THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #1535 - May 18, 1999
Magical Armchair Digest Tuesday, May 18 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1535
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1532
phoenicians...
San Fran show
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1532
Aquarian Weekly interview (long)
Stuff
Got Sarcasm?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 20:03:30 EDT
From: GTIbean@aol.com
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1532
i would like this opportunity to publicly thank george for being an idiot.
his comments up to this point have been malicious, annoying, and totally
unnecessary.
even though george sees himself as the ruler of the armchair who is superior
to all others,
we all know he's just a sad little boy trying to make himself feel better.
goodbye george,
- -ben
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 20:08:36 EDT
From: Beckyn22@aol.com
Subject: phoenicians...
my heartfelt condolences to the citizens of seattle...really, i mean it. that
blows.
however, the phoenix show is still on and i have front-row seats...any
phoenix armchairers interested in hanging at the show, email me.
cheers,
becky
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 18:45:22 -0700
From: Kim Litzius <kglitzius@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: San Fran show
>Does anybody know when tickets for the 6/18 San Francisco show go onsale?
>And who is opening?
Isn't the show on 6/13? Anyhow, I've been looking all over the place at all
the websites, and none of the ticket agencies list the concert on the 13th
(or the 18th for that matter). I called Bass and they said it wasn't even
in the system yet but to call back on Wednesday. And I think Ben Harper is
opening or appearing or something like that. It's on Frank's website. Hope
this helps!!!
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 21:51:41 EDT
From: Jsonnet98@aol.com
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1532
Hi everyone!
Ok, I'm new to this...but I just wanted to ask if anyone is going to
the show in Raleigh, NC on the 27th....it's my first time seeing them live!!
How exciting!! I wish I could tellya to look out for me because I'll be
wearing ____....but I'm just too darn indecisive to plan ahead like that
:)~~~~~Joanna
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 22:12:44 EDT
From: "Jennifer Ackerman" <jeniac_1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aquarian Weekly interview (long)
Well, this is an auspicious day for me--my first post after a good year and
a half on the list. This is an interview with Ben from a NJ music newspaper
called the Aquarian Weekly. I'm sorry, because this is pretty long, but the
paper doesn't seem to have a webpage, so I'm posting the whole thing here.
It's a pretty interesting article, I think, with Ben a bit more open than
usual. Sorry in advance if someone has already posted this, and for any
typos...
Ben Folds Five: Flowing Between the Shores of Joy and Sadness
By Lydia Carole DeFretos
<Introduction, which was nothing new, snipped>
Q: Back in March of ^Ò97, before ^ÑBrick^Ò hit, you said, ^ÑI want to make
eccentric records and not get stuck into a chasm. I don^Òt want to fear
failure because of a lack of radio acceptance.^Ò You also said, ^ÑI don^Òt
need an MTV video.^Ò
A: I don^Òt think that^Òs necessary, still. It^Òs the path of least resistance
for us. It^Òs easier to do a video than it is to not do a video. If a video
was an issue with me, if I really gave a shit one way or another, then maybe
we wouldn^Òt do one or we^Òd do one well. I think it^Òs a weakness of mine.
But since I don^Òt really care or understand videos, there I am. It^Òs easier
for me to show up for three days than it is for me to argue about it for
five months. And I really don^Òt know what the outcome would be if we didn^Òt
do a video. I know what the outcome is if you do a video. If you get a lot
of radio airplay, they^Òll play the video, too. And the airplay will show an
increase in sales and the video won^Òt. But I don^Òt know [to] what extent
doing a video supports other things that are invisible that wouldn^Òt have
been there if it weren^Òt for the video. You don^Òt know if you took out the
brick in the middle if it would still stand.
Q: No pun intended, right? You said you were surprised that ^ÑBrick^Ò became
a hit.
A: Yeah, but I^Òm not surprised anymore, because since it was, that^Òs just
the way it is. I heard it on the radio two or three times just in the last
couple of days.
Q: I know with ^ÑBrick^Ò you really didn^Òt want to become a spokesperson on
abortion.
