THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #882 - March 14, 1998
Magical Armchair Digest Saturday, March 14 1998 Volume 01 : Number 882
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Brick in NYC
Complete Piano Music.
a great moment in brick
Next Single
just some info to read
Brick is good...
Jabs, misses! He's down for the count!
Re: hidden track man..
Thoughts from the ether (neither)
Selling out?
umm....
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #879
thank you, you are a god.
yay lou barlow
IMPORTS
Kyle's Mom Is A Big Fat Bitch In D Minor
Nightswimming/Brick
Brenda and Eddie...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 21:33:05 -0500
From: Sean Kiely <seank@CYBERNEX.NET>
Subject: Brick in NYC
FYI... Brick is #9 on the Z100 user request charts... Kinda sucks, they
are quite popular around here. I was at the Hammerstein show, chock full
of Brickheads, and BF5 played Underground, and these people just looked
completely confused and uninterested. Very little crowd support to say
the least. I was at the show in 97 at the supper club, and there were
about 1/4 the people, and it actually seemed to be a louder crowd. Just
an observation.
Sean
http://www2.cybernex.net/~jekiely
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 21:44:03 EST
From: PSYCHOPAF <PSYCHOPAF@aol.com>
Subject: Complete Piano Music.
Hello. Sorry, someone posted a web site, but, I can't find it. But, it ANYONE
has any Ben Folds Five piano music, please e-mail me. I would love to have it.
Thanks.
Amy
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 21:47:28 EST
From: Miss Da <MissDa@aol.com>
Subject: a great moment in brick
i've been reading my armchairs and this silly brick debate about whether it
should be popular and whether it's good or whatever... regardless, i just want
to throw in my 2 cents about my personal favorite part of the song... not
because it's musically brilliant or anything, just because it sort of adds to
the honesty of the song. 45 seconds into the song, between "the world is
sleeping, i am numb" and "up the stairs to her apartment," you can hear ben
breathe in through his nose, sort of like a sigh or something. it just sounds
so resigned and, well, bummed, it gets to me every time i hear brick. i know
it's silly, and i'm sure nobody really cares, but if you've never heard that,
listen for it next time brick's on your stereo.
amanda
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 21:59:11 EST
From: DanDWarhol <DanDWarhol@aol.com>
Subject: Next Single
Hey all. This is gonna be long, but bear with me. I, too, think that this
Brick thing as a single kind of sucks, in that they have much better songs not
being recognized. But I also realize that music groups rarely have control
over what singles are going to be released (only music giants like REM Rolling
Stones get to pick their singles). So the fact that Brick was released had
nothing to do with the band, other than the fact that they sing it. However,
after this Brick thing dies down, the group will have to find another single.
I know that it is still a little early because Brick is doing so well on the
charts, but eventually a new single will be released. And I know just the
song: Song for the Dumped. One can only hope that the industry and record
company will have enough balls to release and play the song. Edit out the
"fuck you too" and its ready to go. For those who think that the "bitch" part
will be a problem, all i have to say is:
Meredith Brooks: "Bitch"
Elton John: "The Bitch is Back"
Prodigy: "Smack my Bitch Up"
All were succesful singles. Except for maybe the Prodigy one. But that is
besides the point. So lets start pushing Song for the Dumped. And who knows,
maybe it will become an anthem for people who were dumped.
Also, I just wanted to add that I was at the rehearsal of Ben Folds Five
appearance on SNL. For those of you who aren't farmiliar with the Saturday
Night Live set-up, this is how it works: On Saturday Night, at about 7 pm,
NBC brings in an entire audience to watch the show. At these rehearsals, SNL
will show about 5 extra skits and throw in a couple extra dirty jokes to see
what the audience likes and what they can slip past the censors. Well, anyway,
my point is at that rehearsal Ben Folds Five played Brick (which aired live as
you all know later that night), but what you DIDNT see was that they also
played a kick-ass version of One Angry Dwarf and Two Hundred Solemn Faces. It
was the extended live version, also, not the way it ends on the album. I dont
know why they didnt get to play a second song that night on SNL like every
other band, but a lot of the country missed out on an incredible live
performance. Maybe the censors had a problem with "kiss my ass"...but its
still a weak excuse for not letting the band play a second song. (did it
bother anyone else that Samuel L. Jackson - the host of the episode - thanked
THE Ben Folds Five? just a thought..)
ok, this is long enough. anyone agree with me on Song For the Dumped? It
really captures the essence of the group...MUCH more than Brick. And anyone
whos been dumped can relate.
