THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #606 - November 12, 1997
Magical Armchair Digest Wednesday, November 12 1997 Volume 01 : Number 606
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Sessions & Stuff
BF5 on Sessions Website
Sessions...a disenting opinion
BEN FOLDS
Survey
info from interview, instrumental album and bff in raleigh
To: armchair@ford.il.fontys.nl
sessions tapes---for you!
Brick video?
Everybody Knows
11/10 show at the FloodZone, Richmond, VA
I need the Sessions Please!
Richmond performance
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 20:40:37, -0500
From: JLPD@prodigy.com ( SADIE RUMSEY)
Subject: Sessions & Stuff
So the band's gonna be recording with the quartet
from HORDE on their next album? Anybody know if
they'd be on the subsequent tour, too? 'Cos I fell in
love with that violaist when I went to HORDE in St. Louis...
Okay, you can add me too the list of peoples pissed off
about Sessions...and I can't even blame PBS. I just
moved into a new house a bit ago, though, and the
VCR and cable are still not working as they should. So
if any REALLY nice person out there would be willing
to help out a fellow fan...I'd really appreciate a copy
of the program. Unfortunately I don't have any boots
to trade, but I'll pay for tape & trouble. Please?
Oh, and for anyone who saw Kim Fox & loved her (like me!)
she's gonna be playing in Pontiac, MI for the next couple
Friday nights...and I think she has some shows in Ohio
and MN in between. Just look her up, eh? Promise you
it'll be worth your trouble.
Live good.
- -JLPD/Sadie
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 20:46:36 -0500 (EST)
From: LindaNikon@aol.com
Subject: BF5 on Sessions Website
I'm not sure if anyone posted this, but the Sessions at West 54th website has
a page set up for the band. There is an interesting animated *gif and an
audio and video file. Here's the link:
http://www.sessionsatwest54th.com/nov8/sessions.html
Linda
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 17:47:36 -0800
From: qreeus@uclink4.berkeley.edu (Nathan Gunn)
Subject: Sessions...a disenting opinion
Well the Sessions thing was supposed to be perfect. I'm a huge fan of BFF
and I like Beck fairly well and my roommate is a MONSTROUS Beck fan and can
at least understand the talent that BFF has. So we were both looking
forward to this.
BUT...
Beck BLEW Ben and the kids out of the water. I think BFF gives one helluva
live performance...more energy than i've ever seen in three people when
they're on stage. But nothing was going for them during the Sessions show!
First off, Robert and Darren's harmonies made me cCRINGE! But I think
that was due to the mixing, not to them. Secondly, it seems like the guys
chose all songs appropriate for a PBS crowd instead of just doing their
show. I know they like to start out with Missing the War but it, Smoke,
and Brick totally sucked all of the energy out of their show (except for
those folks standing behind Ben, bopping to his music). I was quite sorely
dissappointed, to be quite honest.
And then Beck came on! My God, what a showman! His four songs were
incredible, especially his HILARIOUS R&B song about a girl in Glendale, CA.
It seemed like he just pulled that one out his ass.
And what was up with that jack ass hosting the show? Did anyone else just
have an uncontrollable urge to wretch while he was talking?
Swingfully,
Nathan
***********
"I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of
dissatisfaction and rage. It's a settling of grievances between the
present and the past. The more powerful the nostalgia, the closer you come
to violence. War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to
say something good about their country."
-- Don DeLillo
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 21:08:02 -0500 (EST)
From: SouperDv@aol.com
Subject: BEN FOLDS
Here are my "desert island three"
1. Philosophy
2. Selfless, Cold, and Composed
3. Last Polka
Covers I wanna hear:
1. Stinkfist - Tool
2. Fell on Black Days - Soundgarden
3. Ramble On - Zeppline
4. Because the Night - 10,000 Maniacs
5. Shadowboxer - Fiona Apple
I cant wait for the new album(s)! If the new studio album next fall(I guess)
is half as good as the other two, I'll be happy. Well, theres my two
cents...Bye now!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 21:10:50 -0500
From: "John E. Fahey"
Subject: Survey
First of all, sorry to clutter everyone's mailbox with this and if you
want to reply, great, but if you don't want to, oh well. This is just a
quick survey. In those rare moments of freedom, commonly called spare
time, I've been working on a new web site for myself. Of course it would
only be new to those few people who visited my previous mediocre site.
Well the address for this upcoming site will be:
http://www.pompous-liter....com/
An uninteresting side note:Another considered address was
www.magical-armchair.com/
My problem is that I can't decide on whether the site should be, and
this also reflects on what the address will be, Pompous Literates Online
or Pompous Literati Online.
