name	Brick
director	Rian Johnson
producer	Ram BergmanMark G. Mathis
writer	Rian Johnson
starring	Joseph Gordon-LevittNora ZehetnerNoah FleissMatt O'LearyRichard RoundtreeLukas Haas
music	Nathan Johnson
cinematography	Steve Yedlin
editing	Rian Johnson
studio	Bergman Lustig Productions
distributor	Focus Features
released	April 7, 2006
runtime	109 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$475,000
gross	$3,919,254 }}

''Brick'' is a 2005 American neo-noir film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It was Johnson's directorial debut and won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ''Brick'' was distributed by Focus Features, opening in New York and Los Angeles on April 7, 2006.

The film's narrative centers on a hardboiled detective story that takes place in a Californian suburb. Most of the main characters are high school students. The film draws heavily in plot, characterization, and dialogue from hardboiled classics, especially from Dashiell Hammett. The title refers to a block of heroin, compressed roughly to the size and shape of a brick.

Plot[link]

High school student Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is living a lonely existence after breaking up with his girlfriend Emily Kostich (Emilie de Ravin) and betraying his friend Jer to the authorities.

Brendan receives a phone call from a terrified Emily. She begs him to help her, mentioning a "brick," "poor Frisco," and "the Pin" before abruptly hanging up. Brendan searches for her and is eventually able to arrange a meeting through Dode (Noah Segan), leader of a stoner clique that Emily now belongs to. When they meet, Emily recants what she said on the phone and tells Brendan he needs to let her go. Brendan steals her notepad during the encounter, where he finds a clue that leads him to a culvert where he finds her dead body.

Brendan takes it upon himself to solve her murder, enlisting the aid of fellow loner Brain (Matt O'Leary). Brendan returns to the storm drain and hides the body to avoid police intrusion. Brendan discovers that "The Pin" mentioned by Emily is a local drug baron. Brendan sets about getting The Pin's attention by beating up Brad Bramish (Brian J. White), an arrogant jock and regular customer of The Pin's. Afterwards, Brendan is beaten up by an unknown man.

When Brendan meets The Pin (Lukas Haas), it is revealed the unknown man is Tug (Noah Fleiss). He is The Pin's head enforcer and was sent as a message. The Pin is persuaded to consider Brendan for a spot in his operation. Laura (Nora Zehetner), Brad's squeeze, tells Brendan that Emily tried to join The Pin but was rejected and, in her state of addiction, stole a brick of concentrated pure heroin from him. She offers to help Brendan, who refuses because he knows she is just using Brad and so can't trust her himself.

The Pin tells Brendan he's been accepted. When Brendan acts on a message to go to a payphone he gets a call from Dode, who tells him he saw Brendan hide Emily's body and, believing him to be the murderer, vows to ruin him. Brendan meets with The Pin, who expresses distrust of Tug and his violent nature and suspects an uprising on Tug's part.

Brain learns that "poor Frisco" is Frisco Farr, a student who fell into a coma after injecting poorly-cut heroin. Brendan goes to The Pin's house where he finds Tug. Playing on the bad blood between Tug and The Pin, he learns that The Pin initially received a shipment of ten bricks. He has sold eight but the ninth was stolen and came back doctored. The Pin interrupts to tell Tug about meeting someone who knows what happened to Emily. A weakened Brendan intercepts Dode before the meeting and discovers Emily was pregnant when she died. Dode tries to tell Tug and The Pin that Brendan killed Emily, but Tug goes berserk and shoots Dode in the face. Tug then threatens The Pin, who walks away as Brendan faints due to internal bleeding.

Brendan awakes in the bedroom of Tug, who says he's now at war with The Pin. Brendan acts as a go-between for Tug and The Pin and arranges a meeting. That night Brendan sleeps with Laura, noticing that her cigarettes have the same distinct filter as one he saw dropped from Tug's car when it passed after Emily's first call. Brendan offers to drive Tug's car to the meet, in case The Pin has an ambush set up. At the meeting, chaos erupts when it is discovered that the last brick is missing. Tug beats The Pin to death while Brendan flees, getting out of the house just as police (summoned by Brain per Brendan's orders) arrive. As he walks away he passes the trunk of Tug's car, where Emily's body is visible (presumably Brendan put it there).

The next day, Brendan meets with Laura and reveals that he knows she set Emily up to be killed. Laura made Emily take the fall for the first brick, which Laura had stolen, sold half of, and tried to replace with detergent (which led to Frisco's coma). She manipulated Emily into meeting Tug, hoping he'd kill her after learning of her pregnancy (and letting him believe he was the father), and later stole the brick that was missed at the meeting, to set off a war and have everyone kill each other. Brendan tells Laura he has revealed all this in a note to the Vice Principal (Richard Roundtree), who finds the brick in Laura's locker. Laura vindictively tells him Emily was three months pregnant when she died, implying that the baby was his. The movie ends with Brendan watching Laura as she walks away.

