Star" has already been covered by them (not to mention by my other favorite
band, the MiniPops) not that I've actually been to a concert to hear them
play it. Hey, why don't they cover "Brick," that song that everybody keeps
talking about?
Bluejay - thanks for your info on the tab book. I HATE it when piano music
adds the vocals to the right hand part.
Daniel
Halifax
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #246
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