THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR

The Ben Folds Five Digest

Issue #717 - December 21, 1997



Magical Armchair Digest   Sunday, December 21 1997   Volume 01 : Number 717



                          THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:

    Whatever
    Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #716
    ConnecteD
    Mtv Live - Not me...
    MTV
    It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens...
    After One Angry Dwarf
    BFF photos, etc.
    Forever and ever amen.....HA!
    letterman
    Dr. Pyser with the strings
    You know what sucks!!!!
    Carson MTV
    mtv live and bff
    Fwd: Eddie Walker and Crest High School
    Entertainment Weekly

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

Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 17:53:26 +0000
From: Chris Robles <ziggi@cats.ucsc.edu>
Subject: Whatever

Hey Fellow Ben Folds Five Fans,

I have just started a Ben Folds Five song resource site.  This site will
be a place where fans can read other fans interperetation and insights
into these great songs.  It will also (hopefully) contain information
about the writing of the songs.

I need your help to make this a successful resource.  Just from reading
the Armchair every day, I know that you all enjoy writing about the
Bf5.  Please send me your insights and interpretations. Once I recieve
enough I can start putting this song resource toghther

There are three ways to impart your infinite wisdom.

e-mail me at ziggi@cats.ucsc.edu
visit my site and fill out the official form
 Whatever is located at
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/2935/whatever.html
or you can just post your responses in the Magical Armchair

Thanks 

Chris

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

Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 23:30:38 EST
From: JARAMINI <JARAMINI@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #716

In a message dated 97-12-19 23:19:42 EST, you write:

<<  Who else caught the song that they started after they
 finished playing "One Angry Dwarf...? >>

I did, or at least think I did. It sounded like me to be "Retarded (Bad
Idea)".

Keeping it short and sweet.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwaanza, Happy Festivus,
John
jaramini@aol.com

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

Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 21:48:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Agent 007 <wallmr@whitman.edu>
Subject: ConnecteD

Guys and Gals-
	Does anyone know the site to go to get that ConnecteD stuff?
Please email me if you do. Thanks!
				Max
				wallmr@whitman.edu

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 00:35:38 -0500
From: sandishortcake@juno.com (Sandi Shorter) 
Subject: Mtv Live - Not me...

I saw Mtv live...pretty entertaining, but was it just me or were there
major problems with the sound (I think it was the live feed or
something)...the sound actually went completely out for a split second 2
different times.  ANYWAY, ERIC PATTON - that was NOT me outside holding
the We Love Ben Folds Five sign...I would hope that if I had traveled all
the way out there, I would actually make it inside the building!  :) 
Couldn't make the trip out there on such short notice, but I did call
around to a couple of airlines to check on rates to fly out.  Okay, okay,
I'm a bit obsessive, but my excuse was I have never seen New York City
and why not go when I could see the city and also see BF5 yet another
time.  And as long as we're talking Mtv Live here:  I HATE that Carson
guy.  I would hardly call his little "chat" with BF5 an interview.  

And one more thing, was he correct in his statement about SNL?  Is it
January 10th?  For some reason I have gone all week thinking it was THIS
week, but I just realized I must have gotten them confused with
Hanson...you know, I've been looking forward to Hanson's performance for
WEEKS!  <giggle>

Happy Holidays everyone...if I never post again it's because I couldn't
make it through yet another holiday season with my obsessive compulsive
family.  Why is it that no matter how old you are, when you go home for
the holidays and stay with your parents (I live on my own, far away) they
insist on treating you as if you're 15 again? 

Sandi

"We expect you to be in before midnight Saturday because we'd like you to
attend church with us in the morning...don't give me that look, you're
going whether you like it or not. You and those rotten friends of yours
do not need to stay out until 1am...I don't care how often you see them,
you're in town to be with family!  And one more thing, while you're
staying in our house you can follow our rules."
- -My Mom
The Holiday Inn down the road is looking better every damn day.  (I've
been here a little over 24 hrs.)