A: No, that wasn^Òt the ting behind writing the song. That was the
challenge, to make it not an issue song. I knew that when we went out there
with it, I was going to be very nebulous about my answer while the song
established itself. Then, when it hit a plateau, I decided, ^ÑOkay, I^Òll
admit what it^Òs about.^Ò It^Òs not meant to preach, it^Òs just about a feeling.
Q: I agree with you where you said that you can be a spokesperson and hear
yourself talk and be adored for that, but that^Òs usually a fleeting thing.
A: That^Òs not cool. That^Òs not me. As far as I go about preaching about
that song, was that I would tell high school kids or fans, ^ÑIf there^Òs
anything about the song that^Òs sad at all, just multiply that by about a
thousand, and that'^Ò what it^Òs like to be there.^Ò That^Òs about all I can
tell you about it. To me that^Òs much more of a real thing than someone
having an argument about when life begins, at conception or birth, and who^Òs
right politically, and all that kind of bullshit. It really shouldn^Òt even
be a political issue.
Q: In the past you^Òve said that you^Òve had people come up to you after
shows and saying that it was cool you didn^Òt play ^ÑBrick.^Ò You said you
stopped playing it not to make a point, but more because you weren^Òt playing
it very well.
A: It^Òs easily a half-octave below my range.
Q: Did you write it on purpose like that?
A: Yeah, I did, because I was in the studio when I wrote it and you can
whisper in a studio. You can^Òt do that when you play a live show. You have
to be able to support the notes with some of power, because it^Òs got to
project.
Q: Have you been doing it on this tour?
A: We did it once. If there^Òs like 20,000 people there, I^Òll do it. If
it^Òs one of our normal shows where it^Òs fans, then we don^Òt really need to
bother with it, because they^Òve all got the record so they can hear it. It
sounds better there.
Q: You experience a sort of writer^Òs block when it came time to work on
material for the new album.
A: I always do, yeah.
Q: Is it true that at one point the fear got so bad that you actually asked
your manager is he could arrange it for you to play piano on Elliot Smith^Òs
tour instead of making another record?
A: Yeah, I wanted to call Elliot up and see if he wanted me to play piano
with him.
Q: Were you serious?
A: Absolutely serious. I almost did it once. I know that it was not such
a good thing just to volunteer. It was a weird conversation where I was
like ^ÑWhy don^Òt you just use my piano?^Ò
Q: And as you explained, ^ÑI^Òd write a set of lyrics, then come into the
studio the next day know that we^Òd spent a quarter of a million dollars, and
everyone^Òs looking at me like ^ÑOkay, what^Òs this about?^Ò That must be a
very intimidating feeling.
A: Yeah, it kind of is. It^Òs so backwards to have the money spent,
everything^Òs in place, someone^Òs told you the release date, how many records
they^Òre shipping, that they need a single^×and you don^Òt even know if you^Òve
written a single yet. That^Òs really weird. It^Òs a lot of pressure. But
obviously, I put myself in that position. That means I need that kind of
pressure, otherwise I^Òd sit on my fat ass.
Q: You^Òve talked about how your family lived in 15 houses before you
graduated high school, how you changed majors, switched girlfriends, and how
your high school advisor told you he thought you^Òd never be able to stick
with anything.
A: Actually, that wasn^Òt my high school advisor. I went to major my first
semester in percussion to play drums and I couldn^Òt decide if I wanted to
stay in that or quit that and move on to another^ÅAnd when I went to tell him
I was moving on, he was like, ^ÑLook, you don^Òt seem to be able to stick with
anything, I don^Òt think. You^Òre just going to end up nowhere.^Ò When you^Òre
like 16 years old, which I was, you just think, ^ÑOh, shit, there^Òs something
wrong with me.^Ò
Q: Then you got married very early. I did too. And you got divorced. I
did too. We^Òre both members of the divorced club here.
A: Joy. I like that club now. I don^Òt really like the club, I like
knowing that there^Òs other people in it.
Q: Then you got married again and divorced again. I^Òve been engaged a
couple more times, so we^Òre sort of in the same place.
A: A lot of times it^Òs easier to get a divorce than it is to break off an
engagement. I think that^Òs harder to do.
Q: You^Òve said that the one and only thing you^Òve been able to stick with
is this band, That^Òs quite a testimony to the band.
A: I^Òm glad you see it that way.
