THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #746 - January 12, 1998
Magical Armchair Digest Monday, January 12 1998 Volume 01 : Number 746
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Re: Video Killed the Radio Star
SNL
one song blues
MOre bad luck for Lucy
SNL...total disappointment
Hey SNL, Whaddup with the upright?!
SNL
The bitterest girl in the living room
SNL - Review
RE#741, & SNL'S Brick
beach boys/summer b
does SNL really suck now or what?
Re:crappy Boston Phoenix review of NBP
Japanese sitcom
BFF on SNL! BFF on SNL! BFF on SNL!
SNL... only one song???
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:50:48 EST
From: KNULPREK <KNULPREK@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Video Killed the Radio Star
I heard PUSA's version of that about 2-3 years ago.. they did it live on
Modern Rock Live. I thought it was excellent. Much better than the Buggles'
version, i thought! I've yet to get myself a copy of BFF's version, which i'm
imagining is unbelivable as well, especially after hearing thier version of
She Don't Use Jelly, which blew Flaming Lips away!! But, i wasn't dissapointed
with PUSA's version. Unless, do they have an album version of it? Never heard
that one..
Ok, that's all.
- -jason
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/KNULPREK/home.html">The Happy Scrappy Page
</A>
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:51:36 -0500 (EST)
From: KATY DEMCAK <KDEMCAK@WELLESLEY.EDU>
Subject: SNL
Since when do bands on SNL only get to play one song? I remember there
always being two songs by the musical guest, so is this a new change in
policy or a diss on the boys?
Though, of course, they *had* to play Brick, I really wish they could've
done another number, something faster like Dwarf or Kate. I am getting a
wee bit sick of everyone knowingn them as the "Brick Band." And it wasn't
even a good rendition of Brick at that. The mikes sounded unbalanced, and
poor Ben didn't sound that great. But at least we got to see Robert ham it
up at the end.
Two songs: Selfless and Song for the Dumped
__________________
Katy Demcak
kdemcak@wellesley.edu http://wilbur.wellesley.edu/a-m/kdemcak/kdemcak.html
Omar: How do you know all this stuff anyway?
Jada: I read Entertainment Weekly.
--Scream 2
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:15:17
From: "Hannah Kuhlmann" <kuhl0025@tc.umn.edu>
Subject: one song blues
OK, what was THAT? I just got home from watching SNL with my friends, and
I'm still pissed that BFF only played one song. If the bows hadn't been so
cute, I think I might have written a nasty letter.
I got tickets to the Chicago show this morning!! Grin with me. Thanks. :D
- -Hannah
- ------------------------------------------
hannah kuhlmann - kuhl0025@tc.umn.edu
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/1094/
"I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!"
- -paperboy from Better Of Dead. . .
- ------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 02:12:56 EST
From: BlueJellow <BlueJellow@aol.com>
Subject: MOre bad luck for Lucy
THe following is my bitching and moaning. you can read it if you like. Postal
workers call it "venting."
All day I had been waiting and screaming and pacing my house. I was sooo
excited about the SNL show!!!!!!! I had already seen Jenny McCarthy and I
wanted to tape it. I was in a daze watching Jenny. I taped it and was soooo
pumped for SNL. I screamed OAD all over the house. At 12:00, I popped my tape
in and waited for the opening sequence. No opening sequence. I thought,
hmmmm....maybe they are just running it a little late. 12:10, still no SNL.
Somehow, the UNCF marathon thought it could replace SNL. So I was balling and
flipping. Just my luck that MTV should play Brick. I press Record. The
screen always shows up blank when you record cable shows, so after 5 minutes I
re-wound the tape. It was blank. very blank. I puked. I rewound Jenny. It was
so fuzzy you couldn't tell what it was. I balled. I have the flu. I went
online to see if anyone else had no SNL in their town. Some jerk tells me how
shitty BFF is and how he just taped the show. Someone take pity on me while I
go and have cold spasms. RALPH!
