Teaser // Billy Joel: PIANO MAN

Summary

Jokermen Podcast Summary: "Teaser // Billy Joel: PIANO MAN"

Release Date: May 19, 2025

---

Introduction

In the "Teaser // Billy Joel: PIANO MAN" episode of the Jokermen Podcast, hosts Jokermen engage in a lively discussion exploring various aspects of Billy Joel's career, persona, and the landscape of Billy Joel-focused podcasts. This episode delves into the nuances of Joel's music, public image, and the challenges faced by podcasts dedicated to chronicling his legacy.

---

Exploring Existing Billy Joel Podcasts

The conversation begins with a humorous examination of the current state of Billy Joel podcasts. Hosts Jokermen and his co-host, Evan, brainstorm potential names and critique existing podcasts dedicated to the iconic musician.

• Podcast Naming and Competition:

  • [02:16] B: “Welcome back to your number one. Number one Billy Joel Fan club Podcast Knowledge Center.”
  • [02:28] A: “Online Knowledge center. Welcome to the Billy Joel Knowledge Center.”

  They explore various podcast titles such as "Billy Joel A to Z," "Billy Joel Audio Biography," and "We Didn't Start the Podcast," offering critiques on format and longevity.

• Critique of Podcast Formulas:

  • [03:36] A: “...you just need to pivot to a totally new artist. That's the secret formula.”

  The hosts express frustration with podcasts that attempt to cover all of Joel's albums exhaustively, suggesting that this approach may not sustain long-term interest.

---

Analyzing Billy Joel's Artistic Persona

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dissecting Billy Joel's public persona and artistic expression. The hosts discuss Joel's demeanor, lyrical themes, and the subtle undertones in his music that may reflect his personal experiences and attitudes.

• Self-Congratulatory Tone:

  • [05:37] A: “...he seems to have a sense of humor but stops it himself maybe.”

  • [07:42] B: “...a chip on his shoulder, and it took him a long time to crack the industry...”

  The hosts suggest that Joel's music often carries a sense of self-praise and reflects his journey of perseverance in the music industry. They debate whether this comes across as arrogance or self-awareness.

• Comparison to Other Artists:

  • [10:15] B: “…a blank slate in a, in a sense, but like a blank slate in the complete opposite way that Bob Dylan is a blank slate.”

  Comparing Joel to contemporaries like Bob Dylan, the hosts highlight the uniqueness of his approach and persona in the music world.

---

Recent Media Coverage and Comparisons

The discussion shifts to recent media portrayals of Billy Joel, particularly focusing on YouTube reviews and interviews. The hosts analyze how modern content creators perceive and critique Joel's work.

• YouTube Reviews:

  • [04:10] A: “...a review of Cold Spring Harbor just to kind of take the temperature.”

  • [05:01] B: “...no review of no Piano Man. The subject of this episode.”

  They reflect on a YouTube review of Joel's "Cold Spring Harbor" album, noting its similarity to the content and style of the Jokermen Podcast, and express a desire for more in-depth discussions on iconic songs like "Piano Man."

---

Discussion on Billy Joel's Catalog and Values

A critical segment of the episode focuses on Billy Joel's approach to his music catalog, particularly his reluctance to sell his songs despite significant financial incentives.

• Reluctance to Sell Music Rights:

  • [08:43] A: “...how much would it have to be for you to sell those songs? And his answer is like, you know, a billion dollars.”

  • [09:22] A: “...I respect that. I mean, whether or not this stuff is true and like, that he doesn't really think about the numbers...”

• Values Beyond Money:

  • [10:06] B: “I don't think it's the money either. I think it's the fame and the recognition and really the respect out of all of it.”

  The hosts admire Joel's commitment to preserving the integrity and personal significance of his music, emphasizing that his motivations extend beyond mere financial gain to encompass respect and artistic recognition.

---

Conclusion

In wrapping up the episode, Jokermen and Evan reflect on Billy Joel's enduring legacy and the complexity of his character as both an artist and a public figure. They acknowledge the challenges of maintaining a Billy Joel-focused podcast in a saturated media environment but remain optimistic about continuing to celebrate his contributions to music.

