THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #231 - April 16, 1997
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #231
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Topics for Today:
RE: piano book
BF5 and Albany, NY
Built to Spill, etc...
Atlanta Show!!!
Tha Cleveland Show
GROUP HUG OUT OF HAND: Ben Folds squashed by eager fans.
BFF and CMJ
The Tempe AZ show
BFFers in FL?
kajagoogoo, walnut creek, etc.
OKAY, minneapolis! :)
Kate---army?
BFF Interview
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 14:41:13 -0700
From: Peter Duniho <peted@microsoft.com>
Subject: RE: piano book
I must have ordered one of the last books from the BFF web site; I just
got mine in the mail last week. Of course, they didn't package it very
well, and the USPS managed to fold it (or maybe that was a subtle,
ironic nod to the band...dunno). But you can still read the notes. :)
On the other hand: I was interested to note that the book has written on
it very clearly "Not for sale outside of Japan" (or something to that
effect). Why would they sell something that they're not permitted to
sell outside of Japan?
Also, the price from the site that Allison lists is about $6 cheaper,
including shipping, than from the BFF site. They list it at $17, then
add another $6.77 for shipping (UPS ground), while the BFF site is $25
plus shipping and handling (which comes to about $5 for USPS shipping,
if I remember correctly). I'm assuming the book is exactly the same
(including the warning to not sell it outside of Japan?).
Pete
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 14:45:18 -0400
From: santonan@student.umass.edu
Subject: BF5 and Albany, NY
I read in one of the last MA's that the boys were coming to Albany, NY on
May 29th..I was just wondering if anyone had more information concerning
tickets and stuff. If anyone does please email me at
santonan@student.umass.edu, or fantonan@bcn.net. Thanks!
Sarah :)
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 19:19:18 -0400
From: "Brian R. Kessler" <bkessler@btv.ibm.com>
Subject: Built to Spill, etc...
Not really BF5 related, but since someone mentioned BTS, I thought I would
chime in that anyone who likes BTS should also check out Luna, Yo La Tengo,
and Teenage Fanclub.
Also there is a Burlington, VT band called Lindy Pear that just released
their debut CD, "Od Fair", and it is *fantastic*. If Lindy Pear, or their
their CD comes to your town, check 'em out!!! Boston residents have the
good chance of seeing them in the near future. Their kind of a cross between
Teenage Fanclub and early REM.
And now for the BF5 content:
P L E A S E P L A Y I N B U R L I N G T O N, V T ! ! !
Peace, skiing, & music,
Brian
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 17:04:56, -0500
From: MS SANDI SHORTER <EPVJ98A@prodigy.com>
Subject: Atlanta Show!!!
Hi everyone...I posted a note a while ago about anybody going to the
Cleveland show...if you are, and you didn't catch my note, e-mail me so
we can all meet up somewhere. Elizabeth mentioned meeting at Dick's
before or after the show and that sounds great to me...
As for the Atlanta show at the Music Midtown Festival: I am flying down!
Yippee! I decided seeing BF5 one time on this tour was not enough!!!
I already have my plane ticket and i'm going to call ticketmaster to get
my festival ticket soon...
For anyone who lives in Atlanta and knows anything about the festival:
It's held on the street that the Cotton Club is on, correct? And does
anyone know what times the various bands will be performing? I
especially need to know what time BF5 will be on and also the
Wallflowers...I believe they're both playing on Saturday May 4th.
Thanks for any help you can offer! Oh, one more thing: anyone want to
meet up before or after the show (or during) in Atlanta? If so, e-mail
me. See you at the show!
Sandi
EPVJ98A@prodigy.com
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 20:02:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bobolifoo@aol.com
Subject: Tha Cleveland Show
I hear a FAT LOT of people are going to the Cleveland show that are on
this mailing list, and I don't even have tix yet!! I was just wondering how
many people on this mailing list are from Cleveland? I'm from Cleveland
myself, but I had no idea there was ANYONE besides a couple of friends who
even KNEW of BFF before Whatever and Ever Amen. I wonder if there were...
We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams - Willy Wonka
~Bobolifoo
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 20:27:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: Yoda90210@aol.com
Subject: GROUP HUG OUT OF HAND: Ben Folds squashed by eager fans.
I can see the headline now.
ANYHOW... I don't know if any of you had attended the Soul Coughing show last
november at the Vic, but a couple of us MMC board members in the Soul
Coughing folder on AOL joined there by doing marco-polo-esque shout outs.