I AM A LOYAL
FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ITS NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 04:38:43 EST
From: sandishortcake@juno.com
Subject: SNL...total disappointment
What the hell!? SNL stupid ass skits run so damn long tonight we only
get treated to ONE Ben Folds Five masterpiece? How disgraceful! (I must
say that they sounded wonderful for Brick though...) The other song they
were supposed to play was Dwarf and I personally would have loved to have
seen them do that song on live television. he he. I wanted piano stool
throwing and all. UGH. It would be different if the show was actually
any GOOD (like back in the John Belushi days), but it's not...horrible
skits that run soooo long they just interfere with the only good part
about tonight's show, the musical guest!
- -Sandi
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:37:56 -0800
From: brad crum <bcrum1@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Hey SNL, Whaddup with the upright?!
90 minute show, and only one song? I'm so depressed. And they make Ben
play some barroom piano that sounded pretty marginal...did i tell you
i'm sooo depressed?
Reasons to go on living:
1. at least Samuel L. Jackson sounded like he knew who Ben Folds was.
2. After they got going, the boys rocked.
3. Ben's chance to mug and wave during the goodbyes at the end. He
got the same look on his face as he had after shaking Letterman's
hand.
4. For those of you who are afraid they'll become too famous--this is
probably not the thing that will do it.
:( p.s. 1.2 million an episode and all they can come up with is a
Goodwill piano...
"Thank God it's you--y'know yer timing is im-peccable.
I'm not foolin' you....i don't know what to do..."
brad c
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 01:54:51 -0800
From: Alex Poston <aposton@nextwireless.com>
Subject: SNL
Only one song?! Oh no, and Samuel L. Jackson said THE Ben Folds Five.
How disappointing. I wanted the world to know who they are and just how
much they actually rock. Oh well...
alex
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 03:34:59 PST
From: "Courtney Knopf" <vegasbaby@hotmail.com>
Subject: The bitterest girl in the living room
Okay, there must be some sort of rational explanation for the SNL
debacle.
But how pissed was I that they only played one song?! What's that about.
I went SO far out of my way to tape the show (We went to the movies, but
then "The Boxer" was sold out but i didn't want to go to a later showing
and miss SNL so we drove all the way home, set the VCR and took off
again to the theatre).
I wrote a very civil yet totally annoyed email to NBC about it even. I
suggest you do the same. snl@nbc.com. But make sure that you don't get
psycho about it. There are much more likely to respond to intelligently
written pieces of mail rather than expletive filled slam-fests.
Even the damn Spice Girls got 2 songs. Hanson did too, didn't they?
~Courtney
The (extremely annoyed) Sultraness of Swing
"No it didn't work out the way we thought it would."
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 09:34:15 EST
From: Enloejr <Enloejr@aol.com>
Subject: SNL - Review
Hello All,
I just caught the guys on SNL, and I'm very disappointed. They always
used to have a musical group come out twice during the show. They only came
out once. Then during the performance, all you could see was Ben. The had
Robert and Darren covered by shadow so much, that you could hardly see them.
And last, where did they find that piano Ben was playing? It looked like
something that was dragged out of some old VFW hall, and hasn't been tuned in
30 or 40 years. What happened to the Baldwin grand piano he always plays? That
thing they had him playing sounded horrible. Plus, it looked like they only
gave them about 65 square feet to fit themselves into.
I thought it stunk. But I could still find redeeming qualities in it. I'm
just afraid that with such large national exposure on a show like this, they
could have turned away some potential future fans with a dismal performance of
"Brick" (that is if people still watch this show - Every time I see it, it
sucks more and more). I figured they'd have a chance to come back out and
redeem themselves with something like "Underground" or "One Angry Dwarf", but
they (or the SNL producers) blew it big time.
Adios,
Darrell
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 12:16:34 -0800
From: "whitchina" <whitchina@theonramp.net>
Subject: RE#741, & SNL'S Brick
This would be my first post to the Armchair. Hi Y'All out there.
