THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #871 - March 10, 1998
Magical Armchair Digest Tuesday, March 10 1998 Volume 01 : Number 871
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Interviews please!
BEN FOLDS ON GROUND ZERO (Aussie tv)
videos
About this sellout stuff...
Bacharach Cover
2,000 angry pennies.
I'll actually stand up for Shirowfan :)
re: Cat Stevens? Come on....
RE: BFF & Burt Bacharach
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 04:47:54 -0800 (PST)
From: bree Nevin <slomo_hifi@yahoo.com>
Subject: Interviews please!
hey i am looking for anyone who may have compiled interviews with any
Indie acts that are at a decent audible level. I am currently
compiling info & interviews for my upcoming radio show in Melbourne
Australia. If you have any Ben Folds Five, Stereolab, Eric's Trip,
Sloan, Dambuilders etc stuff I would really love to hear from you. We
can organise a trade or something.I am currently getting permission to
post an Aussie interview(Jan98) with Ben Folds on my web page. I'll
let you know when it goes up.
Thanxs for your time
Bree
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 08 Mar 1998 12:34:11 CST
From: "Petra Starke" <naturalselection@hotmail.com>
Subject: BEN FOLDS ON GROUND ZERO (Aussie tv)
Imagine my surprise when I switched on the telly last night and caught a
bit of that GREAT late-night music tv show, Ground Zero: I had just
finished muttering "God, this show sucks" when the
retro-with-a-capital-r chick presenter hangs her head out of the phony
set phone box and cries "We've got Ben Folds here on the line from New
York!"
HELLO! Talk about lucky channel surfing.
The interview lasted about 5 minutes during which the presenter failed
to recognise any of Ben's sarcasm or humour, and asked the now infamous
question: "So, why are you called Ben Folds Five when there are only
three of you?" They always ask it as though it's really clever and
they're the first ones to think of it. Ben replied with some b.s about
how the group orignally had five members but how two left to become solo
karaoke singers. The chick's reply?: "Oh that's intersting..."
She also asked them how they felt about their new album, WEAEA (new?
methinks not) to which Ben replied "Well there's less songs about biting
the heads off chickens on this album than there is on the first; that
has something to do with the other two members leaving the band." The
headless chickens and satan worshipping references flew silently over
the presenter's carefully dyed head as she nodded and smiled and read
the autocue.
"So tell me, what is Brick about?" (I think she'd been reading the book
of '101 questions Ben Folds Five and their fans are sick to death of
hearing') This actually divined a straight answer from Ben who admitted
it was about...surprise, surprise...abortion. (so if there are any of
you out there who are still denying it: give it up) This was not before
she gave her own interpretation though: "I think it's about two people
in a relationship but not really connecting, and one feels kinda lonely,
you know?". Ben: "Uh yeah, kinda..."
I can just see all Ground Zero's Hanson, Aqua and Spice Girls fans out
there saying "Biting the heads off chickens?"
cheers,
Petra
PS: I didn't get it on tape so don't ask me for it.
"Hand me my nosering..."
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 14:19:27 +0000 (GMT)
From: ER Burningham <u7g83@ugg.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: videos
hey y'all
to whoever said about theguys saying brick was about being dumped or
something - they're always saying different stuff to the media - i think
it's to confuse them (not us) - they sadi it was about taking a dog to the
vets on tv once. if you read the rolling stone article - it says about his -
they once told the press that they were chucked off a record label for
a song called "fuck with a knife" - all complete bollocks of course but i
don't blame them - they must get pretty bored being asked the same
questionsa ll the time, and lets face iut, the press'll belive anything....
anyway - a call to all fans in the uk
does anyone have the means to convert some video tapes that were recorded on
US tv - i'll exchange for copies of the tapes. just seeing if i can exchange
before i go and pay to get them converted. thanks
love
em
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 10:16:01 EST
From: LoonyLiz <LoonyLiz@aol.com>
Subject: About this sellout stuff...
Ya know, the boys have done a song for a soundtrack before, in case you don't
remember..."Bad Idea" ring a bell? I didn't think they were sellouts then,
and I definitely don't think they're sellouts now! BUT I actually thought
that little Godzilla parody song was funny, and probably theraputic for the
dude who wrote it. Sometimes ya just gotta share your feelings with the world
:)
Liz =o)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 98 11:13:59
From: <bminnick@locrscs.LEGIS.STATE.PA.US>
Subject: Bacharach Cover
FROM: Bill
SUBJECT: Bacharach Cover
<internet>:armchair@maillist.il.fontys.nl
It's probably an obvious idea for a Bacharach song for BFF to cover, but I'd
like to hear them do "Bond Street." For those who don't know the tune, it's an
uptempo jazzy little instrumental that appeared on one of Burt's soundtracks.
