Here's the short version: I'd been going to their shows for years and had begged Ben to let me play a song with them, but of course he was always politely non-commital. Before the show started in Dallas, I stuck a note on the piano that said, "Ben, let me play 'Best Imitation' with you! -- Michael Bluejay". They came out and started playing, he saw the note and laughed but didn't say anything Then halfway through the show he called me up on stage, gave me a big introduction, and we did the song. I was incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. And Ben and the boys must be given credit -- most bands would never allow a fan to play with them. They're allright guys, huh? Anyway, below is the big huge story if you want all the sordid details.

Contents:

• MP3 recording of this performance
• Others' comments about my playing with BF5
• Mon./Tue. -- The Trip to Denton
• Tue. night -- Escape from Krum
• Tue. night -- Asylum at Denny's
• Wed. -- Trek to Dallas for the show
• Wed. -- Playing with Ben Folds Five
• Wed. -- After the show
• Thu. -- Leaving Denton for Houston
• Back in Austin

---

Comments from Others

After seeing me play with Ben Folds Five, several people emailed me about it, or they posted about it to the Magical Armchair (the BF5 email discussion list). Here are selected comments. I didn't do the whiz-bang job that some people said I did -- I think they were just excited that I didn't particularly screw up the song. (That was my own biggest relief, for sure.)

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Date: 04-15-99
From:

I visited your page, and as a pianist who covered Jackson Cannery in his last defunct band, I have to give you credit for turning in a winner performance on "Best Imitation." You definitely held your own with one of the best live bands out there!

[Ed. Note: I just got very lucky, and it was a very easy song.]

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Date: 07-17-98
From:

i was looking in newsgroups for sheet music, and your name was mentioned, and i knew i knew that name from a concert i went to in dallas of bf5's... and i just thought it was neat how you have such a name for yourself. it was weird when i saw you outside of deep ellum live i thought "man, that guy rules" then you got up on stage and played "best imitation of myself", and i thought, "it's the guy with the blue mohawk!".... it was pretty cool... anyways, good job up there, hope to talk to you soon.

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Date: 04-15-98
From:

Hey Michael, er, Mr. Bluejay -- I stumbled upon your homepage and realized, damn, this is the guy who played onstage at the Dallas BF5 show. I thought your hair was cool, and then you got up there and wailed on the piano and it was impressive! I was expected you to just improvise some 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' knock off set to 'Summer B.' but you actually played the song, and very well. And I was also jealous because you knew the band, and they thought you were cool. ... And I enjoyed your homepage, and I think I'll have to check out King Cheese soon. But what the hell, I just thought I'd write and give praise to the guy with the cool name and cool hair and ass-kickin tattoo.
-- joe k in east texas

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Date: 03-29-98
From:

I was shocked when someone from the crowd actually got on stage. I thought you were GREAT!!! I remembered seeing you outside the club while we were waiting to get inside. I am so so so so so jealous that you got to hang with the band. Even more so that you were onstage with them. BooHoo. If they only knew that I can sing.....

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Date: 03-20-98
From:

I was extremely impressed with your rendition of "Imitation" at the last Dallas show. At first I was a little nervous to see non-Ben playing Ben, but then after the first few bars it seemed totally natural.

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Date: 03-02-98
From:

My name is Ryan. I was at the concert in Dallas a couple of weeks ago and I remembered your name when I saw it on the Armchair. I thought that was awesome how you played that song exactly like it is on the album!

[Ed. Note: Actually, I didn't. I played the break after the first verse an octave higher so it would be easier to hear, and the break itself is a bit different. And I'm sure I missed all the nuances that Ben plays. He's a master of nuance.]

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Date: 02-19-98
From:

...I talked to Ben and Robert after the [St. Louis] show and they both said how Michael knew his stuff and how he seemed to click. I thought that was truly cool of them....

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Date: 02-18-98
From:

I was there when you played!! Katie had told us a person she met on the internet was going to be there so needless to say when you got up and played we all did back flips. I'm a Dallas musician and didn't hear any flubs in your playing at all.

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Date: 02-18-98
From:

When we talked to Robert after the St. Louis show (which rocked except for the security guys who made us leave the premises so we were forced to wait across the street for the guys to come out) we asked him if it was you that played and he said yes. He also complimented you on your playing. When we asked Ben about it in Chicago (which really rocked because we got to go to the 'meet and greet' afterwards) he also said good things about you. So sounds like you must have rocked!

