Description
Ben Folds is an internationally celebrated musician, singer-songwriter and former front man of the alternative rock band, Ben Folds Five, beloved for songs such as 'Brick', 'You Don't Know Me', 'Rockin' the Suburbs' and 'The Luckiest'.
In A Dream About Lightning Bugs Folds looks back at his life so far in a charming, funny and wise chronicle of his artistic coming of age, infused with the wry observations of a natural storyteller. He opens up about finding his voice as a musician, becoming a rock anti-hero, and hauling a baby grand piano on and off stage for every performance.
From growing up in working class North Carolina childhood amid the race and class tensions that shaped his early songwriting to painful life lessons he learned the hard way, he also ruminates on music in the digital age, the absurdity of life on the road, and the challenges of sustaining a multi-decade, multi-faceted career in the music business.
A Dream About Lightning Bugs embodies what Folds has been singing about for years: Smile like you've got nothing to prove, because it hurts to grow up, and life flies by in seconds.
'As a fan and a musician, this is truly a gift.' Jamie Cullum
About the Author
Ben Folds is a celebrated musician who has created a unique body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and collaborations with artists ranging from Sara Bareilles to Regina Spektor to William Shatner. One of his recent albums, 'So There', a blend of pop songs and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, soared to #1 on both the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. In 2017 he was named the first ever artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. An avid photographer, Folds is a member of the prestigious Sony Artisans of Imagery. Folds is also an outspoken champion for arts education and music therapy. A Dream About Lightning Bugs is his first book. https://www.benfolds.com/book
Reviews
'I read this in one glorious, giant gulp. As a fan of [Ben's] work and a musician, this is truly a gift.' -- Jamie Cullum
"A Dream About Lightning Bugs reads like its author: intelligent, curious, unapologetically punk, and funny as hell. This intimate look at his life from his own unique perspective is a rare and unforgettable gift that does what Ben Folds always has done for me as an artist and a friend: encourages me to be more myself, with a lot of swear words." -- Sara Bareilles
"Delightful...Singer-songwriter Folds explores the ways in which music shaped his life and offers glimpses into the process of making music....Folds's fans will take great pleasure in this charming and insightful memoir." * Publishers Weekly *
'I'm gonna learn to read for this' -- Josh Groban
"Besides being super talented, and an incredibly poignant and multifaceted musician, Ben Folds is a fantastic author. I couldn't put this book down - and not just because I taped it to my hand. Ben takes us into his mind and into his process from the very beginnings of his childhood to where he is today - one of the greatest musicians and writers that has ever graced the art." -- Bob Saget
"A masterfully written memoir, and so much more. Folds imbues this literary work with keen insight and humor to create an elegant and moving tribute to art and life itself." -- Daniel Levitin, author of #1 New York Times bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind
Book Information
ISBN 9781471188053
Author Ben Folds
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 24mm
In A Dream About Lightning Bugs Folds looks back at his life so far in a charming, funny and wise chronicle of his artistic coming of age, infused with the wry observations of a natural storyteller. He opens up about finding his voice as a musician, becoming a rock anti-hero, and hauling a baby grand piano on and off stage for every performance.
From growing up in working class North Carolina childhood amid the race and class tensions that shaped his early songwriting to painful life lessons he learned the hard way, he also ruminates on music in the digital age, the absurdity of life on the road, and the challenges of sustaining a multi-decade, multi-faceted career in the music business.
A Dream About Lightning Bugs embodies what Folds has been singing about for years: Smile like you've got nothing to prove, because it hurts to grow up, and life flies by in seconds.
'As a fan and a musician, this is truly a gift.' Jamie Cullum
About the Author
Ben Folds is a celebrated musician who has created a unique body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and collaborations with artists ranging from Sara Bareilles to Regina Spektor to William Shatner. One of his recent albums, 'So There', a blend of pop songs and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, soared to #1 on both the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. In 2017 he was named the first ever artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. An avid photographer, Folds is a member of the prestigious Sony Artisans of Imagery. Folds is also an outspoken champion for arts education and music therapy. A Dream About Lightning Bugs is his first book. https://www.benfolds.com/book
Reviews
'I read this in one glorious, giant gulp. As a fan of [Ben's] work and a musician, this is truly a gift.' -- Jamie Cullum
"A Dream About Lightning Bugs reads like its author: intelligent, curious, unapologetically punk, and funny as hell. This intimate look at his life from his own unique perspective is a rare and unforgettable gift that does what Ben Folds always has done for me as an artist and a friend: encourages me to be more myself, with a lot of swear words." -- Sara Bareilles
"Delightful...Singer-songwriter Folds explores the ways in which music shaped his life and offers glimpses into the process of making music....Folds's fans will take great pleasure in this charming and insightful memoir." * Publishers Weekly *
'I'm gonna learn to read for this' -- Josh Groban
"Besides being super talented, and an incredibly poignant and multifaceted musician, Ben Folds is a fantastic author. I couldn't put this book down - and not just because I taped it to my hand. Ben takes us into his mind and into his process from the very beginnings of his childhood to where he is today - one of the greatest musicians and writers that has ever graced the art." -- Bob Saget
"A masterfully written memoir, and so much more. Folds imbues this literary work with keen insight and humor to create an elegant and moving tribute to art and life itself." -- Daniel Levitin, author of #1 New York Times bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind
Book Information
ISBN 9781471188053
Author Ben Folds
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 24mm
