THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #1505 - May 4, 1999
Magical Armchair Digest Tuesday, May 4 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1505
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Sound Republic on VH1
I HAVE AN EXTRA TICKET FOR PARK WEST
Chicago Show
Break rumors are untrue!
Musical Genius
Is Ben...
Re: your redneck ass
Another opinion
I thought about...
Toronto Show Get Together?
Ah, Liz Phair: In Love?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 16:16:09 EDT
From: Snlpiscopo@aol.com
Subject: Sound Republic on VH1
Does anyone know where i can get MP3's of the Ben Folds Five Uncut that was
on VH1 and had songs from that Private Sound Republic Show?
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 16:32:37 EDT
From: SkaGem610@aol.com
Subject: I HAVE AN EXTRA TICKET FOR PARK WEST
I have an extra ticket for the park west show tonight on MAY 3rd
E-mail SKAGEM610@aol.com if you are intrested HURRY UP BECAUSE IT'S TONIGHT
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 15:38:01 -0500
From: "Lewis, Sam" <slewis@spss.com>
Subject: Chicago Show
Anyone have extra tickets for the Chicago shows?
If yes, contact me privately. To the rest of you, hello - My name is Sam
Lewis and I was a member a while back. Still a HUGE fan!
I hope this breakup thing is Bulls*@t.
Sam
http://www.angelfire.com/il/showtime/falkner.html - Yo! My new Jason
Falkner site!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 17:02:55 -0400 (EWT)
From: Frank Maynard <maynard@oeonline.com>
Subject: Break rumors are untrue!
Several people have reported rumors to me about the band breaking up, with
an announcement expected tomorrow. They seem to originate from "someone I
know at Sony".
Band management reports that this is not true (they've heard it too). Ben
confirmed this morning that there are no such plans. So relax everyone,
and enjoy the Chicago and Toronto shows this week and the UK tour next
week.
Other miscellanous news of interest:
-- The album has debuted at #5 on the Australian charts and #22 on the
British chart this week. US numbers are due tomorrow and could be as high
as a top 40 debut.
-- Sales figures in Japan have been great. Almost 100,000 copies sold so
far.
-- CBC Radio Two will be recording the Toronto show Wednesday night for
a future broadcast of "RadioSonic", their excellent Saturday-night music
show.
-fjm
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 15:02:22 -0700
From: Kyle Smith <kjs77@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Musical Genius
I am fairly new to the armchair but I am a big BF5 fan. I have been
listening to other peoples comments on the new album and I was thinking
about what people were saying and I thought I would put my two cents on
but if it changes your perception of the music then just throw whatever
I am about to say out. When I first started listening to the TUBORM I
was not so sure that I liked it. I missed the traditional songs that
you expect from a band these days and I wasn't so sure of what they were
trying to do. The more I kept listening to it though the more I kept
recognizing what a musical genius Ben is and how great of an
accomplishment this album is. This really is an album that is telling
you a story, it uses music to ellicit emotions and brings a picture
together of this person Reinhold Messner. I think the boys must have
been sitting around and they got this idea in their head. Darren and
his friends had all these fake ID's. There were five guys running
around named Reinhold Messner but who is this guy. So they made up a
story of his life and set it to music. They made a musical of his
life. This explains the more mellow tone of the album because it is not
a pop album, it is like listening to the soundtrack from phantom of the
opera. The songs sound more like a musical than pop songs especially
songs like Narcolepsy. In regrets I even have to think that they make a
reference to R.M. getting arrested for something one of the boys with
fake ID's did. They said there must be thousands of people with the
same name. Anyway, they put together a brilliant album that is a
biography of this fictional characters life. They are able to excell at
this genera of music showing the bands versatility and they show a lot
of guts by making something like this. Even Army which is more of a pop
song does sound like something that could have come out of a modern
musical like rent. This is just what I thought. I don't think that
this is a biography of Bens life. I think they just made up a story
about R.M. and if you listen it is a pretty good story and a great CD.
I think this CD shows the bands musical genius more than any other CD.
Their other CD's are great and the songs are wonderfull but this CD
really shows the musical tallent of the band and the creative minds that
are working that you really dont see in many bands today. This album
kicks some major ass.
Kyle
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:06:58 EDT
From: DeepRest00@aol.com
Subject: Is Ben...
Is Ben Folds MARRIED??
