THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #523 - October 10, 1997
Magical Armchair Digest Friday, October 10 1997 Volume 01 : Number 523
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Oh, more crap about Ticketmaster.
Ticket Sales
a voice from the fog
Pina Colada song, and more popularity
Couple of things...
stacy lee leugers
[none]
She Don't Use Jelly...again.
RAGE
Crowdsurfing, moshing, and questions about Rage
Bass, Drums ... Drums, Bass ...???
Amateur Lovers?
Kinda messed up lyrics
Review of Sydney gig in Drum
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 20:39:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: KNULPREK@aol.com
Subject: Oh, more crap about Ticketmaster.
Hmm.. well, first off, yes, Pearl Jam did avoid Ticketmaster, and that was
good, and it was bad. Also, it's relevance is only somewhat appropriate to
BFF.. let's see here..
Good: They defied Ticketmaster, and brought to light the injustice we're all
being served by using it.
Bad: Sure, Ticketmaster didn't run it, but it was still DAMN expensive to go
to one of Pearl Jam's shows. I'm sure TM would have made it even more
expensive, but if Pearl Jam really wanted to be nice to the fans, they would
have run a tour charging less money. Would make more sence and stick with the
philosophy.. but this isn't a Pearl Jam digest, so it would appear i'm
digressing.
Relevance?: Somewhat. But when it comes down to it, Pearl Jam is a monster
compared to BFF, not in talent (obviously), but in fan base. BFF could easily
run a tour without using ticketmaster. How do an onslaught of ska and punk
bands tour nationally without using ticketmaster? It's obviously done. And
when i go to see, oh, say, the Scofflaws, i pay seven dollars! With
ticketmaster? Probably 15. Whereas Pearl Jam would have to play big arenas,
BFF and bands of similar fan bases (eg: Scofflaws, to stick with the
metaphor) play smaller clubs and such, who usually don't have a Ticketmaster
infection (because TM is a disease) anyway.
Boycott?: Of course not. This isn't the stamp act here, and it would never
work. Personally, i've been to one TM show in the last half-year, and
whenever i do go to a TM-run show, i buy directly from the venue to skip out
of the service charges (yes folks, that can be done. of course, that service
charge is only about 20% of what TM is really getting out of the ticket).
So, that's my 4 cents. All in all, TM is a monster, and it really probably
can't ever be defeated without exposing how it really screws over everyone
involved, but when PJ tried to do it, they covered it up so well that nothing
was ever called on them. The only real way to defeat it is to just go around
it, which BFF can do because of their size, whereas someone like U2 couldn't.
But hey, who would want to go to a U2 concert anyway?
-jason-
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 07:26:30 -0700
From: "Kamp, Marcus S" <Marcus.Kamp@PSS.Boeing.com>
Subject: Ticket Sales
Yesterday, someone asked how bands choose what companies distribute
their tickets. They don't. The labels do. Then she pointed out that
Lee-master speller + fielder of all TicketMaster complaints-works @ Sony
Music-BFF'S LABEL! Now you know why he defends TicketMaster-his
company hired them!!! Sony is, BTW, just as evil a player in the music
business as TicketMaster, so take what Lee says w/a grain of salt.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 14:52:30 +1300
From: "Krista Toupin O'Reilly" <galatea@innocent.com>
Subject: a voice from the fog
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hi, folks.
I just felt the need to make myself, known, for some reason. I'm
usually such a contented lurker...
Actually, I only wanted to moan a bit to some sympathetic ears. I'm
about to resign myself to the fact that I'll never see bff - I live in
New Zealand, see, Where Good Bands Fear to Tread. Not that I would have
much better luck if I were still living in canada, probably, but that's
irrelevant.
The other problem I've encountered here is that CD's cost huge amounts -
we're talking $35 just for your everyday CD, never mind imports and
rarities. So my bff collection, now, consists of the LP's, which I had
to search for. When I manage to not owe the credit card people my
firstborn son, I guess I'll start ordering stuff from the States..
Anyway, that's all from me. Just know that while you're all discussing
ticket prices, concert apparel, great rare tunes, and the show you just
saw, there're people (or at least a person!) huddled in the middle of
the Pacific, jealous as hell.
- -Krista
(lurking again...)