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 00:53:56 EST
From: Emmaline20 <Emmaline20@aol.com>
Subject: MTV

Okay..does anyone else here think Carson Daly has got to go?! MTV and their
pretty boys..at least get someone who can read. The boy is pure cheese...did
anyone catch him calling Darren "D-Dog" after they played "Brick?" Of
course..maybe Darren digs that nickname, who knows?! Both songs were good,
'cept I wish he would have talked to them longer..I mean, do we really need to
know about all the great gifts we can purchase for under $50 or how great that
chick's cat skirt was? All in all...it was worth watching.

Sarah 

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 01:00:37 -0500
From: Richard Challen <rchallen@clemson.campus.mci.net>
Subject: It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens...

Just a few bits of holiday randomness:
1) It's not as cool as Entertainment Weekly, but--as one of the
reviewers for Option--I got to have a Top 5 list for the year, and of
course "WAEA" was on there. Along with Whiskeytown, Radiohead, Chris
Whitley, and the other Ben. (Harper.) I guess the issue should be out
soon or something... hopefully my picks won't get cut?!
2) There's an easy reason why BF5 sounded "a little nervous" on
Letterman: Ask any musician how he/she would feel hanging around a CBS
soundstage for an hour, waiting to perform on NATIONAL TV, and then
going out there to play one--and only one--song COLD. Damn... I played
for 4 hours tonight, and it took me at least one of them just to get
warmed up. Poor BF5 only had 3 minutes to shake the jitters...
3) Is every "modern rock" station required to end in "X"?
4) Q is one of the best damn magazines on the planet. And they've been
down with the Folds since the 1st album... somebody should put the
article from March (?) about "WEAA" on a site... it's a beauty.
5) Oh yeah, Vince Guaraldi was a genius.

Not teenage so I guess I'm old,
rICH



Visit The RICH Homepage and check out the brand-new CD, 
LIFE/DEATH... 15 songs of romance and retribution... 
Available independently from Desperate Man Records.
         http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/9035

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

Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 23:48:42 -0700
From: uselink@juno.com (Jeremy V Davis) 
Subject: After One Angry Dwarf

To answer that silly trivia from Mtv bout what the played after it was
"Bad Idea (Retarded)" which made me kinda mad cause I wanted to hear that
live. Well I would assume all the video channels will be playing Brick at
6 am Eastern time on Dec. 26 which means it won't be right for the rest
of us. Silly time zones. I liked the little interview with Robert saying
"I push peddles and play strings and some of it is just technique." and
then Ben "It's all technical. You wouldn't understand." Gods, those guys
are entertaining and talking bout the Chapel Hill music scene bashing on
them like Squirrel Nut Zippers and all. Then my night continued with
Radiohead: Live at the 10 Spot which was also beautiful. Well I'm
rambling so I'll stop.

Night Kiddies,
                Jer 

- --------<uselink@juno.com>---------
"Blind man on a canyon's edge of a panoramic scene" - Ben Folds Five

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 11:40:23 +0000
From: mark brown <brownmm@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: BFF photos, etc.

Lots of activity in BFF-land!
I posted this bit of info last week but never saw it on the Armchair, so
I thought I'd give it another try.
Check out BFF photos from the Nov. 10 Richmond gig online at
	www.mayoisland.com/benfolds.htm
There are some really good pix of all the guys!
Also, in a bit of shameless self-promotion ;-) 
check out our interview with Ben, Robert & Darren at
	www.plan9music.com   just click onto "ninetimes"
ALSO, my husband has a friend who works at the local NBC affiliate and
he tells us that Ben & the guys are slated to be involved in some skits
on SNL when they play in Jan. I hope so!
I hope this post gets through! Happy holidays!!!
MB

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 12:07:06 -0500
From: susan parker <parker62@mindspring.com>
Subject: Forever and ever amen.....HA!

