Super Request with Jane Gazzo
aired on Triple J
12st July 1998
The red writing is Jane Gazzo, the host. The white writing is Ben, and the green is Frally Hynes, who was then Ben's girlfriend, but now they've gotten married.
...Ben
Hi!
How you going?
I’m fine, how are you?
I’m very well, welcome to Australia.
Thank you, it’s good to be here.
How long you been in the country for?
Uh, maybe like a day, bout 24 hours.
Right.
Yeah, I got here, um, yeah, bout a day and a half ago.
And did you bring your five or just the other two members of the band?
Uh, just the only two.
(laugh)
Just the other two.
Yeah, yeah... just joking, sorry.
That’s okay. No, we, we, we brought our friend Rob from, um, Amsterdam and he’s as big as two people.
Yeah.
Yeah, he’s a big guy.
Oh well, that’s pretty much five people then in the touring party.
Yeah, he’s, he’s, he’s, he has the strength of two men.
Ah, yes, ah yes, uh, well, welcome. It’s great to have you back you’re playing tonight at the Metropolis. How did the... have you done your soundcheck yet?
Yeah, we just did it. It, it, um, it felt like, um, uh, it kind of felt like Saturday Night Fever somehow.
(laugh) How’s that?
I dunno, it’s just something about the room made you wanna go "well you can’t (???)". Either that or that song, um, I got the music in me.
Oh, baby.
...something like that too.
You gotta, you better don your, uh, white suit for tonights show then, the John Travolta suit.
Yeah, lots of chrome, lots of chrome in this place.
Oh, very nice. That’d be the Metropolis.
Yeah, that’s it!
Uh, I should congratulate you on the popularity of Brick in this country.
Yeah, thanks, that's, that's probably your fault.
Probably.
Yeah, no that's cool. We appreciate that.
That's fine. Did you, uh, expect one of your ballads like the slower moments of your, uh, album to be so popular?
Well, I mean, no, not really. Uh, I dunno, it's hard to know. I mean we knew that that was the single sort of on the record. I mean, I think that we felt like that was the, that was our kind of hit song on the album and then it did really well in the States but I wasn't sure if it'd go so well over here because, I was here in January and you actually played it on the radio while I was here and I heard it on the radio, I didn't think it sounded like a, um, it didn't sound right (laugh).
You were wrong.
I was wrong. I don't know how to pick them.
Yeah.
But I think it's cause it was summertime, you know, like it doesn't sound, it doesn't sound as good in the summer but I think it sounds good in the winter.
It's a winter song.
Yeah it kinda is.
(laugh) uh, yeah, you were out here in January. It hasn't been that long since, uh, since you were here, why back so soon?
Uh, well, I was here in January cause I was visiting. I stayed here for a month. I like Australia, so I come here and visit.
So we actually saw you last year, wasn't it?
Yeah, we were here, we were here in uh, October, in Rocktober.
That's right.
Yeah, we played here then, and I, then I came and visited in January, and now we're back again.
What, you liked Australia so much you came here for a secret visit?
Yeah!
Wow.
It was cool. I was here for a month, I went everywhere, it was great.
Wow.
Ended up at Charlie's house.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Good mate of yours?
Yeah.
Okay (laugh) moving right along.
?? Charlie out there? Say, Charlie, how ya doin'?
Oh, that's Charlie.
Yeah, you recognised his voice, didn't ya?
Hey, Charlie.
Hey, Charlie.
That's great.
I'll give you the address if you need it.
Oh, okay, off the air maybe.
Everyone can come visit.
(laugh) Oh, dear, um, uh, well, basically I should just basically congratulate you, I mean that record "Whatever and Ever Amen", you're still touring it, it was done in 1996. Are you tired of touring that record yet?
Well, yeah, actually I am, but it's okay here, because it, it, it's like things have happened a little later her, so it isn't, it doesn't feel as, you know, like, I don't feel like I'm repeating myself by coming over here, cause we haven't played here but once, you know.
Mmm, mmm.
So, it's okay, we recorded that album a while ago it's time to do a new one.
Yeah, yeah, when's the next one do you think? What happens after Australia?
Uh... after Australia we play Japan and then, um, and then we're gonna go back home and start working on a new record.
Oh, that'd be very fine.
Yeah.
Very good, very good. Uh, "Steven's Last Night" is doing good things too on this show too I must add.
Really cool, yeah.
About the guy that just won't go home.
What's that?
The guy who just won't go home.
Yeah, that's a true story.
Yeah?
Yeah, actually, his name was Steven, Steven Stuart Short, he's a, um, he's an English guy and he came over to visit and he wouldn't leave, but I understand English people are kinda like that sometimes...
(laugh)
...they come over, like, you know, they just kinda stay around.
Yeah, now last time you were in Australia with, with, with, with the five, um, you made a few television appearances, some which, uh, were most talked about, including one on uh, the Midday Show on a commercial channel where you completely, uh, stuffed the grand piano.
Yeah.
Any plans to do that on Australian TV this tour?
No, I don't think, I know I didn't really plan on that, I didn't see, no, they, they, they, opened the curtains and it was like, it was an over 75 audience.
(laugh) All the uh, white hair brigade.