- --
When we stop growing, we start dying.
-William S. Burroughs
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<HTML>
hi, folks.
<P>I just felt the need to make myself, known, for some reason. I'm
usually such a contented lurker...
<P>Actually, I only wanted to moan a bit to some sympathetic ears.
I'm about to resign myself to the fact that I'll never see bff - I live
in New Zealand, see, Where Good Bands Fear to Tread. Not that I would
have much better luck if I were still living in canada, probably, but that's
irrelevant.
<P>The other problem I've encountered here is that CD's cost <I>huge </I>amounts
- - we're talking $35 just for your everyday CD, never mind imports and rarities.
So my bff collection, now, consists of the LP's, which I had to search
for. When I manage to not owe the credit card people my firstborn
son, I guess I'll start ordering stuff from the States..
<P>Anyway, that's all from me. Just know that while you're all discussing
ticket prices, concert apparel, great rare tunes, and the show you just
saw, there're people (or at least a person!) huddled in the middle of the
Pacific, jealous as hell.
<P>-Krista
<BR>(lurking again...)
<P>--
<BR>When we stop growing, we start dying.
<P> -William S. Burroughs
<BR> </HTML>
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 97 21:54:49 -0500
From: Michael Bluejay <bluejay@pobox.com>
Subject: Pina Colada song, and more popularity
I have to say that I feel really special that most of the songs that
people suggest for BF5 to cover are songs that my band already covers.
The newest one being Escape (The Pina Colada Song). We wear Hawaiian
leis (sp?) when we play it. I think we'd have our best audience right
here on the Armchair!
In other news, people continue to recognize BF5 when I play it in public,
and they're getting more fanatical about it. I was playing in a dorm on
campus today (I don't live there, but their piano is nicer than mine...),
and I was playing for a while, but I didn't attract a crowd UNTIL I
started playing BF5, and then even more people came over, even making
requests ("Do you know 'Brick'?), and one guy sang along on "Philosophy".
After feeling somewhat alone in my fandom for so long, this is a
refreshing change. Well, okay, I had all of you guys to share the BF5
experience with for the last two years, but I can't do a sing-along with
you all through the Armchair!
- -- Michael Bluejay (Austin, TX)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://pobox.com/bluejay | Home of AUSTIN MUSIC, KING CHEESE,
| BIKING IN AUSTIN, VEGETARIAN pages, & more
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 03:37:20 +0000
From: Shaft <CrimsonKing@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Couple of things...
First of all, I am sooooo happy that an LA date was finally
officially announced. I can tell you of at least four people who will be at
the El Rey theater on Nov 30 - Ben, Darren, Rob, and ME! I once again
invite any and all e-mails from people in Orange County who have ideas about
a pre-show gathering.
I noticed on the webpage that Travis will be opening group. I know
that there's a big buzz around them, and I hope they live up to it. I've
only heard one of their songs, and it sounded above average but not
spectacular. According to my local favorite CD shop, the release date on
their debut keeps getting bumped, so who knows when I'll hear the whole
thing. I guess they can't be any worse than the Melvins, who upon opening
for Helmet became champion in the "Andy's Worst Opening Band Ever" contest.
And finally, I highly recommend Lounge-A-Palooza to anybody who is
looking for something to just kick back, unwind, and smile to. It's really
(ahem) *groovy*
Take Care-
Andy #:-)
University of California, Irvine
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 23:08:03 -0500
From: Lachesis@webtv.net (ambidextrous piggy face)
Subject: stacy lee leugers
i'm stacy's boyfriend (stacy who posted for the first time yesterday).
i'd just like to take this opportunity to tear her post to shreds.
*ahem* it's presence, not presents. and such formal language!! lighten
up, love. we're all friends here...until the moshing posts start :)
okay, so maybe i didn't tear the post to shreds. she's my girlfriend
for crying out loud!! i just don't have the heart, even if she is a
newbie...
ha!! and she says she's disappointed about the bloomington show being
moved to indy!! i'm in indy and i can't go because it's 21+. grrrrr.....
one last thing: if anyone messes with my girlfriend i'll...um...ask you
really nicely to not do it again. and if you DO do it again, then i'll
have to...um...well, just let you do it, i guess...
err...um...well, then...
evermanly, everprotective,
dave
dave's sig: now with karate chop action!!