If anyone wants to know how to play brick....go to
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/3230/

Does anyone know whether the Letterman BFF performance is worth writing the
show and ordering?  Also if anyone owns a copy of the first album fake
book, located at the bands official website in stuff, could they please
right me saying so.  If anyone wants to find out new stuff about the boyz'
my UIN number for ICQ is 1951555.  
Does anyone else agree with me that They have been playing ENTIRELY too
much Brick lately? My friends all think that Ben Folds is some girly
playin', soft, gay, "classical only" music person.  I just wish the radio
stations would play stuff like One Angry Dwarf, and Battle of Who, and
Underground on the radio more often.  
Even though brick is one of the hottest selling songs right now, I love it
personally.

Tanks'
Andrew P

"I swear, one day I'll be able to play piano like that!"
- -me

"So much time, so little to say...."
- -B. Folds	

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 13:11:41 -0500
From: schander@juno.com (joe s schanderson) 
Subject: letterman

Just wanted to concur about the "nervousness" on Letterman. As I think I
said before, I'd be nervous too but Ben and Co. handled it pretty well.

King Philip of Michigan, please send me your email address again please.

michigan joe

Happy Holidays everyone!

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 13:38:14 -0500
From: Vito Biliti <goatman1@geocities.com>
Subject: Dr. Pyser with the strings

Remember back in the day when bff toured with the string section? Well, i
was just thinkin how much i loved that vresion of Dr. Pyser with the
strings.  If anyone has a good quality copy of that song, preferebly with
that "new" section (they added that thing for HORDE, i think), and can
record it onto their computa', PLEASE SEND IT TO ME!!!!!  Im lookin to turn
it into RA and put it up on my site permantly.

im also lookin for OAD with the strings.
vito


BBB  EEEE N   N     FFFF  OO  L    DD    SS      FFFF I V     V EEEE
B  B E    NN  N     F    O  O L    D D  S        F    I V     V E
BBB  EEE  N N N     FFF  O  O L    D D   S       FFF  I  V   V  EEE
B  B E    N  NN     F    O  O L    D D    S      F    I   V V   E
BBB  EEEE N   N     F   goATman1@geOCitiES.com   F    I    V    EEEE
- ------http://www.Geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/7544/bf5.html------

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 14:22:39 EST
From: BlueJellow <BlueJellow@aol.com>
Subject: You know what sucks!!!!

                      My Karma is not working!!!!!!!!!! Someone call the karma
police.  This year has really sucked.  My friend's mom died, my grade sucked,
I failed all of my exams, and my best friend got a weeks notice that she'd be
moving (the day after Christmas) to Georgia.  I am throwing her a surprise
party (you'd think for my good deeds that I'd have good karma...but no!) and I
was cleaning my huge house that never seems to get clean.  I had been ranting
the ENTIRE day about Mtv live and what a big deal it was.  I was vaccuming a
lampshade when I realized it was 5:45, 45 minutes past Mtv live.  I was
devastated.  I flipped on the tv with my blank tape handy only to miss OAD and
the interview.  I was soooooooooooooooooo mad.  How could I do this? I did
watch brick, and luckily it was great, better than David Letterman.  I made
mental notes of the people in the audience.  Man Carson is stupid.  He was
like, um, Robert has all of his fingernails painted.  Well Carson, that's
because that was the way nail polish was meant to be worn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What did he call the album? What a dumbass.  If anyone had a tape of the
entire thing..please let me have a copy@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

         The part I saw was only Brick.  Ben looked soooooooooo sad. I'm kinda
worried about him.. He looked like he was dying inside.

            The other day I watched Matt Pinfield's Holiday Guide to Record
Shopping.  They had a little bit about the boys and flashed the album.  They
said that it is a good type of music for hard rockers and classical lovers.
How sweet.  Then they talked about the Stones or someone. I was like, damn.
They are too popular.