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Date: 2-18-98
From:

Great job on Wed. night! ... I taped the show on a Sony hand-held "cassette-corder". This is a crude monophonic recording. But if you don't hear from anyone else, I'd be glad to send a copy. Bad news, though, the last 15 seconds or so of your performance got lost when side one ended and I had to turn the tape over. Side two begins just as the song ends, so I didn't miss any of Ben's kudos afterward.

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Date: 2-16-98
From:

The Dallas show was very very cool...The highlight, (for me at least), was when Ben had Michael Bluejay come up and play piano on "Imitation." Does Bluejay still frequent this list? I've been off for a while. At any rate, it kicked booty. Good job dude! (lucky stiff!!!)

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Date: 2-15-98
From:

I just wanted to tell you how envious I am of you. I would give my first born to perform with BFF. You did a fantastic job with Best Imitation of Myself.

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Date: 2-13-98
From:

Ahhh.. on Feb. 11th I saw Ben Folds Five in Dallas and in Houston on the 12th... Dallas totally rocked!! ...An old member of the armchair and pal of mine, Michael Bluejay, got to join the band on stage and play "Best Imitation of Myself" on the piano while Ben stood and sang. It was a great moment.

------------------------------
Date: 2-12-98
From:

Wow!! We enjoyed your piano playing to the max. We plan to be at your March 7 [King Cheese] concert and bring our daughter and friends.

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Date: 2-12-98
From: (unknown)

Holy Shit! How did you manage that one? What an experience for you! Were you just freaking out? ... That was great! I finally made it up front. That was an awesome show. ... Did you go to the after party? A friend of mine is in charge of Marketing for Blockbuster and said the party was pretty tight. ... Congrats again on that one. That must have been amazing!

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Ben Folds Five is playing in Dallas on Wednesday and Houston on Thursday. I decide to take the Greyhound bus from Austin to see them. And as long as I'm making the trip, I decide to go up a day early, so I can do some more fix-up work on my mom's empty house in Krum, which she's trying to sell. Mom lives in NYC now. I did most of the work on the house during a five-day period about a month ago, but I didn't finish everything before I had to get back to Austin. So, I thought I'd go to Krum a day before the concerts and install the mini-blinds and do a little touch-up painting.

I ride my bicycle to the Greyhound station in Austin at 1:00am Monday night. It's drizzling a little, but I'm more concerned with the fact that I may not make it in time, and that it's hard for me to hold my two bags while riding the bike. (My last bike had big baskets to hold stuff, but that bike got stolen a couple of months ago, and I haven't put baskets on my new bike yet.) I run into my drummer's girlfriend along the way. Small world. Anyway, I get to the bus station in time, lock my bike, and ride to Dallas. I have to sit next to this great big guy which doesn't give me enough room for me to have my right arm at my side. (Arm problems are a recurring problem with this trip, as we shall see.) We arrive in Dallas at 5:00am. I have to wait until 7:00am for the bus from Dallas to Denton. I was unable to sleep on the bus so I'm pretty tired. In the Dallas terminal, I watch a kids program on TV called "Bananas in Pajamas". What'll they think of next?

I get the bus from Dallas to Denton and arrive at 8:30am. I get a taxi, and stop by Albertson's to buy a 2.5-gallon container of water (the water's not on at mom's house and I'll need water for cleaning up) and a pillow, since I haven't slept all night. I was thinking of buying a cheap bicycle at the Goodwill and riding it to Krum, but I'd have to wait another 1.5 hours until 10:00 for Goodwill to open, and I was so tired I just wanted to get to the house. The cabbie takes me there, and it costs $25 including tip. Ouch. I arrange for the cabbie to pick me up at noon the next day. I have to make him promise to come back since there's no phone at my mom's house and it's three miles to a pay phone and I'm on foot.

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Tuesday night -- Escape from Krum

I sleep on the floor with my Albertson's pillow until the afternoon. Then I get up and do the work I came to do: Painting the patio door, BBQ grill, and landscaping lights; installing vertical blinds and mini-blinds; and cleaning the kitchen floor. By 11:00 that night, I'm done. I had planned to spend the night in the house, but I'm not sleepy, and I'm bored because there's nothing to do -- no radio, no TV, nothing to read, no one to talk to. And I'm going a little stir crazy being in that big empty house, ESPECIALLY since it's kind of weird that I grew up in that house and hadn't been there for ten years (besides my going there about a month ago for the initial fix-up). And during that initial fix-up, I put in 72 hours of work over 5.5 days, including an all-nighter the last day. So I was sick of the house and ready to split. But I couldn't call a cab from Denton, since there was no phone.