Cast[link]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brendan Frye

Emilie de Ravin as Emily Kostich

Nora Zehetner as Laura Dannon

Matt O'Leary as The Brain

Noah Fleiss as Tugger "Tug"

Lukas Haas as The Pin

Brian J. White as Brad Bramish

Meagan Good as Kara

Noah Segan as Dode

Richard Roundtree as Assistant Vice Principal Trueman

Production[link]

Development[link]

The origins of ''Brick'' were Rian Johnson's obsession with the writing of Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961), an author known for hardboiled detective novels, and his desire to make a straightforward American detective story. He had discovered Hammett's work through an interview the Coen brothers did around the time of the release of their 1990 gangster film, ''Miller's Crossing''. He read ''Red Harvest'' (1929) and then moved on to ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1930) and ''The Glass Key'' (1931), the latter of which had been the main influence for the Coen's ''Miller's Crossing''. Johnson had grown up watching detective films and film noir, and reading Hammett's novels inspired him to make a film that created the same kind of world. He realized that this would result in a mere imitation and came up with high school as the setting to keep things fresh. Of the initial writing process he remarked "it was really amazing how all the archetypes from that detective world slid perfectly over the high school types". He also wanted to disrupt the visual preconceptions that came from the film noir genre but once he started making ''Brick'', he found it "very much about the experience of being a teenager to me". Despite this admission, Johnson maintained that the film was not autobiographical.

Johnson wrote the first draft of ''Brick'' in 1997 after graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts a year earlier. He spent the next seven years pitching his script but none of the Hollywood studios or production companies were interested because the material was too unusual to make with a first-time director. Johnson estimated the minimal amount of money for which he could make the film, and asked friends and family for backing. His family were in the construction industry, and came into a significant amount of money which they devoted to the project, thereby encouraging others to contribute funds. After Johnson had acquired about $450,000 for the film's budget, ''Brick'' finally began production in 2003.

Filming[link]

Although the film was shot in 20 days, Johnson spent a great deal of time beforehand refining the script and three months to rehearse with the cast. He had seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a film called ''Manic'', met with him and knew that he wanted the young actor to be in his film. He encouraged the cast to read Hammett but not to watch any noir films because he did not want them influencing their performances. Instead, he had them watch Billy Wilder comedies like ''The Apartment'' and other comedies like ''His Girl Friday''. He was initially nervous working with a professional cast and crew for the first time but as soon as he started filming, this feeling went away and he had a good experience.

Johnson shot the film in his hometown of San Clemente, California on 35 mm film stock. Much of the film takes place at San Clemente High School, which he attended. He enlisted current students to work on the film, shooting on weekends so as not to disrupt classes. The cinematographer was Steve Yedlin, a friend Johnson had met in film school who had been involved with the project since the script was written.

Johnson had difficulty finding a run-down house for the Pin's base of operations. The production found an appropriate house but only had a week before it was destroyed for a more upscale house. Johnson also had difficulty finding a mansion for the party scene until, with one day left to find the location, a former Telecom executive allowed them to shoot in his place which was still under construction.

Johnson cited Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns and ''Cowboy Bebop'' as influences on his visualization of the movie. He used shoes as a design element for his characters and saw them as an "instant snapshot of the essence" of the characters. He has also stated that many of the film's visual cues were taken from the neo-noir ''Chinatown'' (1974) with its wide-open flat spaces.

Special effects[link]

The majority of the film's special effects were cheaply and efficiently produced using practical and in-camera effects. Early in the film, for example, Emilie de Ravin walks toward the camera out of a tunnel as a garbage bag floats downstream and engulfs the camera, transitioning over to Joseph Gordon-Levitt back in his character's bedroom. To achieve this, the desired effect was filmed in reverse order. The garbage bag began over the camera and was pulled away during filming, as de Ravin walked backwards into the tunnel. This footage was then cut to a scene in which a garbage bag was simply pulled over Gordon-Levitt's head.

Slowly filming a car driving in reverse, then playing the footage backwards at a higher speed gives the illusion of a car quickly approaching as the camera darts in front of it stylishly. Clever fades give the impression of time changes while quick jump cuts add tension to a scene in which the protagonist wakes up after passing out. Certain edits were also introduced to the film to time footage to different dialogue, adding certain information and leaving other information out completely. These edits are noticeable, as the actors' mouths are not always moving in sync with their dialogue. One particular scene, in which de Ravin's character floated toward the camera, used a green screen, but it was edited out of the film far before its completion.

