Rockin’ The Suburbs With One Angry Dwarf

Finding my style with the music of Ben Folds Five

Image by Facundo Win from Pixabay

It started with my big sister. She was the curator of cool. Her wardrobe full of beautiful clothes from Country Road and Sportsgirl. She’d bequeath me some glitzy, funky top before trying it on and realising she actually still looked really good in it.

I knew she liked Ben Folds Five but it wasn’t until my seventh grade music teacher Miss Rowe surreptitiously handed me a Ben Folds Five mixtape in class, I knew I should pay attention.

The shroud of secrecy made it even better. I got home and put the tape in my walkman and pressed play. The driving piano riff with bright intensity started, the opening of One Angry Dwarf.

I was hooked.

I’d been dutifully learning piano, the endless scales and finger positions and music theory made for drudgery at times.

Suddenly, the piano was a weapon, pumping out revenge in the words of Ben Folds: Jane remember second grade?/Said you couldn’t stand my face/Rather than kiss me you say you’d rather die.

Piano was cool.

I was part of the American indie rock scene, too dope for sleepy Sydney suburbia.