Ben's Message To Fans Re: The Solo Album
Magical Armchair Digest
December 17, 2000

Here's what I can tell you about the new record, since I've gotten cards and letters asking about it...

People have asked me if the record I'm working on sounds like "Fear of Pop". The answer is: nope. Not much like that at all.

Granted, yes, the demand for "Fear of Pop" is staggering. The record label has been pressuring me to make "Fear of Pop vol. II". Billboard featured an article on the void that exists in radio this year, without a "Fear of Pop" album to play. Some of the top names in music have taken this opportunity, this absence of "Fear of Pop", to put out smash hits, which otherwise, wouldn't stand a chance on the shelf next to "Fear of Pop".

But despite all of this, and all of the fans that want to hear another Folds/Shatner collaboration, I'm putting it on the backburner while I make a record of songs. Singing, piano, songs. instruments. beats. I write the same song over and over anyway, so you'll know what it's going to sound like. I like vocals, ahs, silly sh** like that. Distorted basses, some slap basses. a powerballad here and there. A few nasty words. Short drum solos. (Darren has spiritually advised me, but takes no responsibility for anyone who might get hurt trying to dance to my spastic drumming.) And there is a Folds/Jessee collaboration actually; still untitled - we're thinking we'll call it "the wind beneath my sheets"... There's some acoustic guitar, some electric guitar (I suck but so do most guitarists). Songs that speed up and slow down. Words about what I'm thinking about. There are elbows on pianos... we're whiddling down from 16 songs that we've recorded for the album. I think we're about half done. There's still a lot of work left to do and I'd guess the record will be out late May, early June. I'll tell you all about it. For now, I just thought I'd break the news about "Fear of Pop"...

Oh yeah. and it doesn't sound much like that Grinch song either. That's a kids song for a movie I recorded with my portable Roland demo recorder and 3 mics. When they asked me for a song, I didn't understand that it was a kids movie and I wrote a song about Santa that went, "Ole Santa, he's a big fat fu**. Went down the chimney and got his fat ass stuck". When i realized it was a kids movie, I put that song away and gave 'em a kids song and now I can afford nappies for the next year. Funny how that works. I'll put out the fat ass Santa song next year and that won't pay for anything but it'll be fun. Maybe I'll send out an mp3 of "Santa's a big fat fu**" and don't tell anyone where it came from or the boss will be pissed.

Okay, I'm off. I just didn't want everyone to think I'd sold out and was putting out "Fear of Pop" just for the cash.

Here's the names of some songs that have been recorded for the album so far:

Annie Waits
Carrying Cathy
The Ascent of Stan
Hiro's Song
Losing Lisa
Fred Jones pt 2

You win if you can figure out what they all have in common. Is there a theme?

love,
folds
 

Posted to the Magical Armchair via Doug Goodman, Ben's tour manager.