THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #1099 - July 3, 1998
Magical Armchair Digest Friday, July 3 1998 Volume 01 : Number 1099
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Letterman or Conan?
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1096
New York, New York
Glastonbury
Re: Help. & Air CD
demos
RE: ben folds five covering barenaked ladies
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1097
Alternative Press, BFF in Florida, Billboard
The Forum
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 03:29:16 EDT
From: PSYCHOPAF@aol.com
Subject: Letterman or Conan?
Hell there, armchairians,
I was watching the interview from LA Live, and Ben said he was doing
Letterman on July 17th ..? I thought he was playing Conan on the 16th?
Clear me up!
Amy
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 08:55:10 +0000
From: "Luke Wilson"<Luke_Wilson@fwuk.fwc.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1096
Hello to you all, but esp. to Luna1118
It appears my post has been misundeerstood. When I say young, I didn't mean
young people should not be at gigs, but young girls who scream like idiots
should not, in my opinion (key phrase, people!) have been there, or at
least have been gagged. Shit, that's gonna get me in trouble. But anyway,
it was almost "top-of-the-pops-esque" when you heard screams over the
mini-solo in Brick, and I abhor people singing along to Evaporated. LISTEN
TO IT!!! Yes, I'm lucky, in the fact that I've seen BFF three times now,
but surely it's all the Americans who are _really_ lucky when you consider
the boys seem to be on tv every other week and are in countless articles,
and we have to put up with miming on Richard & bloody Judy for half a song.
"So I don't want a huge shirt, so I am young."
And that just makes no sense. I'm not having a pop, I'm just hungover. :)
And finally, was there an aftershow party? 'Cause if there was, they'll be
a death in Kentish Town tonight.... grrrr...
Thank you for your valuable time
Luke
"Feel my nose and put my specs there" roars drunken Major.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 11:27:38 +0000
From: "Del" <prs14097-001@popmail.prestel.co.uk>
Subject: New York, New York
My sister is going to New York at the end of July. I've asked her to
get me some BF5 stuff. Could someone tell me where she can get BF5
posters and T-shirts. Also if anyone knows of any good second hand CD
stores in the area that would be great. Please E-mail me privately.
Thanks
Del.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 15:05:17 +0100
From: David.J.Holloway@student.shu.ac.uk
Subject: Glastonbury
Hey y'all, whatsup?
Gotta say I'm severly unimpressed by the lack of Glastonbury
coverage on this here armchair... all us UKarians are always
complaining about how we are under represented on this list
but when the mother of all Festivals (Yes, with a capital F!)
comes around featuring them there Folding Five all we get is 2
offers of copies off the TV and one question... Now I'm not
barading you as I know it's expensive or hard to get to or just
plain too much trouble but I'd have thought at least someone
other than me was there...
Granted it was not BF5's best gig - checking in at a staggeringly
short 25 minutes I counted 5 people bouncing in the crowd -
including me (3 girls linked arms right at the front and one guy
who laughed when I yelled "Disco Deever Sledge" - any of you
about here?) - and the vast quantities of mud made it hard to get
a crowd going... they only played 2 songs of s/t and (to their
credit) didn't go for the obvious and belt out Brick. As Paul said
they looked tired and Ben's trademark piano stool throwing looked,
well, trademark. It was a band running on autopilot but I loved
them anyway...
As for the rest of the festival? Despite constant heavy rain, rivers
and lakes of mud, people beaten to death in their tents, 25,000 in
hospital and 9 hour queues to get out I loved it. Mind you, that's the
Glastonbury spirit isn't it...?
Later alligators
Dave
P.S.: Too all you who watched it on TV - it was way way way worse conditions than they made it
look...
ben folds five: helmet heads
http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/lot/5009
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 09:18:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: punx@psnw.com
Subject: Re: Help. & Air CD
>What is the name of the Counting Crows song that mentions "Ben Folds on
>my radio"? Counting Crows is a hit or miss band with me, so I'm not
>that knowledgeable of their music. Of course, a case could be made that
>I'm not knowledgeable about much of anything, but I digress.
the song is Monkey
><<Air JAPAN CDS $18.99>>
>
>Wow...as in more than one cd? Another double cd possibly?
don't get your hopes up. it probably means CD Single. it would probably be
2CD or something for a 2 CD set.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 1998 13:22:29 -0400
From: bf5 <bf5@SURRY.NET>
Subject: demos
If anybody can make me a copy of bf5's demo tape mail me personally.
thanks,
\ \/ /
~\/\/hitney =o)
"the band would play, i'd sing my heart out for a drunken crowd, it didn't
mean a thing" -BF
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 14:29:46 -0400
From: chriscummins@juno.com (Chris M Cummins)
Subject: RE: ben folds five covering barenaked ladies
hello
there has been some discussion as to what bnl song would best be covered
by bff. I have a different choice that i havent heard mentioned before. I
think if Ben Folds Five covered BNL's "I live with it everday" that would
be an excellent, challenging cover. Likewise I think BNL should cover
BFF's "Steven's Last Night In Town". What do you all think.?
Chris
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 1998 11:44:09 PDT
From: "emily burningham" <em_pet@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1097
hey there again!
just wondering, did anyone get a recording of the london show?? i would
kill to get it. or alternatively i would trade some pretty good photos
from glastonbury...:)
hey rusty - good idea - i think this would make an excellent cover...
