Posted on 08/13/2025 2:38:01 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Billy Joel’s beloved Long Island motorcycle shop is closing down after nearly 15 years of offering fans a free peek at his personal collection of dozens of bikes.
The music icon will be shuttering 20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay, New York, in late September and auctioning off his collection later this year because of a brain disorder he has been diagnosed with, according to a spokesperson, Claire Mercuri.
In May, Joel announced that he was canceling upcoming concerts after learning he has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a fluid buildup in his brain that can affect thinking, concentrating, memory, movement and more, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The 76-year-old singer, composer and pianist was having trouble with his balance but otherwise felt good, he said in an interview last month on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast.
Joel, who grew up in nearby Hicksville, opened 20th Century Cycles in late 2010 as a place to maintain and repair his motorcycles, restore and customize ones he bought and showcase his collection for the public at no charge.
“It’s basically promoting an aesthetic here,” he said in a 2013 YouTube video filmed at the shop. “I like older style. I like the automotive style from the ‘30s to the ’60s. I wanted to collect a whole bunch of those kinds of bikes, put ’em in one place and let people see what that era of bike looked like. Because it’s starting to be a lost aesthetic.”
He said he also wanted to bring foot traffic and business to downtown Oyster Bay — a ritzy waterfront community about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of midtown Manhattan — where part of the street that...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Friday night, I crashed your party
Saturday, I said I'm sorry
Sunday came and trashed me out again
I was only having fun
Wasn't hurting anyone
And we all enjoyed the weekend for a change
I've been stranded in the combat zone
I walked through Bedford-Stuy alone
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive
But I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I'm insane
You may be right
I may be crazy
Oh, but it just may be a lunatic
You're looking for
Turn out the lights
Don't try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right
That is so sad. He’s a great popular musician.
Nice he had some real motorcycles and not a bunch of old two wheeled John Deere stuff.
I know of two guys who had excessive fluid pressure on their brain as young boys. Both were surgically fitted with a drain tube of sorts (not certain of wood the medical term), which runs from the skull, down the neck and into their body. Maybe this is a solution for him too?
...I’m not a doctor, even though I excelled at the game of operation, by Milton Bradley...or whomever.
"Mouse Trap" was my area of expertise.
I grew up in Connecticut where Billy Joel was hugely popular. I would sometimes sing to my Canadian wife “You may be right; I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for.” All these years she thought I made that up. Then, it came on the Muzak at the Fry’s Supermarket. She hates the song, but got a chuckle out of it.
That sounds like a basic treatment (not a cure) for a certain kind of encephalitis or swelling /edema of the brain.
Or Meningitis.
Provides a way for brain fluid to get out, helps to lessen the pressure on that patient’s skull.
I grew up in a mill town. And I worked for a few years in a mill, as did my brothers and most of my friends. And we all watched as the steel industry collapsed.
Billy Joel absolutely nailed it with “Allentown”.
I still get emotional when listening to it.
“Well, our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore…”
https://youtu.be/BHnJp0oyOxs?si=62fgJe5IkkiHl8Uf
Shunt?
Is that the term for it?
Billy Joel has long been known to be a risky driver.
He has a record of being in at least 5 different car crashes since 2002, where he crashed a Mercedes Benz.
Some speculate that the same kind of brain that makes a child a musical prodigy could come with certain liabilities, such as the difficulty of judging time and distance, or spatial awareness.
The late (Great!) Burt Bacharach often showed the behaviors of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and was a perfectionist whenever it concerned how his music was to be sung or orchestrated. He later on admitted to “popping pills and hitting the booze hard.” as a way to cope with his anxieties.
Yes. I think that is one of the terms.
Not as risky as Harry Chapin.
Not as risky as Harry Chapin.
Ouch!
Hopefully there’s some sort of relief for him.
...though I’m not a fan of his NY City schtick tunes.
Oh really? I didn’t know Harry was a Wild & Crazy driver.
In his performances, he always seemed so adult, grounded and steady.
The new 2 part documentary on his life is now on HBO. It’s really good.
Sad. I love his music. I saw him at Nats Park a few years ago. Great show.
Bruce Lee controversially had fluid pressure buildup in his brain.
His cause of death has been officially unknown despite many people confidently stating their opinions.
He had surgery to remove he sweat glands from his armpits because he thought excessive sweat looked bad on film. It is said this can lead to heatstroke as the body cannot adequately dispose of heat challenges without sweating.
National Library of Medicine passage:
The necropsy showed cerebral oedema. A prior episode was diagnosed as cerebral oedema 2 months earlier. We now propose, based on an analysis of publicly available information, that the cause of death was cerebral oedema due to hyponatraemia. In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee.
The necropsy showed cerebral oedema. A prior episode was diagnosed as cerebral oedema 2 months earlier. We now propose, based on an analysis of publicly available information, that the cause of death was cerebral oedema due to hyponatraemia. In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee.
Previously, I had thought it was caused by CTE or some such injury related to his training. Thank you for clarifying this.
Same here, except in the aerospace business in Southern California in the 1980's. We too watched as the fat union officials took their pieces of silver and drove away.
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