Posted on 05/09/2017 1:12:47 PM PDT by nickcarraway
What does the typical Billy Joel fan look like? It’s a serious question. We can, I think to at least a small degree of accuracy, guess what the typical Sex Pistols fan looked like back in their heyday, or the typical Spice Girls fan in theirs. But, what about Billy Joel? His music is so nondescript, so family-restaurant friendly, so bland, so cheesy, that its lack of concrete identity aside from its popularity and its blandness makes it difficult to imagine just who buys his albums, just who packs the sold out arenas.
Let’s think about it this way perhaps – Billy Joel is the suburbs of music. The term “ugly” is so often misapplied to the suburbs (some, at least). I say misapplied, because the suburbs, as I’ve lived them, are not positively ugly, like, say, Jean Dubuffet’s “Art Brut,” but rather they have a sort of negative ugliness, which is to say, they lack any qualities whatsoever. The “ugliness” of the suburbs is in reality nothing more than the banality, the boringness of the suburbs. As opposed to brutalism, which can often be ugly, but in a positive, fascinating sense, if the suburbs are oppressive, it is only because there is nothing to latch on to, nothing interesting. This seems to me the best description, by way of analogy, of Billy Joel’s music – negatively terrible. This, again, does not bring us any closer to visualizing the typical Billy Joel superfan, but it at least let’s us theorize about why we can’t.
In any event, the occasion for these thoughts is, of course, Joel’s birthday. The man seems, like the suburbs, timeless – he’s still around, still making music, still selling out shows. Long after we’re gone – cockroaches, Joel, office buildings, and, probably, (I shudder at the thought) The Eagles. But my hatred for Joel’s music doesn’t run as deep as some. Despite his eternal dullness, he does have some okay songs. No, if you want some real, wonderful, joyous vitriol, look no further than Ron Rosenbaum’s 2009 article for Slate, “The Worst Pop Singer Ever.” Rosenbaum is the author of books like “Explaining Hitler” and “How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III,” so when he writes about Joel’s music, well, he knows what he’s talking about. The article is one of those perennial internet gems, the epitome of “evergreen content” – so long as Joel is around (forever), this article will be necessary. But enough from me – Happy birthday Billy, and here’s Rosenbaum.
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As a musician, one time pro, who was also a voice major let me say that this writer is completely full of crap.
Go and produce something that millions of people will pay money for, that gives thousands joy.
Until you can to that, STFU unless you have something complimentary to say.
There are a lot of artists and types of music I don’t care to listen to, but having tried (and failed) to make a living thusly I have more respect for any rapper, ‘pop country’ crooner or idiot diva who has put out a successful album and/or made a living touring than *ANY* critic.
Beautifully said, needed to be repeated
I can only add: the fact that Billy Joel's music is still being played enough for this moron to comment on it in 2017 clearly shows it has stood the test of time.
I knew that (being prior Navy), but it was one of the few pics that I could find that tied into the song ...
And I would find it hard to trust anyone who doesn’t start singing along when almost any Billy Joel song comes on the radio.
...and we're in agreement there ...
Joel was and is a great artist. “Goodnight Saigon” was his extreme best among many greats.
Surely a hundredfold more than have ever heard of a useless git like you. The arenas are sold out for a reason fool!
He is upbeat, and I have had many hours of enjoyment listening to his music. I have seen him in concert and watch his concerts on TV when they are available. I love it when Sirius XM has the Billy Joel channel. He is feel-good, and many people really need that in their lives. I know I do!
The ‘timeless,” as in he is STILL around and how did he get here in the first place, singer I think is the worst is Springsteen. OMG, it hurts to listen to him. He does have a good backup band, and is a good showman, however. I’ll give him that. But, omg, that voice! Hurts just to think about.
No pounding beat, ear-splitting volume or hate whitey lyrics. Boring! < /sarc >
Do you like Zydeco? You better like Zydeco if you can say that about Billy Joel. I like Zydeco, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon.
I’m a fan, and I’ll admit that I’m often tired of hearing some of his songs due to overplay.
For every song you hear on the air, there is probably another on any given album as good or better, but in a style that didn’t match what was popular at the time, so never got airplay.
Divorce phase Phil Collins?
Agree completely. Also, I do love me some Billy Joel. Yes, he was gentle in music—but I still enjoy “Piano Man,” “Just the Way You Are,” “New York State of Mind,” and many others. And unlike that idiot Springsteen, to my knowledge, he never forced his views down people’s throats, nor did he write songs disrespecting our veterans.
Another favorite of mine! And my son loved the one with all the historical events, though the title escapes me right now.
I question the validity of that statement because I have listened to Billy Joel for 45 years and never have even seen the name Malin Akerman until you typed it just now.
I just Googled her and I see that she has had minor parts in a couple of films I have seen. Thirty years younger than Billy Joel, I'll look her up in 30 years if I live that long. I'll only be 94 then.
>>>This topic reminds me of how wayyyyy over rated I’ve always felt that Elton John is, but much more than that, how much I dislike Phil Collin’s mid-to-late 80s phase. It’s like nails on on a chalkboard to me.<<<
But Sussudio is an exception to your dislike right? /sarc off
I do like another day in paradise. Maybe I just get caught up in the lyrics that we have it good and don’t forget about the less fortunate. Or maybe I’m just a dweeb for liking that song lol.
[Joel} & Keith Emerson were the only 2 of maybe 100 rockers I interviewed who did not cite the Beatles as their reason for getting into rock. —
There are videos of Billy Joel introducing The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” where he talks about them being a big reason for him getting into rock and roll.
Well, he told me that he was into jazz long before the Beatles showed up. I specifically asked him.
Billy is great at making decent pop music and he is no slouch as a musician or performer. Plenty of great songs to choose from in Billy’s catalogue.
This writter is smoking crack.
Always liked “The Piano Man”, “Only The Good Die Young” and “New York State of Mind”
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