Ben Folds: Who Can It Be Now?

The Killers - "Read My Mind" from Sam's Town (2006)

This is a Juno synthesizer, right? Maybe it's a Korg Poly 61. Hmmm...he's setting up his story now. Who is this that wants to meet her? Is this a song from Rent? What, it's the Killers new album? People think it sounds too much like U2 and Bruce Springsteen? I don't understand that kind of music criticism, where they say a song sounds too much like something else. Who really cares? Play the song to someone in the deepest forest in Africa. If they respond to it, they respond to it.

Todd Rundgren - "Baby, Let's Swing/The Last Thing You Said/Don't Tie My Hands" from Runt (1970)

[Makes a negative face] Awesome. Actually, I really liked the way he counted off the song. I like it when the count-off is better than the song. But that's Todd. I'm not an across-the-board fan. He's very hit or miss. When he hits it, he hits it. That's the nature of sh*t-it-out pop music. He's a very literate musician, and he just goes for it. He takes chances. It's all about what sounds good.

Keane - "Everybody's Changing" from Hopes and Fears (2004)

It sounds like Jeff Buckley singing some Nina Simone. It's not Tears or Fears, is it? Ah, it was Keane? I'm not too keen. Well, I kind of liked it. It sounded classic to me. That happens a lot of times when you think something's just fly by night bullsh*t. You go listen to it again and it becomes classic. There's nothing wrong with that. In general, innovation in music is way overrated; we should leave it to the scientists. If someone writes a great Marvin Gaye song like The Streets did with "Dry Your Eyes," it's simply a great song. It's about emotion.

Nellie McKay - "Ding Dong" from Get Away From Me (2004)

This is great, because the singer has so much charisma and it's a good song. Who is it? Nellie McKay? Really? I've heard of her; I remember seeing her name on the front of an album. It was in a kind of 1960s Sergio Mendes-looking font. That's why I remember. The marketing people got to me before she did! Look at that album cover ... she's happy for no reason, senseless happiness. I have like a pheromone response to music. All this is coming from this place and I like it.

TO GET SONGS BY BEN FOLDS AND LOTS OF OTHER ARTISTS, GO TO URGE.

Randy Newman - "Shame" from Bad Love (1999)

Bad Love is one of his best records. Randy Newman is the master. I discovered him through "Short People," when I was a kid. That was at a time when Andy Kaufman was huge. Kaufman was probably at that point my only reason for wanting to do anything artistic. When he was on TV, the adults freaked out, but kids got it. It's the same way with "Short People." So I was like, "I like this guy. This is good." I know that that song is supposed to be a thorn in his side, but why? It's great; he got a hit out of it. Good for him.

Superchunk - "Slack Motherf*cker" from Superchunk (1990)

Who is that? That voice is so familiar ... Oh, it's Mac from Superchunk. When I lived in Chapel Hill, I used to run into him all the time at the grocery store. I just didn't know anything about his music. I appreciate art school kids that make music. That takes stress from me, because I was a music student trying to make art. When that song first came on just now, I was like, "Wow! I hear three E [chords] right over each other. Why do you need all those E's? Take some of those out." Nerdy, but at least I'm honest about it. I'm drawn to Randy Newman because it's not only literate and articulate, [he writes songs that are] musically correct. I hate to use words like "correct" because it gets you beat up, but I know it's correct. So there you go.

William Shatner - "Spleen" from The Transformed Man (1968)

Shatner. He recorded this album in an hour. When we made [2004 Shatner album] Has Been together, we'd spend more than an hour just arguing about the lyrics. We both took it seriously. No, he doesn't take singing seriously. He knows he can't sing. He's doing the funny thing, and he's so good at it, that people don't know if he's making fun of himself or what. He's so good that he doesn't even know. At 75 years old, I thought it was time for him to tell a story. That's what the album we made together was all about.

Frank Sinatra - "Let's Get Away From It All" from Come Fly With Me (1957)

I love Harry Connick! I just did a tour with symphony orchestras, but it was different than the Sinatra thing. There was no bassist or drummer, so if it was going to rock, the orchestra had to make it rock. Different orchestras did well on different songs. The Sydney Symphony was really good on the peppy numbers. The Melbourne Symphony was good on the tight numbers. They also nailed "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solid Faces," a silly song about a short man taking people hostage. In general, the whole project sounded like the biggest gay f*cking Broadway version of my music I've ever heard, and I was inspired.