THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR

The Ben Folds Five Digest

Issue #583 - November 4, 1997



Magical Armchair Digest   Tuesday, November 4 1997   Volume 01 : Number 583



                          THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:

    Magical Armchair Digest V1 #578
    Re: ...BHAGAVAD GITA
    [none]
    Chicago show and a Brick in
    In Case You Care 
    Naked Baby Pictures
    general bf5 excitement
    cornell show
    UNOFFICIAL MEETING OF THE BOSTON AREA M.A. 
    Beck

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 09:57:30 -0600 (CST)
From: SCHUTTE 
Subject: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #578

Hi guys!

For some reason, I didn't get all of #578.  Could someone please send me
it if they kept it?  I'd appreciate it!

Thanks,
emily

only 2 weeks and 2 1/2 days 'till the Lawrence show.  awe yeah...

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 10:59:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Ginger Nance 
Subject: Re: ...BHAGAVAD GITA

This is in response to the posting on the Bhagavad Gita.

I live in Chapel Hill and can tell you that Kate very well may be a Hare
Krishna, because there are tons of girls sitting on quilts in longs skirts
passing out the Bhagavad Gita all over the place here.  I've never seen
them on Rosemary, though...I've never seen them on Cameron, either.
They're usually on Franklin and on campus.  Oh well.

BTW, whoever is going to the Chapel Hill show--let's all meet!  Ramsay
said e-mail him...e-me too.  We could all meet near the Cradle and go to
the show together or something.

Have a great week!

Ginger :)

**************************    Ooooo     We'll miss you Dean! 
Ginger Nance                  (   )     Thanks for 36 great years.
gnance@email.unc.edu           ) (
http://www.unc.edu/~gnance     (o)      GO HEELS!     
**************************

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 11:12:06 -0500 (EST)
From: X97NARDI@wmich.edu
Subject: [none]

i would just like to say that i saw be folds last saturday in ypsi and i was
the best concert i have seen...it was also my first time seeing them...they
played an incredible version of underground that just made me go "wow!!"

------------------------------

Date: 3 Nov 1997 11:25:01 -0500
From: "Worth Wagers" 
Subject: Chicago show and a Brick in

     The Chicago show WAS really amazing.  It did take them 2 or 3 songs to get into though.  After Dr. Pyser, the Battle of Who Could Care Less was a little ragged (especially vocally), but they got right into the swing of things a song or two later and were energetic the whole night. Ben kept throwing his piano stool at the keyboard and he (very bemusedly) missed a few times.  Kind of a far cry from the show I saw at Lounge Ax (local tiny cool rock club) where he full body slammed the piano at the end. 
     If any of you are interested in getting the Verbow record based on a few list members recommendations, I'm here to tell you that I was really disappointed in both their live show and their record.  It's basically really loud guitar (not in itself a bad thing) with undistinguished cello and garbled vocals that you can't make out.  Very '90s angsty. The lead singer, Jason Narducci, acted like "Rock Stage Theatrics 101" -guitar behind the back, foot on the monitor, etc.  Not good.
     Also, just heard 'Brick' on the sound system of Sony Theatres last night.  Kinda scary how well it fit in sonically with the rest of the Top-40 drivel.  Yikes.
    That is all.  Sorry if you really liked Verbow and I offended. I've seen them 3 times (by accident) in Chicago and never been impressed. If you want a really effective pop/rock/cello fusion, check out Rex Daisy's Guys and Dolls on Pravda Records.  Same format. MUCH better pop songs and much closer kindred spirits to BFF.
    Sorry this rambled a bit.  
Rock over London.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 11:44:16 -0500 (EST)
From: BSCHACK@aol.com
Subject: In Case You Care 

In case you care:

This week's Time Out New York (a mag with listings and previews of stuff
going on in NYC that week) had blurbs about BFF and Counting Crows.  Counting
Crows are playing in NYC the same night as BFF, which I find kind of ironic
because it seems to me from reading this list that there is a HUGE crossover
of their fans.  I'm sure there are people on this list in NY who had to make
a tough decision about which show to see that night (although for me it was
easy-I'm not a big CC fan).  But check out what they said about the shows:

BFF - Twee as the band can be, the (sic) Ben Folds Five is definitely a power
trio.  The power in question is provided by the supercharged rhythym section,
whereupon Ben Folds himself proffers Billy Joel/Professor
Longhair/Broadway/Rundgren-reminiscent pianisms.  BFF is sloppy but still
quite good live.  Despite the name, Travis (opening) is a band of elegiac,
agonized Brits who mine the irony of the phrase "All I Want To Do Is Rock"
for all its worth.  Verbow (also opening) is a dull cello-laden band.

and the Crows preview:  (which I think is hilarious because I couldn't agree
more)

COUNTING CROWS - If Adam Duritz wants so desperately to be taken seriously,
then why did he make a video with Courteney Cox?  He's a big, dumb
alterna-galoot with ugly dreads and a band that wants to be important.  They
think they can just sound like The Band or Van Morrison and that will do the
trick.  They are wrong.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 12:03:33 -0500
From: Kenneth McKenna - SSG 
Subject: Naked Baby Pictures

FYI:  According to the e-mail I just received from Caroline Records, 
the "new" BFF disc will consist of rarities/b-sides/live stuff which 
were recorded during the time period of their debut album.  So there 
will be at least a couple b-sides.