For those who don't know 'literati' means men of letters or a group of
scholars...something along those lines. Anyway, I'd just appreciate it
if I could get some input on which title I should chose. Thanks in
advance for any help.
cheers,
john
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 21:44:17 -0500
From: obscuredsp@juno.com (lawson t bennett)
Subject: info from interview, instrumental album and bff in raleigh
i saw bff in raleigh a few weeks ago and just thought i throw in a short
review.
there wasn't anything as exciting as ben taking off his shirt, but i'll
give the other anecdotes- in the middle of the show he walked up to the
mike real slow like, and then said, "this is everyone's favorite part of
the show" waited a while- and then darren played some beat, ben turned
around and jerked his booty back and forth to the beat. i had heard him
say he was only about 135lbs, but since i hadnt seen him before- wow, he
is skinny. but not little- kinna reminds me of my c++ teacher at unc this
summer- big ultimate frisbee freak (is that just the hugest craze at
college or what? while doing the ol college campus tour, i came to the
realization that if i dont learn how to throw a frisbee, i wont have any
friends!)
anyway- there were a couple of instrumental songs that were cool- dont
know if they have become concert staples that only the hardcores know
about, but they were pretty cool. earlier that day, ben had done an
interview for NCSU's radio station, 88.1- he said he's already completed
an instrumental album with some other dude that should be coming out
eventually. The interviewer girl, whom ben had known before cause they
kept going into random personal conversations and saying how they need to
catch up- anyway, she was asking him if he's going to move out to
california to be with his wife- i think that's where she said she was-
and he was kinna avoiding the question until he was finally like- "we're
seperated" is this common knowledge now? cause they havent been together
that long
so the b-sides and live songs album, the instrumental album, and he also
said a new bff album shouldn't be too far off- and that's not a nin kind
of not too far off, either. since the downward spiral came out my 8th
grade year, ive gone through all high school without an album full of new
material- not that i care anymore- i dont mind his commercialization- he
admits it- but its silly, now.
back to the show. robert pulled the plug out of his bass and started
touching it to the strings, doing a little rhythm that was cool- it ended
up part of a song, and darn it but i dont remember what song. they
opened with missing the war, which became my new favorite bff song
because now i always think of all 3 of them with their mouths open and
not moving, singing that ahhh ahhh ahhhhhh ah part right before the song
picks up at the beginning- and of course at the very end while ben is
singing through the noise "im missin the war" actually, he might not of
sung that part live at the end, but i know i was. that was such a fun
lyrical concert- what i mean by that is ive never had so much fun singing
along at a concert before.
he thanked 88.1 for their first ever interview, and for the one earilier
that day, and then thanked our local pop turned grunge turned pop/grunge
radio station cause he heard they play bff sometimes- we all promptly
booed- it was quite hilarious
something onlong the lines of the sexy mother fucker thing- ben said
after one angry dwarf (watch as i misquote- hope im close) "most people
think i wrote that song cause i was picked on as a kid, but actually i
wrote it cause i kinna felt bad for all the little kids i used to kick
the shit out of all the time." then he made some comment about robert
after that- something attributing his flyness with da ladies, to which
robert responded, "one at a time, goddamn!" where as ben was the master
genious musical force etc etc- robert was just the man- he remained cool
the whole way through- if you know what i mean- im saying that with a bit
of sarcasm but total respect- he was the man
2 more things about the concert- this kid jumped up onstage and kinna
didnt know what to do but pointed to ben like "aw yeah" and then kinna
tried to groove- ben didnt notice him for a long time, but then he did-
he kinna laughed and then some big dude strolled out slowly- actually he
wasnt that big- and the kid was like, "come on" and the guy kinna played
along and the kid got off stage, so it was all good but he got back up 10
min later and was promptly dragged off by a decently larger guy then the
previous one.
probably the most humorous part of the night for me, well other than the
fight between 2 drunk guys during stephen's last night in town- was after
they left the stage before coming back for a few encores- this other kid
climbed up on the stage just enough to get robert's beer that he had
brought out and set on the piano- one of those you had to be there things
but it was funny. oh, and at the "whatever and ever, amen" part- one guy
at the front put his hands up to form the W that's on the album, to which
I and at least 50 other people followed and did- ben looked out and
laughed- that happened at any other concerts? i thought it was pretty
neat.
i could ramble on some more, but i'll spare you all- but before i go, i
wanted to give a quick apology for my last post, which was actually my
first post. i had seen a few digests and read a few posts where some
people were kinna complaining about this and that, and i reacted to it
with a little- "advice from the experience list member" section, which,
upon being on this list for a couple weeks, was completely uncalled for.
I've been on a smashing pumpkins list for 2.5 years, and it's kinna
degraded to the point where the only thing the intellegent people on the
list do is bitch about the list- the rest kinna show there ignorance with
stupid questions (which i hope i never ask!!) dont get me wrong, there
still plenty of reasons for me to say on it- its called listessa- and im
a faithful member, but those posts i read kinna scared me, especially
since bff is experiencing some major airplay now, as compared to before.
but like i said, ive been on the list for over 2 weeks now, and all i see
is love, so carry on!!!!!!!
lawson bennett ----obscuredsp@juno.com
devout follower of:
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS BEN FOLDS FIVE TORIAMOS
PJ HARVEY MManson NIN Bjork Drum and Bass
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 23:42:38 -0500
From: grippe@cowland.com
Subject: To: armchair@ford.il.fontys.nl
subscribe
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 23:42:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Beam
Subject: sessions tapes---for you!
hey guys--
the sessions songs will be on our site (http://www.underworld.net/bff/) in
the next week or so (in ra and mp3) and we're moving to a strict live/rare
tracks format (and no more mp3s of the album stuff)
anyway we would like to trade tapes--we have the 2 japan shows from this
tour--pontiac michigan (from a while ago), the clevland show (10/31/97)
and a video of sessions + conan + jenny mccarthy
we'd like to trade (audio or video) for more boots so we can get the
rarities flowing (for all of us!) please mail us--mor@underworld.net
thanks!
michael
ps beck roqd nutz :)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 23:50:00 -0500
From: Rebecca.Cole@mail.cc.trincoll.edu (Rebecca Cole)
Subject: Brick video?
