A little self-promotional note: I have a piece in Radar revisiting the back catalog of Billy Joel, an artist who, as you know, I have something of a “complicated” relationship with. (One that’s made even more complicated by its one-sided nature, of course.) I actually made it out to his show at Shea Stadium the other night, and while a lot of my favorite songs were left off the set list (but “River Of Dreams” persisted, argh) and getting back to the 7 train was worse than it was for even playoff games, I had a pretty great time. [Radar]
Good call on “Big Shot” — and for the record, I heard the Beastie Boys cover it in the mid-’90s. In fact, I might have dreamed this, but I think it was at Lollapalooza.
Man, you have just reminded me that Glass Houses is a pretty good guilty pleasure pick. May have to pick up a copy next time I’m at Goodwill.
<–jealous
Hey, can I self-promote too? I wrote the Joel cover story in the new issue of Performing Songwriter.
[performingsongwriter.com]
Is the Village Voice archive free online yet, and if not why not? Enquiring mind wants to know, did they read the old articles (that they bit, maybe inadvertently)?
Sasha Frere-Jones “indie rock is too white” :: Tom Sinclair’s “The White Noise Supremacists,” Voice circa ’88.
Maura vs. Chuck Eddy’s (I believe) unironic hipster celebration of Billy Joel :: oh, dunno, Voice ’91? It was titled “It’s Not His Fault!”
No “Captain Jack”? Dude! He’ll take you to your special island! I don’t even like Joel very much but that song transcends.
Good call on “A Matter of Trust” – for some reason, it may be the one video from my childhood I have the fondest memories of…