The Southern Comfort of Lunatic Showmen: Feeling the' Five

You've played in Boston several times in the past, how do you enjoy it?

Darren Jessee (drums): Boston's always been supportive. In the last three years, it's one of the places that's had the most supportive crowds. It's been one of our biggest places actually.

Robert Sledge (bass guitar): I like Boston. It's cool, I haven't really been around that much, but I think we've played all the clubs here now. They have a similar style.

You guys just returned from a tour in Australia, and you've also played concerts in Europe, Japan and the United States, have you noticed anything different about the crowds around the world?

DJ: Just the language barrier itself in Japan creates a different atmosphere, but the crowds are always excited. They know your music and love to jump around. They're also really attentive and quiet. As soon as you start to say something, say anything, they're silent. Australia and England, on the other hand, have especially rowdy crowds.

We heard you got into some trouble on a daytime talk show. What exactly happened there?

Ben Folds (piano/vocals): We were probably a bit rambunctious for this show. It's the equivalent of Regis & Kathie Lee. Pretend in this parallel universe, Regis is also a band leader. They kind of wanted to kick our asses.

RS: The band leader went at Ben first, then he started going after me and I wouldn't listen to him. Then he went at our sound man, and he was stuck there. The leader kept screaming about us as "fucking Americans" and the sound man just told him to shut up.

How does the song writing process go for the band?

DJ: That process is always different. Any one of us might come in with an idea and all three of us will start working on it. If it starts to click we'll keep it. Obviously Ben, being the main songwriter, presents most of the music, and it's mine and Robert's job to try and take it as far as it can go. We all have our hands in it.

What does it feel like to be making videos? What do you feel about the influence MTV has on music?

DJ: Personally I don't care too much about MTV, but I know I have to make videos because it's a format a lot of kids watch. Kids get turned onto new bands that way, and it's something you have to be aware of. It's weird, but it's fun sometimes too. Other times though, it can be a real drag, especially when you don't like a video and you have to keep seeing it in the rotation over and over. We're much more of a music band, we spend so much time on the music and the live show. When it comes to videos, we feel we've fallen short a bit. Our videos aren't as good as they could have been, but we're going to try and do better.

What was it like being on the Lollapalooza '96 and H.O.R.D.E. '97 tours?

DJ: H.O.R.D.E. was great, we met some really good bands, made friends and had a good time. Lollapalooza was much more work and a lot more rock stars around. I just think H.O.R.D.E. is just a much more musical tour. It's gotten a lot of flack for being a hippie tour, that kind of Blues Traveler vibe, but personally, if I'm going to walk around at some festival in the middle of summer, all day long, I don't mind those kind of people because they're easy to be around. At Lollapalooza, the crowds are basically just mall kids.

How did the string quartet come about at the Horde shows?

DJ: We have strings on our record and we wanted to do something different. On Lollapalooza, every show was the same and the bands weren't really into it. We wanted to do something exceptional and bring in a string quartet. Ben worked overtime arranging the strings and arranging the charts. We thought it'd just be a way to stand out a little bit.

Do you guys aspire to become big rock stars?

DJ: We aspire to have our music heard by as many people as possible. The rest is what you make of it.

What are some other bands you've enjoyed playing with or would like to play with in the future?

RS: Don't say it.

BF: Radiohead. I don't know, there's not that many of 'em. Right now we really just feel like headlining shows. The sets have been going better since we've had a longer time to play. A lot of the bands we'd like to play with are kind of on our same level or not far enough up that we should be opening for them. They definitely shouldn't be opening for us. Neil Young was really good, he's so obviously huge and someone we respect.

RS: Well, we played with Cake and they're a cool band. But like Ben said, a lot bands we want to play with are on our same level and are just trying to stand their own ground. There's a lot of bands I really like, but I don't know if it would be right to play with them.

DJ: Squirrel Nut Zippers is a band we've played with some and liked a lot. Meeting Morphine was cool, they're from around here. There are tons, all of us would love to open for Radiohead, but we're not sure yet.

Do you ever get tired of touring and just wish it would end?

BF: Yeah, definitely. I like to play music, but sure you get tired.

What do you do to relax, just get your mind off the daily grind of touring?

DJ: Smoke pot, or watch movies or try and read a bit. I like to go out and get my mind off myself. It's so hard with music because I show up to a club and I'll have interviews, sound check and the whole day revolves around you. At some point you get sick of yourself and just want to get away.

Which band would you like to take on in a fight, Hanson or the Spice Girls?

BF: Women or children, which do you choose?

RS: I guess it'd probably be a safer bet to fight children. There's more Spice Girls than there are us. Hanson, though, they seem really moved by playing music. We could probably start singing and they'd go "Ah," stop fighting and start singing along.

BF: Yeah, we'd go MMMBop bop bop. (making punching gestures)

DJ: I can't fight Hanson, they're just too damn cute. It'd have to be the Spice Girls, maybe it could be like a mud wrestling thing, that'd be better.