Post production[link]

The original cut of the film was over two hours long, although it was edited down to 117 minutes for the Sundance Film Festival. An additional 7 minutes were cut before the theatrical release, including a shot of Zehetner's naked back as she put her shirt back on after she and Gordon-Levitt's character had sex. According to a post by Johnson on his own forums, he felt that the shot with nudity felt wrong in the context of the film, and that he preferred to leave the degree of intimacy ambiguous, although he occasionally finds himself second-guessing that decision.

Score and soundtrack[link]

The score to ''Brick'' was composed by Rian Johnson's cousin, Nathan Johnson, with additional support and music from The Cinematic Underground. The score harks back to the style, feel and overall texture of noir films. It features traditional instruments such as the piano, trumpet and violin, and also contains unique and invented instruments such as the wine-o-phone, metallophone, tack pianos, filing cabinets, and kitchen utensils, all recorded with one microphone on an Apple PowerBook. Since Nathan Johnson was in England during most of the production process, the score was composed almost entirely over Apple iChat, with Rian Johnson playing clips of the movie to Nathan Johnson, who would then score them. The two later met in New York to mix the soundtrack. The soundtrack CD of the movie was released on March 12, 2006 by Lakeshore Records. In addition to Johnson's score, it contains songs by The Velvet Underground, Anton Karas and Kay Armen as well as the big band version of "Frankie and Johnny" performed by Bunny Berigan and a full unedited performance of "The sun whose rays are all ablaze" by Nora Zehetner. Johnson has confirmed that various elements in the film are influenced by Twin Peaks creator David Lynch.

Home media[link]

The Region 1 DVD release of ''Brick'' was released on August 8, 2006 as part of the Focus Features Spotlight Series. Special features include: selection of deleted and extended scenes with introductions by director Rian Johnson; audition footage featuring Nora Zehetner and Noah Segan; and feature audio commentary with Rian Johnson, Nora Zehetner, Noah Segen, producer Ram Bergman, production designer Jodie Tillen, and costume designer Michele Posch.

The Region 2 DVD was released on September 18, 2006.

Reception[link]

''Brick'' premiered in the United States on April 7, 2006 in two theaters. It opened to United Kingdom audiences on May 12, 2006 on a limited number of screens. According to the DVD commentary track, the film was made for just under $500,000. The film grossed USD $2.07 million in North America and a total of $3.9 million worldwide.

''Brick'' was released to positive reviews. It currently has a 79% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, derived from 134 reviews, and ranked #35 on ''Entertainment Weekly's'' list of the "50 Best High School Movies". Based on 34 reviews, Metacritic gave it an average score of 72 out of 100 ("Generally positive reviews").

''Brick'' ranks 489th on ''Empire'' magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.

Awards[link]

Special Jury Prize: Dramatic, for Originality of Vision Deauville Film FestivalChicago Film Critics Association AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsBritish Independent Film AwardsSan Francisco Film Critics Circle AwardsSatellite AwardsFestival de Cine de Sitges rowspan="2"Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Male Newcomer

Year !! Award !! Category !! Recipient !! Result
rowspan="2"	2005	Sundance Film Festival	|
Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
2005	|	Grand Special Prize
2006	|	Most Promising Director	Rian Johnson
2006	|nowrap="nowrap"| John Cassavetes Award (best film production with a budget under $500,000 USD) ||
2006	|	Best Foreign Independent Film
2006	|	Best Screenplay - Original	Rian Johnson
2006	|	Best Original Score	Nathan Johnson
2006	|	Citizen Kane Award for Best Directorial Revelation	Rian Johnson
rowspan="2"	2007	Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards||	Best Overlooked Film
Best Screenplay - Original	Rian Johnson
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Best Breakthrough Filmmaker	Rian Johnson
Empire (magazine)	Empire Awards	|	Rian Johnson

See also[link]

Laura (1944 film)

To Have and Have Not (film)

References[link]

External links[link]

Brick Forum run by director Rian Johnson

Photos from the film set

In-depth analysis of ''Brick'' at Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir

''Brick'' Review from JoBlo

"The Young Man and the Screenplay" - Writers Guild of America interview

Category:2005 films Category:2000s drama films Category:American crime drama films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:Detective films Category:Directorial debut films Category:Films about drugs Category:Films directed by Rian Johnson Category:Independent films Category:Neo-noir Category:Film noir Category:Teen films Category:Focus Features films

de:Brick (Film) es:Brick (película) fr:Brick (film) it:Brick - Dose mortale nl:Brick ja:BRICK ブリック pl:Kto ją zabił? ru:Кирпич (фильм) fi:Brick uk:Цеглина (фільм)

birth date	July 09, 1942
birth place	New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	1970–present }}

Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942) is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film ''Shaft'' and in its two sequels, ''Shaft's Big Score'' (1972) and ''Shaft in Africa'' (1973).

