Michael Bluejay's guide to
I made this logo as a gift for the band. It reads the same upside-down as rightside up. I was proud that when I gave it to Robert at a show in Apr. 1997, he remarked, "That's fucked up!" |
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Last update: September 26, 2012 This site was selected as the MacroMusic |
Ben Folds Five newsSept. 2012. The
newly-reunited Ben Folds Five releases a new album, The Sound of
the Life of the Mind, and launches their first tour in over a
decade. The Magical Armchair has the
tour dates. Stuff on this site
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Ben Folds Five interview in Select Magazine(a defunct U.K. 90s magazine) • December
1996
Ben Folds, college boy made good, and beneficiary of decisive '96 breakthrough with rollicking hit 'Underground' S: How's your year been? B: It's been real good, even though we've lived an isolated existence with all this touring. I've never worked so hard in my life. Playing Reading was surprisingly good because I didn't expect anything to come from it. The night before I stayed up drinking, so, along with the jet lag, I'd been up for about 40 hours. I was really ragged-out. But when we got on stage there were about 4,000 people on our side. I had the best time ever. S: Did you vote in the US election? B: Yeah, but I didn't vote for either Clinton or Dole, I actually voted for Leo Overtoom of the Brown Party, who's more independent and wants to keep out of the Middle East, introduce the use of solar energy and concentrate on environmental issues. [Overtoom is actually a member of BF5's road crew. —Bluejay] The Republicans and Democrats aren't different enough to give your vote to either one. It feels like you're getting two choices of the same colour. S: Why did Clinton win? B: Basically, he was the lesser of two evils. Dole didn't explain himself very well and it all started to sound like rhetoric after a while. People haven't been truly excited about a president since Reagan. I know that sounds funny, but there was some element of rock stardom going on and he was a damn good communicator. But with Clinton and Dole, one makes sure all the country's money goes to big business and the other makes sure all the money goes to the government, so there's ultimately no difference. S: Are you very politically aware? B: Less and less. I think most people are getting disillusioned with the whole process. Even when Clinton got in the first time and the economy got better it was due to policies set in motion way before he arrived. Now the economy is fine, so people want to keep it that way. Things like that make you shrug your shoulders and ask, 'Why bother?'. S: Did 'Rock The Vote' have much effect? B: I don't think so. Not voting is just as much as a statement as voting and this disenfranchised part of the public aren't apathetic, they're waiting to hear something that relates to them. The politicians shouldn't dismiss it as slacker youth not caring about politics. S: What's Clinton's media image? B: It's kinda gross. It's a shopping-mall version of politics. The adverts with him in soft focus, looking really angelic, and all the talk shows he does appeal to the lowest common denominator. S: How much does a politician's personality come into it? B: Almost all the way. What sways people to vote is the same thing that sways them to buy Coca-Cola: advertising. As long as people think they only have two choices and those choices are basically the same thing, then there'll be no change. S: But are you glad Clinton got back in? B: Yes - I don't think Dole knew what he was doing. There's a confidence about Clinton that appeals to the US.
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 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. |
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