THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #188 - February 23, 1997
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #188
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Topics for Today:
The "\/\/" finger gesture
I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour.....
A nifty late Valentine's gift...
Finally Heard the New Single
got ben folds on my radio...
BFF - The Guardian 21/2/97
Whatever... review
RE: The new album
Are BFF closet Smiths Fans??
NEW VIDEO!
bis.
Austin, Texas
She don't use jelly
"One Angry" score and different jacket
Cleveland loves BFF
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 10:35:54 -0700 (MST)
From: "Eric T. Beteille" <eric@hemi.com>
Subject: The "\/\/" finger gesture
> From: Robert Mcgovern <mcrobert@hotmail.com>
> Subject: The New Singles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> P.S. Each single has on it the symbol of two hands pointing their fingers
> making the letter "W". Is this a refernce to the new album?Anyone?
That is too funny. Remember "Clueless" with Alicia Silverstone?
The two-handed "\/\/" was part of that movie's lexicon. It stands
for "Whatever!" said in that post-modern valley girl tone. Goes
right along with "as if." Ben strikes one for mass market passive-
aggressiveness. Whatever and ever, amen. Get it? :)
Eric
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 18:06:22 GMT
From: Mark Piper <pipermf@ugs1.ph.bham.ac.uk>
Subject: I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour.....
Amy pondered...
> Alright, in Re: to the "Indie kid" brouhaha A) That's brit pop. B) How did
> that all get started
Sorry, it was all my fault... (sort of. And the Stone Roses *ARE* overrated...)
Anyway, we need a little diversion every now and then to keep things
interesting. Not that Ben and the boys aren't interesting themselves, but,
you know. At least we're keeping mildly on-topic (well, it's all music).
We could discuss Jesus and his drug h a
bit (IT'S A JOKE, REACTIONARIES!)
Shaun told us....
>They don't allow board patches but they do allow mic set-ups and decks
into >their shows.
Why would you take a boat in? (Ba-BOM!) (Sorry, I've been listening to
Scrawn & Lard for far too long....)
Ian made the heart-stopping claim that....
> The guy that ordered my BFF tickets told me that the tour had
> been cancelled over here - do you know anything more?
Seems unlikely. The advert was in NME this week. BUT, bad news if you
were getting tickets for Wolverhampton or Bristol (like me. Aaarrgghhh!)
because they have been cancelled. What a &*!@$
Robert pointed out that:
> "Battle of who could care less" is pretty much the same as the one played
> on the radio except for the line " I've got this great idea/why don't we
> pitch it to the Franklin f***in'....(Something). [Mint. -fjm]
Can someone help me (and Andy Hewitt) clear this up. The lyrics in that
bit, as far as I can fathom, are "I've got this great idea/ Why don't we
pitch it to the Franklin f***in' Mint / 5 Year....... of general apathy
and major boredom"... So, what is tha t
missing word/phrase. The best I can make out is "apportionates", but I
don't even think that's a word, let alone know what it means (although I
could make a stab).
and he also asked....
> P.S. Each single has on it the symbol of two hands pointing their fingers
> making the letter "W". Is this a refernce to the new album?Anyone?
At the LA2 gig, Ben explained a strange German (or was it Norwegian?)
"dance" where kids would make their hands into above-mentioned shape,
above their heads. Kind of a version of the Beavis and Butthead thing
(Duh! Duh duh! Duh!). ROCK OUT! The "W", I a s
sume, is merely coincidental. Ben said it's how everyone should dance.
...but Heaven knows I'm miserable now....
Mark
Looks, Brains & Everything -
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/5430/bff.html
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 19:37:39 -0500 (EST)
From: RhubarbCub@aol.com
Subject: A nifty late Valentine's gift...
...is what I got when my significant other, a radio promo manager, handed me
the CD single of "Battle Of Who Could Care Less" over a late night dinner at
Shoney's. I wish it had those nifty extra tracks that the UK singles
apparently do, but oh well. I think it's amazing that he's taking such
blatant potshots at the state of alternative music and culture, and actually
getting away with it. Decked in all black, slamming the pit fantastic,
chapter 2! Bring it on!
Ned and his red socks
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 21:46:12 -0500 (EST)
From: "Giuliano G. Valentino" <val@rogerswave.ca>
Subject: Finally Heard the New Single
Hey All.