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:16:26 EDT
From: DeepRest00@aol.com
Subject: Re: your redneck ass
I hear it too! I even checked the lyric booklet. It would be a cool idea
though, "your redneck ass"
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 15:33:07 PDT
From: "joanna walker" <joannawalker@hotmail.com>
Subject: Another opinion
Hey everyone-
I haven't posted anything on the Armchair in many months. I usually just
skim it these days. But, I sat down and really READ a couple of issues
today, and am surprised by the reaction to TUBORM.
I don't think the album is such a dramatic departure from the "old stuff." I
(like many of you, I'm sure) have all the albums, all the singles, Fear of
Pop, everything, and it seems to me that TUBORM is exactly where Ben has
been headed from the beginning. You have to remember that "Underground" was
written MANY years ago. If Ben were to continue writing songs like the ones
he wrote 10 years ago, he wouldn't be much of an artist would he?
To me, TUBORM sounds like the result of a very natural evolution of a band
that's getting older, has more money to play with, and probably, more
musical skill than they did when they started. I know the band's music as
well as any fan, and I was not surprised at all by the album.
Comments?
P.S. Who else out there thinks that Ben could/should write a musical?
_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:35:23 EDT
From: DeepRest00@aol.com
Subject: I thought about...
Hmmmm
I thought about the army
"That's just what I was thinking about"
I thought about sitting on the floor in 2nd grade...
Weird, huh??
Oh well
Amanda
Sorry I put so many posts this time, once I get going, I cant stop
PS> Does anybody know if Ben FOlds Five are coming to St. Louis anytime? I
missed them before, and there is no chance I am gonna miss them again
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 19:03:20 -0400
From: "Robbie C." <echap@netcom.ca>
Subject: Toronto Show Get Together?
Yes, I am aware this is short notice, but is anyone who is planning on
attending the Toronto show have any desire to meet up either beforehand
or afterwards to...um...well, do something. I don't really know what
yet. However, please Email me privately, and I'll get back to you.
Robbie C.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 19:31:23 -0400
From: "Robbie C." <echap@netcom.ca>
Subject: Ah, Liz Phair: In Love?
Just to go along with that Don't Change Your Plans post, I hate to
spoil all preconcieved notions about Fair being about some lovers spat,
where the husband is killed by the wife (or something like that). Just
because Ben says that 'story 'in concert doesn't mean it's true. We all
know they love lying to the press, right? Well, I say that Ben has made
a mockery of us all. He has skirted the truth for too long, and it is
about time the lies stop! The truth of the matter is, Fair is actually
about his maddening obsession with super-rocker Liz Phair.
Proof, you say? How about these juicy tidbits:
- -The song is actually about how Ben thinks that Lizzy is in love with
him, yet is confused that she is not enthralled by his stalking tactics.
The stage is set with a drunken ben stumbling after Liz's limo after a
concert, and jumping onto the hood. Liz instructs the driver to brake,
tossing Ben the crazy stalker into a truck. However, as he lays bloodied
after being hit by the ongoing traffic, Ben fools himself into thinking
that she braked so she could tell Ben how much he loved him. Oh, the
pain of a piano man in love. I heard Billy Joel went through this same
thing with that supermodel ex-wife of his...
- -The scene shifts to be contemplating his stalking of the Phairest one
of all. He wonders if she got his letter (undoubtably filled with naked
pictures and/or those words made up of various newspaper
clippings...like you'd do if you kidnapped someone), and if he should
continue calling, because he has a feeling that she doesn't see the
letters, as they are probably caught by a screener, as all good celebs
have. He wonders if he is right about Liz's love, but realizes that he
is "lonely and right" about his love...he is alone with Liz, and he
knows that his obsession must continue. Ben knows he can't get Elizabeth
out of his mind and dreams, just like that girl who stalked Letterman a
while back. So, he decides to contemplate death. He imagines himself
having mouth to mouth done to him by Liz, ("all this breathing in, never
breathing out"), after she dashes through a throng of people to try to
save the man she only realized that she loved. But ben has come to the
sane thought that Ms. Phair has seen the worst he has to offer, and will
never be his, so he proceeds to spend the rest of his life touring with
a band, proclaiming that Liz Phair was indeed in love with him ("Ah Liz
Phair, Ah Liz Phair, in love"). The reason for his excessive touring,
and the occasional playing of Lizzy's Chopsticks at shows? Ben is
looking for 'A crowd to watch him bear the pain" of the lost love of
Liz.
So, now, please listen to Fair, um, I mean Phair, once again. You
may just have a different opinion. Or maybe not. Who knows.
Awaiting the hate mail (please, oh please!)
Robbie C.
"Buh ba bap. Buh ba bap. Buh ba bap. Ah b-b-ba bap"
-Ben Folds Five
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1505
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