I decide to walk to Krum and call a cab from a pay phone. It's three miles along an old, dark country road to Krum, and it proves a little more difficult than I expected, because I'm wearing dress shoes (the only shoes I have at the moment), and because I'm carrying my two bags (of tools, food, water, and clothes). Plus, it's pretty cold. In the 50 minutes it takes me to make the trip, only five cars passed me. I get to Krum just before midnight. I try to call a cab from the pay phone, but they don't answer! They must not run that late. Great. So, now I'm stuck in Krum without transportation or a place to stay. Now I really wish I'd gotten that bicycle. I try to sleep on a bench, but it's just too cold. It's three miles back to the house, or six miles to the Motel 6 in Denton. I can't stomach going back to the house -- I hate it there, and I don't like the idea of wasting the effort it took me to walk into Krum in the first place.

I decide to head to the hotel. I walk four miles from Krum to the highway (I-35) in Denton. I can tell that I'm gonna have blisters on my feet from walking in dress shoes, but my arms hurt even worse. Hell, walking 20 miles would be nothing as long as I wasn't carrying a load, but the bags were murder on my arms. One of my bags is actually a briefcase, and I consider trying to ride it down one of the hills, but decide against it. Anyway, when I get to the highway, it's just two more miles to the hotel, but an old man on his way to work at a night job offers me a ride as soon as I get to the highway.

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Tuesday night -- Asylum at Denny's

I go to the Denny's next to the hotel before I check in. I haven't talked to anybody all day and I feel like being around people. I get a newspaper -- ah, sensory input! There's nothing vegan on the menu, so I just have some orange juice. There's nearly nobody in the restaurant. There are a couple of Asian girls studying near my table. I move to the other side of my table so I can hear them better so I can see if I can hear what language they're speaking. It's difficult, because they're not saying much, and when they do, they're very quiet. At last I'm certain -- Japanese. Just my luck, because I speak some Japanese from when I studied it in college. I turn around and ask, "Chotto sumimasen ga, issho ni hanashite mo ii desu ka?" (Pardon me, but may I join your conversation?) Of course they're stunned that I speak Japanese, and invite me over. We chat, I explain that I'm from Austin, they ask why I'm in Denton, and I explain that I'm going to the Ben Folds Five show in Dallas the next night. They tell me that they're big BF5 fans, but that they don't have tickets. I explain that I have an extra ticket that I'll trade for a ride to Dallas. (I had planned on taking the bus.) They're ecstatic, and figure they can get another ticket at the show. I give them my extra ticket, and make plans to meet them tomorrow for the ride to Dallas. Sure they could just leave with my ticket and not return to pick me up, but I trust them because they're Japanese. I wouldn't have given my ticket ahead of time to an American. I ask if they would be willing to let me sleep on their floor tonight so I wouldn't have to spend money on a hotel, and I show them that I even have my own pillow. They thought the pillow thing was funny, but their answer was, "Mmmmmmm...." Japanese are unable to say "No" to turn down a request. I realize this and thank them anyway, and tell them I'll see them tomorrow. ("Jaa, mata ashita.") I check into the hotel and go to sleep around 2:30am.

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Wednesday -- Trek to Dallas for the show

I get up early to call the cab service to tell them not to come pick me up at the Krum house after all, then I go back to sleep. I check out late at 2:00pm, but I talk the clerk into only charging me for one day since I was there for less than 12 hours. I was going to get a cab to take me to Albertson's, but I'll have to wait 15 minutes for a cab, and I could walk it in 20. So I walk. Along the way, I dispose of my biodegradable banana and orange peels in a field. Next to Albertson's, there's a piano store, so I stop in and play a few licks. I mention to the salesperson that Ben Folds is playing in Dallas tonight. She says she knows, but she can't go because she can't stay out late. Now I'm off to UNT (University of North Texas). It's only 1-2 miles away, so I figure it's not worth taking a cab, so I walk again. I regret this decision about halfway there since my arms are REALLY hurting after my marathon walking the last two days. I finally arrive, and have the Japanese eggplant at Mr. Chopsticks. I play the Journey videogame at the Kharma Cafe, and after four games, I rescue all five instruments and Journey plays the special concert. Then Megu and Maiko (the Japanese girls) arrive and we head to Dallas.

