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Everyone grew up with a piano in their living room, so rocking out on the piano was accessible – it wasn’t an upper-class thing. Now pianos have become very much a piece of furniture.

Ben Folds

Next door, there’s an old man who lived to his nineties and one day passed away in his sleep. And his wife, she stayed for a couple of days and passed away. I’m sorry, I know that’s a strange way to tell you that I know we belong.
BEN FOLDS

Couple Sleep Sorry
Off the coast and I’m headed nowhere
BEN FOLDS

Coast Headed Nowhere
To the modern ear, it seems soft. When you hear it against other things, it seems vulnerable. Lyrically and musically, though, this is more subtle. And, yes, it’s asking a lot of someone who’s used to being hit over the head with bright neon to listen to this.
BEN FOLDS

Ask Lyrically Modest Somehow Vulnerable
I always feel very lucky that I am forced to make records at certain times. If I was forced to make 2 records a year, I would write twice as many songs. I can’t make myself finish something unless I am forced
BEN FOLDS

Always Myself Record Times Twice
I feel like a quote out of context, withholding the rest so I can be for you what you want to see.
BEN FOLDS

Feels Want Withholding
I divorce myself from listeners who aren’t tolerant of humor. I did notice universally that, especially when it comes to weight, people look in the mirror and get the angle just right, tell themselves it’s all right, and then they go out.
BEN FOLDS

Divorce Mirrors People
I’m romantically inclined. No human being on Earth is not attracted to other people. There is no fairy tale that they only have eyes for you. You just choose to act on it or not.
BEN FOLDS

Earth Eyes People
I look to an out gay man or woman as pretty much what I would aspire to. The strength that it takes to do that and the floodgates that open and what they pay for it.
BEN FOLDS

Gay Looks Men
Billy Joel and Joe Jackson were both great, and they both play piano.
BEN FOLDS

Both Piano Play
Rock and roll is – and should be – a kid’s place.
BEN FOLDS

Kids Rocks Roll
It’s a tough thing to know that when you’re making your album, you’re going to end up collaborating with, say, Wal-Mart, on your artwork. That just sucks. And the pressure behind getting the numbers real fast is, to me, dizzying.
BEN FOLDS

Numbers Pressure Real
I start songs all the time. If I weren’t so lazy, I would finish them. It’s like when I have a deadline I have to.
BEN FOLDS

Song Writing Years
People aren’t going to sit there very often, not your average public, and your average music-business monster is not going to take the time to notice the overtones and the undertones inside the flavor. They’d rather just have the martini.
BEN FOLDS

Average Business Overtones Public
The piano is just a different animal. It’s expensive, it’s big, it’s heavy, and it doesn’t fit in the mix easily.
BEN FOLDS

Animal Class Piano
In many ways, I’ve chosen to be plain, almost too plain, too self-effacing. Like, if I record a vocal and I don’t like the way it sounds, I would have them turn it up and take the reverb off it to make it as plain as possible.
BEN FOLDS

Records Self Sound
I’m definitely an anomaly, but I’m making things. They’re selling, say, martinis, and I’m kind of making vintage Riesling.
BEN FOLDS

Average People Vintage
It’s like being in the position of – in half of the industry’s mind, you’re kind of a cult-following, independent rocker. And on the other hand, you’re a sellout. But neither one of them are right.
BEN FOLDS

Hands Independent Mind
I’m aware that I’m very fringe, and it’s nice that way.
BEN FOLDS

Fringe Nice Way
I think alcohol is a good drug for me when I’m writing. I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with it. I can stop for a few weeks, so I think it’s okay. I don’t think it’s good for my liver, but I do love it. It’s a huge part of my life, and it makes me happy.
BEN FOLDS

Alcohol Thinking Writing
Because I write very simply, but inside the simplicity, there’s a lot of subtlety. That’s what I’m proud of.
BEN FOLDS

Proud Simplicity Writing
I could probably live in Bali the rest of my life and completely live in the sticks and have a f – king moped and make a record every couple of years and not step in public and break even like I do anyway. That’s really tempting.
BEN FOLDS

Couple Kings Years
If you can’t draw a crowd, draw dicks on the wall
BEN FOLDS

Crowd Draws Wall
Why would I want to sound like Joni Mitchell? I’ve got Joni Mitchell records, and they’re great, and I couldn’t possibly be that good.
BEN FOLDS

Records Sound Want
The way I see it, there’s only one melody for any song.
BEN FOLDS

Gravity Song Way
I’ve gotten to the point where I realize that I need to tell my truth in music and not walk around blabbing my mind.
BEN FOLDS

Mind Needs Realizing
The music business is a weird business. Sometimes licensing doesn’t happen because some business component that you never knew about stops it.
BEN FOLDS

Business Happens Music Sometimes
I used to do this big rant at the end of some gigs with Ben Folds Five. The band broke into this big heavy metal thing and I started as a joke to scream in a heavy metal falsetto. I found myself saying things like: Feel my pain, I am white, feel my pain.
BEN FOLDS

Gigs Pain White

Everyone grew up with a piano in their living room, so rocking out on the piano was accessible – it wasn’t an upper-class thing. Now pianos have become very much a piece of furniture.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Everyone grew up with a piano in their living room, so rocking out on the piano was accessible – it wasn’t an upper-class thing. Now pianos have become very much a piece of furniture.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ben Folds Quotes