First off I would like to say thankyou to Alex Miller for his comments in
#741 about newbies getting help on bootlegs. I have been into BFF for about
8mos. and never knew until a week or so ago that BFF was as big as it was.
So please any one out there help us new folks out. I'm willing to do what I
have too so I can have some kick ass bootlegs. I've got cash for tapes. I
have seen BFF at Wavefest in Charleston, SC and the Nov. show at Cat's
Cradle in Carborro, NC. Favorite songs: The Last Polka and Song for the
Dumped( cuz everyone can relate).
Sorry to rattle but secondly, I personally thought that BFF's apperance on
SNL was a bummer. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BANDS PLAYING TWO SONGS!!! And why
Brick??? I hear it 3 to 4 times on radio each day and at several stores. I
know that they must play what gets the the $$$ but I would have been happy
with one more song.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 12:38:50 -0500
From: stuart@optics.rochester.edu (Howie Stuart)
Subject: beach boys/summer b
While everyone else is picking up on the Space Cowboy thing, I'd like
to address this recent comment:
>>Talking about comparisons, Where's Summer B was probably inspired by the
>>Beach Boys (yes) Aren't You Glad, from the 1968 album Wild Honey.
Yeah - ever since I first heard "Where's Summer B" it has reminded me of
the Beach Boys, though I never associated it with a particular song. I
plucked out my CD of "Wild Honey", which I almost never listen to (only
bought it to get the alternative version of "Heroes and Villians") and
put on "Aren't You Glad", and sure, I can hear the similarities in the
feel of the two songs. But I must say, the post-Brian Wilson Beach Boys
stuff is so poorly written and produced that it's a little hard to listen
to.
I think it would be really great for BFF to cover a Beach Boys tune. I
have always pictured Ben doing a solo piano rendition of "Surf's Up", or
the whole band doing "Heroes and Villians".
Howie
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 98 13:07:43 EST
From: "Emily Durand" <edurand@nunet.neu.edu>
Subject: does SNL really suck now or what?
THought I'd get on the SNL-review bandwagon early with my $0.02. After
watching "Casablanca" on PBS right before SNL, the whole shebang had a
painfully pointless sheen, and boy was it not funny. Now I remember why I
don't watch it except when there's a good musical guest. Well, maybe some of
the monologue (for those who wisely tuned in at 12:30 when BF5 went on, Sam
Jackson read his New Year's resolutions, like, "I will continue to kick
ass"), and the Weekend Update intro...but most of it was dreck, some of which
was mighty racially overtoned to boot. ANYWAY, over the horizon of this sea
of schlock came Ben, Darren and Rob, and they did "Brick." And that was it.
Frankly, I wondered if I had fallen asleep and was merely *dreaming* that I
was watching a pale, bloodless trio of impostors impersonate my favorite song
by my favorite band. Hmmmm, I thought. They look like BF5, they've got the
right Potsie shirts and are vaguely in the right key, but this is somehow...
not so fulfilling. Yes, I would summarize the SNL performance as akin to
mediocre sex: more fun than sleeping, but not much. I was more impressed
with the WAEA *COMMERCIAL* that aired a couple of times during the show: was
this on everywhere? It was a clip of the "Brick" video, which I fuckin'
love, with this eerie message: "Been a while since you had a crush...on an
album?" Huh? Then a voiceover, Earnest 20Something Man: "Ben Folds
Five...available at all Strawberries Music Stores" which was the funniest
thing I heard all night. Sadly, despite all this, I stayed up to see the
little curtain call at the end, wherein Sam Jackson called them THE Ben Folds
Five, and Ben did a cute little dance. Too little too late, man.
Getting ready to defend them to everyone I made watch last night,
Emily
"I was thinkin' about, y'know, respecting the work.."
"..just shut the fuck up!"
"One, two, three..."