> Another good one from that album would be Street
>Spirit (Fade Out). Two very emotionally charged songs, combined >with
>Ben's ability to convey any emotion by letting his piano do the
talking,
>would simply be amazing.
gotta go people..:)
love
em
"last year when we came here the stage was like 20 feet under on one
side" robert exaggerating *slightly* at glastonbury..:)
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 16:04:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leigh <emaline5@yahoo.com>
Subject: Alternative Press, BFF in Florida, Billboard
About a week ago I read something about BFF being in the latest issue
of "Alternative Press". I scanned through the magazine 3 times now,
and I still didn't find crap about them. Is it in fact true that they
appear in that mag?
Oh yeah, I now realized that BFF are coming to Fl 3 times in October(!):
October 21st Jacksonville, FLClub 5
October 22nd West Palm Beach, FLCarefree Theatre
October 23rd St. Petersburg, FLState Theatre
Does anyone know any other info on that, like if they are performing
with any other artists or bands, etc...
On one more quick note... "Song For The Dumped" is no. 24 on the
modern rock chart.
~Leigh~
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 03 Jul 1998 00:33:16 +0100
From: paul.leung@virgin.net (paul.leung@virgin.net)
Subject: The Forum
Hey people. Welcome to the 3rd review of the London Ben Folds Five
concerts written by me. This time, though, for those of you who
remember, it's gonna be different. No me swearing at you, dribbling over
the greatness of BFF and telling you how interesting it was waiting in
the queue watching people steal stuff (ok, I gotta mention the guy that
carted off about 20 traffic cones), just a really tame, mellow account
of the evening's events.
I arrived, with a friend, around 6, when there was already a queue-we
were quite hungry so we went off to go to get a mcdonalds. By the time
we were back the queue was around the Block-Brick must have really made
them popular. Anyway, got into the queue, chatted to the guys next to us
from Portsmouth, watched interesting people walk by, looked out for
people that went to each concert, the usual stuff.
Doors eventually opened, went in, got held up at the door but managed to
secure 2nd row at the front, on the left. Unfortunately, just behind
some Americans. Nothing against them, but the guy and gal in front of me
were real asses. (sorry, swore there. Guess some things don't change).
Heard someone mention the words 'support act' and asked who they were.
Got the reply: Chip Taylor, a 56 year old. Good, I thought. They're not
gonna chuck a 56 year old on to face us if he's not any good.
Met someone called Kelly-really nice, and really dedicated-came all the
way from Wiltshire, alone. Support acts turned up-the first was a real
funny guy with an attitude. I'm not gonna hesitate using the word Black
cos that was what he was all about. The crux of the band was the
juxtaposition of the white, rock backing band and the 'soulful', James
Brown wannabe, all-singing, all-dancing all-star front man. It worked
sometimes, but only when they were listening to each other. Just the
simple contrast thing didn't really work, until one or the other
compromised. Their name's Mo' Solid Gold, if you care.
Next was our Chip. He was country, there's no disguising that fact, nor
should there be any need to be. Everybody at heart has a little country
in them, and people who were enjoying themselves, ironic or not were. Of
course, him playing Wild Thing was excellent touch-we all really enjoyed
ourselves in the pit there.
Eventually, Ben Folds Five. The pit had more or less filled up and space
was getting sparse. However the guy aforementioned who was in front of
me seemed intent on keeping about a metre between him and the fence, for
his girlfriend and refused to give. The girl in question was, for wont
of a better word, crazy. I mean, she was completely hysterical, and
very, very loud. Which wasn't very nice.
The crowd in general were quite aggressive, which is ok, until they
start pushing you for the place you're standing in. Kelly was pushed
aside and I was pushed from all sides. Moments into the show, my mate
was assaulted by a complete idiot and arse who kept heckling during the
quiet shows in a silly voice and yelling 'get your dick out' between
songs. If I was any closer I really would have broken his nose, and very
rarely do I even consider doing that. People who went may know who I'm
talking about-he had dyed brown hair blonde, and wore glasses and was a
bastard.
Oh, and about the show. It was my first time in the pit, and though I
saw Ben's hands a few metres away, I'm not sure if it was worth it. I
couldn't see which keys he was playing, for one, but seating didn't look
too great either.
Very little improvisation, only one encore, no Underground intro, no
Best Imitation, Sports and Wine or Last Polka were my main quibbles, but
they did play Emaline, Eddie Walker, Air, Raindrops Keep Fallin' and the
MotherFucker jam, I think it was. They were pretty lively, and Darren
seemed to be on top form with his drumming rolls and fills, and their
obvious tiredness didn't really show all that much so all in all the
show was pretty good, more or less like they all are :)
Gotta say though, at the end, when they jammed-Sledge doing his open
bass lead thing on his palm, and Ben 'scratching' on the piano (and
leaping up and yelling 'dig my shoes'), and Darren with his mad drumming
brought a really excellent climax, especially when Ben got on top of the
PA's at the end and got his stool slap bang in the middle of the
Steinway (which was The Forum's), and what's more, the stool bounced off
avoiding further collision. Superb throw. Someone said that bits flew
off? I didn't see any.
After the show, went outside, it was raining. Great. No, make that
'great!' I really enjoyed the soak. Waited with my friend Colin and my
new acquaintance, Kelly, who made the wait enjoyable. Noticed all the
other hardcore fans waiting, too, and some very happy (read 'drunk')
people jumping around and barking like dogs.
Eventually my resolve began to waver, but then I caught sight of him in
the window. He gave us (and only us, cos no-one else saw, thank god) a
smile and a wave, which made us really happy. Still took his time
though, and we pleaded him to come down, which he did. In the rain, cold
and dark. Whatta guy.
Talked to him, got autographs, and gave him my pen, and left feeling
really happy.
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1099
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