I enter first and sit at the bar alone, strategically placing myself next two attractive girls. It is about 12:30 AM. I order a Budweiser (Ben is a real down-to-earth kind of guy). I sit alone for a good twenty minutes while Brandon and Jon, sitting at a nearby table, order food. The girls talk and pay me little attention. Enter Brandon.
Brandon: Excuse me.
Ben: Yes?
Brandon: Are you Ben Folds? From Ben Folds Five?
Ben: Yeah. I am.
Brandon: I can’t believe it! This is awesome! I’m a huge fan!!
Ben: What’s your name?
Brandon: I’m Brandon. Nice to meet you!
Ben and Brandon shake hands.
Brandon: This is so awesome! Man! Hey Jon! Come over here, it’s Ben Folds! He likes your music too.
Jon walks up.
Jon: Hey! It’s nice to meet you!
Brandon: This is Ben Folds!
Jon: Wow. This is so crazy!
Ben: It’s nice to meet you, too.
Brandon and Jon gush over Ben. The three talk about his upcoming album, his old albums, and what it’s like to be famous.
Brandon: Dude, could we like have an autograph?
Ben: Yeah no problem. I don’t have I pen.
Brandon: I’ve got one right here. Do you have anything to write with.
Girl 1 turns slightly, uninterested.
Girl 1: Here’s a napkin.
Brandon: Thanks!
Ben signs autographs for Brandon and Jon. They return to their seat.
As if on cue, the girls immediately turn.
Girl 2: I don’t mean to bother you…
Ben: No problem.
Girl 2: I was in L.A. last week with my bother, who is a really big fan of you by the way, and we thought we saw you walking down the street. Was that you?
Ben: Nope. I was in Chapel Hill.
Girl 2: He said it was you. I didn’t know, because I didn’t really know what you looked like. I’m Kristen, by the way.
Ben: I’m… Ben. (laughs)
Kristen: (laughing) yeah, I figured.
Girl 1: I’m Hillary.
Ben: Nice to meet y’all.
Kristen: That’s so funny, because the guy we saw was dressed just like you. Plaid shirt, shorts… looked just like you look.
The girls talk with Ben uninterrupted for about thirty minutes. Ben tells them that he has a group of friends working on a play for the Fringe Festival. They’re in rehearsal and he’s waiting for them to get out. Kristen and Hillary are in town on business from L.A. They’re both in their mid to late 20s, attractive, and sophisticated. Ben talks about fame, his friend William Shatner, what it’s like to be on Conan O’Brien, etc. The girls talk about their work, their weekend in New York, and what it’s like out in L.A. The girls tell Ben how amazing it is that he’s so friendly.
Brandon returns.
Brandon: Hey Ben, let me buy you a drink.
Ben: That’s ok. Thanks. I’ m fine.
Brandon: It looks like you need a drink.
Ben: No thanks. Don’t worry about it.
Brandon: Ok. How about you buy me a drink?
Kristen: You don’t have to do that.
Brandon: Come on! Buy me a drink.
Ben: Well…
Brandon: I buy your albums, you buy me a drink! That’s the way it works!
Hillary: (disgusted with Brandon) Why don’t you buy us a drink?
Ben: Yeah! You buy these two girls a drink and then I’ll buy you a drink.
All four order pints from the bartender and argue over who is going to pay for them.
Ben: Don’t worry about it. I’ll just pay for all of them.
Kristen: No! We’re paying for them. Put your wallet away.
Brandon: No, let me pay.
Brandon pays for all four drinks and returns to his table.
Kristen: That guy is such an asshole.
Ben: I think he’s just drunk.
Ben, Kristen, and Hillary talk for another thirty minutes as they drink their fresh pints. Before Ben can order another, his cell phone rings. He takes the call and returns to the bar.
Ben: My friends are out of rehearsal. I’m meeting them at another bar. It was great talking to y’all.
Kristen: It was so nice to meet you! My brother is going to flip when he hears about this.
Hillary: Good luck with the new album and everything.
Ben: Thanks. Y’all enjoy your weekend in New York.
Kristen: We will. Have a good night.
Ben leaves the bar. It is 2 AM. Brandon and Jon stay at their table. Ten minutes pass. Ben returns. After talking with the bouncer and both bartenders, Ben approaches Kristen and Hillary.
Ben: Hey. Have you guys seen a wallet?
Kristen: No, you can’t find yours?
Ben: I was in another bar with my friends and when I tried to pay for my drink I couldn’t find it.
Kristen: Oh no.
Ben: You saw me with my wallet here, right?
Hillary: Yes, you paid for your drinks here.
Ben: Right. The last time I had it was sitting right here with you.
Kristen: Yes. You had it out when that guy was trying to buy us drinks. Oh my god. You should go see if that guy has it.
Ben: You don’t think he has it?
Kristen: Well…
Ben: He was kind of an asshole, but he won’t take my wallet, right?
Kristen: Just go ask him.
Ben: What do I say? I don’t want to just accuse a fan of stealing.
