Ben Folds
On The Road Again


Ben Wallace grabs boatloads of rebounds, has a big afro, and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons. Ben Stiller makes us laugh when in the same room as Owen Wilson. Ben Kweller makes pop-rock albums, and gets branded as "cute" a lot. These are all famous Bens and their loveable traits. Their success is directly related to their individual personalities and accomplishments. Take away their trademarks and they become merely a speck/part of a much bigger picture.

The most important Ben in this story, however, is Ben Folds, who has found a very cozy niche as a prolific and adored solo artist. This year alone, Ben (Folds) has sold-out many-a-gig, released a live album, put out two EPs (three, if you count one he did with Ben Lee and the afore-mentioned Kweller…more Ben madness!!), and produced/co-wrote a forthcoming album for William Shatner.

What's in a name? On June 20 in Sterling Heights, Mich., there were apparently some who disregarded the importance of the age-old question, as signs leading into the venue (Jerome Duncan Ford Theatre) read Ben Folds Five. One of the signs read in digital format, the second was an old-school "Garage-sale-here!" type. Disrespect in two mediums! It is true that Ben Folds was once leader of "the Five," who were unfortunately a pop-culture landmark because of the song "Brick" (many other compositions could have easily represented the band in a brighter light).

The main focus of the following discussion (and account of his recent show) shows why Ben, the solo artist, deserves to stand out in a crowd. 

CREEM: So you are in the studio right now; how is that going?

Ben: I just finished an EP called Super D…the opening track is a cover of the Darkness' "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman, Motherfucker." I sent it over to those guys, and they liked it a lot.

CREEM: I saw your recent show in Ann Arbor; you were working on the falsetto for that one.

Ben: Yeah, (I was) trying to get the right key. I met up with those guys a couple of days ago and saw their show; that's my rock connection for CREEM Magazine.

CREEM: Speaking of rock music, you are generally known as a piano man. What do you listen to?

Ben: I like music that rocks, whether or not it is actually rock music. Rachmaninoff rocks too! Even with a ballad, it seems that music has to have some animal shit for me to respond to it, even if it's not that intense. I'm a rock musician…whether I play classical music, or jazz, or whatever. I put it into context as rock musician. I play piano like a dumb guitar player, or a rock drummer would. The piano is funny because you have to put out a lot more effort to rock than on a guitar. Playing on a piano is sometimes much more of a rock moment for me than for the listener, and I realize that.

CREEM: I think your fans realize that…

Ben: Yeah they realize it, but sometimes they just hear a piano, when I'm up there banging the shit out of the thing. When I play guitar, I break all the strings because I'm not used to not playing hard. Electric guitar is manly in one way, but you barely have to hit it, and the wattage does the rest.

CREEM: You seem to tour all the time, what else are you spending your time on?

Ben: I produced William Shatner's record over the past six months.

CREEM: Is it a lounge record?

Ben: I can't even describe it…it rocks! He does a song with Henry Rollins, and one with Joe Jackson. He considers it "our record." I sing on one song in the background with Aimee Mann, but it's mainly his voice. He's the one who steps out front, I prefer to be the producer.

CREEM: Does it have Fear of Pop sensibilities? (Side note: FOP is an experimental project Ben did, also featuring Shatner)

Ben: It's a little bit goofy, he's willing to be vulnerable though. We did a piece on his wife, who drowned in a pool - pretty fucking hairy for him to perform. In an age where there's not that much new going on, a 74-year-old TV actor just did one of the most original records I have heard in a long time.

CREEM: I just can't believe you have any time; will you get to chill any time soon? What about other hobbies?

Ben: Yeah, I tour all the time. I did the Shatner record, my EP (Super D) will come out in the fall, I'm almost done with my full-length (set for a January, 2005 release), and I still manage to spend from 6-10 a.m. every morning in the darkroom.

CREEM: And that can be for just one print!

Ben: Yeah, lots of paper for one print…depending on what the negative looks like, and if you really want the print, it can be like 3 or 4 days.

CREEM: Do you write much outside of your songs?

Ben: A 3-minute song makes me put it all together with something that doesn't meander. I get really long-winded if I don't have a rope. Especially if there is something you really want to say, it's a challenge to put across something in a classical form of 3 verses and a chorus.

CREEM: It's kind of a way to tidy-up thoughts then?

Ben: Yeah, it's good for you. You also start to realize that no one wants to hear a 10-minute song…I mean, I don't want to write one!

CREEM: What about the Elliot Smith song? Did you know him? (Note: Ben has, at recent shows, been playing a new song about the late Elliot Smith.)

Ben: It's kind of like passing that dude at work that works at the copy machine every day, and then he's dead. I didn't know him all that well, I passed him, it's sad, and also I think he was a bit of a genius.

CREEM: Is there a line in the song about playing basketball?

Ben: He threw elbows really hard when he played basketball! I got sucked into playing with Beck and Elliot on tour a couple times. Beck was kind of out of the way, and sportsmanlike, but fucking Elliot threw elbows, and I was like "It's not that important to me!" (laughs). He seemed to be such a fragile cat, but he's strong for his size. The line is "he played great guitar, and played dirty basketball," it's how I remembered him. He was a great songwriter who never got his fair shake. When his albums came out, I always wanted them to take off.

CREEM: What about all your cover songs? Have you ever thought about putting together an album of covers? (Side note: Ben has covered tunes by the likes of The Cure, Elliot Smith, and Sir Elton John.)

Ben: I may make a retrospective one day. The covers are usually songs that I really like and are good to play live. They're songs that I hold to high standards. If my songs don't measure up, they get thrown out.