"Man, why are you doing geology?" Joe asked me. People like to ask me that. "I don't know." I told him. "I like dinosaurs." "Yeah, I like dinosaurs too." He said. "I like looking at them. I like watching my kids play with them and shit. But man, what have dinosaurs ever done for you? Fuck dinosaurs!" I laughed. "Fuck that shit, man." He continued. "You're a musician."
I stopped smiling and everything got heavy.
I looked up at him. It's been four years. Four years since we met. We're not teacher and student anymore, really. We're friends. We're family. I stood up. "Get your shit straight." He said. "And figure out what you want to do." We shook hands. "Alright." I said. "It's music." He added.
"I know." I said.
"Alright. I don't want any of that depressed shit or any of that crying shit." I started to tear up, but held it back. "Okay." "Take care of yourself." He said. "I will."
It hit me as I closed the gate behind me. All that time. All the music. All the practice. It was all on me, now. There would be no one else to hold my hand. I've got to grow up. And I will. I could use a few more days before that, though.
Ben Folds was fucking amazing. He played all his awesome songs. Well, all his songs are awesome. He said a few funny things.
"I think you'll be impressed by the level we've achieved on this next song in terms of visual budget and creative ability." - Ben Folds on The Frown Song
"I'm going to give you guys a heads up on the schedule for tonight: we're going to play a bunch of new stuff and then we're going to walk off the stage. And then if you don't leave, predictably, you'll cheer and then we'll come back out and play a bunch of old shit." - Ben Folds on encores
"...Shit." - Ben Folds after he messed up a song
I stopped smiling and everything got heavy.
I looked up at him. It's been four years. Four years since we met. We're not teacher and student anymore, really. We're friends. We're family. I stood up. "Get your shit straight." He said. "And figure out what you want to do." We shook hands. "Alright." I said. "It's music." He added.
"I know." I said.
"Alright. I don't want any of that depressed shit or any of that crying shit." I started to tear up, but held it back. "Okay." "Take care of yourself." He said. "I will."
It hit me as I closed the gate behind me. All that time. All the music. All the practice. It was all on me, now. There would be no one else to hold my hand. I've got to grow up. And I will. I could use a few more days before that, though.
Ben Folds was fucking amazing. He played all his awesome songs. Well, all his songs are awesome. He said a few funny things.
"I think you'll be impressed by the level we've achieved on this next song in terms of visual budget and creative ability." - Ben Folds on The Frown Song
"I'm going to give you guys a heads up on the schedule for tonight: we're going to play a bunch of new stuff and then we're going to walk off the stage. And then if you don't leave, predictably, you'll cheer and then we'll come back out and play a bunch of old shit." - Ben Folds on encores
"...Shit." - Ben Folds after he messed up a song
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