Aaron
PS- I also went to the hammerstein show on Feb 20...anyone know why it wasnt a
live at the 10 spot on mtv?..it was scheduled to be, but was canceled. And no,
I don't have bootleg copies, so please dont ask.
**All creativity is simply undetected plagarism**
- Mark
Twain
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 22:05:20, -0500
From: PFJH05D@prodigy.com (MISS JESSICA R BORASH)
Subject: just some info to read
i would love to hear the guys to some great 80's songs. i think ben
could sing "take on me" like it won't no thing. it might sound crazy
with the piano but i still think it would be awesome. also, i like
dawson's creek. i am so glad that bf5 is played on it. i am a die-
hard fan of these guy, just ask any of my friends, those ones of
course that all of you do not know. i am not one of the common
people to post on this list, but i think you may be seeing a lot more
of me soon. also, whoever said that they could do "scenes" was a
genius. that would be the best thing aside from hearing The Man
Himself do it. i think i would cry if i heard that. oh yeah, how
about "with or without you" or "don't dream it's over"? how sweet is
that?
jeskuh =>
and all my dreams they pivot and slip
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!
members.aol.com/hkupsgirl/index.html X-RAY DUDES!
members.aol.com/Sporq/sporq.html BIG RED SCOTT&THE
DESTROYERS!!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:33:35 EST
From: HiGeary <HiGeary@aol.com>
Subject: Brick is good...
Hi all,
A very cool friend of mine (hi Jessy) just gave me tapes of BFF playing a
Tokoyo concert which may have been before WAEA came out (maybe)...
My point is this...Ben is talking about Brick being this new song he just
wrote, and how cool it is that Robert is doing something new and they are
experimenting with their sound with him on the upright double bass...and he
sounds excited and happy and the song sounds beautiful!!! : )
Just cuz it's on the radio doesn't mean it isn't a good song...
thanks for listening : )
Rachael
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:36:48 EST
From: BuzDun <BuzDun@aol.com>
Subject: Jabs, misses! He's down for the count!
Didn't see Dawson's Creek. Don't particularly like Dawson's Creek either.
Would've preferred hearing 'Song For The Dumped' while Buffy The Vampire
Slayer beats the tar out of that miserable WB frog mascot.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:46:51 EST
From: HiGeary <HiGeary@aol.com>
Subject: Re: hidden track man..
I always thought the hidden track man on WAEA was Darren for some reason, but
I am in no way sure, and that is a good question.
Also, on my *new* Tokoyo boot tapes : ) - BFF starts to do a cover of Lyle
Lovett's song "Long Tall Texan" which I have never seen mentioned before so I
just had to cuz Lyle is the man and the CD that song is on is just the
coolest! I would love to hear them cover the song "My First Mistake" at a
concert I go to : )
anyone else out there like Lyle by the way? just curious...
Rachael
(wow, I guess I am no longer a lurker, huh? 3 posts in 3 days!)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:52:10 EST
From: BuzDun <BuzDun@aol.com>
Subject: Thoughts from the ether (neither)
How is it that BF5 sells out for doing a song for Godzilla but not for doing a
song for The Truth About Cats And Dogs?
I didn't know the latter was such a piece of cinematic mastery...
Well, anyway. Let's talk about bitch.
Yes, you heard me. You're a rich girl, and it's gone too far, but you know it
don't matter anyway. They've been floating that nasty little jab for years...
I can't see a radio station balking with "Dumped" as a single. Of course, my
favorite from the album will never get that honor because it's too short. Oh
yeah, I mean 'Cigarette'.
It's too slow, it's too short, it's too simple. The fact is, it's too good and
would stick out like a sore thumb amongst all the other offerings out there.
It's not a calculated single. That's why they ought to push it.