OK, somebody with cable...tell those MTV deprived souls out here about the
Brick video, PLEASE!!!
get me to a nunnery,
Rebby
***
"These knees have stories, she said, but they'd have to be a mouth to tell
them." -Brian Andreas
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 00:18:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Eric Patton
Subject: Everybody Knows
I just thought of another cool cover song for the Boys. "Everybody
Knows" by Concrete Blonde. If you don't know the song, it's the theme song
for Pump Up the Volume, the uber-teen angst flick of the 80's. I was just
wandering the hallowed halls the other day, and I started singing the
song, and then it just clicked for me. They could do a jazzed out version,
or a lounge cut. Either way, the song would rock. So Chuck, if Ben doesn't
go for "Rock The Casbah," try for "Everybody Knows." And use wet willies
this time. ;) Laters!
ERIC
_______________________________________________________________________________
"But if that's a lie, if man in fact is not a scoundrel -in
general, that is, the whole human race- then the rest is all mere
prejudice, instilled fear, and there are no barriers, and that's just how
it should be!"
-Raskolnikov, "Crime and Punishment"
_______________________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 00:25:47 -0500
From: Meg Franz
Subject: 11/10 show at the FloodZone, Richmond, VA
Well, I just got back from the SOLDOUT Richmond show and WOW. It was great
(big suprise, right?) The Venus Fly Trap Girls were a little skanky but
Travis had the audience completly charmed. Anyway, the BFF setlist went:
1)Missing the War
2)Battle of Who Could Care Less
3)Philosophy
4)Selfless, Cold, and Composed
5)"Dr. Pyser"
6)The Last Polka
7)Steven's Last Night In Town
8)Fair
9)Brick
10)Kate
11)Jackson Cannery
Interlude: The "If You're From Richmond, We Hope You Don't Do Crack" song
which was introduced with a story from Robert about how he spent the night
in Richmond a few years ago and woke up in a crack house
12)One Angry Dwarf...
13)Uncle Walter
14)Smoke
15)Julianne
16)Underground
Encore:
17)She Don't Use Jelly
18)Give Me My Money Back
All in all, a fabulous show. Can't wait to do it again real soon.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 00:37:50 -0500
From: Denny Deaton
Subject: I need the Sessions Please!
Hello Armchair,
I had a problem with taping the Sessions and I need a copy please. I go
to UNC-Wilmington but I went to visit some friends in Chapel Hill for
the weekend. Of course I remembered that Sessions was going to be on
and I made sure everyone there was watching it. But I taped it on their
10 year old VCR/TV...when I got back home and decided to show my
roommate and watch it myself,I realized the recording was terrible. The
sound and picture fades in and out the whole time and it is terrible.
Please I would love to get a copy!!! I will send you the tape and pay
all the postage if you just take the time to copy it for me. I would
really love a copy with Beck on it too if possible, I love the way he
dances like James Brown, the kid has style!!! Please email me at
navyblue@coastalnet.com Please someone help me!! Thanks!!
Denny
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 00:45:01 -0500
From: Ed Cowardin
Subject: Richmond performance
Saw BFF for the first time live at the Flood Zone in Richmond tonight. A
bit disappointing. They've apparently memorized 90 minutes worth of
music. I love these songs, so I'm definitely a fan, but the live
performance was basically a rote note-for-note regurgitation of what
they've recorded. Let's just play it just like it is on the record and
keep 'em happy seems to be their attitude. Ben might say well Randy
Newman played his songs note for note. (However, Randy Newman played by
himself, not with a band, and to be frank, his live solo performances
never touched his recordings.) Instead of playing for each other with
sympathy for each other's talents and need to grow musically, Ben Folds
Five merely patronized their fans. As a band tonight, they had almost no
sense of play in their music other than hamming it up for a very young
and enthusiastic sold-out crowd. There was hardly any improvisation.
Perhaps as a band, they simply don't trust each other's musical
instincts, but surely it must get boring playing the same songs note for
note night after night. The rock star trip can't be that interesting.
Yet sadly, the guys seemed more intent on cultivating the adoration of
the fans (who knew every word to most of the songs). Robert,
particularly, seemed to be eating up the center stage role Ben has
surrendered. Robert's bass sound was muddy and and drowned out Ben's
piano again and again. Come on guys, turn it down just a little and play
music for yourselves not your fans.
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #606
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