THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #723 - December 26, 1997
Magical Armchair Digest Friday, December 26 1997 Volume 01 : Number 723
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Ben's folding 5 and other weird epithets; Lounge-a-palooza in Oz?
Oi to the World!
popularity
For Those of Y'all...
friend o' pnut
Merry Christmas!
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #721
Dallas shows
vito and okee dokee
Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #722
KCRW...and sears
Nice to be here.
Live at the 10 spot
Re: Popularity thread...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 11:31:22 CST
From: "Petra Starke" <naturalselection@hotmail.com>
Subject: Ben's folding 5 and other weird epithets; Lounge-a-palooza in Oz?
Just thought I'd add to this growing list of weird epithets for the
band.
Although my ma has heard BF5 tunes drifting...or rather slamming...from
my room for months and months, and although I talk about them all the
time, she didn't understand the name of the band. (um..hello?!) One day
she came up to me and said "What does that mean, 'Ben Folds Five'?" and
I'm like, "Well, there's Ben Folds, and there's three of them...". "Oh,"
she said "I thought it was some new slang term for shaking hands".
Hmm....
About this lounge-a-palooza cd thing: is it coming to Australia? Where
can i find out more about it?
Cheers, Petra
PS: I always thought it was "slamming the bit fantastic"...and that bit
about Officer friendly had me stumped for a long time. i just used to
say "offers a friendly little boy.." (so i guess i would have sounded
right, anyway)
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 21:55:02, -0500
From: PFJH05D@prodigy.com (MISS JESSICA R BORASH)
Subject: Oi to the World!
hey all armchairites! glad to see you all participating in this
digest-y thing. that sounds gross. okay i'm off the subject.
hoping not to sound like an idiot, but i have a few questions. my
memory is shot, being the christmas season and all, so when does the
new album come out, does anyone know if they're coming back to
richmond, and is anyone else gonna listen to brick on the day after
christmas besides me?
that's all. merry christmas, happy hanukah, happy kwanzaa, and OI TO
THE WORLD!
jeskuh =>
"you need to dress like the forties!"
robert
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 21:57:56 -0500
From: Lachesis@webtv.net (jerry lewis on speed)
Subject: popularity
about this whole popularity/going mainstream stuff:
i had the opportunity to talk to robert for a while when i saw them at
horde this summer, and he told me that they wanted to make it on their
own, without much help from the suits at sony. i mean, think about it:
it's sony. sony could buy them a career with all the money floating
around there. but they said they wanted to do it on their own.
so while i find it a bit...disenchanting that people i consider to be
quite trendy are now singing brick at work and such, i'm proud of the
fact that it's the people wanting to hear the songs, and not sony
push-push-pushing the songs on everyone. the fans demand it...
dave
p.a.n.y.r. (people against new year's resolutions)--5 members: dave
(me), carrie, rose, javex, s.gallant. send mail to lachesis@webtv.net
and i'll add you to the list!!
quote-worthy person of the random interval of time: javex
"oh well. i've got glow in the dark gummy worms."
"did you know that there are billions of people out there who have never
heard of the twilight zone? i often think about how i would go about
explaining it to them."
"ooOOHH. i ate TOO many gummy worms."
- ------------------------------------
atropos' lair: http://members.tripod.com/~lastpolka/index.html
- ------------------------------------
lost child (a radiohead page):
http://members.tripod.com/~lastpolka/rhead.html
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 22:47:12 EST
From: Emmaline20 <Emmaline20@aol.com>
Subject: For Those of Y'all...
I just don't get it....how come some of you are so hooked up?! Early copies
of Naked Baby Photos...it's not fair. How does a girl from Dalton make friends
like this?! :) I hope you are all enjoying it..I"m patiently awaiting January
13th. Happy Holidays!
Sarah :)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 23:47:18 -0500
From: Hurwitz <percystar@cyberdrive.net>
Subject: friend o' pnut
Dear Fivers,
Hello. I am a friend o' Pnut. Like double duh. OK that was neat squared.
Have all of you met Pnut?! She's neat cubed. ok, like, pnut has this sister
named Halle who's really really cool. SHe likes to go places... She just
broke up with her boyfriend, so any condolence letters would be appropriate.
no, i am not on crack...now. Ok, like, pnut works with t his hip chick
named mandible who used to be in jazz, but now she graduated and stuff... I
think she still goes to ohio university. if any of you want to e-mail
her...her e-mail might be "mandible@ou.edu.com.html.uh?" or, maybe not...
well, if you want to e-mail me, Ben Folds Five, then write to
Jolifer@aol.com. I respond to some e-mail if and when I feel like it. so,
don't get your hopes up, etc. well, that is all. in the words of the great
Rupinder Bisla, "remember to eat your curry!"
Asalamalakems,
Joel (Zeke)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 00:52:48 -0500 (EST)
From: KATY DEMCAK <KDEMCAK@WELLESLEY.EDU>
Subject: Merry Christmas!
Happy holidays to all you armchairites.
Hope you all get bad-ass mother G.I. Joes!
__________________
Katy Demcak
kdemcak@wellesley.edu http://wilbur.wellesley.edu/a-m/kdemcak/kdemcak.html
Omar: How do you know all this stuff anyway?
Jada: I read Entertainment Weekly.
--Scream 2
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 00:52:41 EST
From: MegsW28 <MegsW28@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #721
Why in the hell did "Brick" have to be realeased?!?!?!?!? It was MY song!