Personal life[link]

Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1961 and starred on New Rochelle High's undefeated and nationally ranked football team in 1960. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Roundtree was diagnosed with the rare form of male breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.

Career[link]

Roundtree was a leading man in early 1970s blaxploitation films, his best-known role being Detective John Shaft in the hugely popular action movie ''Shaft''. Roundtree also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier and Ben Gazzara in ''Inchon'' (1981). On television he played the slave Sam Bennett in the 1977 television series ''Roots'' and Dr. Daniel Reubens on ''Generations'' from 1989-1991. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a football player and a model. Although Roundtree worked through the 1990s, many of his more recent films were not well-received, but he was able to find success in stage plays.

Since 1990, however, he reemerged as a cultural icon. On September 19, 1991, Roundtree appeared on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 with Vivica A Fox. The episode was "Ashes to Ashes". Roundtree was playing Robinson Ashe Jr. Roundtree appeared in David Fincher's critically acclaimed 1995 movie ''Seven'', the 2000 remake of ''Shaft'' as John Shaft's uncle, and guest-starred in several episodes of the first season of ''Desperate Housewives'' as an amoral private detective. He also appeared in 1997's ''George of the Jungle'', as well as playing a high-school vice principal in the 2005 movie ''Brick''. His voice was also utilized as the title character in the hit PlayStation game ''Akuji the Heartless'', where Akuji must battle his way out of the depths of hell at the bidding of the Baron.

In 1997, Roundtree had a leading role in the short-lived FOX ensemble drama ''413 Hope St.'' He portrayed Booker T. Washington in the 1999 television movie ''Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years''. Then in 1999 and 2000, he costarred with Dick Van Patten, Richard Anderson, Deborah Winters, and Hugh O'Brian in the Warren Chaney miniseries, ''Y2K - World in Crisis''.

He has appeared in the television series ''The Closer'' as Colonel D.B. Walter U.S.M.C. (retired) father of a sniper and in ''Heroes'' as Simone's terminally ill father, Charles Deveaux. Next, he appeared as Eddie's father-in-law in episodes of ''Lincoln Heights''. Most recently, Roundtree has a supporting role in the 2008 ''Speed Racer'' film as a racer-turned-commentator who is an icon and hero to Speed.

He also appeared in the two-parter in Season 1 of the Second Generation of ''Knight Rider'' as the father of FBI Agent Carrie Ravai.

Filmography[link]

''What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?'' (1970)

''Shaft'' (1971)

''Embassy'' (1972)

''Shaft's Big Score'' (1972)

''Firehouse'' (1973)

''Charley One-Eye'' (1973)

''Shaft in Africa'' (1973)

''Earthquake'' (1974)

''Man Friday'' (1975)* ''

''Diamonds'' (1975)

''Portrait of a Hitman*'' (1977)

''Roots*''(1977)

''Escape to Athena'' (1979)

''A Game for Vultures'' (1979)

''Day of the Assassin'' (1979)

''Gypsy Angels'' (1980)

''Inchon'' (1981)

''An Eye for an Eye'' (1981)

''Q'' (1982)

''One Down, Two to Go'' (1982)

''Young Warriors'' (1983)

''The Big Score'' (1983)

''Killpoint'' (1984)

''City Heat'' (1984)

''Opposing Force'' (1986)

''Outlaws'' (1986)

''Jocks'' (1987)

''Maniac Cop'' (1988)

''Vendetta, La'' (1988)

''Crack House'' (1989)

''Miami Cops'' (1989)

''Bloodfist 3 '' (1991)

''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1991)

''Bonanza: The Return'' (1993)

''Bonanza: Under Attack'' (1995)

''Seven'' (1995)

''Theodore Rex'' (1996)

''Original Gangstas'' (1996)

''George of the Jungle'' (1997)

''Steel'' (1997)

''Y2K - World in Crisis'' (1999-2000 miniseries)

''Shaft'' (2000) - as Uncle John Shaft

''Corky Romano'' (2001)

''Boat Trip'' (2002) - as Felicia's Dad

''Brick'' (2005)

''Scarface: The World Is Yours'' (2006) (voice)

''All the Days Before Tomorrow'' (2007)

''Heroes'' (2007)

''Speed Racer'' (2008)

''Ladies of the House'' (2008)

''Lincoln Heights'' (2008)

''Knight Rider'' (2009)

''The Mentalist '' (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Richard Roundtree's profile at Industry Central Website

Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York Category:African-American actors Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American soap opera actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Breast cancer survivors Category:People from New Rochelle, New York Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:Players of American football from New York Category:Southern Illinois Salukis football players Category:National Rifle Association members

de:Richard Roundtree fr:Richard Roundtree it:Richard Roundtree nl:Richard Roundtree ja:リチャード・ラウンドトゥリー no:Richard Roundtree pl:Richard Roundtree pt:Richard Roundtree sh:Richard Roundtree fi:Richard Roundtree sv:Richard Roundtree tr:Richard Roundtree

name	Ben Folds
background	solo_singer
birth name	Benjamin Scott Folds
birth date	September 12, 1966
origin	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keytar, melodica, synthesizer, drums
genre	Piano rock, rock
occupation	Musician, composer, arranger, bandleader
years active	1988–present
label	Attacked By Plastic, Epic
associated acts	Ben Folds FiveThe BensFear of PopMajoshaSnuzzPomplamooseJulia NunesCharlie McDonnellRegina SpektorAmanda PalmerAngela AkiKate Miller-HeidkeWilliam ShatnerSara Bareilles8in8
spouse	Anna Goodman (1987–1992)Kate Rosen (1995–1996)Frally Hynes (1999–2007)Fleur Folds 2007-present
website	benfolds.com }}

Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world. He has also collaborated with musicians such as William Shatner, Regina Spektor and "Weird Al" Yankovic and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman. In addition to contributing music to the soundtracks of the animated films ''Over the Hedge,'' and ''Hoodwinked!'', Folds produced Amanda Palmer's first solo album and has been a judge on the NBC a cappella singing contest ''The Sing-Off'' since 2009.

Early life and career[link]

Folds became interested in piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who was unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.

In the late 1980s, Folds (as a bassist) and longtime friend Millard Powers formed the band Majosha. The group released several locally produced records. They played their first gig at Duke University's Battle of the Bands in 1988, and won. They played at bars and fraternity parties, and eventually put out a self-produced EP, which was sold at a few local stores called ''Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus'' (1988). The record featured only four songs, with none of them actually being about Jesus. They recorded ''Shut Up and Listen to Majosha'' in 1989. It contains, among other tracks, the four songs from ''Party Night'' (remixed and/or re-recorded) and what Folds would later record with his own band ("Emaline" and "Video"). At about the same time, they did a dance mix of "Get That Bug" that was released in Japan.

Majosha broke up in early 1990, and Folds formed ''Pots and Pans'' with Evan Olson (bass) and Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell (guitar and vocals), where Folds played drums. The newly formed band lasted only about a month, after which Olson and Uzzell went on to form Bus Stop with Folds' brother, Chuck Folds, on bass, and Eddie Walker on drums.

Folds eventually got a music publishing deal with Nashville music executive Scott Siman who saw Folds open for musician Marc Silvey (as well as playing bass for Silvey's band Mass Confusion), and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue it in 1990. He played drums for a short stint in Jody's Power Bill, headed by Millard Powers, Will Owsley, and Jody Spence. Jody's Power Bill was later renamed The Semantics. Folds did not take a creative role in the band. He, again, attracted interest from major labels. He ended up playing drums there as a session musician.

"In Nashville, I was running eight miles a day, hanging out with my friends, walking around eating chocolate-chip cookies and playing a lot of drums, which I enjoyed. Life was easy. I was never frustrated – even though I wasn't fulfilling my contract obligations. If you are failing in Nashville, at least your standard of living is nice. Nashville is a nice way to fail."

Folds attended the University of Miami's Frost School of Music on a percussion scholarship, but dropped out with one credit to go before graduating. He devoted a lot of time to working on piano technique. "I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak," Folds said. "I suppose that did something."

Folds tells audiences about a jury recital when he was a student at the University of Miami’s music school. A jury recital consists of playing a prepared repertoire (and sometimes unprepared pieces from prior years of training) before faculty members who apply a grade for the entire semester. Folds, a drummer, showed up with a broken hand from defending his roommate from bullies the night before, but was required to play anyway. He ended up losing his scholarship and in desperation threw his drum kit into the campus' Lake Osceola.

After leaving Miami, Folds moved to Montclair, New Jersey and began to act in theater troupes in New York City. He enjoyed it in 1993 to the point where he didn't want to keep pursuing a musical career. He also played weekly gigs at Sin-é, famous for being the cafe which had helped start Jeff Buckley's career.

Soon after, Folds moved back to North Carolina. The trio of Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee formed Ben Folds Five in 1994 in Chapel Hill. As Folds put it, “Jeff Buckley was being signed at that time by Columbia and I was talking to Steve, his A&R; guy, and somehow we knew the same people or something."