De-lurking for a bit here (hell, the last post I remember was about BNL and
Halifax)
102.1 The Edge (Toronto) played TBoWCCL today on their new rock preview. I
really liked it. Heard a lot of Steely Dan in it somehow...don't ask me
how, but I did. (Sadly tho, the memory of it is muddled with the new
Matthew Sweet they played after it...made up for a lackluster day designing
logos for sites no-one will see)
Alan Cross (the dj) was glowing about the single, calling Ben a "great
lyricist" (and saying "Anyone who can write a song called "One Angry
Drawf..." has got to be twisted" or words to that effect. ) tho a few lines
of his struck as a bit out of place....
1) "Critics just love this band" That always sets some flags off in my
head as in "Critics like most stuff people can't stand". (NME comment
reserved for later)
2) "There's not much guitar. Just Ben pounding away on the piano." I
guess when I was learning the piano, "pound" got a bad connotation stuck in
my head.
But who cares...I love it!!!
Oh well..what a way to end the week...new BFF single on the radio today with
Matthew Sweet thrown in, payday tomorrow, Live tomorrow night, and the hope
for U2 tickets on Saturday. Why would someone want be anyone other then me?
---------------------
Giuliano G. Valentino Oh I used to be disgusted
val@rogerswave.ca and now I try to be amused.
Newmarket, Ontario But since their wings have got rusted,
Canada you know, the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
http://www.ceogroup.com/Employees/Giuliano/Index.html
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 10:32:19 -0500
From: Cynthia Wang <cynthia@people.timeinc.com>
Subject: got ben folds on my radio...
Hi gang,
Commuting isn't pretty, for those of you who do that sort of thing,
especially that scenic jaunt from central Jersey to Manhattan, but I got a
pick-me-up from local radio this morning: WHTG, 106.3 FM in Eatontown, NJ
started playing "BoWCCL" ! Very cool. Of course, it's the same station that
played "Underground" first in this area, so someone knows what they're
doing over there!
Oh, and Entertainment Weekly mentioned BFF's contribution to the KCRW Rare
on Air Vol. 3 in an issue not too long ago. I guess a little PR here and
there is a good thing, but when can we expect Ben and the boys to lauch
their tour at Kmart, eh?
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 16:03:41 GMT
From: "Gareth A. Harper" <gaharper@newport.ac.uk>
Subject: BFF - The Guardian 21/2/97
Hi!
An article appeared in the Guardian (UK paper) on Friday 21 Feb 1997, under
the title:
"Bubbling Under....Bands on the Verge of a Breakthrough"
Ben Folds Five.
{As it wasn't very long, I've typed it out)
If the blokey appeal of boys with guitars sometimes palls, the piano-led
trashed up pop of Ben Folds Five could be the antidote. Their sound is very
seventies pop: favourites include Randy Newman, Hall & Oates and Steely Dan.
Staggeringly ungroovy, they're the aural equivalent of a tank-top. Opinion
of this piano-bass-drums-but-no-guitar line-up seems to be polarised. Many
love this band, but many others find they sound too much like Gilbert
O'Sullivan on angel-dust for comfort.
Ben Folds Five are (hold on to your sides) a threesome from Chapel Hill,
North Carolina. They've described their sound as "music for sissies", but,
perhaps to disprove this, their live antics include singer Ben Folds lobbing
his stool at his keyboard when he "rocks out". Certainly, he's not your
typical singer-songwriter at the piano.
They do have the air of a novelty band sometimes, and many find their
quirky-cum-annoying tunes, high-pitched adenoidal vocals, smart-alec lyrics
and irksome songtitles fairly irritating. But they're huge in Japan, and
their last album received a clamourous reception here.
They have a new single out, the radio-friendly anti-slacker anthem Battle of
Who Could Care Less followed by their second album next month. It's a lot
angrier-sounding than their last album, (example, on Song for the Dumped:
"Give me my money back, you bitch...")Charmed, I'm sure. But if you enjoy
their keyboard cavortings you may also wish to investigate last summer's
much jauntier debut album. And get yourself a safari suit while you're at it.
Kathy Sweeney
Me- I've a feeling the writer wasn't too impressed!