Q: I can relate. I haven^Òt had much success with relationships, but I^Òve
been working for the paper for almost 22 years.
A: I guess that just goes to show you that there^Òs only a certain amount of
focus you can have.
Q: But you^Òve also said that you wanted to quit this band more than
anything.
A: Yeah, because it^Òs such hard work, that^Òs why. Rob Tannenbaum just did
this article for Details, he^Òs a really good writer and I like him a lot. I
was trying to explain to him what I meant by that quote. What I meant by
it, and it seemed to be taken out of context, was more of the way you read
it. It^Òs such a cool thing that I^Òm doing, that I^Òd be an idiot to quit.
I^Òd have nothing left if I did that, because it^Òs that only thing that I^Òve
done that has any meaning or focus to it.
Q: Let^Òs talk about the new album. You had no idea that Reinhold Messner
was a real person, the first man to climb Mt. Everest without oxygen. That
was just the name you used on fake ID^Òs when you were in high school. Did
you ever get in touch with Messner?
A: Yeah, we did. Our manager talked to him. He^Òs famous, not so much in
the United States, but he endorses a lot of products in Europe.
Q: This time you did most of the recording at Sound City in California
instead of home in North Carolina. What difference did the location make?
A: It was a good vibe difference. Before we needed a
^Ñwrite-a-postcard-from-home^Ò vibe. This record, we needed the ^ÑThis is
important and we need to broadcast it to the world^Ò vibe. That^Òs what I get
from LA, because everything you pass you see on tv, in movies and books and
stuff. So, there^Òs no reason to think that the thing you^Òre working on
isn^Òt going to get broadcast in the same way. So, you^Òre really aware of
the immediate reception.
Q: Once again you worked with producer Caleb Southern, who^Òs done all your
albums and is like a member of the band, right?
A: For all practical purposes, yeah.
Q: Since it^Òs such a winning combination, can you ever foresee a time when
you might want to work with a different producer, or produce by yourselves?
A: I^Òd love to do either one of those things. We never know when we go in
to do an album if we^Òre going to work with Caleb again, We don^Òt know if
it^Òs time for us to grow up and do it by ourselves. But every time it gets
close, it just seems so obvious that he^Òs part of the band, and we can^Òt do
it without him.
Q: The album opens with a very cool, orchestral piece, ^ÑNarcolepsy.^Ò
You^Òve commented on ^Ñchecking out,^Ò how your mind can just go to sleep. Of
course, at some point, you have to check back in.
A: True. That^Òs why there^Òs the river analogy in the lyrics of ^Ñflowing
between the shores of joy and sadness.^Ò The guy in the song recognizes that
if he can get out of his sleep state, he^Òs going to have deal with some sad,
too. He^Òd rather do that than just be numb.
Q: ^ÑDon^Òt Change Your Plans^Ò is one of the most amazing songs I^Òve ever
heard. Is it safe to assume that it^Òs going to be the second single?
A: It^Òs a distinct possibility, yeah.
Q: Isn^Òt that what Caleb had in mind when he chopped the instrumental intro
out to turn it into a pop song?
A: He wanted it to be a single, and I didn^Òt think it was. I just saw it
as a piece of music. And I heard it taking its time, building into a song.
You know the way ^ÑNarcolepsy^Ò has a minute and a half of music before the
singing starts. That^Òs the way I heard it.
Q: Did you ever record ^ÑDon^Òt Change^Ò with the complete instrumental
opening that you had intended?
A: Yeah. We were recording it like that while I was working on the words;
working the form out and stuff. We recorded it once and listened to it. We
were like, ^ÑOkay, this is starting to sounds like a song now.^Ò But the
lyrics weren^Òt quite focused yet.
We took a break, came back, and Caleb had cut the beginning totally off. He
had put this double chorus at the end to show me that it was a pop song.
Thus began a night of negotiation on the form between me and Caleb with
Robert stuck in the middle because there^Òs shitloads of math and chord
changes going on. But it came good.
Q: The first single is ^ÑArmy.^Ò At what point did you know that was going
to be the single?
A: We knew that while the mix was happening.
Q: Regardless, you put the line in there about being ^Ñfucking high.^Ò
A: It^Òs kind of hard to explain. I have a weird relationship with singles.