Ben Folds Five[link]

In 1995, Ben Folds Five released their self-titled debut album. The debut was followed by ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' in 1997, and the odds-and-ends compilation ''Naked Baby Photos'' was released in early 1998. ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' spawned many singles such as "Brick", "Song for the Dumped", and "Battle of Who Could Care Less". In 1999, the band released their final album, ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'', which included the hit, "Army".

Folds has described his former band as "punk rock for sissies", and his oddball lyrics often contain nuances of melancholy, self conflict, and humorous sarcasm, often punctuated by profanity.

Despite its presence on multiple ''Billboard'' genre charts, no Ben Folds Five singles reached the US Hot 100, although they did show well on both adult contemporary and modern rock charts. However they gained a strong following in the United Kingdom and Australia early in their career, and like many other 'alternative' American acts this was largely thanks to consistent support from national broadcasters in those countries, the BBC in Britain and the ABC's Triple J youth radio network in Australia (and ABC-TV's music video show ''Rage'').

The group's first chart breakthrough came in the UK, when "Underground" made the lower reaches of the Top 40, peaking at #37. Britain was the Five's strongest territory in terms of chart success, with five singles making the national Top 40 there – "Underground", "Battle of Who Could Care Less", "Kate", "Brick" and "Army" – although none managed to crack the UK Top 20.

In Australia "Underground" likewise broke the band locally and while it did not make the ARIA chart, it came in at #3 the 1998 Triple J Hottest 100 poll. The 1998 single "Brick" became the group's only major chart placing in Australia, reaching #13; it also came in at #53 in the ARIA Australian Top 100 for that year and earned a Gold Record award while its parent album ''Whatever and Ever Amen'' peaked at #9 and charted for 32 weeks.

Folds and his bandmates have moved many albums since 2001. He said, "The songs have been getting a great reaction, it makes me look forward to having a new album out there because it’s been a while. This feels like a really free period in my life and I’m really enjoying it.” Ben Folds Five reunited to perform its first concert appearance in nearly 10 years on September 18, 2008 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall. The one-off gig was part of the MySpace "Front to Back" series, in which artists play an entire album live. The band played its final album, ''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner''. The concert aired during October and can be viewed at Nowwhat.com. All proceeds from ticket sales benefited the charity Operation Smile, of which Ben's uncle, Jim Folds, is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Chapter.

Solo career[link]

As of 2008, Folds had released six solo LPs, including an experimental side project called ''Fear of Pop'', which was released while Ben Folds Five was still together.

Folds's first solo release after the breakup of the band was ''Rockin' the Suburbs'' in 2001. He played nearly all the instruments, notably guitar (an instrument seldom used during the Ben Folds Five days). ''The Luckiest'' was written for the Amy Heckerling movie ''Loser'', but the scene it was meant for was deleted. Millard Powers, Britt "Snuzz" Uzzell, and Jim Bogios joined him on the promotional tour of the album. "Weird Al" Yankovic directed and appeared in Folds' video for "Rockin' the Suburbs". Folds' friend and fellow musician John McCrea, lead singer of the band Cake, contributed vocals to Folds' song "Fred Jones, Part 2".

A year later, he released ''Ben Folds Live'', a collection of live solo recordings. In late 2003, two solo EPs, ''Speed Graphic'' and ''Sunny 16'', were released. The last EP, ''Super D'', was released in mid-2004.

''Songs for Silverman'' was released in the United States on April 26, 2005. The album featured Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums, thus returning to the trio format. This album includes the track "Late", a tribute to the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and also features backup vocals from "Weird Al" Yankovic on "Time" (Folds had played piano for Yankovic's song "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" on his ''Poodle Hat'' album).

Folds contributed to William Shatner's album, ''Has Been'', as producer, arranger, musician, and backup vocalist. Shatner was also involved in Folds' ''Fear of Pop'' project, and contributed vocals to a number of songs on the album.

The soundtrack for the 2006 animated film ''Hoodwinked!'' featured "Red is Blue," performed by Ben Folds.

In May 2006, Folds contributed three original songs to the soundtrack of ''Over the Hedge'', dubbed "Heist," "Family of Me," and "Still." Included with them was a cover of The Clash song "Lost in the Supermarket" and a remix of "Rockin' The Suburbs." "Rockin' the Suburbs" featured new lyrics written to complement the script of the film.

On October 24, 2006, Folds released ''Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP'', a compilation of songs that were originally released on the EPs ''Sunny 16'', ''Speed Graphic'', and ''Super D''. He announced on his MySpace blog that he planned to work on his next studio album in October 2006 (although recording did not actually start until 2007). On that same day, Folds became the first person to broadcast a live concert over MySpace. The concert was complete with pranks staged ahead of time by Folds, including a drunk man falling over the balcony during "Jesusland" and a suicide attempt at the end. The concert is also notable for featuring a "guitorchestra", a group of acoustic guitarists from Nashville who accompanied Folds on some songs, as well as an impromptu ringtone orchestra made up of audience members playing their cellphone's ringtones in unison.