My life is so unfair.
Lucy

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 14:49:36 -0500
From: Craig <Craigc@gte.net>
Subject: Carson MTV

Is it me or does Carson just annoy people he talks to?  Guy can't even
speak correctly.
I thought the Letterman performance was survivable, but man were they
great on MTV.  Great OAD tempo and brick was really good.  I think it's
ironic that their breakthrough hit has no harmony vocals from robert and
Darren, and doesn't feature Robert on electric bass, truly his forte.
BTW, I like Matt Pinfield.  I'm glad there's someone on MTV who knows
music very well (isn't that what the station is called?) and isn't just
a real world reject with a pretty face.  But I could go on all day about
that.
Later all.  Anyone with bootlegs or apperarances on tape looking to
trade, let me know via personal e-mail.
CC

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 14:53:34 EST
From: Jessica237 <Jessica237@aol.com>
Subject: mtv live and bff

here is the start of my tragic story. i was flipping out the day i received
the email from frank about being one of the first fifteen people to reply..i
got the letter about 5 hours after it was sent (because i was in school! the
damned place!!) so i was extremely mad!! i told my parents about it and then
said if i got a letter back soon saying i WAS one of the first 15, they would
make arrangements for me to get there. so, i didn't get the letter back that
night. the next day, i went to my grandparent's house for the day (took off
from school). in the afternoon, i checked my email to find a letter from bff
management saying i was one of the first 15 people!! i flipped out and ran
downstairs to tell my mom and grandparents. my mom said i couldn't go because
they didn't notify me in enough time and so i had no way to get into nyc and
my grandparents said it was grid lock alert day, so i wouldn't get there in
time. i was crushed!! so i called my dad, who works in nyc, about 6 or so
blocks from where mtv tapes and told him about it and he said i had no way to
get there and even if i did, i wouldn't get there in time. i was so upset--i
yelled and screamed and cried, but they still didn't give in. so, there is my
tragic tale. maybe it will teach people to notify you more in advance for
something as special as this....or maybe not...whatever.
ooh, real quick--does anyone still have the instructions for how to get
whatever and ever amen (not after, as that carmen guy said) to work on the
computer? because i had been saving them in my email until i had some time to
sit down and figure it out and now that i have time, i see that i deleted that
mail the other day, which basically blows, so someone PLEASE send them to me
soon.
thanks everyone for reading my horrible tale!! have a nice day. --jess

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 17:00:00 EST
From: Alanica <Alanica@aol.com>
Subject: Fwd: Eddie Walker and Crest High School

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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From: Alanica <Alanica@aol.com>
Return-path: <Alanica@aol.com>
To: armchair@ford.il.fontys.nl
Subject: Eddie Walker and Crest High School
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 20:11:48 EST
Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Hi~

I was talking to my mom on the way home form some Christams shopping, and we
got to talking about this local club here in Greenville (SC). And while
debating my arguement of NOT having to be 18 to get in, I accidentally said
"Eddie Walker" instead of Eddie from Ohio. Whell to make this short, she said
that she went to school ( class of ' 73 i think) with an Eddie Walker who had
blonde hair, and a rather large nose. Oh, and she also said his talents laid
elsewhere- like in music. Although I doubt that this is the same person,
wouldn't it be cool if it was!?! Just thought I'd share and to see if it was
the same person.    ?    

Oh! brad, I loved your post in 701. I'm gald to see the armchair like this...
for a while i was about to leave..... But i'm still here! ( obviously)
Take Care- ya'll are all great : )

Becca

- --part0_882655200_boundary--

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

Date: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 17:29:18 EST
From: Sweety Won <SweetyWon@aol.com>
Subject: Entertainment Weekly

Hello everyone,

	I just wanted to let you know that Ben Folds Five got ranked #8 in a best of
music write-up.  Here's what they had to say:

WHATEVER AND EVER AMEN:  Ben Folds Five (550 Music) If any comer seems a smart
bet to someday follow Simon onto Broadway,  it's Folds, whose awesomely well-
constructed, sober ballads are even better than his piano-pounding flights of
bumblebee smart-aleckiness.

Okay, in layman's terms...THEY ROCK!!!!!

Deidre

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

End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #717
**************************************


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