Gareth
Gareth Harper
Faculty of Business and Engineering
University of Wales College, Newport
Allt yr yn Campus
PO Box 180
Newport
NP9 5XR
Tel: 01633 432323
Fax: 01633 432530
Email: gaharper@newport.ac.uk
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 15:51:34 +0100 (MET)
From: Daniel Rodrigues Parreira <parreira@aquawolf.xs4all.nl>
Subject: Whatever... review
In the Dutch newspaper "Het Parool" BF5's latest album has been reviewed. It
has a b/w picture of the cover of the CD next to it.
The reviewer talks about how this CD has been influenced by (a very young) Joe
Jackson.
The rest of the review doesn't mention anything interesting (well, nothing more
than we already know).
-- Daniel (who will be buying a ticket to the Amsterdam BF5 show next tuesday :)
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 15:42:14 +0100 (MET)
From: Daniel Rodrigues Parreira <parreira@aquawolf.xs4all.nl>
Subject: RE: The new album
On 17-Feb-97 Xander du Bois <iksman@pi.net> wrote:
> So finally, last Saturday, I bought the new album. Having so much looked
> forward to it, I must say I am a little bit disappointed. I think the
> production is a little bit weak. It all sounds to ‘over-produced’ and soft
> to me. I loved the sound of the first album, it was much more honest.
I don't agree with you. To me it doesn't sound over-produced even a little bit.
Agreed, there is a more softer (meaning more ballads) approach, which you
obviously like the least, but those songs are also little pearls. :)
> Especially Ben’s piano sounds much more dynamic on it. Last week I saw BF5
> on TV (‘2-meter sessies’ on Dutch national television). They played ‘Song
> for the dumped’. I thought that was really fantastic. Now I hear the same
> song on their new album and it sounds not half as good. That’s a pity,
That's just because BF5 on CD is very good, but BF5 live is VERY GOOD. :)
> because it’s really a great song. I also think there are to many slow
> songs on the album. I don’t really like ‘Brick’, ‘Smoke’ and ‘Evaporated’.
> There are also a lot of great songs. I really love "One Angry Dwarf….’,
> "Stevens Last Night….", "Battle of Who……", "Kate" and "Song for the
> Dumped". I think it’s a good album, much better then almost everything
You just have to get used to the ballads. :) Really, they're very good, all
better than "Boxing" from the last album.
> else that is being released, but I just think they can do better than
> this. I think the biggest problem is that there is not a song as good as
> 'Philosophy' or 'Underground' on it. Maybe if I get to know it better it
True, both Philosophy and Underground are really standing out from the rest.
> will grow, but I loved their first album from the first time I heard it. I
> hope their next album will live up to my expectations. Until then I will
> enjoy this album a lot, but their debut-album even more.
Je goed recht. :)
-- Daniel
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 97 15:09:34 -0000
From: Simon Burrows INF-KB <sburrows@madge.com>
Subject: Are BFF closet Smiths Fans??
Before we're treated to 'Champagne Supernova' on the B side of BoWCCL,
there's some banter bewteen the band. Quite clearly, you can here Ben (I
think, though I'm not sure) sing "Stop me, stop me, oh stop me" from the
Smiths track 'Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before'. Have
they covered any Smiths material?? Would like to hear them have a go
at 'Death Of A Disco Dancer' - and why weren't they asked to appear on
last years Smiths tribute album, 'The Smiths Is Dead', which, er.. was
crap actually.
"The Theme from Dr. Pyser." is well groovy, but is not the theme tune
from 'Johnny Briggs' which is what I think Mandel IIagan was asking
about in the last Armchair. Perhaps they are saving
'Johnny' for the next single.
Ceddy
sburrows@madge.com
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 14:10:54 -0500
From: Andrea Merrifield <hapfield@mix-net.net>
Subject: NEW VIDEO!
the video for TBoWCCL will premere on MTV's 120 minutes this sunday!!!!!
the guests this week will be the blood hound gang so it promises to be a
pretty damn good show.......
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 19:39:37 +0000
From: Alex Torrance <mabp65@dial.pipex.com>
Subject: bis.
Hi,
this hasn't got much to do with Ben Rob and Dazza (urgh) but i need to
get it off my chest.
i've had enough of people slagging off bis, all my friends do it and now
its starting here too. look bis are a band, they make music. music is
art, therefore there is no solid definition of what is good or bad,
except maybe that northern uproar are bad. ok.