:-) I hate it when I love a song and it's relaesed and then everyone else
loves it too. :::Pout:::
~Megan~ :-P
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 01:10:34 EST
From: Sweety Won <SweetyWon@aol.com>
Subject: Dallas shows
I was wondering if anyone on the list is from Dallas, and if so, are you
going to the Feb. 11th show? I would be interested in meeting any
Armchairians. Let me know.
Deidre
***jingle all the way***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 01:51:07 -0500
From: schander@juno.com (joe s schanderson)
Subject: vito and okee dokee
Two quick things. I agree wholeheartedly with senor John Boyer and BF5's
self-imposed popularity theory. I agree. BUT I will quickly add that I
don't think fans are BETTER or WORSE than other fans just because they
knew about a band first. They're just fans who knew about the band before
someone else. Big whoop. From an oldie to all newbies, oldies and
futuries.
VITO - you posted about the wall of sound interview. Could you send it to
me or could someone post it. The internet's vast world is currently out
of my reach.
michigan joe
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 02:05:47 EST
From: Brer L <BrerL@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Magical Armchair Digest V1 #722
In a message dated 12/24/97 9:32:34 PM, you wrote:
>I think the general public
>would be bored my Smoke and Selfless, and probably Fair(until they heard
>any of these live). The band however has not released any of these
>songs. Brick, OAD and Battle, are far more(excuse my language)'radio
>friendly' tunes. In the states, I think only Kate and Steven's are left
>that could possibly be singles. Maybe missing the war.
john, you lie.
selfless is beautiful to anyone.
and missing the war will rocket bff to stardom.
bob cantoni
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 1997 23:11:43 PST
From: "wilson lo" <inane@hotmail.com>
Subject: KCRW...and sears
Ok first things first I was listening to the KCRW June 17 session on
Morning becomes Electic (for like the 50th time)....so something has
been bugging me for awhile, just before ben plays Kate he plays this
ssshort little song(it was stuck in my head all day) question being I
have no idea what this is from (or is it something Ben made up!)either
way someone let me know PLEASE!!!!
I'm also highly pissed because I can't get my hands on a Copy of
"DOMO BEN CHAN DESU"....I checked tower and HMV and neither even have it
in their computer system!.....HELP....I know someone that might be going
to Japan this summer and I was wondering anyone who has a copy would
happen to remember in what store and City they got it in (and if they
knew what part of the city!)....PLEASE HELP HERE VERY DESPERATE!!!!!!!
Last and final point I was in the scariest mall in Toronto(it was
voted that) and I was in the sears and I heard brick bizarre eh?
thanx!
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 11:24:29 -0500 (EST)
From: "Carolyn G." <carolynG@divmkt.tiac.net>
Subject: Nice to be here.
Happy Holidays everyone! Carolyn here! I'm new to the Armchair and I just
wanted to introduce myself. I love Ben Folds Five soooooo much!!!! They are
great!
Elisabeth (jaedonely@juno.com) introduced me to them last year. We went to
BFF's concert in Boston at the Avalon on Dec. 2. She posted a review a while
ago! Nice to meet all of you! Ben Folds Five forever!!!!!!!
*Carolyn*
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 11:46:00 EST
From: BlueJellow <BlueJellow@aol.com>
Subject: Live at the 10 spot
In a message dated 97-12-24 21:32:34 EST, you write:
<< http://www.wallofsound.com/news/stories/2461index.html
>>
That article was kind of pointless....I kind of expected that anyway.
BTW, I know MTV is going down the tubes and it really isn't about music
anymore, more like making $$$ instead. Live at the 10 spot is pretty cool. I
dug Radiohead's performance. I know all of you don't want all of them playing
at the Ballroom because then everyone else would see them. I think that's
kind of selfish. I'm proud of the boys.
Merry Christmas (I got two BFF shirts and the woolly cap :)
Lucy
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 18:14:58 -0500
From: "person" <captjanx@i-2000.com>
Subject: Re: Popularity thread...
I think that what you said was very truthful. However, it's a supreme
paradox. As fans, we seem resentful of the Bff's popularity because they no
longer are ours, and the effort that we put in to obtaining singles, making
huge web pages ( and even mail lists), going to shows and our sensibility
to truly appreciate their music is somewhat diminished when the once lesser
known band is accepted by people who we don't believe are as insightful as
we are about the music and its subtulties. However, as the band progressed
musically, it was inevitable that they would gain popularity. It's only
that the mainstream music scene embraces bands only based on their ability
to produce capital, not neccessarily their inherent musical value. And it
pains me, because I think that every aspect of the Ben Folds Five's music
is phenomenal. And although they do have an easily likeable pop feel, I
would feel badly if songs like "brick" were just new transparent pop
singles for ignorant people (like dumb jocks who pick on me in school) to
hum along to in their jeeps alongside the Spice Girls or No Doubt. It's not
so much an issue of "selling out", as it is the idea of "independant music"
in general. When a band operates on a more underground level, intelligent
and insightful people go out to find it. The ignorant MTV generation is so
blind that they simply accept anything that is spoon fed to them through
the radio or television. Thus, any music absorbed entirely through that
manner loses its intellectual value. The entire irony of The Ben Folds Five
is that it is catchy pop music, but it shuns the common pop attitude. For
me, that is the appeal. The irony of this entire situation is that I care
about the guys in the band. The music brings me happiness, and I wish them
happiness as well. I want them to make money and be successful musicians,
but I don't want people to miss what's really going on with the band, which
is that there is something beneath the surface. I think, however, that I am
going to have to cope with whatever happens. As they get more popular, it
is simply going to suck for us. But, as long as they keep making good music
with insightful lyrics and excellant arrangements, I guarantee that the
mainstream public will dump them for something worse, and then they'll be
ours again.
X:0P
------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #723
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