• Final Thoughts:

  • [11:05] A: “I'm getting it out of my system now, I guess.”

  • [11:06] B: “...he is this kind of blank slate in a. In a sense,...”

  The hosts conclude by recognizing Billy Joel as a multifaceted artist whose work continues to inspire and provoke thoughtful discussion, underscoring the value of dedicated platforms like the Jokermen Podcast in keeping his legacy alive.

---

Notable Quotes

• B on Billy Joel's Industry Perseverance:

  “...he's a titan of the recording industry in the 20th century.”
  [10:15]

• A on Respecting Joel's Decisions:

  “I respect that. I mean, whether or not this stuff is true and like, that he doesn't really think about the numbers...”
  [09:22]

• B on Podcast Formats:

  “...take it for what it is, meet it where it's at, and not try to put too much extra armchair psychoanalysis into the program.”
  [10:14]

---

This episode offers a thought-provoking exploration of Billy Joel's artistry and the ways in which his work is engaged with by fans and critics alike. Through candid dialogue and insightful analysis, Jokermen provides listeners with a deeper understanding of one of music's enduring figures.

Transcript

[A]

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome Mr. Billy Darrell.

[B]

This is. This is called the Root Beer. Ra.

[A]

Welcome back. Welcome. The regular crowd shuffles in. How about that?

[B]

That's right. You sound a little throaty, a little hoarse. You got.

[A]

No, I just. I just have to have a sip of. Sip of lacroix.

[B]

All right, well, I thought you might have been hanging out at the piano bar a little too late last night, listening to certain. Certain fellow tickle the ivories and help you. Help you wash away your tears and fears.

[A]

Yeah, tears for fears. That's right. That's the subject of our episode today. It's. I'm. No, it's just me. It's just ol. Evan from Normal doing normal stuff, not going to the piano bar, but you know, I wish I had one. This is the piano bar. Really? This is. Instead of the piano bar, we have the podcast. And I think that basically people come to the podcast for the, like, could do a song, like a version of Piano man, but it's the podcast man.

[B]

Podcast man. Yeah.

[A]

And it's just like people in the, in the discord talking about this and that, you know, being like, oh, you. Can you put. Can you guys, can you do an. An episode about, I don't know, about. Maybe you should do one about this or that and then we go like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, sure.

[B]

Pod. Me and Ep. Mr. Podcast Man.

[A]

Well, it's. It's. Yeah, it's Joellerman. It's Piano Men.

[B]

Joel German.

[A]

I like Joel Orman. I don't know.

[B]

Joel Kerman.

[A]

Joel Kerman. Yeah. Okay. Either way, that's the Billy Joel podcast. Billy Joel podcast.

[B]

Welcome back to your number one. Number one Billy Joel Fan club Podcast Knowledge Center.

[A]

Online Knowledge center. Welcome to the Billy Joel Knowledge Center.

[B]

I should look this up, actually. Billy Joel, the Billy Joel Institute for Billy Joel Podcast. Let's just see what we got. Our competition going here. Billy Joel A to Z. Okay. A funny and informative podcast discussing every Billy Joel song from A to Z. I'm Elon Altman.

[A]

Uh oh, isn't that like a combination of the two of the Elon's.

[B]

Yeah, the two worst guys. Exactly. They put them together. All right, well, I'm sure that's nice. What else we got out here? Billy Joel audio biography. Hmm. Here's a sick. It's. It's a whole podcast. There's one episode. It's six minutes long. Okay. Seems like we'll be able to deal with that. Here's another one. We didn't start the podcast a Show about Billy Joel.

[A]

We didn't start the podcast.

[B]

That's. That's pretty cute. I like that. Although they.

[A]

I guess they didn't start the podcast.

[B]

They did start this podcast, but they didn't start. You know. You get it.

[A]

Yeah, I get it. I get it. Yeah, that's. That works.