And I had a change of heart. I think I'd really like to see the band cover
either 'Caroline, No' or 'Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)' by the
Beach Boys. Heck, anything from Pet Sounds would do.
But that's just my $0.02.
DWD
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 00:06:47 EST
From: JediAnakin <JediAnakin@aol.com>
Subject: Selling out?
Why is everyone thinking BF5 is selling out? Because they are doing a song for
a soundtrack? Because evaporated was on "Dawson's Creek"? that's not selling
out, thats trying to make money, its the biz. If they decided to stop doing
music because they got paid lots and lots of money from some rich people, that
would be selling out. But, earning money and having a job is not selling
out.thanks for your time.
"We've come to see you, Eddie Walker"
chris
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:35:42 -0600
From: rcc35060@cmsu2.cmsu.edu (rebehka-christine-chrissy-meg-cramer)
Subject: umm....
to all the people who have been arguing back and forth and probably
screaming about hos and mothers and all that jazz...especially recently
with the whole cursing thing : i dont think that cursing has so much to do
with it with people on this list, its the MISSPELLINGS. nothing makes you
look stupider than to mean allowed and spell it aloud. true, i am a lazy
typist and dont use capitals or apostrophes, but dammit, if you cant spell
use the goddamn spell checker!!!
well. sorry, just random complaining.
why not. everyone else does it.
this is my story both humble and true, take it to pieces and mend it with glue.
everyones favorite chrissy (the silly old bananafish)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 00:33:58 EST
From: SyN3RG3 <SyN3RG3@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #879
Hey, for the NPXK46D guy, those lyrics to Bad Idea are the lyrics for the demo
version.. in the demo he DOES say fly fisher/sister and stuff. i personally
like the demo better than the real version because you can understand the
lyrics that time around... I mean, what the crap is sweet squirrel rim
anyway?? ... I hope this doesn't post the whole MA, i'm sorry if it does. I'm
still figuring out how to work this from the AOL thingy.. Also, i have a copy
of the college karma cd.. the radiohead rarities/b-sides.. i will make anyone
a copy if they want one in exchange for bootlegs, etc... from what i
understand only college djs or something are getting it right now. but i'm
probably wrong. if you want it, e-mail me. Sorry for the random nature of the
post. Also, I heard Evaporated on Dawson's Creek.. I started squealing like a
lunatic. Anyway. I wish they wouldn't have played that. I agree with the girl
that thought SFTD would have been better. I just don't want to see them become
"that slow song band" with the general public.. when we all know that they are
capable of SO MUCH more. =)
Thanks,
Celine
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 23:47:21 -0600
From: rcc35060@cmsu2.cmsu.edu (rebehka-christine-chrissy-meg-cramer)
Subject: thank you, you are a god.
>I think if anyone is selling out, it's Godzilla himself. That ugly
>bastard has been in so many movies that I don't think he really even
>thought were that good.
AMEN!! it needed to be said who the real bastard here was.
> acknowledgement of mix tapes as a
>quality in a person
thank you. i make a kick ass mix tape myself.
> it's how the music affects your life, and your ears, when
>you hear it. Everyone enjoys music differently.
my god, you hit the example nail right on the head. i wish i was that
articulate.
good question. who is that guy on the 'hidden track'? well it sounded like
they had about nine hundred of their closest friends there at the time as
well so the culprit could hide...hmmmm :-)
this is my story both humble and true, take it to pieces and mend it with glue.
everyones favorite chrissy (the silly old bananafish)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 00:49:32 EST
From: LeathrIdol <LeathrIdol@aol.com>
Subject: yay lou barlow
In a message dated 98-03-12 21:25:30 EST, you write:
<< think the same thing will happen to BF5 as what happened to
Sebadoh. I have loved Sebadoh for a really long time. Remember when
"Willing to Wait" was played like every five minutes last year? It's just
like "Brick" I think. All of us who love the Sebadohs and the Ben Folds
Fives will still go on loving them when they slip from the radio airplay
and go underground again. >>
ohhh, someone who loves sebadoh too. this song was never played on the radio
here in richmond, VA. "ocean" was, every once in a while... but never so much
that i got bored with it or annoyed that they were getting airplay. i still
love them, knowing all the words to all their other albums... the same may
happen to elliott smith, who i have loved for years... due to the good will
hunting soundtrack. i got sick, just thinking about how upset i would be if
he get into all the dumb little teenybopper hearts of those who watch MTV.
