CBC Radio 3 Blog - Stars' Torquil Campbell Rains Holy Hell Down on Ben Folds... Or Does He?

Stars' Torquil Campbell Rains Holy Hell Down on Ben Folds... Or Does He?

Posted by Grant Lawrence on Feb 17, 2009

Is Stars singer Torquil Campbell tearing American suburban indie piano rocker Ben Folds a new one on myspace... or is it a bizarre hoax?

Today, during Ben Folds' interview on CBC Radio One's Q with guest host Laurie Brown, Ben Folds referred to The Happiness Project, a conceptual album from Broken Social Scene member Charles Spearin, as "bad spa music".

After the show, a myspace bulletin from Stars went out, signed by Torquil Campbell, and here's an excerpt...

"BEN FOLDS! insulting CHARLES SPEARIN! is he f*ckin' nuts? you come to our country and insult a national treasure on the radio? CHARLIE SPEARIN????? the most beautiful talented soulful brother in the whole world? a guy who has written some of the most influential, sublime music this side of heaven? WHo has just completed the Happiness Project, one of the most original and uplifting pieces of music i have EVER HEARD? Ben Folds, ladies and gentleman, is an ASSH*LE for dismissing this extraordinary tribute to life and love as 'bad spa music'. It makes me wanna......well you know.....kick his scrawny, washed up hipster doofus ass...".

But just moments ago we received this second myspace bulletin from Stars and Torq Campbell...

"hello everyone-
we don't know who put up their rant against ben folds here....could have been anyone i guess...but we don't know what the f*ck all this is about. We do love charlie spearin....don't really know ben folds work.....anyway, i find it exciting that i dont even have to know what's going on to be controversial... i am now going to change the password on our myspace....i have to say, whoever you are, you've really got my style down!
wow, torq"

WTF?!?

Ben Folds on Q:

Comments

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01

Re: Stars' Torquil Campbell Reigns Holy Hell Down on Ben Folds... Or Does He?

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by laser beans

Yawn.
02

Grant, typo

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Benoit from Ottawa

It's 'rains', not 'reigns'.

I'm glad for the second email. Otherwise, it seemed that T. was down at the usual, disappointing, personal-attack web level. Glad it ain't so (despite his begrudging admiration at the person imitating his style).
03

It's fixed.

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Ahmed Khalil

Good catch, Benoit from Ottawa.
04

@laser beans

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Grant Lawrence

LASER BEANS! insulting THIS BLOG POST! are you f*ckin' nuts? you come to our blog and insult our blog post? OUR BLOG POST????? the most beautiful soulful blog post in the whole world? a blog post that was written by one of the most influential, sublime persons this side of heaven? WHo just completed that blog post, one of the most original and uplifting pieces of blog i have EVER READ? Laser Beans, ladies and gentleman, is an ASSH*LE for dismissing this extraordinary tribute to life and love as 'Yawn'. It makes me wanna......well you know.....kick his scrawny, washed up hipster doofus ass....
05

uh...

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Grant Lawrence

hello everyone-
we don't know who put up their rant against laser beabs on here....could have been anyone i guess...but we don't know what the f*ck all this is about. We do love the blog....don't really know laser beans.....anyway, i find it exciting that i dont even have to know what's going on to be controversial... i am now going to change my password on our blog....i have to say, whoever you are, you've really got my style down!
wow, GL
06

Hilarious, Grant

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Benoit from Ottawa

Otherwise, this story (um, the 'real' one) has appeared elsewhere on the web, generating a vortex of weblevel cruddation that passes for commentary.
07

Lol

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by burningwall

LOL LOL LOL
Even if Torq
did not write that "Blog"
I do think Ben folds is the real yawn
and Charles is a genius
08

Re: Stars' Torquil Campbell Rains Holy Hell Down on Ben Folds... Or Does He?

Posted on Feb 17, 2009 by Rob Dub

I listened to the song and it is very strange. The interview is really raw and I would have edited it but then the cadence may have been altered so I don't know. The sax is kinda '80s like and sounds strange mixed so close to the words. The website for the project http://www.happiness-project.ca/ lets you pan the track and the sax only comes from the left speaker while the words are on the right. I didn't notice that on the R3 but it is there now that I give a second listen. It's a pretty goofy art project though but who can be bad mouthed for talking about happiness.
09

Spa music

Posted on Feb 18, 2009 by adman

I think that "spa music" he refers to is actually transition music put on my CBC.... the happiness project is just a voice and sax blend of awesome! and... he said he liked it.

that said.... it's nice to see that people recognize Charles Spearin as a national treasure! that he is.