Ben and the guys would/could do a totally raucous version, I'm sure. It
perhaps would afford Ben another opportunity to the play the melodica, too.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 10:18:44 -0600
From: "Stephen E. Chamraz" <chamraz@execpc.com>
Subject: 2,000 angry pennies.
Okay, okay... settle down everyone.
First, shout out to my girl Hannah... There was a helluvalotta bile in your
last post and I thank you for that. Saved me from typing my own nasty flame
message about the Godzilla song. Besides, there always seemed to be an
extraneous syllable in every line of that lame parody... it just didn't
work.
Second, I feel I must chime in on the "Brick" debate. When I first got the
album (the day it came out), "Brick" was probably one of my favorite songs.
Taken on its own, without the circus of hype that's been created by the
format-driven radio stations, it's a pretty good song. Obviously, Ben and
the label thought it was a pretty good song too, otherwise they wouldn't
have released it as a single. What's happened since that decision was made
is no fault on anyone in the band, IMHO, because you people do not really
understand on what level the decision to play a song to death is made.
I work for a company that owns one of those "HOT Adult Contemporary"
stations. The deal here is they play a TIGHT play list... they keep the
number of songs they air to a bare minimum so the listeners know when they
tune in they're going to hear something predictible. The last thing the
average, lazy radio listener wants is to be surprised by something
"different." This is why Adult Album Rock and Alternative stations are
changing their ways too.
Then it's the label's turn. They have an interest in the album because,
GASP! they want to sell copies of it and make money. What better way to get
people to buy the album than to engrave a song on their minds by having the
band play the song on every talk show on the planet.
I'll digress here for a minute... I was in a record store in December and I
saw a woman about 23 or so holding a copy of WAEA. I told her I was a fan of
BFF and it was a really good album. Her reply? "Do all of the songs have the
same feeling as Brick?" Keep in mind that "Brick" had been on the air in
heavy rotation for only a few weeks at that time and people were already
associating the song with the band and felt so inclined to buy the album.
"Steve, what's your point?" I'm glad you asked...
As much as I may be loathe to admit it, music is a business. People get into
music to make money. Artists, labels, radio stations, talk shows, and
advertisers all want to make a buck. It would be great to see artists making
music just for music's sake, but then they would probably be sitting on the
bench at your local form of mass transit hoping you would drop a quarter in
their guitar case. In order to make it in music, and in the larger world of
entertainment, you have to play THE GAME. And that's all that BFF are
doing... playing the game. By doing what the talk shows and labels and radio
stations request, they're fulfilling their commitment to help sell the
album. But it's by going above and beyond this game that the band is really
making waves.
Listen to what they did on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW in Santa
Monica, CA. with the string ensemble... it's fucking AMAZING and screams of
all the individuality and independence that I (and many other fans) have
come to love in the band. BFF have NOT sold out, they're just selling
records. If you want to take away the band's right to eat and the chance
that we will ever see another album from them again, let it be. It's a
sophomore album for God's sake. Let's wait and see how the band conducts
themselves in the future before we chastise them for wanting to be
successful.
Whew. I'm sweating.
_______________________
Steve Chamraz
www.execpc.com/~chamraz
chamraz@execpc.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 12:13:06
From: Thad Edwards <absoluthad@softhome.net>
Subject: I'll actually stand up for Shirowfan :)
First off to Hanna Kuhlmann ... this isn't a personal attack on you, but
your message contained the most points I wanted to counter-attack. Again,
nothing personal to you.
>Date: Sat, 7 Mar 1998 03:42:28
>From: "Hannah Kuhlmann" <kuhl0025@tc.umn.edu>
>Subject: two angry cents. . .
>
>Um. . I don't know about you, but I like Ben Folds Five a lot. I respect
>all three guys a hell of a lot as artists. I read this mailing list so I
>can trade tapes with other fans and get the latest news on what the band is
>doing.
I like Ben Folds Five a lot as well. They definitely rock. They are much
better than the flash-in-the-pan radio crap that gets run into the ground.
Also, the boys are wonderful, talented artists.
>...I know, deep
>down, we're all one big happy family. Right? RIGHT?
Well, yeah, I guess ... kinda.
> But wait. Friday I
>stumbled upon that "cute" little Godzilla song parody.
*chuckle* Yeah, I did too, it was cute... :)
>If all you can say about the memebers of what is supposedly one of your
>favorite bands is that they do drugs, have low artistic standards and smell,
>then for god's sake get a webpage and stop posting. It pisses people off to
>have to read that kind of thing in a forum intended to support the band.
