Teaser // Billy Joel: GLASS HOUSES with James Austin Johnson

Summary

Jokermen Podcast Episode Summary Teaser // Billy Joel: GLASS HOUSES with James Austin Johnson
Release Date: July 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Jokermen Podcast, host Jokermen delves into Billy Joel's influential album, Glass Houses, featuring insights from guest James Austin Johnson. The discussion navigates through Joel's artistic journey, the emotional undercurrents of his music, and the critical reception that has shaped his legacy.

Billy Joel’s Insecurity Amidst Success

The conversation opens with an exploration of the juxtaposition between Billy Joel's soaring commercial success and his underlying insecurities:

• Speaker 1 highlights Joel's vulnerability:
  “This is his rock record. ... I think that's a deeply insecure person... why don't you guys like me?” (00:45)

Despite selling out arenas and climbing the charts, Joel's lyrics often reveal a personal struggle with self-acceptance, adding a layer of depth to his music that resonates with listeners.

Critical Reception of Glass Houses

The discussion shifts to the critical landscape surrounding Glass Houses, particularly focusing on a scathing review from Rolling Stone:

• Speaker 3 recounts the harsh critique:
  “They disembowel him. He wakes up in the glass house with his arms and legs strapped to the floor, and they come in and they start cutting him with the glass.” (03:15)

This metaphorical depiction underscores the intense scrutiny Joel faced, juxtaposing his creative vulnerability against a backdrop of harsh critical judgment. The speakers debate the impact of such reviews on Joel's artistic direction and public image.

Comparisons to Modern Artists

A notable segment compares Billy Joel's public persona to that of contemporary artists, specifically Taylor Swift:

• Speaker 1 draws parallels:
  “It's much closer to Taylor Swift than it is...” (01:55)

• Speaker 3 elaborates with a provocative analogy:
  “What if Taylor Swift was a sort of schlubby man with a Jew fro and a kind of like a little bit of a repugnant attitude...” (02:19)

This comparison serves to highlight the authenticity Joel maintains, contrasting it with the manufactured images often seen in today's music industry. The discussion underscores Joel's relatability and transparency in his artistry.

Authenticity and the Pursuit of a Bigger Sound

The speakers delve into Joel's strategic shift in musical style to accommodate larger venues:

• Speaker 3 cites Joel's explanation:
  “...playing these bigger venues, so I needed to make a bigger sound... more guitar forward songs, playing with the really punchy electronic electric pianos.” (04:46)

This pragmatic approach reflects Joel's adaptability and dedication to his craft, even if it means altering his signature sound. The conversation acknowledges the balance artists must strike between personal expression and commercial viability.

Embracing Complexity: Validity in Joel's Artistry

As the episode progresses, the conversation turns introspective, grappling with mixed feelings towards Joel's evolution:

• Speaker 3 expresses conflicted sentiments:
  “I'm coming to a point of sort of being like, I don't know how I feel. It's a complex situation.” (05:37)

• Speaker 2 defends Joel's authenticity:
  “Billy Joel is valid.” (06:55)

The hosts ultimately converge on the idea that Joel's honesty and commitment to his artistic truth render him a genuine and enduring figure in music. This authenticity, despite external criticisms, solidifies his place as a respected artist.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a reaffirmation of Billy Joel's enduring relevance and the heartfelt acknowledgment of his authentic self-expression. Through candid discussions and thoughtful analysis, Jokermen and James Austin Johnson shed light on the complexities of Joel's Glass Houses era, offering listeners a nuanced perspective on one of pop music's quintessential figures.

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Notable Quotes:

• “This is his rock record. ... Why don't you guys like me?” — Speaker 1 (00:45)
• “They disembowel him... cutting him with the glass.” — Speaker 3 (03:15)
• “Taylor Swift was a sort of schlubby man with a Jew fro...” — Speaker 3 (02:19)
• “Billy Joel is valid.” — Speaker 2 (06:55)

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Transcript

[Speaker 1]

This is his rock record. That's what people say about it. But I actually agree. I think he does pull it off, even though it is still couched in his bald insecurity. I mean, like, I think that that's, that's like the thing that occurs to me as like a guy in my 30s listening to Billy Joel is like, oh man, this is a. This is a deeply insecure person. Even though he is climbing the charts, selling out arenas and becoming a star, there is still so much like, why don't you guys like me? Floating around in his lyrics. And that is very. I don't know that that kind of rocks. That, that's very interesting to me. And Glass Houses has so many like, fun moments like that of like, why is. Why don't you like me? His whole. It's his first number one. It's still rock and roll to me is like his corny. It's. It's one of his most corny admissions and it's his biggest hit so far. That's so cool.

