Howard Stern was at his best today — and so was Billy Joel. Stern asked Joel to come in for an interview about a month ago, and Joel agreed. The dynamic was particularly interesting, considering Stern and Joel are good friends off the air, and yet Stern was still mesmerized when Joel performed his songs in the studio, saying, “Billy, I’m not a woman but I want to blow you after listening to that.” At one point Stern even compared Joel to Beethoven, and Joel quickly brushed it off, saying, “don’t lay it on too thick.” Joel randomly played songs on the spot while discussing them. He explained his song-writing process, in a song-by-song format. My favorite question of the interview was when Stern asked Joel if he likes the piano, and Joel said he either loves it or detests it. He said that when he’s writing a song, and it’s going well, he loves the piano. But when the song isn’t turning into what he imagined, the piano is a gigantic beast that he has to conquer. I love Billy Joel and I love Howard Stern — does it get better? Listen to New York State of Mind below.
Update: Some of the songs discussed in the interview include: Uptown Girl; Allentown; Dear Mr. Fantasy (Steve Winwood); Vienna Waits For You; Miami 2017; Just the Way You Are; The Downeaster Alexa; Big Shot; and Goodnight Saigon.
Billy Joel – New York State of Mind by conorplaskitt2