THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR

The Ben Folds Five Digest

Issue #381 - July 1, 1997



Magical Armchair Digest     Tuesday, July 1 1997     Volume 01 : Number 381



                           THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:

    hey, submitting something here.............. 
    MTV is lame 
    One more thing 
    waiting and waiting for the song book 
    BFF to be featured On the Arts
    Stuff
    BF5 in Kentucky...
    Yet another dream
    Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #380 
    To sing or not to sing...
    Re: shepherds bush july 1st 
    Why isn't Ben coming? 
    Shepherds Bush Help! 
    Sessions at West 54th...TV Guide discrepancies...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 22:30:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: GAP3@aol.com
Subject: hey, submitting something here.............. 

hey BFF fans.

i just recently got "into" the whole BFF scene, and i think that they're
awesome!  the only album that i've got it "whatever &ever amen", and it
rocks!  i'm going to the H.O.R.D.E. concert, and can't wait to see'em there.
if anybody can help me find some of there other good CD's i'd appreciate it
ALOT!!!!!!

peace,mejlgu

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 22:42:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: SweetyX1@aol.com
Subject: MTV is lame 

So I was sitting in front of the television on Sunday. MTV was playing a
promotional segment for M2. Guess who was introducing videos??? Ben Folds
Five!!!!! I was so excited. Apparently they were too. They looked so cute,
almost out of place to be on M2. But they introduced a couple of songs. Just
wanted to share! 


Hasta la bye bye,
Deidre

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 22:49:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: SweetyX1@aol.com
Subject: One more thing 

I don't know if you guys know this or not, but Ben's favorite song and video
is Pat Benettar.  Ya'll wanna guess which one? :o)~ Have fun!!

Hasta la bye bye,

Deidre

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:42:19 -0400
From: jfk <jfk@nacs.net>
Subject: waiting and waiting for the song book 

Any word on how long the song book is gonna be? Has anybody located one or
put together some piano transcripts? I've been on this list for about 6
months and this is my first post. Thanks, Jim
jfk@nacs.net

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:43:57 -0400
From: Philip Conliffe <pconliffe@opinionsearch.com>
Subject: BFF to be featured On the Arts

According to the send-off on last week's show, the band will be featured on
the next episode of On the Arts with David Gilmour on CBC Newsworld in
Canada.  The show is on at various times on the weekend including Saturdays
at 1:30pm and 8:30pm and Fridays at 10:30pm (I think).  These times are all
EDT.  If it's anything like their previous music segments, it will feature
Kim Hughes of the Edge talking about the band with David interspersed with
video clips, an interview, and hopefully footage from the Toronto show.   

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 00:19:32 -0000
From: "Bryan L. Brown" <idaho@appstate.campus.mci.net>
Subject: Stuff

I haven't submitted in a while.  I haven't seen a show in a while either. 
I guess I can cure one of these ills.  

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THE BOYS WILL BE BACK EAST?

My top 10 list of BFF singles:

1.  Philosophy  (by far the most artful and one of the better tunes I've
seen live)
2.  Boxing  (Pure Genius)
3.  Brick
4.  The Last Polka
5.  Summer B
6.  Missing the War
7.  Alice Childress
8.  Jackson Cannery
9.  Uncle Walter
10.  Steven's Last Night in Town

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 00:24:54 EDT 
From: sandishortcake@juno.com
Subject: BF5 in Kentucky...

Hey, just thought I'd mention that I while at a bookstore in Louisville,
KY today (I am just here to nanny for 2 weeks, I actually live in Ohio)
some girl in the children's book section came up to me and said "I LOVE
Ben Folds Five!"  I was totally caught off guard!  Someone in KENTUCKY
knows who BF5 is?  I found that so strange.  So I talked to her for a bit
and she said that they get played on some public radio station in this
area...anyone out there know which station she's referring to?  She
couldn't remember what station it is...I'm only here for 2 weeks, but I
haven't found ANY stations to listen to, so any help would be greatly
appreciated!  Thanks!

Sandi

P.S.  New BF5 pictures are up on my web site (ones I took at the
Cincinatti and Pittsburgh shows), go to 
http://kent.edu/~sshorter/bf5.html
and surf around from there, or else to go directly to the most recent
ones:
http://kent.edu/~sshorter/bfpic1.html
http://kent.edu/~sshorter/bfpic2.html
(I THINK that's right...I have no access to it from KY, so don't hold it
against me if I'm wrong!)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 97 04:19:42 -0500
From: Michael Bluejay <bluejay@pobox.com>
Subject: Yet another dream

Last night I was poised for one of my best BF5 dreams ever.  In the dream 
I had just seen them play a small show here in Austin, which was only 
small because it was a surprise show promoted only by word of mouth -- 
they're too big now to play small shows otherwise.  Anyway, I went around 
to the back of the club afterward to see if I could catch them, and lo 
and behold, all three of them were there, and there wasn't anybody else 
there, so I had the opportunity to ask all my questions without cutting 
it short to give equal time to the other fans.  But just as I was about 
to ask Ben for the answers to life, the universe, and everything, the 
phone rang and woke me up -- it was my drummer wanting to know when to 
pick me up for our gig tonight.  Damn!  I felt like yelling at him, but 
it wasn't his fault.