I get in line at the club (Deep Ellum Live) and Megu and Maiko scramble to try to find an extra ticket. If they can't find an extra ticket, they're going to sell the ticket I gave them, and go home. This is a problem, because my bags are in their car, and if I go inside when the doors open, how are they going to split with my bags in their car? But I really want to get a good spot near the stage. What to do? I decide that if they can't get a ticket and decide to go home, they'll just take my bags home with them and expect to hear from me the next day. I hope they won't be too mad.

Nikki Jones from Houston comes up and asks if she can cut into line with me. Sure. I met here at one of the very first BF5 shows in Austin, two years ago. She tells me she hopes BF5 doesn't play Brick (their big hit), but I don't say much about that. Right before the doors open, some guy hands me a BF5 sticker. I go inside, grab a spot right in front of the stage, and see some acquaintances from Austin in the same spot: Oz, whom I met at the BF5 show in Austin and whom I've run into at Tower Records (where he works), and his friend Merilee, who introduced herself to me when she heard me playing BF5 on a campus piano once. I tell Nikki that the reason I didn't respond to her Brick comment in the line outside was that I had been talking to the people behind me in line before she got there -- an older couple, in their 50's -- and they had told me that they were at the show because they won tickets on Mix 102, the adult contemporary radio station, and that they didn't know *any* BF5 songs besides "Brick"! She thought that was pretty funny. Megu and Maiko arrive -- they got the extra ticket. (Whew.)

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Playing with the band

One of my goals in going to these shows was to play onstage with the band. I'd asked Ben about this once in an online forum almost a year ago (he said he'd get back to me about that, but didn't), and once after their show here last fall (he said, "I suppose so," but he said it like he was really annoyed, so it was hard to tell what he really meant). At this show, I make a little note that says, "BEN -- LEMME PLAY 'BEST IMITATION' WITH YA! --MICHAEL BLUEJAY". That sticker the guy handed me outside was a blessing, because I needed some adhesive to stick my note to the piano. I climb onstage and stick my note on the piano, but immediately there's a security guy there, who not only makes me get off the stage (I was leaving anyway), but MAKES ME TAKE THE NOTE OFF THE PIANO! Jerk. So we wait for the opening band, then we wait THROUGH the opening band (country music isn't exactly my favorite), then we wait for BF5. The roadie (Leo) wheels the piano RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, close enough to touch. I'm only one person deep from the stage -- there's a girl right in front of me. She reaches up and sticks my note on the piano, immediately to the right of the right-most key. When Leo comes back to test the piano, he sees the note. I'm worried that he'll take it off, but he just laughs.

The band comes out and starts playing Dr. Pyser, my favorite. Ben doesn't notice the note until about halfway through the song. His head stops as he catches sight of it, then he crooks his head to read it, and after he reads my name at the bottom, he smiles and looks up in the crowd to see if he can see me. (He knows what I look like since I've been going to their shows since the beginning and I always say hi afterwards.) I'm right in front of him so I wave and he nods. I don't yell anything -- he knows my request, I'm not gonna pester him about it. They keep playing, then halfway through the show, he goes over and talks to Darren (the drummer) and Robert (bass player) briefly, then goes back to the piano, and into the mic he asks me to come up on stage. He says, "Michael...would you come up? This is, uh, this man, Michael Bluejay, if you know him, he's from Austin. We've seen him for a few years now and he's become a bud, and I've never heard him play piano before but I trust just by looking into his eyes, that he can do it... And that allows me to stand up some more because, you know, what the hell?"

When I sat down, I was actually a little uncertain which octave to start on, because I'm used to playing a 61-key electric keyboard rather than an 88-key grand. I asked:

Me: Is it here, or here? (gesturing)
Ben. It's up here. It's in "C".

The octave was one thing, but did he really think I didn't know what KEY the song was in? Maybe he was just kidding. So I asked, "Which one's 'C' ?" (You can barely he me ask this on the recording.) He probably figured I was kidding, because he didn't reply, but just walked straight to the center stage mic.

I had hoped he would sing from atop the piano, but I forgot to mention it to him. I pushed the sustain pedal down to get used to it and suddenly got scared because I thought it wasn't pushing down. Then I realized that Ben's sustain pedal just has a really short range of motion. Weird, but I can deal with it. He started singing, and I came in where I was supposed to a couple of words later, then Darren came in, then Robert. I had a little trouble balancing on his stool -- I play standing up in my band, or I use a chair at home. I wanted to lean back, but his tripod stool was a little tricky. Anyway, I looked mostly at the keys while I was playing -- I can play without looking, but I was intent on not fucking up the band's song right in front of them and 1000 of their fans. Halfway through the song, I realized that I wanted to have the memory of seeing what it looked like to play on stage, so I made a point to look out to the crowd, and at Darren, Robert, and Ben. Darren was smiling like he was gonna crack up, and Robert's look somehow made me feel like a professional. Ben was smiling quite a bit to, and gesturing towards me (like I needed any help drawing attention to myself at that point!) At one point in the song when there's no bass part on the piano, but there's a little bass guitar solo, I continued playing with my right hand while I pointed at Robert. Megu and Maiko snap pictures of me. (Shashin o totta.)

