THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #698 - December 11, 1997
Magical Armchair Digest Thursday, December 11 1997 Volume 01 : Number 698
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
DOMO BEN CHAU DESU
Various and sundry
first heard BFF
My Helmet hat
discovering BFF
b.f.f. holiday spirit..................
The Middle C
teenyboppers on AOL
Re: please read...SHORT and SWEET
More on the youth thing (sorry)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 19:34:43 PST
From: "wilson lo" <inane@hotmail.com>
Subject: DOMO BEN CHAU DESU
Quick post does anyone know how much the Domo Ben Chan desu(or
something...can't remember)cost?....thanx
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 23:05:54 -0500
From: Rebecca.Cole@mail.trincoll.edu (Rebecca Cole)
Subject: Various and sundry
Now here's a thread I like...
I remember very, very specifically when I first heard Ben Folds Five.
February 26, 1996 was my roommate's birthday. We had all planned to
celebrate and had bought mass quantities of alcoholic beverages. She,
however, was deathly ill and decided to postpone her celebrations. Not
easily daunted, the other revelers decided to have a boozy evening anyway.
Her boyfriend was one of said revelers (what's amazing is roommate and
boyfriend stayed together for a year and a half after he got drunk on her
birthday while she was sick in bed), and he brought this CD by a little
band called Ben Folds Five that he thought sounded like "the Beatles with a
baby grand piano." (that's a new one, huh?) He thought I'd like it and put
it in the CD player. From the first chord of "Jackson Cannery," I was
hooked. It didn't come out for the rest of the night, and he stumbled home
drunk without it. I kept it for a week and a half, hiding it whenever he
came over. Finally he went digging through my stuff and found it in my
underwear drawer. I eventually got my own copy, and the rest is history.
I hope someone out there is going to the QM gig at Glasgow Uni. I wish I
were...after spending last spring there, it's really depressing to know
that the boys will be playing the same room in which I attended Cheesy Pop
on a regular basis. If you go, PLEASE post a review...and have a pint for
me.
Darren seems to be the most popular prom date. I think the only reason I'd
have been hesitant to take Ben to Prom is that my parents wouldn't have
taken kindly to a balding man showing up at the door with a corsage...
(Sorry, Ben...)
Is anyone else annoyed by the fact that the first BF5 song to hit the big
time is a ballad? Most of their songs are upbeat and kickass, and the one
that the MTV gods choose to splatter all over the place is the one that is,
tempo- and volume-wise easy listening. I can imagine hearing it next to "I
Just Called To Say I Love You" next time I get my teeth cleaned...This is
not to say I don't like the song. Far from it--I think it's amazing. I just
feel that it's not indicative of the rest of BF5's body of work and fits
better into the scope of an album than by itself as a single. And I still
don't think they should have made a video for it.
I talk too much and I never shut up,
Rebby
***
"Otis has a dollar!"
-Bob Barker
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 23:15:35 -0400
From: Shara_Hoffman@hths.mcvsd.k12.nj.us (Shara Hoffman)
Subject: first heard BFF
In response to the question about where we first heard or heard about BFF:
Sometime around Sept/Oct. 1995, my brother told me about this awesome song he
had heard only once or twice on our local radio station, called "Underground".
Well, one day while we were driving home from school, it came on the radio. My
brother starts sining along, and I had to laugh. Imagine your older brother(if
you have one) singing as loud as he can with the high voices that BFF uses in
"Underground". It was quite amusing, especially since I had never heard the
song before. Later in the next week or two, we heard it more on the radio.
Naturally, my brother & I went over to the record store & picked up a copy of
the s/t cd. I don't usually buy cds on the basis of one song, but I couldn't
see how the rest of thier songs could be bad with a song like "Underground."
It was just great, like nothing I had ever heard. Ever since then, I have been
listening to BFF. The only problem came when my brother was ready to go off to
college. We had split the cost of the cd, & neither of us wanted to part with
it. I ended up keeping it after much convincing. Now, he says it is his turn
to keep the cd for two years. We'll have to see what happens.
Just a small girl's attempt to lighten the armchair. Although, I have noticed
that tonight's digests(12/9) have been rather civil. It is the best thing
when somebody's post just makes you smile (at your computer screen) and be glad
you are part of this wonderful mailing list.
- -shara
______________________________________
Monmouth County Vocational School District
High Technology High School
P.O. Box 119
Lincroft, New Jersey 07738
www.hths.mcvsd.k12.nj.us
_______________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 23:22:03 -0500
From: Amanda McClintock <mcclin22@pilot.msu.edu>
Subject: My Helmet hat
Oh the heavens have opened, and I am chastized no longer! Okay some
may think I am a homewrecker, well in my mind atleast, but I have to
thank BSCHACK for letting those of us who live in a closet know about
the, (ummm), tragety of Ben and Kate's break-up. Yes I am truly sad
that love did not connquer all, but it does let me enjoy my dreams a bit
more.
Now I have heard some dicussion that went along the lines of, "What do
the BFF songs mean to me" Not sure if this topic is WAY old, but I
would like to add my two sents. I would have to say after LONG hours of
diliberation that, Philosphy is the one song I would never get sick of.
Yes the subject matter is dear to my heart, and who doesn't go nuts at
that powerful ending, but I think that I really relate to the line, "You
were laughing at my Helmet hat" Because my Helmet hat was laughed at.
I mean I have yet to see a funny helmet hat, most are rather
understated, mine was simply black with helment written in white. But
why NO ONE should have laughed at MY hat was that Page Hamilton himself,
fondled my hat, put it on, and then signed the bill (on the underside,
since that hat was black...) So Ben, dude, babe, sir, tell me about
this jerk who laughed at your helmet hat, why don't we chat over coffee,
...in my bed room.... (please laugh, and sense the sarcasm)
Amanda
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mustard is not objectively nice, nor objectively nasty; it's simply nice
to some people, and nasty to others - some dead english guy
P.S.