Folds produced The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer's first solo album, ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'' which was released September 16, 2008. He also performs on the album.

During a concert at the National in Richmond, Virginia on April 11, 2008, Folds announced that he had completed his newest album, and played four new tracks from this album. He played the first track, "Hiroshima", at the same show in Richmond on April 11. He also debuted new music at an impromptu gig at the Exit/In on December 19, 2007 and at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on January 25, 2008. Other new songs include "Errant Dog", "Effington", "Bitch Went Nuts", "Free Coffee", and "Kylie From Connecticut". Folds played The 6th annual Langerado on March 8, 2008 and was a part of the lineup for the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Ben's latest album on a fan site (eventually called ''Way to Normal (Fake)''). The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from ''Way to Normal'', pastiches of dry humor and melodramatic pop interwoven with bright, energetic melodies. Folds explained on Triple J radio a few weeks later that in one overnight session in Dublin he and the band had recorded 'fake' versions of songs from the new album. His sources had then leaked them to the public as a light-hearted joke on his fans.

''Way to Normal'' was released on September 30, 2008 in the United States and on September 29, 2008 in the United Kingdom. It became Folds' highest-charting album ever in the US, debuting at #11 on the Billboard 200.

Soon before ''Way to Normal'' was released, Folds announced that he planned to record an album with English author Nick Hornby, with Hornby writing the lyrics and Folds writing the music. The idea of the collaboration came out of the 'fake' leak of the album ''Way to Normal'' released in July 2008. "(We will) write and record it in about three days, just like we did in Dublin with the fake record," Folds said.

In August 2008, Folds played piano for friend and Japanese singer-songwriter Angela Aki's song "Black Glasses" on her new album ''Answer''.

On April 28, 2009, Folds released ''Ben Folds Presents University A Cappella'', an album consisting of college student's a cappella arrangements of his music performed by some of the country's best college a cappella groups.

Folds' song "Rockin' the Suburbs" has been featured as part of the music for ABC's sitcom ''Surviving Suburbia''.

Folds was also an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists.

From December 14 through 21, 2009, Folds was featured as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition The Sing Off alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Shawn Stockman and offered insightful, constructive comments and criticisms to the contestants. On the final show, in a departure from his a cappella purism, showcased his talents and played the roaring, riffing piano background on "Why Can't We Be Friends?" sung by the two finalist groups, The Beelzebubs from Tufts University near Boston and Nota, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He again returned for the show's second season, and has been confirmed to return for the third season in September 2011 alongside Stockman and Sara Bareilles.

In March 2010, Folds became a YouTube phenomenon in a video titled "Ode To Merton". In the video, Folds improvises several songs about people that he sees on the popular social networking site Chatroulette, in the style of "Merton" another YouTube phenomenon who many thought was Folds himself.

Folds' newest album, a collaboration with English author Nick Hornby, is entitled ''Lonely Avenue'' and was released on September 28, 2010. On June 14, Folds released the official album art via his Twitter account. "From Above", the first single from the album, premiered on Richard Kingsmill's new music show ''2010'' on Triple J in Australia on July 18, 2010. "From Above" features Australian singer Kate Miller Heidke on backing vocals.

Folds has recently recorded a video song with Nick Hornby and Pomplamoose. As well, English YouTuber Charlie McDonnell was commissioned to create the music video for Folds' song "Saskia Hamilton", which was uploaded on October 1, 2010.

Tours[link]

After Ben Folds Five split, Folds' first tour with a full band was to support the album ''Rockin' The Suburbs''. He was accompanied by Britt "Snüzz" Uzzell on guitar and electronic keyboard, Millard Powers on bass and keys, and Jim Bogios on drums. Powers and Bogios later went on to join Counting Crows.

On a tour of Australia, Folds joined with solo artists Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to travel the country as The Bens, at the suggestion of a fan on Kweller's official website. The trio also went on to record a four-track EP together.

In the summer of 2004, Folds co-headlined an American tour with fellow singer-songwriters Rufus Wainwright and Guster. Folds again performed with Wainwright and Lee in the summer of 2005 as part of the "Odd Men Out" tour. In addition, Folds has performed with many other notable musical names, including Weezer and Tori Amos. After seeing The Fray perform with Weezer, Folds asked the band to join him for twelve performances in 2005.