[Speaker 2]

It is pretty crazy that like he, you know, no matter how big he gets and like how successful he gets, like, there is no point at which he can like kind of feel secure in himself at least. So it appears in the music that he ends up releasing. Like you would think, like, he's, he's a world misriding colossus at this point in 1980, one of the biggest stars on the charts and like, you know, just hit after hit after hit. 52nd street, you know, great record or, you know, half of a great record at least. And he still comes back with this record where he's like, you know, just like pissed off at the world around him and is. Has the biggest chip on his shoulder. I like, I'm. That was something I kind of found distasteful at the beginning of this or like not really knowing much about him going in, but like there's almost something kind of like endearing about that about him to me at this point.

[Speaker 1]

I think it's very humanizing.

[Speaker 2]

Yes, exactly.

[Speaker 1]

Endearing. He's not. There's not a whole lot of mystique with Billy Joel. He's dating models, he's. He's getting photographed and he's talking about his life. It's. It's much closer to Taylor Swift than it is. That's Bobby.

[Speaker 3]

Yeah, that's true.

[Speaker 1]

He's using his fame gets bundled into songs.

[Speaker 3]

What if Taylor Swift was a sort of schlubby man with a Jew fro and a kind of like a Little bit of a repugnant attitude that, that, like, I mean, Taylor Swift, I find her. Personally, I find her terrifying. And I don't think that that's. That's. I feel like if she looked different, if she looked like Billy Joel, I would probably just not like her. I would, I would. It wouldn't be terror. I wouldn't be like, kind of like, whoa, she's a little bit freaky. I would maybe just be like, shut up. But the thing is, I'm not alone. And many people did say that. And I actually read earlier the Rolling Stone review. Brutal Hatchet JOB ROLLING STONE REVIEW Massacree this is like a.

[Speaker 1]

Of what? Of glass houses.

[Speaker 2]

Of Glass house.

[Speaker 3]

Yeah. They disembowel him. He wakes up in the glass house with his arms and legs strapped to the floor, and they come in and they start cutting him with the glass.

[Speaker 1]

What did they like that year?

[Speaker 3]

That, like, that's in 1980, I don't know. But not Billy Joel. And one of the things about the review, I think that, like, reading a review like that is interesting because I agree with most of it. But it's like when you watch someone else get beaten up, even if you're kind of like on one side of the fight or the other, there's a point where you're like, hey, hey, hey. You're gonna kill the guy.

[Speaker 1]

Stop. Yeah, you got.

[Speaker 3]

You're gonna kill him. But, you know, Billy Joel was gonna be okay. And I guess the. The way that he is, it's just fuel to the fire. The fire, so to speak. Like, these, those kinds of reviews are just perpetuating this cycle of Billy Joel songs.

[Speaker 1]

Yeah, that he. That he. That he's kind of too famous and too well liked. And that means he sucks. And I. I don't know, is it. Is it because he was shooting for a positive Rolling Stone review with this record that starts no piano. Like, you don't. You don't hear any keys for eight or nine minutes.

[Speaker 3]

Well, something he said, like watching a little video of Billy in, I guess, recent times, saying, well, when I made this record, I was playing all these stadiums and arenas and realized I needed to make a bigger. I need to do music with a bigger sound. Because you can't really do ballads. They don't go over so well in an arena. So I started writing more of these guitar forward songs, playing with the really punchy electronic electric pianos. And that's that there's something about the way that he approaches that, which is kind of just like the way he talks about Music. Sometimes I. I don't know, I'm not. I'm starting to feel bad about. I'm not liking Billy Joel right now, actually in our process.

[Speaker 2]

Oh, wow.

[Speaker 3]

I'm coming to a. I'm coming to a point of sort of being like, I don't know how I feel. It's complex. It's a complex situation. But I feel like the way he talks about music, this is the thing that irks me the most, is just when he's like, well, you know, we're playing these bigger venues, so I needed a bigger sound. It's just like a guy talking about like, you know, I got this three car garage so I had to buy two more cars.

[Speaker 2]

See, I like that. I like that about him. That's something that I find admirable, which is. It's so different from, I think every other one of the artists that we typically, you know, tend to talk about here. But like this, you know, this workman, like, pedestrian approach towards, you know, the manufacture of art and celebrity and like, I don't know that like, it's such a weird kind of alien way to do all this shit and think about it, you know. To me, you know, coming from the Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, you know, universe, but I mean, he's absolutely true to know. I wouldn't want him to be. Not like if that is how he feels and it clearly is, I wouldn't want him to be pretending otherwise.

[Speaker 1]

This is his truth and his truth happens to be he's valid.

[Speaker 2]

Billy Joel is valid.