Bring Him Flowers

Ben Lee uses bouquets as part of stage ritual

April 22, 2005
AL.com Everything Alabama
By MARY COLURSO
News staff writer

Critics have been tossing bouquets at Ben Lee since he was 13, praising his do-it-yourself attitude. Barbs came his way along with the kudos, but during a dozen years or so, Lee's career has been mostly rosy.

So if you want to make this Australian singer-songwriter happy, bring flowers to his concert Tuesday night at WorkPlay. It doesn't matter if they're pulled by the roots from your neighbor's yard, or purchased in a paper cone from a local supermarket.

Place the blooms on the stage before his set, and a member of Lee's band, Lara Meyerratken, will take it from there. Colorful decoration is one of his goals, Lee says, but there's also a deeper reason.

"I'm trying to create a sense of ceremony and community," he says. "Little rituals are really important. It's a way for people to participate in the show - almost like an offering to the gods of rock `n' roll."

A flower theme springs to life on the cover of Lee's latest CD, "Awake Is the New Sleep." Graphics for the title were produced, presumably by hand, with carnations, roses and other blossoms.

Listen to the 14 tracks on the recording, and you'll hear Lee musing about beauty and bliss - about finding the seeds of those things and coaxing them to grow.

"For me," Lee says, "it's about joy."

He's not afraid to use emotional words like that, or explain that the phrase "Awake Is the New Sleep" refers to "consciousness and opening your heart."

Sound heavy? Well, it is, but Lee's also a lighthearted guy who doesn't want to weigh you down.

A spiritual bent:

If you're aware he spends time studying in India, or notice that he thanks the American Taoist Healing Center in his album's liner notes, Lee is at peace with that. But he's a popster, not a guru, and his music doesn't have a religious agenda.

"Religion, shmeligion," Lee says. "I couldn't care less. Spirituality is different. It's a feeling. It's more exciting and murkier territory."

When Lee emerged on the music scene in 1992-93, he was just another punk in training, recording tunes on a boom box in his bedroom. But his precocious talent, and his pop-rock band, Noise Addict, caught on quickly.

Before long, the group was releasing albums, winning fans in Sydney and touring the United States when their schoolwork would permit it. Lee recorded his first solo disc, "Grandpa Would," at age 16.

Noise Addict eventually split, as high-school bands are wont to do, but Lee continued to work as a solo artist. He found his niche as an introspective, sensitive indie act and has released six recordings to date, including "Breathing Tornados," "Something to Remember Me By" and "Hey You. Yes You."

While growing up, Lee says, he was addicted to his sister's record collection, and was greatly influenced by Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours."

"They seemed like from another world," he says. "It was like a children's record to me, like fairy-tale music."

He's ready and willing to serve the same purpose for the next generation of listeners, and counts many teen-age girls among his fans.

"I see nothing slight about playing for a teen-age audience," Lee says. "That's the future. And if you're helping them get through a difficult time ... "

Youthful angst:

Lee understands the nature of youthful angst, as he has grown up in the public eye, and what's more angst-inducing than that?

He admits to going through an angry, "have to prove myself" phase that earned him a reputation in some circles as egotistical or overly cocky. That was before Lee had his spiritual awakening, and, it would seem, became humbled by searching for the divine.

"When you have faith in something, life suddenly changes," he says. "For me, it's been like the opening of a cocoon."

Certainly, Lee seemed serene enough when his private life turned into tabloid fodder a couple of years ago, after he became involved with actress Claire Danes.

"Awake Is the New Sleep" might have been his breakup album, but Lee didn't go that route, and has said that his romance with Danes ended amiably. The celebrity girlfriend's gone, but so is the pressure that comes along with such a partnership.

The music, of course, remains.

"I want to make music for the world," Lee says. "I'm a communicator. It's pop. It's about sugar. But sugar-coating is how I get it across. The message is still in my music."

E-mail: mcolurso@bhamnews.com