I thought I played the song reasonably well. I actually hadn't played the song in months, or heard it for a couple of months either, but it's far and away Ben's easiest song, and truth be told, it's pretty hard to screw up. I mean, even "Brick" is slightly more intricate. That's one reason I picked that song -- I wanted one without solos because fans paid to see Ben play the solos, not me. I also wanted a song that wasn't a single, because again, fans came to see Ben do the band's hits, not some other guy. And finally, this is the band's shortest three-piece song (2:48). So I think that song was the least distracting song possible. In addition, sometimes when they do that song live, Ben doesn't play piano, but sings it from atop the piano, semi-acapella. Considering all these multitude reasons, I think I made a damn fine selection with "Best Imitation".

After the song was over, I said into the mic, "Thanks, I can die happy now," but I think they had my mic turned off because that bit didn't make it onto the recording. Then I promptly hopped off the stage. I didn't want to wear out my welcome like Steven (in their song "Steven's Last Night in Town"). There was lots of applause, but Ben demanded even more for me. Robert said, "That's the best-ever version of one of our songs I've heard a piano player do." I don't believe that for a minute, but it was a nice gesture.

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After the show

Back to the narrative. The rest of the show rocked, as usual. After the show, several people wanted my autograph. I think, geez, I get more notoriety for playing with BF5 for ONE NIGHT than I do for playing with my own band in Austin for the last THREE YEARS. I mean, people come up to me after my shows to compliment me, but they don't want autographs. Okay, I guess I know why there's a difference, but it's a sad reminder that I'm no Ben Folds. Every time I see Ben play, I feel a combination of intense motivation to get better at my craft, simultaneously coupled with a feeling that it's hopeless because I can never be that good, and that I might as well just give up.

Anyway, I found Darren and Robert, who were both really good sports and commended my playing rather than downplaying it. What great guys. I got to ask Darren how Ben convinced them to join a band that he was naming after HIMSELF, and he said that they actually didn't have a name when they started out, and played under a couple of names for a while, the first one being "Rosetta Stone". He confirmed for me that Ben's reference to Darren's old band as "Uncle Plastic Bitch" was just a Ben joke. I commended Darren for getting into Modern Drummer, for his stick throw, and for the fact that he's one of the few drummers that MY drummer is impressed with. I told Darren that he probably didn't remember the first time we met, at SXSW in Austin two years ago, but he chimed right in with, "Oh yeah, you brought your keyboard there on your bicycle." I take a picture of Megu and Maiko with Darren. I talk to the tour manager, Doug, quite a bit. He's really a great guy. He mentions that he's nice to fans because the band wants him to be nice to the fans, which he enjoys, but he's worked for other bands where they paid him to be a dickhead!

I find some fans who promise to give me a ride to the Houston show the next day from Dallas, and then Megu, Maiko, and I return to Denton. I don't know where there are any cheap hotels in Dallas, so I figure I'll just stay in the cheap Denton hotel again, and take the bus to Dallas the next day.

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Thursday -- Leaving Denton for Houston

The next day, before taking the bus to Dallas, I try to go see my old piano teacher. I haven't seen her since I was about 15, which was 15 years ago -- half my life ago. She wasn't in, but I left my card on her door. I'll call her when I get back to Austin. I take the bus to Dallas, and wait outside in the drizzle for my ride. By 4:35 they haven't showed up, and the last bus to Houston leaves at 5:00. I'm gonna have to decide in the next few minutes whether to give up on them and take the bus instead. Fortunately, they show up at the last minute. Unfortunately, their windshield wipers are broken and it's raining.

We get there at 8:30, and there's the hugest line in the world. I get out of the car, and I discover that I can barely walk because my feet are so sore from all the previous walking I did. Now my task is to find Amy, who's supposed to give me a ride back to Austin. Unfortunately, I don't know what she looks like... She saw me playing BF5 on campus, and sent me an email after seeing my post on the BF5 mailing list. So, at least she knows what *I* look like. The line is huge, so I start walking down the line, saying, "Amy, Amy, Amy, Amy..." After only a couple of feet, she says, "Michael!" Wow, I found her within the first couple of feet of the incredibly long line. What luck.