I was totally okay with 30-second songs all weaved together into one long
song. That^Òs probably stupid, but it was okay with me at the time. I think
it might have been okay with Robert. I know it wasn^Òt okay with Caleb or
Darren. They just kind of figured I^Òd start to write songs after awhile.
After awhile, Darren brought in ^ÑMagic,^Ò and it was like, ^ÑOh, that^Òs
right, we do songs.^Ò It occurred to me I should blow things up to songs.
We were kind of having fun with sections, if that makes any sense. My head
really wasn^Òt there. But as soon as it was obvious we had a single (with
^ÑMagic^Ò) I went, like, that can^Òt be the first single.
Q: Why not?
A: It^Òs just not like the band to put out a slow, reflective song first,
because we have to go out and tour.
Q: Were you upset about having to edit out the word ^Ñfucking^Ò in ^ÑArmy?^Ò
A: I wasn^Òt happy about trying to fit part of the vocal in during the mix.
Q: At one point, you mentioned how you^Òd like to dismantle the whole
alternative genre of music.
A: Not single-handedly, but yeah, I would.
Q: You were talking about how it^Òs ^Ñmall music.^Ò
A: It^Òs totally mall music. It^Òs mainstream. It^Òs fucking brainless
muzak. Some of it^Òs good, but for the most part, it^Òs mommy^Òs boy shit.
It^Òs like, ^Ñdo what you^Òre told.^Ò
Q: There are so many bands that are almost interchangeable. They look and
sound the same.
A: And they^Òre doing exactly what they^Òre told. They^Òre so bad with their
tattoos. They probably have some sort of clause in their contracts.
_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 22:19:24 EDT
From: Eze114@aol.com
Subject: Stuff
I was curious about who is rapping on For Those of Y'all That Wear Fanny
Packs. I didn't think it was Ben the whole time--it sounds different. Let me
know if you know. I found a fellow BFF lover who goes to my school today. I
am so happy!! -Erin
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 23:21:42 EDT
From: Pianogtar@aol.com
Subject: Got Sarcasm?
In a message dated 5/16/99 9:45:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
owner-armchair@maillist.il.fontys.nl writes:
<< George, just chill, man. We don't all need to hear your innermost thoughts
on
everything under the sun. Please, people, I beg of you all, let's keep this
digest on topic and on a friendly wavelength. I did not subscribe to it to
watch people bash each other.
Thank you and "goodnight" >>
Well I will chill out as soon as they make a herbal remedy that helps a
person do so.
<<<<real men don't use porn.>>
Why not?>>
You know the men who do use porn are those that end up dating miss Michigan.
<<That was indeed a classic moment on the Armchair when Slk24kgj@aol.com
posted
about our friend Pianogtar@aol.com's rude comments, right before another rude
post. I then skipped over the post by Pianogtar@aol.com without reading it.
Thanks for the warning Slk24kgj! Just one great digest after another...>>
Yeah I wonder if Slk24kgj even has a real name? Well I think that he may
could pull off another one tomorrow so you won't read again. :/
<>
Yeah I hear that your the charter member of the I hate George club. And
Besides who is Cram in 97 anyways? Does he actually even have a name?
<<I've seen that one scene is Swingers when they talk about the
Quentin/Scorsese thing one too many times.>>
I got that movie at the library today, will probably watch it tomorrow. I've
heard that it was pretty good, but that is what they say about all miramax
films anyways, and the last one sucked whatever it was, The 13 year old love
story or something like that, anyways. :/
<<Anyway, moving on to something that's (almost) related to BFF, my roommate
randomly and mysteriously got a promo Fleming & John CD single in the mail,
complete with the sticker warning us not to re-sell the thing.>>
If you can't get it in the mail you can buy it at the record store for
between $1 and $8.
<>
I thought Budda was the only one who could enlighten?
<<arse = ass.
arse is the australian (and brit?) spelling.
so there ya go!>>
If you say so.
<<ok, with this Sarah-vs-George who cares, and if you simply HAVE to send hate
mail do it privatly-not on the list.>>
Or you can take it to the ring on the Magical Armchiar Deathmatch.
George
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1535
***************************************
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