Hillary: Just ask him if he’s seen it. Go ask him.
Ben walks over to the table.
Ben: Excuse me, I can’t find my wallet. Is there a chance that our wallets got–
Brandon: (yelling) I didn’t steal your fucking wallet Ben Folds!
Most of the bar hears this. The girls get up and walk over. The bouncer stands by the door.
Ben: I’m not saying you stole it, I’m just wondering if we got our wallets mixed up.
Brandon: You can’t fucking accuse me of anything! I didn’t steal anything!
Ben: (pointing to cell phone) If you don’t lower your voice and calm down I am going to call the cops.
Brandon: You can’t call the cops. I didn’t steal anything!
Ben: Just take out your wallet. Let’s look at it.
Brandon: Fuck you! I’m not doing anything.
Ben: (to Jon) It’s obvious your brother is too drunk to talk. Come here.
Ben takes Jon to a corner of the bar to talk about the situation.
Charlie: Jon, I’m going to slowly hand you my wallet. Put it in Brandon’s bag.
Jon: Understood.
In the meantime, Kristen and Hillary are engaged in a verbal fight with Brandon.
Kristen: (shouting) I don’t know if you believe in karma, but you need to do the right thing here!
Brandon: I didn’t do anything.
Hillary: Just empty your pockets and prove it.
Kristen: Ben does not deserve this! He was so nice to you!
Brandon: Stop fucking accusing me!
Ben returns and sees Brandon shouting. He pushes the girls out of the way.
Ben: (firm, loud) You will NOT talk to them that way. These girls do not deserve that.
Brandon: I can say whatever I want to say.
Kristen: Just take out your wallet!
Jon takes Brandon’s book-bag and puts it on the table. He reaches in and produces a black wallet. Ben grabs the wallet. The girls scream.
Hillary: Oh my god!
Kristen: I can’t believe it! I cannot believe he actually stole it!
Ben: It’s ok. I’ve got it back. He’s just drunk. He’s a fan. Everything is fine.
Ben slowly walks out of the bar. The girls follow him.
Kristen: Are you ok?
Ben: I’m a little shocked. I’m ok.
Kristen: I know how you feel. I had my wallet stolen in the San Francisco Airports once…
Hillary and Kristen put their arms around Ben and attempt to calm him down. The bartender walks out.
Bartender: Is everything ok out here?
Kristen: Yes. He’s fine. He got it back.
Bartender: Man, I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Ben: It’s ok. These kinds of things happen to me every now and then.
Bartender: Well, if the three of you want to stay and have another drink, it’s on the house.
Kristen: Thank you. That’s so nice of you. Ben, can you stay for a drink?
Ben: I’ll have to call my friends.
Kristen: I think you need to stay. Come in, have a drink, and we’ll put everything to rest on a good note.
Ben: You’re right. I’ll tell my friends.
Ben calls his `friends’ on his cell phone and lets them know he found the wallet and that he’ll be at the bar for a bit longer. The three return to the bar and order their free pint.
Kristen: As soon as you said you were missing your wallet, I thought of that guy.
Hillary: Me too! I didn’t want to say it, but I knew he could have taken it.
Ben: I guess I try trust fans too much sometimes.
Kristen: You’re sweet. There’s nothing wrong with that. That guy was just a total douche-bag.
Ben: (laughs) Yeah. I guess so.
Kristen: I mean, forgive my language, but it’s the only way I can phrase it. The guy was a douche-bag.
Hillary: Yeah, we knew it from the moment he came up here and tried to buy us drinks.
Kristen: Really. We make enough money, we don’t need some gross guy buying us drinks…
Hillary: Yeah, that kind of guy thinks he can hit on you as much as he wants if he buys you a drink.
Kristen: Douche-bag.
Both bartenders and the bouncer have been talking about the situation and pointing to Brandon, who is still seated at the table with Jon. The bouncer approaches them.
Bouncer: You guys got to go.
Brandon: What?
Bouncer: It’s time to go.
Brandon: That’s not very nice.
Bouncer: No. It’s not. And I can get angry.
Brandon and Jon leave the bar as the bouncer shows them the door. Hillary focuses her attention on flirting with the bartender while Kristen flirts with Ben. The two talk privately together for another fifteen minutes. Around 3:30 AM, three hours after he entered the bar, Ben’s cell phone rings. He takes the call away from the bar and then returns.
Ben: My friends are leaving the other bar. I’m going to have to go and catch up with them.
Kristen: Oh. This has been so crazy.
Ben: Yeah. It really has.
Ben and Kristen lock eyes. There is an awkward pause.
Kristen: I… I don’t know what we do here. Do we exchange phone numbers?… Would you…
Ben: Yeah…. Well… Why don’t you give me your number in L.A. and I’ll call you when I’m out there on tour this fall.
Kristen: Yes. That would be great.
Kristen writes down her phone number on a napkin and hands it to Ben.
Kristen: It has been so wonderful meeting you.
Ben: Thanks for helping me with the wallet. It was really great of you.
Kristen: Of course. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.
