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Ben Folds talks tour and political involvement
When multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter Ben Folds takes the stage this weekend for a trio of performances at venues around Puget Sound, politics and the presidential election will be sharing the spotlight in his performances.
SEATTLE - When multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter Ben Folds takes the stage this weekend for a trio of performances at venues around Puget Sound, politics and the presidential election will be sharing the spotlight in his performances.
Not that it was ever far off-stage. Folds’ first break-out hit, 1997’s Brick, was seen as ‘on message’ by both political parties — though the 58-year-old says the song wasn’t written for or against specific reproductive policies. "Brick was about a teenage abortion. And it's a true story. It happens to be mine," Folds told Fox 13 News. "It happens to be a lot of people. It's not something that, especially men, are very often seen talking about. But it's not about supporting doing it, and it's not about anything political. It's about how it feels."
With abortion now front and center in the 2024 election, Folds says this is a song that fits the moment.
"Now you've got women dying, bleeding out in cars is actually happening, and you've got problems on how to control them going over state lines to get care they need because they have an ectopic pregnancy," Folds said. "I don't want that to happen to my daughter, you know? I don't want anyone that I know or to even don’t know, that someone is not getting care they need."
Ben Folds is no stranger to politics. He played music at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in 2016. He’s also the first artistic advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra.
"I have a lot of experience advocating for the arts in DC. You know, at least half of my 30-year career, I've done that," Folds said. I've got a good amount of, I think, healthy respect for what public policy does for my life and your life and everyone's life."
This week, a volatile mix of music and politics sent shockwaves around Seattle and across the country, as fans and our local sports franchises churned over rap star Macklemore ‘F-bombing’ America during a performance to show his support for Palestine in the Israeli-Hamas War. But the headline-grabbing outcry is part of why candidates and causes prize celebrity connections in the first place: all that exposure.
From Frank Sinatra to Babe Ruth, celebrities have played a part in politics going back more than a century. This election cycle, we’ve seen tech-star Elon Musk going all in for Donald Trump – with his endorsement racking up more than 400,000 reposts and 2.3 million likes on 'X'. Taylor Swift made a post on Instagram endorsing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to her 284 million followers. In just 24 hours, her post drove over 400,000 people to www.vote.gov, which includes information about how to register to vote and cast a ballot in every state.
According to a Harvard University study on endorsements, getting more people active in politics is the real power of celebrity. Folds puts theory into practice during his touring, by making visits to volunteers working in Democratic campaign field offices. "They don't get a lot of attention," Folds said. "So we fly in, talk to them, bring them donuts, make calls with them for a little bit, learn what they're doing, hear about what their concerns are and just be part of democracy."
Folds, who’s used to playing to large crowds, sees a similar courage in the campaigners who walk up to strangers everyday to talk politics. "They're knocking on doors," Folds said. "That's hard work. It's scary, you know. But they're also involving. Every time they knock on a door, whether that person knows it or not that's opening the door, they are being then involved in the big conversation of what democracy is."
He knows that picking sides doesn’t come without risk.
"I happen to think the elections coming up are so consequential." Folds said. "I feel the responsibility as a citizen to do what is my is right by my conscience. I think my position as an entertainer has liabilities and assets. An asset would be more people can hear about it. A liability would be a false on deaf ears, because I'm supposed to be a left wing, elitist, liberal, rich entertainer that was out of touch with everyone."
You can hear more for yourself on the Paper Airplane Tour – Ben Folds will be playing three more shows in Washington. He’s in Bremerton tonight, Bellingham on Saturday and Tacoma on Sunday. Tickets are still available. His first Christmas album will be released on October 25th.
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