Also Marky Mark Piper said something about just being able to faff about
and not just faff. well i, right now am faffing around. not faffing
about. so therefore you can faff around too. Also one can be faffy, like
my brother. he likes boyzone (ha!) and robert miles (no s***!) and he
calls ben Folds five Ben Fudges five year olds (how witty). therefore he
is faffy. or he is a faff. by the way, fudge, as used above, means to
enter someone rectally. how very grown up he is.
Alex. $:-)
"You hate us We Don't care;
Teen C kids Everywhere.
We are gonna hit you where it hurts." team theme - bis.
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 13:59:39 -0600
From: Dan Shenkman <DanS@ixc-comm.net>
Subject: Austin, Texas
The Live Music Capitol of the World is looking for The Ben Fold Five to
come back here real soon.
I am sure you have people calling you all the time to get you to play
here or there and although I have no idea how much you cost, the money
is here and waiting.
The Austin Chronicle had a best of 1996 and one of their writers gave
them Best Road Show of 1996.
I just recommended the Astoria show on March 7th to my pal in London.
Check your Texas sales of the debut. Please let me know if anything is
in the works and if there is anything I can say or do to bolster support
for them.
Sincerely,
Dan Shenkman
Big Fan
==============================================================================
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 20:17:30 -0500
From: lizrob@mindspring.com
Subject: She don't use jelly
Hi there,
Regarding the cover of this Flaming Lips song, Darren only sang the
first verse. Robert sang
the second, and Ben finished with the third. I hope everyone gets to hear
this classic. Its amazing.
In response to S. Burrows, the band has scheduled a tour of America:
It starts in NC on
March 27th, moves to the West coast with Counting Crows for 8 shows
and....We seemed to
have lost the rest of the schedule...anyway, they will be here with the
release of
"Whatever...". In April and most of May, the US will be covered like a quilt.
Robert just bought a Schneider Bow for his double-bass.
ttfn
Jetgirl
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 12:15:00 +0900
From: Azusa Motohashi <EZC00110@niftyserve.or.jp>
Subject: "One Angry" score and different jacket
Hi everyone,
I know there are a lot of keyboardists and people who
are interested in the piano sheets about songs of
Ben Folds Five.
"Keyboard Magazine-Japanese" March (Ritto Music) has a score
of "One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces"from Whatever and
ever Amen. It describes real Ben's touch, like " philosophy"
on backnumber of this magazine.
And do you know a fact that " Whatever and Ever Amen"(Japazese edition)
CD jacket is differnt from European one? Japanese one is a very beautiful
photo and there's a few photoes in the liner notes. I like our one
better:-) I notice this jacket is only first press(edition) here.
So if you are a collector aobut Ben Folds Five ,don't miss it.
I think it's hard to get the CD for most of you.
I'll help you.( Because this CD is realy good.I want to show it!)
Azusa
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 12:31:21 -0500
From: josh Martin <joshm@mailbag.net>
Subject: Cleveland loves BFF
Greatings from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame City (big, fat, hairy deal).
In response to Christian L. Gindelsperger's call-out to Cleveland BFF fans,
yes there are alot of fans, even in my area. I live in Mentor, which, if
you haven't heard of it, is a suburb east of Cleveland, in Lake county. A
large amount of my friends (Juniors and Seniors in Mentor High) are huge
fans. We love to crank up BFF music at parties and annoy our non-BFF
friends by threatening their life when they try to change it. I play the
bass, and one of my friends plays the piano, so we worked out The Last Polka
and Underground and jam out on them at any opportunity.
I, too would like to beg for a BFF show in Cleveland. I think Ben
was here before I was turned on to his stuff, and I'd love to go to a show.
So how about it? Cleveland rocks, and we have some really great venues to
play at, too.
One final thought: BOOTLEGS. (I wrote it big so people will see it).
My friend, who wrote before, has an extensive bootleg collection which he
lets me copy, but so far very little BFF. What is the band's stance on
bootleging? Alot of bands like it, because it's free publicity. If you, or
anyone you know, has BFF bootlegs, PLEASE let me know. We'd love to trade.
Thank you,
Rock out,
Whatever and ever,
Amen,
josh
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