Ben: I’m over it.
Kristen: Good luck with the new album and everything.
Ben: Thanks. Thanks again for helping me. It’s been great talking with you.
Kristen: Yeah. It has.
Ben tells Kristen and Hillary goodbye, thanks the bartender for the drink, and leaves the bar.
You can also read Agent Karpinos’ Report of the evening.
EPILOGUE:
Exactly five years after this mission to the day, I attempted to call Kristen:
You could have gotten laid there, buddy!
I love Improv Everywhere, absolutley brilliant.
Ben Folds undercover is funny and interesting but pulling it on a couple wannabes at the bar is easy (my friends and I have done the smae thing but used ‘the drummer of Green Day’- who the hell knows the drummer from Green Day???? it was too easy).
What would be even a bigger stunt would be to get into a celeb party and make ass! A picture on the cover of NY post , “BEN FOLDS FLUBS!” would be a feather in your cap.
Keep on it.
the drummer from green day is named “Tré Cool” and he is tré cool.
yeeah, you could have gotten laid theere, didnt you think about it ?
‘or 1=1–
Wow. This is such a "People believe what they want to believe" story, so much so that I don’t want to believe. Anyway, I’ve heard of similar things happening. Crazy.
So sad, but funny
I’m still thinking it over
Sex isn’t everyone’s priority.
I can’t believe this went over so well. People really are something else.
seriously though. you do look like ben folds.
you guys do awesome work…seriously inspiring..
reminds me of the time i faked being a norwegian rock star for 3 consecutive nights at a strip club in vegas…complete with my friends being the bandmates: "oh yeh, johann is kind of shy about his accent, so you have to be the one to approach him"…. and manager: "i don’t think the band could have made it anywhere without johann’s creative flair"….
it’s good to see there are like minded people in this world…keep up the good work!
Wow I never really thought about how this began. Thats a great story. I suppose he could’ve gotten laid but between blowing his cover and the awkward morning "now what" I think its pushing it. This sounds like it was alot harder and more improv then the newer ones. You should really go back to your roots and do something similar to this with only a few guys and not much of a plan.
If you exchanged numbers did you ever call her? You should call now and be like "hey remember me? four years ago? the bar?"
i think the newer ones are better because its agents vs the crowd. For this, 2 nice girls where fooled into thinking he was a celeb. No harm done, but that kind of thing happens less innocently. The newer skits are a lot better ^_^
werd to that…
it’s funny n’ stuff… but what if Kristen was really excited and thought that she met someone famous.
hmm, now tha ti think about it… maybe that’s the onyl reason the girls talked to you… if you had just been Charlie… could you have still gotten laid.
not that that was important to you or anything…
but these newer skits are better than fooling innocent attractive girls in a bar.
lol:P
I realy realy realy wished that you would have gotten a hold of her! She might have not have even given you her realy # to begin with but she probably did. I realy wanted to see her reaction to you calling her! Oh well… (if you ever try calling her again u have to vidio it!) ^.^
nicely done , light touch, pushed the boundaries a bit there with the wallet gig… got it simpler myself, folks’ve been convinced I’M in a band, different times and places: its easy, just have waistlength hair…
Hi guys,
I am 50 yrs old and am still having a problem with confronting people! I can’t avoid playing out the things that come up in life FOREVER! Would like to find an “improv” place to just have fun and practice with actual situations! It may bring out a whole new “me” I didn’t know! Thanks
I love Ben Folds Five.
Ben Folds was nice enough to contact you guys to make this happen. You guys were pretty smart to think all of this up.
Pretty damn funny.
Love Across Borders Community Publishing
http://www.loveacrossborders.com
wow, this is hilarious! good job, you guys. fortunately, i wouldn’t be fooled by you since you don’t look all that much like ben folds (sorry!), but you are really cute all the same! haha, and i’m amazed at how none of you managed to mess up, but i’m sad kristen changed her number, though! in any case, awesome job! :D
Maybe Kristen gave Ben Folds a fake telephone number! Hahaha.
I was just thinking along the same lines as JH above! Women have been known to give out the fake number! Although if she really thought you were famous, I doubt she did…too much time had passed…
That is so funny! to bad about the phone number! Was this the start of improveverywhere?
Yeah, it’s too bad you can’t contact her. I hope someday she heard some IE’s mission, found this site, and contact you :) It would be great!
Maybe Kristen moved to New York to bump into you again, ahaha.
to be a true IE in my opinion would have been to stage an “Agent Kristen” for the call. None of us would have known the difference…
Does the real Ben Folds know about this?
Should somebody tell him that he was instrumental in the founding of a famous improv group?
I realize this may come a few years too late (maybe useful for your ten-year) but the majority of 562 area code phone numbers in L.A. became 323 area code. Probably not of much use to you, but…if I were in your shoes, I’d probably try again. How could you not wonder what ever became of that person and whether they figured it out?
Maybe two girls were leading you to think you were fooling them?
Amazing work done by you all. Love. Hugs. Kisses. Wishes. Prayers.