"i will send you a picture. it is of a man being sick." --.j0N
"I'M HUGE!!"--mystery science theater 3000.
if i have to ask you to go to my site, then obviously you don't belong
there: http://members.tripod.com/~lastpolka/index.html
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 00:29:11 -0400
From: Jennifer Connors <jconnors@mindspring.com>
Subject: [none]
auth 200f265f subscribe armchair jconnors@mindspring.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 22:42:12 -0700
From: Janet <LemonDrp@pacbell.net>
Subject: She Don't Use Jelly...again.
Hey--
I'm sorry if anyone's sick of my "She Don't Use Jelly" ramblings but I'm
trying to quit, really.
Imagine this...an old couple who used to be singers in a Las Vegas
lounge. The man is humbly playing his shiny black grand piano as his
wife in a sequined evening dress sits atop with her microphone and they
smoothly belt out their slow, romantic rendition of Soundgarden's "Black
Hole Sun". That's one of the slightly humorous and ironic features of
Lounge-A-Palooza. One the armchair I've seen some rave reviews and then
some just said it sucks. I tend to agree with both.
I mean Ben Folds Five is just stinkin' awesome (and it seems that they
got some help yet again with the strings arrangements from John Mark
Painter, who is the other half of Fleming & John but I also noticed
Fleming is also part of the song and so is her brother. Being a fan of
Fleming & John, I knew I was going somewhere with "Gee, that woman in
the background sounds a lot like Fleming" as I listened to She Don't Use
Jelly) and yeah, Poe is great and so are the first couple songs and then
you get to PJ Harvey who isn't my cup of tea. It goes downhill from
there, and you're thinking "what happened to the lounge music?"
But that's just me...
Take care.
Janet.
- --
Free Napkins --> http://members.tripod.com/~peachfish/sparkie.htm
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 97 17:09:19 PDT
From: "Scott Hookway" <shookway@powerup.com.au>
Subject: RAGE
On The Triple J rage page they have BFF programming from 11:10 followed by
BFF videos, then a half hour Beck special. What videos do BFF have?? I
have seen Underground, Uncle Walter and OAD> Have I missed any??
Scott
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 03:12:13 PDT
From: "Flying Nun" <humperdinck@hotmail.com>
Subject: Crowdsurfing, moshing, and questions about Rage
hi all,
Hey Petra, sorry, i'm still getting used to the whole list thing, when
was the last BFF special, and is this saturday's Rage going to be on
Livid or BFF? and are you the one i'm going to ask in regards to the
date of Ben Folds' guest spot on it (damn dem dumb tv guides!)?
Oh, and Jocylen, if you had gone across the road to Macquarie university
to Castles records, they would've had both for you to choose from. but
no matter, you got 'em and that's the important thing.
and i think this was from Pluvius Dope..?
>
>Regarding moshing being jumping up and down in one spot, that is good
clean
>fun, and assuming that no one gets hurt, that is fine, but throwing
people
>into other people isn't fine.
you're right. and about us being more polite than you. in moshing that
is, not generally, i can say stupid things i don't mean when i'm rushing
to get things down and am not reading over what i've written. the whole
thing would be better if there weren't any to begin with, and we could
just enjoy it all (me being a girl, and a small one at that makes seeing
and enjoying difficult). BFF is entirely inappropriate to mosh to.
unfortunately, i've just made myself a hypocrite. at both the Sydney
University and the Metro gigs, i did. and what else can you do?
there's a crowd mentality that says all concerts must be moshed to for
some reason, and even the people to who don't want to get swept along
with everyone else. otherwise you get pushed back, and the view sucks
from there, and there's diddly-squat that you can do about it. there's
a lot of pushing and shoving, and mostly by butch, and very blokey guys
(surprisingly at a BFF concert, not that i wish to stereotype or
anything), and that HURTS. especially when they did underground,
everyone went ballistic and i'm still sore. when you're being roughly
shoved into the barrier at a particularly slow song (like Brick, or was
it Boxing?), that's when confusion really sets in and you wonder about
the other BFF fans. what i don't get is, if we all agree that moshing,
particularly at BFF, and stupid and painful (and i have the bruises to
prove it), who are the [insert expletive of your choice here] idiots who
do, and why are they listening to BFF in that case?
sorry about the length - does anyone know if you can get the
lounge-a-pollooza cd in australia?