Someone started with "BUBBA!" and the expected response from fellow board
members was "YOU ROCK!".
MAybe we can do something of the likes at the chicago show... Shout out/call
back like that, wear carnations or something like that. Any ideas?
lv,
susie.
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 20:33:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: GenLand18@aol.com
Subject: BFF and CMJ
<< Well, I first heard BFF off of a CMJ, and I think it was about two years
ago, but I've been listening ever since. >>
Same here!! :) CMJ New Music Monthly helped introduce me to Ben Folds Five,
along with millions of other great bands. Since radio out in Los Angeles
isn't so good, and I don't even have cable, this is the only real way I find
out about the music around me. When I first heard "Undeground" off the
sampler, I was instantly hooked. It sounded like a rocking broadway tune and
the Bee Gee's. And the lyrics and imagery were fantastic!!
CMJ NMM is truly the best music magazine around. At only $5, you get a
sampler chock full of music to listen to and "try out," as well as
interesting reviews and articles to read. It is also one of the few music
magazines out there that doesn't reek of Calvin Klein perfume.
SuperGEEK,
**Leslie**
"Sorry if I woke you.....I didn't mean to trespass through your dreams" --
Longfellow (a band out here in SoCal, not the famed author)
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 21:14:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Cranie@aol.com
Subject: The Tempe AZ show
Well I'll start by stating the obvious. BFF were great.
The opener was some guy I had never heard of and really was quite the bore.
Before the they let us into the club, I saw Darren across the way on the
payphone. He was on for around an hour or so. I waited to talk to him, and he
came over to me after a bum stopped to ask him for a quarter. I asked him to
sign the new disk. He did and said that he was on the phone with his
girlfriend, so I responded with "I guess Song for the Dumped doesn't really
apply much any more" He said that that was an old song from a while ago (2
years to my knowledge, they played it when I saw them back then). He seemed a
little out of it, and I asked him if Ben or robert were around to sign the
disk too. He said if he saw them he'd send them my way. I proceed to the
front of the club to buy a shirt, and talked with Doug and another of the
guys. I mentioned the BFFMAIL@AOL.COM not working and told him we discussed
it on the armchair. He replied "You know Frank?" (You really are a star Mr.
Maynard:) ) Anyway I went in and sat upstairs above Ben's head. Great view,
I only wish I had a Video camera with me. It would have been the best. During
the gig Ben mentioned something about Launch. (It's the multimedia music
mag). I think BFF will be on the next one. After the show I went around back
and saw Darren again. I asked him if Ben and Robert were coming out. He took
my cd to them and got it signed for me. So I didn't get to talkto the three
of them like last time, but Darren was very cool. I didn't meet any of you
(Kristen:) ) at the show, but what did you think? And what was that second
song they played? I have never heard it before.
Sorry for the length of this, but the list waits in anticipation of events
like these:)
Mike Gervasi
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 21:47:12 -0700
From: "W. D. Buckley Jr." <meeka@sprintmail.com>
Subject: BFFers in FL?
hi,
are any of you guys in the southwest florida area? it's awful
lonely, humid, and boring down here, and no one's ever heard
of bff. ack....
anyways, i heard somewhere that ben wants to do an instrumental
album. i thought that was a groovy lil factoid....:)
meeka
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 21:48:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: bagley sarah r <srbagl@mail.wm.edu>
Subject: kajagoogoo, walnut creek, etc.
Hi, couple of questions and comments.
1. Every couple of issues someone mentions a possible show at Walnut
Creek in Raleigh. Anybody know anything for sure about this? Someone
said they would be with sublime, but that seems odd given that the singer
couldn't be there.
2. What was this about a cover of Kajagoogoo's too shy? I would love to
get my hands on that, and what about video killed the radio star?
Anybody willing to make a copy for me, I would send you the tape and
postage and stuff.
3. I have the promo video with the video for battle on it and if anyone
can't get their hands on one let me know, I have a friend at a music
store that can get me more.
4. I really want to see the show in either Lexington Va or Raleigh NC.
Is anybody reading this going to those, and could they let me know how I
can get tickets.
Okay guess that's all. Oh, my roommate is from Australia and her sister
is here visiting, so we are sitting in my room when BFF comes on and she
goes "hey this is ben folds five." How excited was I to hear someone
else recognize them. It is pretty weird that someone from around the
world can recognize them when I can't find any other Virginians that do.