It didn't piss me off to have to read it. I thought it was pretty dang
funny. I always get a kick out of parodies. What I don't get a kick out
of is people who are such ardent "fans" of whatever that they lost their
sense of humor about it. And since when was the Armchair just a forum to
support the band? Last I knew, it was a forum for *discussion* of the
band, not just blind support. If Shirowfan doesn't like the fact that BFF
wrote a song for the Godzilla soundtrack, then this would be the best place
for him to voice that opinion. Mistakenly, he felt that this was also a
good place to post original works that contained some sort of humor about
one of his favorite bands. What could he have been thinking? ;)
>Don't get me wrong, song parodies are great, but not when they're
>mean-spirited and crude.
Yeah they are; that's called *satire.* That's when they're really funny.
>Apart from your mildly impressive knowledge of what goes on in Godzilla and
>your tenuous grasp of the meter and lyrics to the chorus of Brick, nothing
>of what you posted inspired any respect.
Totally. There's nothing respectful at all about someone excercising their
First Amendment rights. Nothing respectful at all.
Whatever.
> And I bet you didn't make too many
>new friends with it either.
He made at least one.
> So, wouldn't it have been better to simply post
>the Godzilla soundtrack deal news,
No, because then it would be more of the lame, banal posts that already
plauge this group every now and then. How many times do we have to hear
that BFF is going to be on Rosie tomorrow morning, or the Tonight show
tonight when they've done a thousand other talk shows and we all know
(really, we do) that they're just going to play "Brick" one more
god-forsaken time. Stop fooling yourselves. Posting news to the list is
great, wonderful ... but only when it's NEWs. Not when seven other people
have posted the same piece of information. I'm sorry, I don't like hearing
the same thing ten times if no new information is going to be added. Maybe
it's just me, but that's annoying.
> offer your opinion in a less inflammatory
>way, crack a joke in which the punchline didn't involve Ben Folds selling
>his soul or wearing a hairpiece, and sign your name?
Once again, back to First Amendment rights. He can say whatever he wants
to, just as long as it doesn't infringe upon your own rights.
*OR* if no-one else liked what Shirofan had to say, maybe they could "offer
[their] opinion in a less inflamatory way, crack a joke in which the
punchline didn't involve Ben Folds selling his soul or wearing a hairpiece,
and sign[ing] their name?" Maybe we could all have a contest on writing
the least offensive BFF post ... hey, it worked on the South Park Christmas
episode, didn't it? (I only saw the first half; how did the Happy
Non-Offensive Non-Denominational Christmas Play go, once they removed
everything that didn't sit well with anyone?)
> Maybe you've
>forgotten, but Ben, Darren and Robert are real people, not just comic
>material for your personal use.
Yeah, just like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, Don King, Mike
Tyson, Michael Jackson, Tonya Harding, Ross Perot, Alanis Morissette,
Barbara Streisand, Kathie Lee Gifford, the Pope, and well, basically any
public figure who's ever been parodied or spoofed on Saturday Night Life,
MadTV, South Park, etc. or in the pages of Mad or Spy Magazine.
> Next time,
>think about who you might piss off or hurt before you try to be cute.
Well, your being cute made someone laugh. So thanks for being cute.
>Bring it.
Done.
- -absoluthad E-mail: absoluthad@bigfoot.com
Those Who Appreciate Quality Enjoy It Responsibly
"I saw doves and thought they were rocks, but they were asleep. My breath
made them stir and the rocks took flight -- the earth exploding ... and my
only thought was that I wanted you to see them too." -- Douglas Coupland,
MICROSERFS
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 18:29:42 +1000
From: Kate_Watkins%HBH@themis.com.au
Subject: re: Cat Stevens? Come on....
I loved the little quote at the end of your e-mail H. It describes me to a
T. Scary!!!
"As I've often said, I'm not truly a cynic at heart,
but it's just that optimism leaves no room for sarcasm."
- - ---Dave
- ------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 10:04:25 -0600
From: John.Craven@infores.com (John Craven)
Subject: RE: BFF & Burt Bacharach
just another tid-bit in regards to this -- there's also a Burt Bacharach Tribute
CD [what the world needs now] out there on which the Gladhands contribute a tune
[Robert Sledge's other band]. power-pop favorites the Wondermints also cover
Don't Go Breakin' My Heart. and other bands include: Shonen-knife, Absolute
Zero, Dan Kibler, Splitsville and Hanna Cranna. a little hard to find, but it's
quite good...oh yeah and don't confuse this with the older tribute CD with
Dionne Warwick and B.J. Thomas...
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #871
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