Ep451 - Ben Folds & Lindsey Kraft: The Pass-Fail Test

Collaborative partners Lindsey Kraft and Ben Folds take us behind the scenes of their new musical project, We've Been Here Before, currently running at the SoHo Playhouse. Lindsey shares how picking up the piano at age thirty-nine led to an outpouring of songs that revealed truths about her life before she could fully articulate them in prose. Ben explains why he was drawn to the show as producer, music director, and on-stage performer, diving into his philosophy that genuine art must pass a fundamental pass-fail test of sheer necessity. They discuss building work from the ground up, the courage required to reinvent oneself, and why audiences respond so intensely to vulnerable, unvarnished storytelling on an intimate stage.

The conversation takes plenty of unexpected, hilarious, and thoughtful turns along the way. Lindsey recalls her brief junior high basketball career that came to a swift end after getting guarded on the court by future WNBA legend Sue Bird, as well as her early acting gigs on television shows like Southland and Grace and Frankie. Ben offers a refreshing, counterintuitive breakdown of imposter syndrome, explaining why he considers it a self-centered burden placed on the audience rather than a mark of true humility. The duo also touches on musical psychology, orchestrating violin lines to act as live dramatic characters, and Ben finding his key theatrical moment on stage playing the triangle for a telephone ring.

Lindsey Kraft is an actor, writer, and composer known for her screen roles in Grace and Frankie, Getting On, and The Big Bang Theory, alongside her stage playwriting work on Wedding Bash. Ben Folds is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer, author, and former frontman of the band Ben Folds Five who has composed for film, television, and major symphonies around the world. On We've Been Here Before, Lindsey serves as writer and star, with Ben producing, music directing, and performing on stage.

Connect with Beth and Lindsey

• Watch my first interview with Ben in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAWgm5MPvIU
• Lindsey Kraft: @linzkraft
• Ben Folds: @actualbenfolds
• Get Tickets to We've Been Here Before

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