 -- Michael Bluejay (Austin, TX)

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  http://pobox.com/bluejay  | Home of AUSTIN MUSIC, KING CHEESE, 
                            |  BIKING IN AUSTIN, VEGETARIAN pages, & more
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 09:19:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: BSCHACK@aol.com
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #380 

In a message dated 97-06-29 20:22:02 EDT, you write:

<< From: Derek Scott <scoco@netspace.net.au>
 Subject: track faves list 
 
 here I go again, jumpig off the Harbour Bridge.....
 1. One Angry Dwarf.....
 2. Philosophy / Fair (AHHhhh! I can't decide! half each!)
 3. Brick
 4. Where's Summer B?
 5. Selfless, Cold and Composed
 6. Underground / Kate (Ahhhhhh!!!! I can't decide AGAIN! half each)
 7. Sports and Wine
 8. Cigarette
 9. Steven's Last Night in Town
 10. Battle...
 11. Last Polka
 12. Evaporated
 (13. Song For The Dumped - Japanese version)
  >>

I am never one to question other's tastes or opinions, and I wouldn't do so
here, but I'm curious how Cigarette got on this list instead of Uncle Walter.
 If my memory serves me, this is the first such list I've seen where this
choice was made.  I mean, c'mon, I don't know if I've ever heard a bass line
in my life like in Uncle Walter, and the way Ben's piano interplays with
that... I just don't understand how Cigarette competes with that.  But, I'm
curious, maybe I'm missing something, Derek.  What is it about Cigarette or
Uncle Walter that led you to this choice?  I'm anxious to hear your
explanation.  (Please don't take this the wrong way-I'm not knocking your
opinion, I'm just curious as to your thinking behind it :->)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 97 15:13:00 PDT
From: "Riley, Adrian D [DBE]" <A.D.Riley@lmu.ac.uk>
Subject: To sing or not to sing...

When I saw BFF play Sheffield UK last year, Robert got a bit stroppy when 
everyone was singing along (loud and out of tune) to the opening of 
'Underground'.
Ben however found the situation amusing - perhaps Robert often gets annoyed?

I also heard him complaining on Radio 1s gig diary (or whatever it's called) 
about the antics of the crowd spoiling a gig, when some 'pogo-ers' had 
'pogoed' onto his pedals and messed them up.

My question is - do YOU the concert-goers get annoyed by the mass 
singalongs, pogo-ers, talkers, shouters etc. at the gigs? Or do you think 
it's all part of the atmosphere?

Personally, I love to see people enjoying themselves but when the crowd are 
singing louder than the band it spoils it - after all I paid to see and hear 
BFF play and sing - not to hear the bloke next to me belt out his rendition 
whilst the girl in front insists on sitting on her boyfriends shoulders 
blocking the entire view.

Hey, perhaps I'm just a bad tempered old stick in the mud...

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 12:08:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Esmailes@aol.com
Subject: Re: shepherds bush july 1st 

1 day to go until we see BFF at Shepherds bush in London: in case anyone
cares I heard that they are being supported by a band called Ether (?) who
are meant to sound like Elvis Costello , might be ok, but who can beat the
Swedish Mystic Meg lookalike we saw in March? 
I have had my first BFF dream, it makes no sense to write down but i will
anyway: going to see BFF with some mates i was keen to get there early to get
a good place near the front. for some reason I thought the audience would sit
on a pavement corner and BFF would play in the street, but it turned out the
show was in a sports centre , and when we got there we were confused to find
everyone was German. Then we realised that we were actually IN Germany, so it
made sense, except i don't know how we got there at all.
see you tomorrow!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 16:37:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Hotdoglove@aol.com
Subject: Why isn't Ben coming? 

to Atlanta!--dirty minds (tsk tsk)

I'll indulge myself and send in my top 12 now, just to be ornery...wait, this
is TOO hard for me...each song has it's own special je nais sais qiou (?????)
(I just wanted to sound smart--and prove a point)  How about this:  instead
of picking our fave songs off of each album, list your favorite parts of
songs...
Example:  The excellent harmonizing on Where's Summer B?...the three separate
jamming parts on Song For The Dumped...the bridge of Evaporated..."yeah, and
she breathes" in Kate...Robert and Darren ALONE on "Underground"...Ben's
little sigh at the end of "Brick"...the way they all sound like chickens on
"Fair"!!!!

These are only a FEW of the many delights that I get when listening to a BFF
album...I'm sure others have many more!

Sara

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 97 20:46:50 UT
From: "Richard Keen" <Richard_VP@msn.com>
Subject: Shepherds Bush Help! 

Hi everyone,

I'm supposed to be going to the Shepherd's Bush Empire BFF gig tomorrow night 
with a mate, but it seems he might be ill.  I'm hoping he's not, but if he is, 
I'm in a bad situation, as I don't know anyone else who likes BFF.  So, if you 
see a 17 year old guy in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans looking lonely, I'd 
be grateful if you could come up and say hello.  I'll probably be up near the 
front bar on the right hand side of the stage.

Hopefully this won't be necessary. Even if I am with my mate then by all means 
come over and hi!

Oh, and on a related note, of www.bffweb.com it says that BFF will be filming 
the video for Dwarf on 4th July in London.  Anyone got any details on this?  
Locations?

Many thanks in advance

Richard (anxiously hoping his friend will be feeling better tomorrow <s>)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 18:37:07 -0400
From: Mandel Ilagan <ilagan@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Sessions at West 54th...TV Guide discrepancies...

Much to my delight, I've found out that my local PBS station is airing the 
"Sessions at West 54th" series.  However, in looking at my newspaper's TV 
listings and the new issue of TV Guide I've found a discrepancy in the 
description of the premiere episode's guests.  The Miami Herald's 
television book lists the guests on the premiere episode (July 5th) as 
"K.D. Lang and Ben Folds Five."  However, according to TV Guide, the guests 
for the premiere episode are "K.D. Lang and Paula Cole."  Does anybody know 
what the official word is?  I remember reading several times on the 
Armchair that Ben Folds Five were slated for the July 5th show.  Thanks!

Mandel Ilagan
ilagan@fas.harvard.edu
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ilagan

------------------------------

End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #381
**************************************


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