Season's Greetings, I only did the graphics of the boys, Erik put this
marvelous page together!
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 1997 23:14:59 EST
From: mike.lange@juno.com
Subject: discovering BFF
i first saw BFF on (Gasp) MTV. It was when they were still showing m2
for an hour every afternoon, and I saw the video for Uncle Walter.
needless to say I fell in love.
mike
"Who's got the looks, who's got the brains, who's got everything?" - Ben
Folds Five
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 23:47:44 EST
From: Brian34295 <Brian34295@aol.com>
Subject: b.f.f. holiday spirit..................
unsubscribe concert age discussion list
umm....to get on another subject so that i can read my digests without
wondering why i'm not just deleting them to begin with:
wouldn't it be cool if ben folds five did a christmas album so that i/we could
actually drown out all of that corny stuff we hear every year? what christmas
song do you think bff would be best at, and how do you think they would make
it unique?....
later...
"sometimes i listen..." - failure
Brian34295@aol.com
dead to the world
http://www.insidepitch.com
http://members.aol.com/brian34295/index.html
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 15:55:32 +1100
From: Romesh de Alwis <rd15@uow.edu.au>
Subject: The Middle C
Hi all
I was catching up on my armchairs when i read about some interactive CD fo WEAEA
and after trying for 2hours d/l or the drivers etc i still can't get it to work.
I have no idea where the cd16 and cd32 things go all my drivers are all over the
place ohh well. I would love to see these 1981 shirts but here in Aus i think im
the only one with a middle c shirt most people have the WEAEA shirt.
I was listening to to Dwarf on radio when i think i figured out that little
spoken part in it i think ben says "You should be paying me Vic"
Anyway i hope all you aussies vote for dwarf or BOWCCL on the hottest 100 who
knows they both might out do underground
Rom
P.S. When does Naked Baby Photos get released in Aus and did i read something
about BF5 on Letterman? (sorry i havent had time to read all the digests yet)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 00:36:59 EST
From: SilentFlat <SilentFlat@aol.com>
Subject: teenyboppers on AOL
This is a recent post I had the unfortunate experience of coming across in the
BFF message boards...
<<Hello everyone! I am 14 years old and yes I made it up on stage! Life was
good for thoses few seconds! I touched ROBERT!!!! If I may add he is the
hottie of the group! I went to the concert they played in George Town! In the
song Fair Ben sings "all is fair all is fair in love" than there was a stop...
I yelled I LOVE YOU BEN! he looked at me and smiled! I was about to faint!
And at the end of the show I got Roberts pick which still
smell's like Cigretts! This show was the BEST live preformance I have ever
been to in my life and I know nothing will ever bet them! KEEP ON ROCKING!
~Ash>>
Good GOD!!!
Megan
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 00:56:10 EST
From: LawneGirl <LawneGirl@aol.com>
Subject: Re: please read...SHORT and SWEET
I was at the show at Club Caprice, CA, and not to brag or anything, got to sit
on the stage about 3 feet behind ben. i was absolutely mesmorized for an hour
and a half. i happen to be sixteen and had 10 tickets...we were all 18 or
under and were annoyed ourselves by the overabundance of drunken middler
agers. a clip of a conversation i heard while waiting for the band to come
on...
"what's the square root of 64?" followed by a chuckle from an equally
amusingly drunk concert-goer.
the drunkards were amusing and nothing more until the band came on and i
wanted to kill them. my friend said to me during the opening song, missing
the war, that it would be so funny to hear a scream like in beatlemania.
instantaneously, a drunk guy in a suit right in front of us let out a
screeching yelp. comedy... this guy, and his mate of some sort (identically
clad) went on to annoy a goog majority of the audience while supplting the
band with material to work with in between songs that was hysterical. it
mostly consisted of the guys telling ben he was "bad" and various creative
replies to that. in return, ben gave them the polaroid that the opening band
had taped to his piano.
so i guess my point is...oh i don't know, but if you read this and feel like
it, write me some mail. (LawneGirl@aol.com, and yes, that's a phish
reference)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 01:21:07 EST
From: Brad654 <Brad654@aol.com>
Subject: More on the youth thing (sorry)
In a message dated 97-12-07 12:04:36 EST, Steve (Cambot@juno.com) writes:
> before this whole "Brick" deal started (I helped vote it into regular
> rotation on our local radio station). I am a bit new to the whole scene,
> but I DO know the names of the whole band, have some of their import CDs,
> a shirt, bootlegs, & figured out Evaporated on the piano. I bought
Steve, don't take this wrong, because i'm not aiming at you at all, but....
Why the hell do we care about what fans have bought what? I'm glad Cambot has
import CDs, a shirt, boots, etc. I'm sure he's a big fan. I, on the other
hand, bought the first disc in 1995-- right after it came out. Then I bought
WAEA the day it was released. I have the "Cool in school" shirt. That's it. So
am i less of a fan than Cambot? No.
What I guess I'm saying is that I think it's sad that we older fans (and I'm
not talking about age, but time spent aware of BF5) have made it so that newer
fans feel they have to justify their fandom. I think that sucks. Ben and the
boys are great, and I'm glad people like them. But I don't read Armchair posts
and think, "Yeah, but I bet I'm a bigger fan than THAT guy," or "He probably
only has the 'Brick' single. What a dickhead."
Sorry for the rant, and Cambot, I hope you didin't take offense. I wasn't
posting to say I didn't care about what you had.
Brad
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #698
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