Billy Joel’s Perverted Drinking Buddies
I wanted to call this post ‘The Ginfucker’ but we’ll get to that in a moment. 
The fact that I don’t hear much commercial radio these days, and when I do it’s all Korean stuff that I don’t know the name of, and is ineligible for inclusion on this blog because KOREAN POP MUSIC FUCKING ROCKS, has contributed to this being a sort of mini-series on those musicians that have an uneasy relationship with popular acceptance.
Much like his namesake Phil Collins, Billy Joel has a shed-load of good songs but it’ll never be cool to like Billy Joel. He’d have to wear a meat-dress or something, and even then, he’s too weird looking for people to think that was cool. I defy anyone to look at any picture of Billy Joel and not feel slightly disturbed.
This thinly-veiled excuse to insult popular musicians centers around nothing more than a throw-away line from Joel’s popular hit song ‘The Piano Man’. A great song for those who love pianos and the men that play them….and drunks. The curious line occurs about 40 seconds into the song.
There’s an old man sitting next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and ginHe says, “Son, can you play me a memory
I’m not really sure how it goes….
Actually, never mind that, what the hell are you doing to your drink?? If I were going to write a song about that scenario, the subject wouldn’t have been about playing a few tunes in a bar on a Saturday. I would have written about the deviant performing lurid sex acts on an alcoholic drink…and I’d have called the song ‘The Ginfucker’…but then, not for the first time in my life, I realise I am not Billy Joel.
See Billy Joel probably doesn’t realise the folly of his ways. He probably wrote that without really thinking about the consequences. He probably thought that nobody would think about that line at much length. The first time you listen to the song you won’t take notice of it, and then every time after that you’ll be waiting for the bad-ass piano bit in the middle. But Billy Joel was wrong. And that is why he’ll never be cool…..or…whatever…
I think the writer of this article needs to show some respect for the man who has written, composed and sung a number of amazing hit songs. If you wish to know more about his popularity, watch the video recording of his live show “The last play at Shea”. The people in the audience, the enthusiasm and Billy’s performance are more than enough to silence his detractors. You might not like a certain genre or type of music, but that does not mean you downgrade the artist!! There are millions of his fans out there, and I am just one of them
Sahir
August 24, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Uh…did you even read the article? I have maximum respect for Billy James! I even go to the bother of stating that no less than 3 times during the article itself. It may seem to you like I aren’t showing much respect to Bruno James for selling enough records or something. AND YEAH? That ‘video’ you’re so fond of, those were actors man!!! The real Brian Johnson wasn’t even in that clip. I think you need to take a long hard look at the facts, and then yourself, and then the facts again before you start decrying people with opinions. You may not like what people have to say, you may disagree but you have to respect that they is allowed to say what they wants about Bob Jackson without fear of repreach from people like you! You disgust me.
Euan Wallace
August 25, 2011 at 12:06 pm