I get inside, and it's difficult to fight my way to the front of the stage. People are not very happy about my doing that. When I get to the front, there's Oz, Merilee, and Nikki again. When Leo's setting up the piano, he asks me what song I'm gonna play tonight. I tell him that I'm not gonna keep asking and wear out my welcome, but if Ben *asks* me to play with them, then sure, I will. Ben sees me when he comes out, but doesn't invite me to play with them again during the show. I don't mind at all -- I was really happy just to play with them that one time. I kind of wish that had happened in Austin, where people actually KNOW me, but oh well. Near the start of the show, while they're playing, Robert notices me in the audience and mouths the words, "Hi, Michael." It's so good to be recognized by these guys, my biggest musical influence.

And now for my third and final arm problem. The first time was on the bus, when there wasn't enough room for my arms when sitting next to the fat guy. The second was carrying those two bags all over the planet. The third was at the Houston show, where we were packed so tightly that you couldn't stretch your arms. There was a really cute girl behind me, and I asked her if I could put my arm around her so I could stretch my arm. I was gonna feel really embarrassed if she said no, but she agreed. And although it's really true that the reason I asked was because I wanted to stretch my arm, I have to admit that I also enjoyed having my arm around her. Later in the show, I did let her trade places with me a few times, so she could get right up to the stage and see, because she was a little shorter and couldn't see over Oz. I've seen BF5 play so many times already, and I got to play with them the night before, that I thought I shouldn't hog the experience. It felt good to share.

After the show, I talked to Ben and asked him about an item up for bid in a celebrity auction this weekend that I was thinking of bidding on, described only as "Ben Folds Five electric piano". He told me that he only had two, a Wurlitzer and an Ensoniq Mirage, and he never donated them, so he thought the auction was probably bogus. The three guys each mentioned again how fun it was having me play with them the night before. I tell Ben that I still want to open for them in Austin, and that I'll work on Wolmark (their manager). I wind up riding back to Austin not with Amy, but with Oz, Merilee, and their friend Kevin.

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Back in Austin

A couple of days after I got back to Austin, I went to the auction anyway to see the "Ben Folds Five electric piano", and it turned out to be an autographed synthesizer, not an electric piano -- and an ancient crappy one, at that. Ben had probably thought I was asking whether the keyboard was supposed to be HIS, rather than just an autographed keyboard. Actually, I didn't know WHICH it was supposed to be when I read the auction advertisement, so I didn't even know how to ask him about it. Anyway, the three signatures looked authentic -- but I didn't really want to bid on it.

To sum up my experience in playing with the band, I've never been happier in my whole life. Playing with BF5 was better than the best sex I ever had. I feel remarkably and surprisingly more self-confident. Perhaps more importantly, I've decided to re-commit myself to music now. I really want to be able to play like Ben, and I'm convinced that nobody can teach me how besides him. I'm thinking of trying to get a job as a roadie on their tour, and see if Ben can give me a lesson once in a while. It's a long shot, but so was playing onstage with an internationally-famous pop band with a #6 single. I've got nothing to lose by trying. And while I'm waiting to see how that pans out, I'm going to be working on practicing by myself, and trying to get a second band started. It's good to be focused.

Don Walter played One Angry Dwarf with BF5 in April 2000. And according to Sledge, he "kicked Michael Bluejay's ass".

This poster has absolutely nothing to do with me -- you'll notice that it's dated a couple of months before the story above happened. Yet, the coincidence is striking -- a pianist with a mohawk and a bag trying to get a ride to a BF5 show. Thanks to for letting me know about the poster. I found this poster at an online shop (Phil-A-Arts.com), but that website seems to be gone now.

Ben, Darren, and Robert rode bicycles in the Uncle Walter video.  If you ride a bike, check out my guide to How to Not Get Hit By Cars.

Ben told me in 1998 that Darren Jessee (BF5's drummer) is a vegetarian.  Vegetarianism and even veganism are a lot more common now than they were in the 90s, so props to Jessee for being ahead of the curve on that one.  Other vegetarian musicians include as Paul McCartney, Prince, Madonna, Natalie Merchant, and a host of others (including many you've never heard of, like me).  Get the scoop on meatless diets on my Vegetarian Guide site.