Folds also performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) in March 2005, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in November 2005, the North Carolina Symphony in March 2010, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra in July 2010. A DVD of Folds playing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra was released in December 2005.

On May 9, 2007, Folds performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra. The orchestra's performance was marred when a fight broke out between two audience members in the balcony, though Folds had not yet taken the stage.

Folds performed with symphony orchestras again in August 2006 during a tour of Australia, which included performances with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and The Queensland Orchestra.

After his MySpace performance on October 24, 2006, Folds's tour performances began to feature a synthesizer, which he uses in many of the songs when played live. The synthesizer is a red Nord Lead II synthesizer. During his concerts, Folds performs two of his concert traditions: palm-smashing and throwing his stool at the piano.

Folds toured with John Mayer as an opening act (though his set typically lasted an hour) in the summer of 2007. During this tour, Mayer sometimes joined Folds on the song "Narcolepsy", playing synth. At various concerts throughout the tour, parents of young children going to see Mayer would file complaints about Folds' lyrics. Folds responded by posting on his website, "We have kids too, but we don't take them out to rock shows that last until 11pm."

On March 29, 2008, Folds played the Cage Center Arena at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. During contract negotiations, he was asked by the administration to not play one of his songs due to its explicit lyrics. Folds refused, citing artistic freedom.

On May 9, 2008, Folds played his first completely solo show in years at Western Connecticut State University due to the fact that his bassist Jared Reynolds was with his wife who had just given birth to their first son.

Folds made a brief solo tour of Australia during August 2009; at one of his sold out Sydney Opera House concerts he was joined onstage for several songs by Aimee Mann, who was also touring Australia at the time. At the Palais theatre in Melbourne Missy Higgins joined him for You Don't Know Me.

In 2010, Folds went on a brief tour of North America called "Ben Folds and a Piano" where he played solo other than with Zach Williams or Kate Miller-Heidke and her husband Keir Nuttall as supporting musicians. A small number of copies that were pre-ordered also included signed manuscripts by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby.

In April 2011 Folds collaborated with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash as 8in8 to write, record and produce eight songs in eight hours which were then available online within 24 hours, as well as being performed once on its world tour, as part of the ReThink Music conference.

Folds will reunite with Ben Folds Five to play the Bonnaroo Music Festival in June, 2012. This will be the first time the band has played together since 2008.

Personal life[link]

Folds has been married four times. His personal life has inspired several of his songs; the hit single "Brick", co-written with Darren Jessee, was based on the experience of Folds and his girlfriend having an abortion while they were in high school.

Folds met Anna Goodman in first grade at Moore Elementary School, Winston Salem and was married to her from 1987–1992. She co-wrote several Ben Folds Five songs: "Alice Childress", "The Last Polka", "Smoke", "Kate" and "Lullaby." Folds was then briefly married to Kate Rosen in 1996.

Folds met Australian Frally Hynes in January 1998 and they were married in Adelaide, South Australia in May 1999. Two months after their wedding, Frally gave birth to their twins, Louis Francis (July 22, 1999) and Gracie Scott (July 23, 1999), the former inspiring his song "Still Fighting It" and the latter inspiring his song "Gracie." Hynes also sang lead on "Root To This" on Fear of Pop's 1998 album ''Volume 1''. Folds filed for divorce in November 2006.

Ben and Fleur Folds were married on November 17, 2007 at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  They are currently based in Nashville where they live with their three children, Gracie, Louis and Julia-Rose. Folds stated in an online chat on the fan forum thesuburbs.org.uk that he and Hynes share joint custody of their twins. Julia Rose is Ben's stepdaughter.

Discography[link]

''Ben Folds Five'' (1995), Passenger/Caroline

''Whatever and Ever Amen'' (1997), 550 #42 US

''Naked Baby Photos'' (1998), Caroline

''Fear of Pop: Volume 1'' (1998), 550

''The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner'' (1999), 550 #35 US

''Rockin' the Suburbs'' (2001), Sony #42 US

''Ben Folds Live'' (2002), Sony #60 US

''Songs for Silverman'' (2005), Epic (Bonus DVD) #13 US

''Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP'' (2006), Epic

''Way to Normal'' (2008), Epic #11 US

''Lonely Avenue '' (2010), Nonesuch

''Nighty Night'' (2011), in collaboration with Amanda Palmer, Damian Kulash, and Neil Gaiman

''The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective'' (2011), Legacy

''Fifty-Five Vault'' (2011)

See also[link]

Kalamazoo, Michigan

References[link]

External links [link]

Ben Folds in ''New York'' Magazine Slideshow On "Career Highs and Lows"

Category:1966 births Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American rock pianists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Keytarists Category:Living people Category:Melodica players Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Category:University of Miami alumni

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