Talk:Ben Folds Five

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Untitled[edit]

Did the band actually say "it's not a pun on the poker term", or is Idono just referring to the cited interview with Ben Folds? -- Tim Starling 00:51, May 14, 2004 (UTC)

In an early interview with the band at a radio station, a member of the band explains their name, "It is just our name, it just sort of, 'came to be.'" While this doesn't say anything about a pun directly, it does indirectly cancel this out. Beside this reason, there is very little reason for this line to be included anyway, as the band has nothing to do with poker. -- Idono 21:29, 14 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Loser rock?[edit]

Can Kzzl please provide a reference for this view of Ben Folds as "loser rock"? A google search brought up nothing of relevance. Indeed, searching the net seems to indicate that "loser rock" refers to bad music, not self-deprecating words. In any case, Folds' lyrics are more often depressed or satirical than self-deprecating. It's not self-deprecating to say "I'm all alone in this mess I've made" or "she's a brick and I'm drowning slowly". Rockin' the Suburbs was seen (at least by Rolling Stone) as a highly amusing satire of popular music. By far the dominant form for BFF's and Folds' lyrics, however, is the character sketch. He sings about the sad lives of people other than himself. This can hardly be called "self-derision". The only clear example of self-derision I can think of would be Your Redneck Past. -- Tim Starling 03:16, Jul 23, 2004 (UTC)

Good question, Tim. It's a hard call to make. He blames himself alot in his songs and lacks self esteem, generally, in the tone of his lyrics. That doesn't sum up his whole style- I think he's awesome. It's ironic to call him a loser, but he presents himself as one in more than one song. He uses many voices. Kzzl

The entire song "Underground" basically describes a group of not-so-popular kids in high school; it could very well be "autobiographical" ("...there was a girl that passed me by/ she gave a smile but I was shy/ and I looked down, so down/"). "One Angry Dwarf" is pretty much Ben Folds vs. the people that picked on him at school ("...Vic you stole my lunch money, made me cry/ Jane remembers second grade/ Said you couldn't stand my face/ Rather than kiss me you said you'd rather die"). Zkissane

Kzzl, do you even have any references for someone calling BFF "loser rock", or are you just making it up? I don't see why we're debating whether or not the lyrics are self-deprecating, the content of the lyrics hardly justifies applying this idiosyncratic label. -- Tim Starling 17:08, August 21, 2005 (UTC)

Origin of the name[edit]

The truth is the band got really tired of constantly getting asked the meaning behind their name, even early on, so they frequently made up different answers every time they were asked. Look through published interviews and you can find at least a dozen different explanations, I bet. Michaelbluejay 08:38, 20 August 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Split up[edit]

I remember reading that when the band split up, they said "Nobody gives a shit about piano rock anymore". The problem is, I can't remember where I read it. A quick Google search of that phrase revealed that I don't have the phrase exactly right, or I read it somewhere that never made it onto the internet... does anyone have any idea where I might have got it? --Nathan (Talk) 04:09, 2 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Never, ever heard that. I've heard the breakup came as a result of each member of the band feeling that their time as a band was up. - Idono 20:48, 19 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

One Angry Dwarf[edit]

Uh... I could swear that for a very short time in the 90s, I couldn't listen to the radio for 30 minutes without hearing this song. Are we sure that it wasn't released as a single?--Jpawloski 10:16, 8 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Searching the web gives me some conflicting answers. One site says it was released only in Austrailia and Japan, another says only Japan, and another says UK and Japan, but none say it was released in the US; might explain why it's not listed. ---- DarthInsinuate 16:10, 8 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]
discogs.com only has UK and European promo CD's listed here - https://www.discogs.com/Ben-Folds-Five-One-Angry-Dwarf-And-200-Solemn-Faces/master/381980 - but the site is not exhaustive, and depends on users creating entries for specific releases they have. After checking eBay, there was indeed a commercial Australian CD single released for it; I've uploaded a scan of the rear sleeve with tracklist and Manufactured in Australia statement here - http://i.imgur.com/pa1V0Vj.jpg. I'm going to add it to the table, but I'm not 100% certain of the chronology on where to place it. From memory, it was released in the second half of 1997 in Australia (that's when I recall hearing it on the radio and seeing the video on TV), so I'm going to place it after 'Kate'. Although it missed the ARIA top 100, it likely charted somewhere outside the top 100, and I can ask about its peak at some point in the future.Nqr9 (talk) 04:51, 2 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Going by the catalogue no. (664535 2), it was released after the European pressing of 'Song For the Dumped' (664480 2) [but not after the post-'Brick' re-issue in Australia - 666031 2], before 'Brick' (665325 2), and by the looks of it, instead of 'Kate' (664536 2 - European pressing) in Australia.Nqr9 (talk) 05:03, 2 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Christmas 7"[edit]

Why no mention of the Christmas 7" in the discography?

I guess it's because it's such an incredibly rare record no one knows it exists, let alone anyone who actually wants to edit this Wikipedia article. ---- DarthInsinuate 10:04, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Really? I got mine for about $3 last year. There was a whole mess of them. How rare is it? Guess I should go find it.65.138.49.115 03:39, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Isn't the Christmas 7" just Ben solo? Bizarre Christmas Incident is from the Rockin' the Suburbs tour. --ColdandComposed

Stub[edit]

I marked this article as a stub because i feel it could use more detail about the band, more band history, and more general information. As of now it looks like just very basic facts are here. If you all disagree, feel free to take off the stub template.

History, etc.[edit]

Started trying to reorganize and section this page, but it's still in need of a lot of attention. Moonty 20:58, 27 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Picture! argh[edit]

that's NOT BFF. that's ben on tour with his band. is there one out there that can be put up??? Bouncehoper 04:03, 26 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

AGREED. Surely someone has a picture of Ben Folds Five somewhere. I wasn't in the know back then, so any picture of them I have is protected. But, who was the idiot who uploaded a picture that was taken in June of 2007 for a band who's profile clearly states has been broken up since 2000? Someone fix this please! -- ColdandComposed 03:48, 10 July 2007 (CST)


will ferell[edit]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3421972 if you scroll a lil bit you get to this lil tidbit

"Apparently, Ben Folds Five (FYI: there were never more than three members of that band) decided to break up after playing on Letterman in July 2000. When they made the decision, an awkward silence followed (understandably) that was broken up by Will Ferrell, also a guest on the show that night!" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.225.171.137 (talk) 03:26, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Brek Up[edit]

"I'm not sure about the whole break-up thing as I have tickets to see them next Sunday, which seems to be a part of a UK tour. So I would assume they are back together in some form?"

92.236.72.38 (talk) 13:45, 6 July 2008 (UTC) Charlie[reply]

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