Catching Up With... Ben Folds

Paste: There does seem to be something to that sort of Zen/Buddhist approach.
Folds: Yeah, which perfect, and that's good. Unless what it is that I'm making is really shitty music and I'm miserable. If that’s ever the case, I'll stop being a Buddhist about it.

Paste: Your new record, Way to Normal, is one of the funnier, more irreverent albums you've made in your career. Have there been artists or people in your life that have encouraged you to tone down the cheekiness, grow up and write more conventional songs?
Folds: No, luckily I have a loyal team of yes men. And whatever I say is just the fucking shit. No, no, you know what, that's not true at all. What I do have is a few good friends and people that I work with who are really happy when I'm having a good time with something.

In this record there are a couple of moments that I was nervous about, that I took to my band and friends and producer, and people that were close to me while this record was going on. And I'd say, “God, you know, I think this is fun and good, but I'm leaning towards chickening out.” And they all went, "Nah, nah, don't do that, that's great! Just, ah! Do it!" (Laughs) So I think that's good.

Paste: In that vein, did you have any concerns about fans interpreting the track "Bitch Went Nuts" as a cheeky backhand to your ex-wife Frally?
Folds: Oh, no. I mean I would be worried that it would be interpreted that way. But I would have never written something like that or used that word for someone specific. If there's a specific person in that, it's only the basketball-stabbing person, who was someone who stabbed a volleyball belonging to a friend of mine in college. And the idea behind the song—and I think it's in the intro of the song—is that if you ask loads of women what went wrong in a relationship, they're going to give you a variety of answers. But if you ask men, especially at a bar somewhere, and they're gonna go "Uh! Bitch went nuts!" It's really more of a comment on the male perspective than it is on a…yeah, no one ever stabbed a basketball and uh, I would never call someone that I know a “bitch,” so there you go.

Paste: Besides the new record are there any additional upcoming projects or happenings in the life of Ben Folds that Paste readers might be interested in?
Folds: Well, I'm excited for people to hear Amanda Palmer's record.

Paste: You produced that one, right?
Folds: Yeah, I put in quite an effort on that. And I think that the songs that we did together on that record are really strong in terms of both her voice and the production. I just think it's a really good record. I'm happy about that and I want to do more of that, some more making, allowing people to sing in the studio, just sing—it's nice.

Paste: Well, it seems like being in Nashville, you're in a great place for that.
Folds: Oh, it's awesome because I've got my studio and they can come into a very comfortable place and we can turn it into a playpen, and figure out how to make a record that's never been made before. And I think I did that both with Shatner and with Amanda. I'm proud of both those records.

Paste: Are there any other artists that you're talking to right now about bringing them into the studio?
Folds: Yeah, but I don't like to speculate on them and mess the whole thing up. But I'm excited about a couple. And they're not going to be predictable at all. People are going to be like "what the fuck is he working on now?" I never want to make a normal record, if possible.

Paste: After Shatner and Weird Al, I think you've pretty much exploded the expectations.
Folds: Yeah, yeah, it needs to stay like that because there just aren't enough records that sound really unique. That's what you want to do is make a record that people haven't heard.

Paste: For you, is that more of a post-production pursuit? Deconstructing the sound?

Folds: No, I think it's in the state of mind that we're all in as we walk in the studio. I mean, I think it's just about going, "what's the real strength of this person?" You know, first of all you need to help an artist get past their self-perceived strength—it's always wrong. You know, they might think "Hey I'm the class clown" or "I'm good looking," or "I'm popular." And you've got to get past that with them. And then it's a matter of finding what that unique thing is that makes their talent just come busting out in a way that is not being done.

Paste: Look forward to hearing it. Thanks for checking in and good luck with the rest of the tour.
Folds: Absolutely.