Regards,
Ken McKenna

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 12:35:54 -0600
From: Allison L Aley 
Subject: general bf5 excitement

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well i am still very new to the armchair so this is really my first real =
post, aside from my short inquiry before about the austin show. i am =
still trying to figure out a way to get there, being stuck here in san =
antonio without a car is really causing a BFF crisis with me, because i =
cant convince my friends who have cars that they would absolutely love =
bff if they gave them a chance, especially since most of them are into =
either the punk/ska scene or the vile habit of country music. so if =
anyone is around trinity university in san antonio and is planning to go =
to the austin show on the 22nd and would like some company, please feel =
free to help a nice fellow bff lover and email me! :)
random bf5 experience: i was sitting in the dining hall here at trinity, =
and normally they play all top-40 crap in there, mixed with a little =
classic rock sometimes, so i was in no way expecting it when i heard ben =
folds' lovely voice fighting his way through the hum of voices in the =
room. i flipped out and my friends just looked at me like, "whats up =
with her?" but i was like, "no, you dont understand, its BEN FOLDS =
FIVE!!!" and its the truth. they just dont understand.
random bf5 fan sighting: this boy in my ethics class came in a few weeks =
ago wearing a bff tshirt, and i was going to comment on it, but he left =
class too early and i missed him. a week later, he wore it again, and =
ran out of class before i could comment, so finally that night i saw him =
randomly on campus and told him that i absolutely loved his shirt, i =
think he thought i was on crack, but he didnt say anything so i was like =
"well ok then" and just walked away because he didnt seem too interested =
in discussing, but at least i know that there is hope in this silly =
little country/tejano city!
ok well im sure you are all sick of my babble by now so i will go...
only two days till my birthday!!!
i am also on icq, if anyone wants to talk my # is 3943689, my handle is =
daisee.=20
love and stuff-
alli
"everyday she wears the same thing, i think she smokes pot, shes =

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Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 14:03:46 -0500 
From: livid@cowland.com
Subject: cornell show

       saw ben folds five last night & cornell.  it was a good show,
damn good.  the hall held about 2,000 people and there wasn't a bad seat
in the place.  setlist goes like this:

dr. pyser (1st), philosophy (2nd), she dont use jelly (encore), jackson
cannery, julianne (salsa intro), underground, best imitation of myself,
last polka, boxing (encore), one angry dwarf, fair, brick, song for the
dumped (encore), selfless, smoke, steven's last night, battle of who
could care less, and missing the war.   (obviously that's not in order)
:)

       also they started doing one of those rap songs :)  it had that
bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay snoop doggy dogg thing, and it was
called "robert sledge's sex jam" :)  and at one point robert went "ooh
god damn" just like in for those of y'all who wear fannie packs (I LOVE
THAT SONG)...it was great :)  i think they did that just before jackson
cannery, but i can't remember for sure.  and also ben kept mentioning
how he felt like he should be giving a lecture, and he did this whole
depressed-professor spiel..."i'm not going to be teaching this class any
more; i'll be in my office hanging myself."  funny stuff.

       i also got my picture taken with robert which was pretty cool, i
was gonna get darren too but he went inside the bus before i had a
chance to, and as for ben, well, to save face i won't go into what
happened but as it turned out i had to leave before ben came out...oh
well.  i've met him before, so that's ok.

       all in all, a great show, i can't wait til these guys come around
again, which of course won't be for a while, but they put on a hell of a
show every time.  i'm damn glad & damn lucky that i got to see them four
times this year.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 14:11:14 -0500
From: Anne Lyons 
Subject: UNOFFICIAL MEETING OF THE BOSTON AREA M.A. 

Hello the 'Chair!

"Tonight's the night...
It's gonna be alright!"

It should be Tuesday, November 4th as you read this post (but with the
length and breadth of posts we've had recently, and the craziness of the
Magical Delivery System, it may be some other date for all I know).

IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE SHOW AT THE ROXY IN BOSTON, please read this... if
not, you've probably just been to a concert/will be going to a concert in
the near future... so for all of you: Hope you had fun!/Hope you have fun!

ANYWAY... Fellow New Englanders: we've been trying to think of a place for
all of us to meet & greet before the show... we've sort of settled on a bar
near The Roxy called the "The Big Easy" and I guess we can all try to get
there between 6 pm and 7 pm. Wear your "Hello my name is..." tags and we'll
see if we can't all grab a drink (or six, per Eric's request!) and get
psyched for the show together. I apologize for the fact that it IS a bar,
so those Armchairiots who are under 21 may not be able to get in.

FYI, for all you out-of-towners (like me)... rumor has it that the closest
T stop to the The Roxy is Boylston on the Green Line.

FINALLY... I have one extry ticket to the show. I have no idea if it is
sold out, but if you want the ticket... drop me an e-mail and it's yours!

See you later, alligator!

- -Anne

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 14:12:31 -0500
From: Kenneth McKenna - SSG 
Subject: Beck

Apparently I've offended some Beck fans out there.  Since this is a 
digest devoted to BFF I will not belabor the point, but I think Beck 
falls into the category of interesting artist.  His songs are 
different enough to grab the ear of some listeners, but when it comes 
to enduring music that will sound great long after it is released, and 
after repeated listening, I don't think Beck falls into that category. 
 His music reminds me a lot of cheesy 80's music that, when you hear 
it, you immediately know it is cheesy 80's music.  In Beck's case, 
it's cheesy 90's music.  No one is clamoring for the worst of the 80's 
nowadays, and down the road Beck won't be much more than a footnote 
from the 90's.  In terms of pure song writing ability, Ben Folds has 
more talent in his pinkie finger than Beck will ever exhibit in his 
career.
Having said all the above, being an American citizen I certainly would 
defend to the death your right to your opinion, but of course I'm most 
partial to my point of view.  That's what makes this country great!

Regards,
Ken McKenna

------------------------------

End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #583
**************************************


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