--- you know who folds five
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 14:16:41 +0100
From: kareng@ici.net (karen gannon)
Subject: Re:crappy Boston Phoenix review of NBP
>The dude not only listed and summarily dissed every track, he basically
>slagged >the *idea* of BF5 as redundant, not as groundbreaking as everyone
>thinks they
>are, or some shit,
I know it's not her point, but I must say that Emily mispresented a
lot of what the writer of that article had to say. He is right about a lot
of things. Firstly, there is a trend of b-sides albums coming out very
early in band's careers (due, as he fails to note, to the fact that they
often have to release three or four singles to appease the howling masses,
thus leading to more b-sides) Most importantly, he had the guts to mention
that PIANO-BASED TRIOS ARE NOT NEW!!!
That said, I'd also like to point out that we on the Armchair DON'T
CARE. We like the band, not because of it's 'breakthrough' setup, but
because it's good music from talented musicians and songwriters. And yes,
the combinations of verbal and musical irony, melodoy and discord, and wide
ranges of speeds and styles, ARE groundbreaking. But that's all objective,
so if the reviewer doesn't like an album, it's his job to say so, and try
and explain why, in order to be more precise and clear in his statements.
So give the guy a break. I'd rather see a badly written explanation than
the more common resort to bashing the artist's looks or clothing, etc. Or
worse, the lovely statement that "This sucks".
- --Josh
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 14:34:19 -0500 (EST)
From: david <dhester@usit.net>
Subject: Japanese sitcom
hey everybody,
Earlier this year I was bored out of my mind and was watching some
Japanese show (with subtitles) on channel 52 or something. Well, in this
show, the guy asks one of his lady friends to go to a Ben folds Five
concert. Was this a dream or has anybody else seen this. I remember
watching with my jaw on the floor. I knew they were famous in Japan, but to
be the plot of a sitcom. Well, I'm going through a break up right now.
Damn, BF5 songs are sometimes cathartic. My situation: think Selfless,
Cold, & Composed
I won't burden y'all, but I will put a newbie offer in here. Don't see many
on here. I've got some great shows. I'll take about five or so. Trades
are welcome too. Mind you, I may be moving to the VA/DC area soon so
you'll have to get your tapes out ASAP. Just send me something to cheer me
up a bit.
Later,
David
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 15:05:06 -0500
From: david beck <drbeck@ibm.net>
Subject: BFF on SNL! BFF on SNL! BFF on SNL!
Hello ya'll out there in internet land...i'm just writing in to give my
piece about SNL. In one way, i am glad for the boys, but in another, i
am unhappy. I am glad becuase they only got to play one song, and in
that song, they did not come off as having a great onstage personality
(but i know from experience that they definitely do!) so i am hoping
that, well, i know this is cruel, but that not many people saw it, and
if they did, they were displeased with it. i am also sad for the boys
cause, halfway through, they all messed up! yes, rewind those tapes and
check, ben mishits a key, robert does something wacky with his upright,
and darren's symbol or drum or somehting is heard when nothing else is
played, it sounds weird...when you are singing along to it, you know
those things..! i'd like to end by making a shout out to heather for
her gratitous giving. and to miss lions for taping me those shows(do you
have sessions?or music vids? cuz i don't...)
thanks boys and girls, i love you all
officer friendly
"CUT THAT SHIT!" ben
any word about a ohio show yet fivers?
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 16:21:26 -0400 AST
From: "Kevin" <ekh3854@umoncton.ca>
Subject: SNL... only one song???
Hello fellow armchair people!
Why did Ben Folds Five had only one song last night on Saturday NIght
Live? I watched all the show and when they played the first song, I
just knew it would be Brick. It is #9 on the Billboard Cart
(Alternative). This is great!
Other news, I gave my CD to a woman who I live with and said she
would listen to it. I hope she will like it! Maybe she will become a
fan like me!
later,
Kevin Hubert
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/8728
"Souris à la vie!!!"
"Plus le temps passe, plus elle viellit elle aussi
Sa vie se passe comme un glacier dont la fonte est précipitée"
La lune pleure---->Okoumé
"I got my philosophy"... BFF
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #746
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