Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1998)
Jjjjl The Battalion G a "IFE Wednesday • February 1 in< Questions & Answers with Ben Folds Five Skefeh By April Towery Staff writer T he interview was sched uled for Tuesday after noon at 4:30. Promptly at 4:20 p.m., a phone rang in The Battalion newsroom. This was not unusual, but the conversa tion that would take place would be an extraordinary occasion. On the other end of the line was Darren lessee, drummer for Ben Folds Five, whose second al bum, Whatever and Ever Amen, recently went gold. The band’s third album, Naked Baby Photos, a compilation album of miscel laneous recordings and live tracks, was released last month. lessee explained that he had placed the phone call 10 min utes early because he was run ning late and was expected to take his girlfriend to dinner that evening. He did take 15 minutes to speak to The Battalion about the success of the album and the band’s sold-out shows tonight at Dallas’ Deep Ellum Live and to morrow at Houston’s Numbers. The conversation went some thing like this: Battalion: “What are some dif ferences between your first album and Whatever and Ever Amen'?” JESSEE: “Whatever and Ever \s a little bit darker. It has a bitter tone, but it wasn’t meant to be that way. We listened to it, and we were like, ‘Hey, what’s up with this bitter s***?’ The first record is livelier.” Battalion: “What do you think about playing in Texas?” JESSEE: “Texas is a different place. I was born in Houston, but drugs and music brought me to From left to right: Ben Folds, larren lessee and Robert Sledge ALRI&HT, TH6 IS THE LAST TIME WE COME HERE ON A WEDNESDAY... By Qua; Ewe Hall StOlESTROM vlMAGS CMAEAOK'S “EM&HAU," HEke l weptl \ ims is the FofWie&Ti COMIC &JBK 1 . / c Wtt 001/ I THE. SThftfW® \\ DEAR »T’6 ftfTh • SLAND OF 6A8M RAf.e>ns dAo&WT fN SEA* TRAP5 I T-- By J1 NEAL l THIS Sntil \ \ WASN'T DESiBNa ,] Forth is kino /^TRAoMfll I l iff} WHftl'LL 1 \ HAPPeN?; y AT" W- K Lm Chapel Hill.” Battalion: “What makes Ben Folds Five unique?” JESSEE: “That we’re the great est. No, I’m so full of myself. Re ally, I think what makes us unique is that we’re so honest and straightforward.” Battalion: “Tell me about the lyrics to ‘Brick,’ your hit song.” JESSEE: “I wrote the lyrics to the chorus about a sinking rela tionship. Ben put it together and arranged it with the verses. Then the story became more clear that it was about a guy taking his dog to the vet.” Battalion: “How do you get in spired to write songs?” JESSEE: “Sometimes we just rub baby oil on each other. Sometimes we just go to church.” Battalion: “Do you target col lege students with your music?” JESSEE: “When we made the record, we were targeting 50- to 65-year-old black women, but now kids like it. That’s really good because they buy more records.” Battalion: “What are your shows like?” JESSEE: “Our shows are just like the records, but twice as fast, with lots of dancing and scream ing. Generally, the girls in the front take their clothes off. Come experience some of our sushi.” Please see Ben on Page 5. Simel & Lewis y OH Moi EGG HAS come back ijs A Zo/ABle a dm HE'S NOT A ZotABlE. IW LIFE TODAULA HAD RGGENEfLATlVE PfcoPEfmeS So UE REFOKTas EVEKYbCMH. SEEl f UOU. TH15 . PCCNItife Fit' Codirri63 wokiw a ¥ i v 5*. Grand Prize: $1,000.00 in cash, 4 round-trip tickets to anyone Vanguard flies, and 4 tickets to the Women’s Final Four®. What: 4-PERSON TEAM FREE THROW SHOOTING CONTEST Where: Golden Ox Restaurant parking lot, adjacent to Kemper Arena. When: March 6 & 7, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., March 8, 11 a.m.-l:30 p.m. (Proceeds to benefit a scholarship fund at one of the 12 Universities.) REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO ENTER Team Captain. Address Phone .City. .Big 12 TM School_ State .Zip. To confirm registration mail $40.00 per team to Golden Ox Shoot-Out, P.O. Box 025606, Kansas City, MO 64102, Fax to: 816-474-1722, or E mail to: ? ineales@blvdbeer.com by February 27, 1998. Each entrant will receive an Official Shoot-Out T-Shirt. K VA/VGUA/ZU A/fTL/A/BS t Wnm41—>f n** >> liy I BrandsMart GAJvYASt’S LIGHT. ——“ lOflflGRJt, CLASSIC HDCKN 1 ROLL Thirst Quencher NAYA K TEXAS INSTRUMENTS CAREER EXP Thursday, February 12, 1998 9 am to 5 pm Koldus Building, Rooms 110 - 111 (Bring resumes and transcripts) t E f? 0 Interviews Friday, February 13 Minimum 3.0 GPA Required Note: Interviews must be scheduled at the Career Expo Requires BS, MS, or PhD Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Computer Engineering Industrial Engineering Chemical Engineering Computer Science Business Analysis {B0 For more information on employment opportunities with Texas Instruments, visit us on the World Wide Web at: http://www. ti. com Texas Instruments K