Billy Joel: Soothsayer
BJ, Jesse & Scrambled Eggs
THING 1: BILLY JOEL
The first, second, and third concerts I ever were all Billy Joel.
Suffice it to say that Billy Joel played a formative role in my relationship with music, concert-going, and even fandom. New Jersey had Bruce and Bon Jovi, and Long Island had Billy J. I was a superfan. I had all the CDs. I knew the tracks by heart. I could wax poetically about the beauty of Miami 2017 (when that song title seemed like the distant future), I studied the lyrics of We Didn’t Start the Fire harder than Captain America, and I believe I did a school paper on how We Didn’t Start the Fire is directly inspired by LL Cool J’s BAD (Bigger and Deffer).
Regardless of if you like him or not, Billy Joel did something unheard of as an artist. After River of Dreams, a decidedly darker Billy Joel album, which was all about trust and betrayal (this was right after his manager and ex-brother-in-law embezzled millions of dollars from him and a year before his divorce from Supermodel Christie Brinkley). He announced he was going to stop making pop music. I was shook. STOP! WHAT?! You don’t stop when you are on top!
"I couldn’t be as good as I wanted and that was driving me crazy. I was driving my loved ones crazy. I would drink to try and ease the pain of not being as good as I wanted to be it was a vicious cycle, so I stopped." - Billy Joel
But maybe Billy knew something no one else knew. In a time before, we had bad reboots, endless lackluster sequels, and prequels that told the tale of our favorite characters but without the joy and fun of the original films. Billy seemed to see the future, and he locked himself in amber. He called his own out, and because of that, he’s never changed. Your opinion of him stays roughly the same. He ended on top with a 4 Star review from Rolling Stone. We wouldn’t have to make excuses about why we didn’t like the new stuff as much as the old stuff or proselytize on how there is some “good stuff” on that album he did in 2012 with Gwen Stefani. He, unlike every successful movie franchise, hung up his hat and left it on the hook. He wouldn’t be Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. He was always the Billy Joel we knew.
After a brief (and odd stint) of making classical music, he went on to do something unheard of; after a few years’ break, he went back on the road and just played the hits, and he seemed psyched about it, and so did the fans. He plays stadiums, gets awards, and releases box sets, but no new album. But here’s the thing: he’s getting MORE popular. 20 years after his last album, he starts a residency at Madison Square Garden (19,500 Seats), which he sells out 150 times in 9 years while simultaneously touring around the world!
Nothing new is coming out of the pipeline, and we love him for it. We didn’t have to sit through the new stuff to wait for the old stuff. All we got was old stuff, and it was gold, and he sounded great doing it.
Then, yesterday, he dropped a brand new song after 31 years! (some say 17, but I don’t count that one song he wrote in 2007 for his new wife that feels like a Tony Bennett tribute that was dumped on a promo CD and wasn’t supposed to be for release). He releases Turn The Lights Back On and it’s the first true Billy Joel Single, and it’s like he hasn’t missed a beat. There is no talk about an album. It is just a single. One and done. I’m just amazed by this commitment to restraint in a time where nostalgia and a lot of money will always pull you back in; he safeguarded his own legacy and arguably became more popular by walking away.
But maybe there was something with people named Bill that year because at roughly the same time, Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes creator, also called his own out. From Watterson's point of view, he didn't want to continue the strip just because it was popular at the time. He was aware that demand for a new series would inevitably come, and he didn't want to occupy space that could go for a newer artist with a fresher voice. (via Screen Rant). He ended on a high, and it wasn’t till late 2023 that he reemerged with a new book, The Mysteries. Which isn’t about Calvin or Hobbes but something wonderfully different. This all now comes on the heels of Quentin Tarantino announcing he’s starting his last film, his 10th. He, too, called his shot.
I initially started writing this because I just loved Billy’s new song, but I feel like I’m seeing a bigger question. Should artists have the discipline to walk away from their success if they feel like they are creatively done, or is it more interesting to watch someone we love push through that and fail to grow again?
What do you all think…Leave a Comment
THING 2: Q&A
This interview snippet killed me.
THING 3: IN THEATERS
If we want more comedies to come out, see this movie. It’s fresh and different, it’s got big jokes and big emotions. Last I checked had 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a small comedy movie distributed by Lionsgate (They make good shit), produced by Jon Levine (he makes good shit), and written and directed by Leah McKendrick (who if you see now, you can brag that you knew her before anyone else.)
WHAT ELSE IS NEW….
I was on David Chang’s Dinner Time Live this week on Netflix; I had a 5-course delicious meal with Iliza Shlesinger; I love this show. The theme of our meal was Japanese Convenience Mart
UNSPOOLED did JACKIE BROWN this week.
I finally was able to get Joyful Recollections of Trauma available in The UK at Waterstone’s and in Canada at !ndigo and available at all US stores (I’ll be forever grateful if you get your Pre-Order in. It REALLY HELPS)
I’ll be in San Francisco on Saturday at The Masonic with HDTGM
Then in Telluride for the Comedy Festival Feb 15-19
Dinosaur is Back at Largo on 2/23
Paul, is this your way of saying you're retiring and someone new will be cohost of HDTGM/June's husband?
I didn’t know that about Billy Joel! 👏