Anyway she said they were getting a lot of play there and that
Underground was really popular too.
sarah
srbagl@mail.wm.edu
==============================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 97 22:38:29 -0500
From: Bergquist <Kristin.M.Bergquist-1@tc.umn.edu>
Subject: OKAY, minneapolis! :)
well, i CERTAINLY got inundated with enough responses to the bff mtg up
here, but we're still at a loss for places and a really good time to meet
so, by ALL means give me a list or three of when/where you guys think is
good.
right now i have all of one suggestion...for the st paul student ctr..and,
no offence, hon, but getting AWAY from the lil' tykes in these parts would
be a nice change for a gal like meself, you see *grin*
SO...thus far i think we number about seven or nine and apparently range in
age from 15 to "alumnus-age" (too old to rock n' roll and too young to die,
eh, kids?*smile* ) ....with the rest of us seemingly in the middle.
if you all know the purple onion in dinkytown, im thinking thats *usually*
the place with the most room. yes, no, hmm?
OHHH!!! and YES!!! "how Do you think that i survived the other 25.." DAMN!
i knew there had to be a load of us who listened to LAST POLKA time and
again just for that section...SO incredibly powerful! *smiiiile* i love you
guys... you think just like me *grin*
see yous guys around...get back to me, and ill do me best to be the
consciensious student and get us all to-gether SOON. *smiles*
cheers, kids
kristin
***i replaced the headlights on my car with strobe lights...now it looks
like im the only one moving*** steven wright (c'mon, admit it! the man's a
genius!:)
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 01:22:15 -0500 (CDT)
From: dpm179@hecky.acns.nwu.edu
Subject: Kate---army?
Okay, can anyone tell me the reasoning behind the word "Army" after the
title "Kate" in the "Whatever" booklet?
Alright, now to my contribution to the Armchair. I'm writing about the
setting in "Brick"---established in the song's first line:
"6 AM, day after Christmas".
I can't help but think of that line as a mark of genius. Ben completely
captures me with the line, and more importantly, he sets the mood for
the entire song. I mean, the day after Christmas has a unique feel to it
just as much as Christmas Day does. Its a feeling of return---return to
normalcy---and a reluctant return at that. For it means
going back to work, facing the winter once again, and forgetting the
innocent magical escape of Christmas that you just enjoyed with your
family/friends/etc. Ben takes this one step further by starting the
action at 6 AM---presumably hours before the rest of the world
even begins thinking about such return to work-a-day life. This
sets up the theme, which is explicitly developed later in the
song---a theme ofloneliness. It is simply him who wakes up so early, it
is simply him who witnesses the dark sky of night's end, and it is simply
him who must drive a wintered car whose "seat is freezin."
So, much like the world's retreat into normality on Dec. 26 is completely
an unwilling one, as is Ben's visit to his girlfirend's. However, there
is one catch, and from that one catch derives the song's power. It is
Ben, and only Ben, who tastes that remorse of the day-after first hand
while everyone else is sleeping. So, in that morning, he is truly alone
in his suffering, or in his case, in being alone.
I'd love to hear what the Armchair has to say about this.
Damian Marshall
damer@nwu.edu
[Back in the 1970s there was a band called "Kiss" that played cheezy
heavy-metalish rock'n'roll while dressed in studded outfits and Kabuki
makeup. Their legion of fans were called the "Kiss Army". Fortunately,
this phenomenon has faded out, but apparently Ben remembers, and holds
Kate in as high regard as millions of teenage girls did for Kiss. (Whadya
mean, Kiss are still together and playing?) --fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 97 03:19:06 -0500
From: Dan Goodspeed <goodsd@rpi.edu>
Subject: BFF Interview
Hey people,
Just thought I'd invite you to check out the BF5 interview at:
http://www.allstarmag.com/intr/
the band makes front page Allstar news. Not bad. Plus the page layout
is done really well (can you guess my profession, yep... web designer.
feel free to check out my modern music site called "BUM", URL in sig).
k bye,
| Dan Goodspeed (518) 399-9822 | "Would you look at me I'm crazy,
| goodsd@rpi.edu pianoman76@aol.com | but I get the job done,
| http://www.rpi.edu/~goodsd | I'm crazy but I get the job done."
| BUM: /~goodsd/bum.html | BF5
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