I’ll be honest with you.

When Ben Folds Five released their break-through album, Whatever and Ever Amen, I was in Grade 7. At the time, my friends and I were largely into the kind of music that was popular at the time. I won’t even name names because it’s too embarrassing, but suffice to say, we were not cool enough to listen to Ben Folds Five. Not really, except one friend. Sure, he liked a lot of the same kind of music that we did but somehow he lived slightly outside of the headspace of the rest of us preteen boys. He loved Ben Folds Five and, of course, we teased the heck out of him for it. We thought it was boring piano music, nothing like the raging guitars and screaming vocals that filled up the rest of the music that we liked.

In hindsight, it was music like Ben Folds Five that’s endured. Politics and religion aside, Brick is a story, for better or for worse, and it’s a great story. Ben Folds has always been a masterful songwriter and I’m glad that even though it took some time and some growing up that I’ve come to appreciate his music. He’s a talented guy and Bob, you were right.

Brick (1997)

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