Music – Page 26 – Splendid Isolation

I must admit to having mixed feelings about Billy Joel. On the one hand, I really enjoy his rocking music (far more so than his syrupy ballads) and indeed, my most recent earworm was Big Shot.

Which leads to why I find him less than desirable as a person. You see, he has an annoying habit of acting exactly like what he accused then-wife Christie Brinkley of being in the above song (and yes, it was aimed at her): a big shot / superstar who treated all around him like shit.

The brutal, uncaring and hurtful way he fired his brilliant drummer Lib DeVitto (after 30 years together!) seems to just about sum Joel up — a stark contrast to his nice-guy image. (And if you haven’t seen the music video linked at the top, Lib just about steals the show with his background antics.)

So once again, we’re faced with a common showbiz issue: brilliant entertainer for the public, horrible fuckup as a human being.

A Good Vintage

June 22, 2022 Kim du Toit Music

Saw this over at Kenny’s place.

Your job, should you choose it (and you should), is to pick your five (and only five) favorites.

Mine (in no order):

Can’t Buy A Thrill — Steely Dan
Manassas – Stephen Stills
Ziggie Stardust — David Bowie
Thick As A Brick — Jethro Tull
Harvest — Neil Young

If it’s tough to restrict it to only five, welcome to my world. The biggest problem was leaving off albums which contained one or two songs I really loved, but in the end, they weren’t enough to carry the album. I listen to all the above at least every month, or at worst every other month.