A Dream About Lightning Bugs

A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons

By: Ben Folds

Narrated by: Ben Folds

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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 a 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

©2019 Ben Folds (P)2019 Simon & Schuster UK

Loved it

Though having been a Ben Folds fan for a long time, I've lapsed a bit recently with keeping up with what he's doing. I took a bit of a chance on this, and I absolutely loved it. His narrating style is great, there are loads of amusing little interludes along the way and I'm sorry it's finished. Would highly recommend.

Interesting but not compelling

Yet it should have been so much more. Ben Folds reads in a rather flat way and emotionless. For such a full in performer on stage this is rather the opposite. His early life is fascinating and he leads quite an amazing life yet you don’t get a sense of this in the book. Not a lot is clarified or looked at in depth. So I found it okay and sort of enjoyed bits but it could have been so much more .

It's Ben Folds

If you know who BF is and enjoy his work, then this is a great insight into his life. I'd recommend it. AND it's narrated by BF himself!

Enjoyable with lovely little extra sound touches

Really enjoyed this and it went the extra mile with little sound effects, excerpts of songs and details that made it stand out from the basic 'read it and be done' biographies. You don't have to know anything about Ben Folds for it to take you on a journey, I knew very little other than liking some of the music and especially enjoyed the chapters on his earlier years and childhood. It's well written, well-read and an interesting insight into the life of a musician who is still learning cheap, and increasingly more expensive, lessons.

Good for fans and music lovers

Interesting book with funny insights. I really enjoyed it, hope he makes some more soon !

One angry dwarf and a brick

Absolutely loved this. Part autobiography part Music process, craft and production guide . Ben Folds and in particular Ben Folds Five mean memories of a better time. Very irreverent and Fun

Warning: You’re about to fall in love...

Fascinating, satisfying, hilarious book. Compulsory reading for fans and highly recommended for anyone who’s any kind of creative. The final chapter will blow your dick off. Ben Folds is the best kind of human being.

Another Ben Folds Masterpiece

Learning about a hero isn't always enjoyable. in this case it was wonderful as it gave an insight into the person and the songs and the creativity.

Great listen

Great story, well told and the use of relevant music throughout was a nice touch.

Wished it was longer.

What can one say, it was a very interesting insight into Bens life with the background stories about the songs and his struggle along the path of success.