Yeah, they had, they, had the age you know, like live clubs are over 18 or over 21, this place was over 75 and, uh, I mean, I'm all, I mean, you know, I'm all for people over 75 years old, that's not a problem, but, no, but uh...
You might have caused a few heart attacks in the audience that day.
Well, it didn't really, you know, a lot of people clap at the end of songs, they, they didn't do that (laugh).
(laugh)
We kind of looked up and like, Geoff Harvey was coming over to me like he was gonna kick my ass.
(laugh)
He was, he, he, he likes the F word.
Well, it was certainly talked about for weeks after you left Australia.
Yeah, it was pretty funny.
And I hear that the blue rinse set or the pensioners are big CD buyers too, Ben.
What's that?
I hear the blue rinse set or the pensioners that were in that audience are big CD buyers.
Yeah, I think they are, I think we've really pretty much screwed ourselves here in Australia with our one performance. I mean, apparently they keep playing it over and over again, and it's like, they played it like five times after we actually did the show, it's like, our, our record actually charted that week, like, that's kinda funny.
(laugh) It's their big, uh, television highlight. It's the, you know, the only thing that's kind of, uh, been... it's controversy, that's what it is!
Yeah, I mean, that's kinda, I mean, that's kinda fun because you know we're back home we're like the churchboy five or something... we play one set, we're like Marilyn Manson or Nine Inch Nails, it's not gonna be very shocking, but it's funny that you come to Australia to play the Midday Show and all of a sudden you're the Who (laugh).
(laugh)
It's, it's pretty funny.
That's great, you can be the like, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Noel Gallagher, when he punched out an Australian fan, you know, controversy.
Yeah, but see that kinda sucks. I don't wanna hurt anybody, I really didn't even wanna hurt the piano and I don't think that I did so it's alright.
That's okay then.
You wanna say hi to Frally?
Sure.
Who am I talking to?
Triple J.
Hello.
What do you do for the Ben Folds Five?
Eat M&M's.
(laugh)
She's the M&M eater.
(laugh) that's great. What's your Ryder like, Ben, on this tour?
Um, M&M's and army men.
Yeah?
Little plastic army men and M&M's.
Was it, was it Metallica who requested all the red ones out of, uh, their Ryder, all the red M&M's out of the M&M bowl?
I think that was Van Halen.
Van Halen.
Yeah, it think it was Van Halen.
Oh, uh, a couple of, uh, girls wrote in to us here when they heard that we were gonna have a quick chat to you, uh, they wanted to know if you've got and Australian, uh, Ben Folds Five club here, uh, a fan club.
Do we have an Australian fan club. Uh, I don't know, my, um, we've got a fan club of one anyway, um, my girlfriend's Australian.
Oh, really?
Yeah, that was her, that was Frally.
Oh...
She’s my fan club, I guess (laughing). I don’t know, there’s probably, I don’t know if there’s anything organised or not.
Oh well, these two girls have, uh, offered, offered to set one up for you, they’re huge fans of yours.
Oh, okay, they can do that.
So, uh, we’ll, we’ll pass on.
That’s really cool. Tell them to talk to Doug Goodman.
Alright (laughing).
That’s our tour manager.
I hope Jessica and Michelle are listening right now.
Jessica and Michelle, talk to Doug Goodman, with, if they go to the gig they should just ask for Doug Goodman, he’s the tour manager.
Right, and I think you’ll get everyone in Australia asking for Doug right now.
Actually, you should, just everyone ask for Doug Goodman, come to the door and ask for Doug Goodman.
Uh, listen, but we’d better let you go very soon cause you’ve gotta play the Metropolis tonight. Uh, you’re playing with Snout, who are big favourites here. Have you met, caught up with them yet, said hello?
Yeah, I’ve, I just met them, they’re nice guys. See, but I mean, I was kinda confused, I thought they were an a capella R&B band.
No!
They’re all white guys, I didn’t really understand, but they’re, they’re good.
How do you get a capella with a band like, with a band name like Snout?
I don’t, I don’t know, I thought they, they sang, the, some song like ‘Jesus lifts me up’ or something like that. It’s just not the same as I thought it was, but they’re nice guys, you know, the snout, the snout, the snout boys.
Yep.
They’re good, I like them, I think they’re a great band.
We love them here at Triple J.
I think they could do really well in the United States actually, with just you know, I don’t know if that’s such a great thing, but if, I think they could do it.
Oh, look, well, you know, we always wish the best of luck to our local bands. That’d be very good. Uh, okay, so tonight in Perth, uh, this coming Thursday the Theby Theatre in Adelaide, um, then Friday at the Palais in Melbourne, Sydney at the Enmore Theater on Monday the 27th and your tour winds up in Brisbane at Festival Hall on Thursday the 30th.
Yep, you got it.
And Ben, we’ll get you to throw to the next track, that you’ve picked.
Oh yeah, that’s right, I’m picking the next track, oh, uh, it’s just an introduction, right?
Yeah.
Okay.
Give, give us a really good intro.
(puts on deep DJ voice) "alright, people, this is two for Tuesday, three for Thursday, (?because?), that’s right" uh, what else, oh yeah “hang in there for the Ultimate Sacrifice on Triple J".
Ben Folds, it’s been a pleasure speaking to you, have a great show tonight there in Perth.
Okay thank you.
Cheers.
Alright, cheers.
(music -- "The Ultimate Sacrifice")