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The Last Word: Billy Joel on Self-Doubt, Trump and Finally Becoming Cool
Rolling Stone ^

Posted on 05/09/2018 4:39:05 PM PDT by dead

Critics used to give you a hard time. But it seems like in the past few years you've become cool.
Look, man, Trump is president, so all kinds of weird shit can happen.

What do you make of that?
I'm still flabbergasted. I try to stay out of politics. I am a private citizen and I have a right to believe in my own political point of view, but I try not to get up on a soapbox and tell people how to think. I've been to shows where people start haranguing the audience about what's going on politically and I'm thinking, "You know, this isn't why I came here." As a matter of fact, one of the biggest cheers of the night comes when we do "Piano Man" and I sing, "They know that it's me that they're coming to see to forget about life for a while," and the audience lets out this huge "ahhhh" and I say, "OK, yeah, don't forget that." We're more like court jesters than court philosophers.

(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: music
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To: Rummyfan
Glory Days is joyful....

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out is joyful...

Rosalita too...

I'm guessing that's sarcasm. Or, maybe you find The River "joyful" too?

41 posted on 05/09/2018 6:16:41 PM PDT by ETCM
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To: Rummyfan

Kathy Ireland is a nice Christian woman that never let celebrity go to her head.


42 posted on 05/09/2018 6:19:04 PM PDT by tuffydoodle (A moral wrong cannot be a Civil Right.)
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To: central_va

IMO “Big Shot” has to be the worst song ever recorded.


43 posted on 05/09/2018 6:20:04 PM PDT by tuffydoodle (A moral wrong cannot be a Civil Right.)
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To: Rummyfan

“As an aside, Kathy Ireland was always my favorite.”

She’s still my favorite!


44 posted on 05/09/2018 6:24:06 PM PDT by oldvirginian (Come And Take It!.....The Rats of Tobruk to Erwin Rommel, 1941)
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To: tuffydoodle; central_va

“IMO “Big Shot” has to be the worst song ever recorded.”

It was tedious and lame. On the other hand, I love “Get It Right The First Time”.


45 posted on 05/09/2018 6:50:01 PM PDT by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
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To: antidisestablishment

Uptown Girl is too high pitch for many to sing.


46 posted on 05/09/2018 6:53:15 PM PDT by TheNext
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To: ifinnegan

That’s bullshit. I don’t know anything about Billy Joel’s politics. He’s certainly no Jim Carrey.

He’s not my favorite musical artist, but I very much like a lot of his work. To say he’s a “no talent hack” is just despicable. He was part of a core group of post-Beatles artists during the 70s who rushed in to fill the gap, an impossible task. The core group includes Joel, ELO, Elton John, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Miller, and others.


47 posted on 05/09/2018 6:59:36 PM PDT by huckfillary
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To: Rummyfan

“Glory Days” is joyful? The music has a nice bounce, but the lyrics are about a bunch of folks living miserable lives who can only dream about the good old days. I’ve always found it to be a very depressing song. That said, these days I can barely force myself to listen to a Springsteen song because he’s such an ass.


48 posted on 05/09/2018 7:03:45 PM PDT by KevinB (I do not care for this Obama fellow.)
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To: fhayek

“Women were hot in the 90’s. Women are hot now. Women are hot. Just look around.”

Outwardly, women dress much more slutty these days.


49 posted on 05/09/2018 7:20:35 PM PDT by Rebelbase
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To: dead

Good to know.

I’ve been wanting to attend one of his baseball field tour shows.


50 posted on 05/09/2018 7:23:41 PM PDT by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow.)
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Springsteen’s music has always sounded like it was the howl of a lower-class, dull, uneducated, moron. In other words ... it DOES have a certain “authenticity”, given that is who its author really is, has been, and always will be.

I have always disliked Springsteen’s music, and hated his moronic outbursts about politics.... kind of like a drunk factory worker getting up on a bar table and discoursing on the Theory of Relativity ...

... Billy Joel, OTOH, is a deeply emotional, authentic, intrispective songwriter and a HELL of a baladeer (and he’s made some pretty good rock and roll tunes as well) ... saw in him in 1980 during his “New Wave” period tour ... outstanding ... his discography is basically the soundtrack of my high school years, and alwasy takes me back ... nice to see that he displays some wisdom and discretion about gratuitous sharing of personal opinions irrelevant to his craft (music) ...

... got to admire that in a man ...


51 posted on 05/09/2018 7:33:19 PM PDT by Simon Foxx
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To: huckfillary

I guess he is a talented hack.

He’s really annoying and trite, generally m

His most famous song is a rip off.


52 posted on 05/09/2018 7:49:13 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: dead
We didn't start the fire.

His rapid fire staccato delivery is a masterpiece. (imho)

53 posted on 05/09/2018 8:18:40 PM PDT by Peter Libra
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To: dead

The weird shit was electing a community organizer with no real qualifications for President back in 2008.

Trump actually achieved something with his life before high office.


54 posted on 05/09/2018 8:24:20 PM PDT by Finalapproach29er (luke 6:38)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

“Not bad for a cat who couldn’t sing his way outta paper bag..”

That’s why his records don’t sell, right?


55 posted on 05/09/2018 8:26:18 PM PDT by Rembrandt (-)
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To: HamiltonJay

“Exactly, you are an entertainer... folks don’t come to be preached at or to, they come to hear you play.”

Sinead O’Connor and Cheryl Crowe never got that message.


56 posted on 05/09/2018 8:28:41 PM PDT by Rembrandt (-)
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To: Rummyfan

He is a troll under a bridge in the looks dept.
I am just too good looking. If I only had money : )


57 posted on 05/09/2018 8:52:13 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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How dumb is Shania Twain?

She is a Country Music Superstar but apologized for saying she would've voted for TRUMP

Does she know her audience/fans??? LOL

58 posted on 05/10/2018 12:31:42 AM PDT by KavMan
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To: Peter Libra

I still hear new things in that song whenever I take the time to actually listen to it. Just learning the significance of every event of item listed would be a great history lesson.


59 posted on 05/10/2018 3:49:07 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: dead

“and Finally Becoming Cool”

So he’s hip among the Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift crowd?

He’s hip among the Flaming Lips, Lucero festival crowd?

He’s hip among the Childish Gambino and Die Antwoord rap crowd?

Or he’s hip among the “man I sure miss going to Tom Petty concerts” crowd?


60 posted on 05/10/2018 5:31:27 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Ads for Chappaquiddick warn of scenes of tobacco use. What about the hazards of drunk driving?)
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