A Dream About Lightning Bugs

A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons

De: Ben Folds

Narrado por: Ben Folds

New York Times best seller • From the genre-defying icon Ben Folds comes a memoir that is as nuanced, witty, and relatable as his cult-classic songs.

"A Dream About Lightning Bugs reads like its author: intelligent, curious, unapologetically punk, and funny as hell." (Sara Bareilles)

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR and Paste

Ben Folds is a celebrated American singer-songwriter, beloved for songs such as "Brick", "You Don’t Know Me", "Rockin’ the Suburbs", and "The Luckiest", and is the former frontman of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. But Folds will be the first to tell you he’s an unconventional icon, more normcore than hardcore. Now, in his first book, Folds looks back at his life so far in a charming and wise chronicle of his artistic coming of age, infused with the wry observations of a natural storyteller.

In the title chapter, "A Dream About Lightning Bugs", Folds recalls his earliest childhood dream - and realizes how much it influenced his understanding of what it means to be an artist. In "Measure Twice, Cut Once", he learns to resist the urge to skip steps during the creative process. In "Hall Pass", he recounts his 1970s North Carolina working-class childhood, and in "Cheap Lessons", he returns to the painful life lessons he learned the hard way - but that luckily didn’t kill him.

In his inimitable voice, both relatable and thought-provoking, Folds digs deep into the life experiences that shaped him, imparting hard-earned wisdom about both art and life. Collectively, these stories embody the message 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.

Praise for A Dream About Lightning Bugs

"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)

©2019 Ben Folds (P)2019 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

“A memoir of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll that’s long on wry humor and short on - well, sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.... A pleasure for fans and encouragement for novices to tune in.” (Kirkus Reviews)

"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)

my hero

I've been listening to Ben longer than I can remember. he has been a personal hero to me as his albums would somehow relate to what was happening in my life (at least how I applied it in my head). it was easy because his music and stories are real, relatable, and always entertaining. this was the first audio book I had listened to and I'm glad I did because it was like getting the story from the man himself. I purchased the book when it came out but my masters program kept me from my side reading. long drives to class made this audible possible. I highly recommend this book to anyone as it's not just for fans of his music, but for human beings in general. give it a go!

Mr. Ben come here and watch me eat this sandwich

I love Ben Folds' music and now I love his books. Though his beard may have possibly got in his way during the recording of this audiobook, he valiantly persevered and gave us the best reading one could expect. No seriously, the book and the performance are terrific. His father, as you know (former member of .38 special and now blind famous song writer) was the main reason for the audio book so for that... god bless.

Genius

Growing up with the music of Ben Folds Five and Ben Folds, I was always curious as to the lyrics of some of the songs. This book explains so much. It was funny and descriptive, I couldn’t stop listening. I’m so glad I decided to go with the audible version so I could hear Ben Folds tell his own story. Thank you so much for writing this. Truly enjoyable!

Long time fan, great stories

Folds entertains here as narrator. I enjoyed the history, and how he matured in various ways. As a fan, it filled gaps of the song writer and his music that I’ve enjoyed for years.

Loved it! Big fan!

This book was very well written, has a lot of personality and soul, and I really enjoyed it

What a Ride!

Authors who narrate their own books is such a gift. For this fan of Ben's to hear the man himself share so deeply about his life and songwriting, it's a dream come true.

Not only is Ben's voice enjoyable to listen to, but his story is even better. I'm not sure what I was expecting from his memoir, but I was floored by stories of his early beginnings, how touring with Ben Folds 5 wasn't all "Rockstar" like, and how all the ups and downs created the man he is today. And I can't forget the gems about songwriting and his advice about best practices and expectations!

Whether you're a fan from the 90s or may have found Ben's work in the last few years, you'll definitely enjoy this book. And, yes, you will laugh out loud many times thru the retelling of stories or from his dry sense of humor. He's great that way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to revisit certain parts of it -- especially to take notes from the songwriting chapters!

Thank you, Ben, for sharing your life with us!💜

Fantastic words organized for us all to chew on

Love this book with all my creative heart. It’s interesting, funny, original, and very relatable. I will probably be annoying all my friends and family to read or listen to it. Their loss if they don’t. Can lead a horse to water but I am wise enough not to shove their heads underwater. Free will and all that.

Very interesting!

this was a very interesting book. I will admit I haven't listened to Ben's fold five in many years (since the "mating years" haha! great chapter!) but I'm so glad that I found this book and decided to listen to it. I found his life and his observations and introspective view on it fascinating and not too far off from what I feel. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it (especially to any piano players who want to rock but aren't sure why living room furniture doesn't always rock!)! I wish him the best and I'm definitely going to follow him more online. Thanks for writing and sharing this, it has helped me look forward in my musical journey. 😊

Loved it!

Mr. Fold's story and narration was very cool! His honest self disclosure was compelling and entertaining.

Brutally honest

Ben Folds is one of my favorite artists. My admiration was deepened reading this painfully honest autobiography. Ben's ability to use challenging circumstances to find a way to reinvent himself is inspiring.