for the “wtf” files.

Just got this press release:

BEN FOLDS PLANS FANTASY ROCK & ROLL VACATION

BEN FOLDS EXPERIENCE CRUISE TAKES FANS, ARTISTS & COMEDIANS FROM MIAMI TO JAMAICA IN FEBRUARY 2008

ATLANTA, GA - A consistently busy artist in need of a vacation, power pop pioneer Ben Folds teams up with Sixthman, the leader in the entertainment cruise industry, to plan a holiday with several of his favorite other artists, entertainers and most devoted fans.  The Ben Folds Experience cruise sails from the Port of Miami on February 21, 2008, on the Carnival Imagination, stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and returns to Miami on February 25, 2008. Ben Folds Experience goes on sale to the public on June 13, 2007.

“I wanted to get a lot of talented musical artists together with possibly a few comedians and have some kind of magical experience,” says Folds.  In a note to his fans about his plans for an upcoming musical vacation, he wrote, “The idea of painting a large bus psychedelic purple, not taking baths for a week and driving around the country jamming out on one chord about the war got shot down quickly.”

Other acts performing on the Ben Folds Experience cruise will be announced in the coming weeks. Information will be updated on www.benfoldsexperience.com as it is available.

Then it goes on to discuss — I’m not kidding — Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Simple Man Cruise and the Barenaked Ladies’ Ships ‘n Dip III cruise. I’ll spare you that part.

As you likely know, Ben Folds Five is one of my greatest and guiltiest pleasures. It pains me to see the poor man having jumped the shark so, but at the same time, I really want to go on this absolutely ridiculous cruise.