Que
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 22:02:14 +1000
From: Liz <bregg@macquarie.matra.com.au>
Subject: Bass, Drums ... Drums, Bass ...???
Okay, as I understand it BFF are:
Ben Folds: Piano
Robert Sledge: Bass
Darren Jessee: Drums
Yet in the review I just posted of the Sydney show, Robert was listed as the drummer, and Darren as the bassist. Similarly, in an article preceding their Canberra show BMA (Canberra publication) had an interview with (and I quote) "Darren Jessee, bassist
for The Five" ........HUH??
Am I missing something, or are the writers concerned just not doing their research properly ...?? 2 different writers. In two different states. Weirdness.
Liz
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 22:02:19 +1000
From: Liz <bregg@macquarie.matra.com.au>
Subject: Amateur Lovers?
last post for the evening I promise ....
The review in The Drum Media of the Sydney show lists a third support act 'Amateur Lovers'. I was intrigued by what the reviewer had to say about them:
"Amateur Lovers - also from the States - seemed an interesting support, due to the fact that their single 'Consolation Prize' sounds remarkably like Ben Folds Five. However in live form, Amateur Lovers certainly incorporate a little more of the rock into
their music, although their fine harmonies were still very much a part of the four piece outfit."
I haven't heard the single (or at least not to my knowledge) or the band, and I was wondering if anyone on the list has, and whether they have an opinion to offer?
Cheers
Liz
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 21:22:37 +1000
From: Liz <bregg@macquarie.matra.com.au>
Subject: Kinda messed up lyrics
Was reminded of something with Heather's sig file of 'Fair' (part of which I pasted below to save me typing ... thanks Heather!)
When on holiday the other week a couple of friends were hearing WAEA for the first time. And their impressions of the 'chorus' bit in 'Fair' (the 'ba ba bam' bit ie - "... all is fair, all is fair... in love .. ba ba bam ba ba bam ba ba ba babababa bam,
ba ba bam ba ba bam ba ba ba babababa bam, ba ba bam ba ba bam ba ba ba babababa bam ")?? Well they said it sounded like (or more so reminded them of) chickens ..... hence whenever that track came on they insisted on making chicken flapping actions and '
singing' along with chicken squawks .......
The kind of association that sorta ruins the song now .... :-)
Liz
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 22:02:08 +1000
From: Liz <bregg@macquarie.matra.com.au>
Subject: Review of Sydney gig in Drum
As above! It is a review of the show played at The Refectory, Sydney Uni on 25th September 1997.
The BFF related bits are typed *as written* for your reading enjoyment. Please don't flame me for the rather obvious errors - this is typed as printed in the publication.
Cheers
Liz
'Ben Folds Five/Cordrazine/Amateur Lovers'
The Refectory, Sydney Uni.
25/9/97
" AHH, so you though the piano couldn't rock, huh? Well, the man who has once again made it cool to tinkle the ivories certainly proved that notion wrong tonight. Yes, Ben Folds Five were a bit special."
<snip>
"Finally it was time for Ben Folds, and his two merrymen to grace the stage of what was now a packed Refectory. And it wasn't long before the punter soon realised that as fine as their records are, the reputation of being even more impressive live was wi
th much justification."
"With grand piano in tow, the Five proved quite the business, with their mix of at times cruisey, at others pop, and most certainly a little of the rock, finding its way into a set that definitely had a high entertainment level via both the music and the
affable natures of Folds, bassist Darren Jessee, and drummer Robert Sledge."
"Musicianship wise, Ben Folds Five were equally fine, with Folds' vocals and piano playing wonderful, the drumming of Sledge looking more like he was conducting an orchestra with arms flailing, and the bass playing of Jessee often subtle until give the ch
ance to let loose on a tasty jazz riff. The three way harmonies, too, were oh so impressive."
"With the floor boards bouncing almost constantly, especially during the likes of 'Underground', this gig was certainly one of the finest this year."
Review by: Peter Blythe. The Drum Media. Issue 363. 7 October 1997. Page 50.
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #523
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