but i dealt with it with ben folds five, and i can deal with it happening to
everyone else. i can't blame anyone, it just happens when people hear
something different and it excites them. it's just that i was excited about
BFF when i heard them two and a half years ago. i hope people get the same,
amazing feeling hearing "brick" for the first time as i did when i heard "the
last polka."
sorry for ranting about the same old shit, but maybe someone will get it this
time.
***Melissa***
other "b" bands: bikini kill, bratmobile, boss hog, blast off country style,
ben lee
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 00:58:18 EST
From: Phisher XC <PhisherXC@aol.com>
Subject: IMPORTS
I am also looking for the imports...the actual imprts, not tapes of them. I
have the Brick one, and the One Angry Dwarf one, but I want the other ones,
especially the Loungapalooza one...is there a special place I can order it
from?
Ryan
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 02:00:16 -0500
From: Richard Challen <rchallen@clemson.campus.mci.net>
Subject: Kyle's Mom Is A Big Fat Bitch In D Minor
The subject of "bitch" in the modern rock world: Emphasis DOES make a
difference. Meredith Brooks gets away with saying "bitch" over and over
because she's referring to herself... a semi-self-loathing thing, kinda
like Radiohead's "Creep." Ditto "The Bitch Is Back"... Elton referring
to himself.
Further down on the "bitch" acceptance list is the standard phrase,
"it's a bitch" or "ain't that a bitch" (see Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl").
In this case, no target is specified... it's just a figure of speech.
Finally, WAY DOWN on the "bitch" acceptance list: Using "bitch" to
address a female in a derogatory fashion. This includes "Song For The
Dumped," as well as "Dre Day" (where every reference to "bitch" was
censored), Lil Kim's "Queen Bitch" (the radio version is "Queen B"), and
NUMEROUS other equally-censored hip-hop songs. And oh yeah, Prodigy's
"Smack My Bitch Up" only got airplay on 10 stations in the country...
and that was after 11 PM. (Just like MTV.)
In short, any term that address a female--or any minority for that
matter--in a derogatory way is usually off-limits for conservative
radio... with a few minor exceptions. Which, when you think about it, is
actually not so bad.
- --rICH
p.s. i still wouldn't mind new b-sides, tho.
Visit The RICH Homepage and check out the brand-new CD,
LIFE/DEATH... 15 songs of romance and retribution...
Available independently from Desperate Man Records.
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/9035
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 17:09:05 +1000
From: "Grover" <grover@powerup.com.au>
Subject: Nightswimming/Brick
Heylo,
Being a fan of both REM & BFF, I know both of these songs fairly well...
and the only similarities I see are that they're both beautiful songs,
fairly quiet & have great piano parts... otherwise?
However, I'm not surprised the likes of Helen Razer would link these up...
after all, similar tempo & the same instrument, it'd have to be the same,
right? I'd have to point out here that I'm not sure that this woman can
possibly concentrate on anything other than herself for more than three
seconds at a time, so perhaps subconsciously these could be closely
associated to comment... Anyone with an interest in dissection may wish to
remove this woman's vocal chords & do the human race a favour
Erin
"It's uncanny, you'd think it was me"
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 15:49:14 +0800
From: "DesByrne" <DesByrne@bigpond.com>
Subject: Brenda and Eddie...
Quick question;
Someone offers you several thousands of dollars to create a song for a
soundtrack which will also promote your band, allowing you to become
recognised more so than before and may therefore lead to bigger and better
things. Do you_
a. Accept the money and say "Thanks for coming!"
or
b. Do you pass on the option because a couple of whining imbeciles (who
call themselves fans) on the armchair think that would mean you are
'selling out'.
Now I could be kidding myself but I'm tipping most people might choose a.
Clayton
"Brenda and Eddie were the popular steady's and the King and Queen of the
Prom"
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #882
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