[B]

That's. That's been out there for. Oh, well, that ended in 2016, so. See, that's.

[A]

They do all the albums, though.

[B]

They did all the albums and that was it. They did. They did. I don't even know if they did all the albums. They did. No, they did. They did 13 episodes. Okay. And that was it. And then the podcast. See, that's the problem is you gotta do all of the albums and then you gotta redo all the albums and then you gotta do a bunch of extra bullshit that no one even cares about and you just need to pivot to a totally new artist. That's the secret formula.

[A]

That's the formula. Yeah. I don't know about you. I was kind of looking up videos about Billy Joel, like kind of watching reviews of Cold Spring harbor. And there was this one, this one guy.

[B]

Is this on YouTube?

[A]

Yeah, on YouTube. Had a video review of Cold Spring harbor and that was his only video and his name on YouTube. It seemed like it was to be the start of like a series where he would review albums. And I kind of got the vibe like he listened to Jokerman or.

[B]

Oh, so it's like a recent. It's like a recent thing.

[A]

This was like a year ago and there has not been a follow up episode. But yeah, it sort of seemed like maybe he listened to Jokerman or like heard about it and then gave up on his project because the vibe was similar and his name on YouTube was a Bob Dylan reference. I forget what it was, but it was kind of clever. It was go see the geek.

[B]

Oh, go watch the geek. Sure.

[A]

And so shout out to that guy. Because I watched his whole video and I was just like, oh my God, this is exactly what I was looking for. A review of Cold Spring harbor just to kind of take the temperature.

[B]

But no review of no Piano Man.

[A]

No Piano Man.

[B]

The subject of this episode.

[A]

That's what we're talking about. I also watched a bunch of videos just of Billy Joel talking about his career and various times of that.

[B]

Just what do you have to report?

[A]

Well, what do I have to report?

[B]

I feel like in your close up ethnographical study of William Joel in his.

[A]

Natural habitat, I'm starting to see more. More to criticize I just feel like we'll get into it, but I think there's subtleties about the way he. I mean, not. Not that he's like. Comes off as particularly. Not particularly bad or anything. Like, you know, he's not like obnoxious and like a really awful way. He's not like. Doesn't seem like super arrogant, but there's like a kind of a certain. Certain tone he strikes that I think bleeds into the records. And I think that a prime maybe. Yeah. Like a certain kind of self. Congratulatory tone, which. I mean, it sells records, you know, like people want to hear a song that like gases one up. Gives a sense of having having been being like the main character.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And I understand the impulse to want to. Want to listen to a song like that. Of course. And it's just interesting that like, he seems to write kind of write a lot of songs like that. And are these.

[B]

Are these. Were these recent videos you were watching of him? Some recent, some old, some from the past?

[A]

I watched one where he was like. It was like a featurette made around the time of the Bridge album.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Which. That was pretty funny, that one. Just because it's like. It was like. It's just very, you know, it again, I feel like a dick. You know, I feel like it's not even. It's not nice to like be so critical here because it's like so many musicians are like this. But yeah, like, it's not that he doesn't have a sense of humor. It's that he seems to have a sense of humor but stops it himself maybe.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, self awareness, I think might not be one of his predominant strengths as a human being and as an artist. I don't really know a whole lot about the fella on an individual level. So I'm excited to learn a little bit more. But I do get the Sense we were talking about this a little bit on the previous episode. I Get the Sense has got a chip on his shoulder. And it took him a long time to crack the industry. And he really worked at it because he was not the preternatural born with it talent that a Bob Dylan. Was that a Lou Reed? Was that a Brian Wilson? Was. He really had to put the time in and chip away at it. And so when he finally does make it, after years and years and years of trying, he's got this chip on his shoulder, basically that says, hey, look, I can do this. I'm just as good as all you guys. I might not be a Brilliant artist the way that you are, but I can sell as many records and I can play as many sold out shows at Madison Square Garden, and I can even do that more.

[A]

Yeah. I will say, though, through all of this stuff I watched, I think that there's a common theme which, at least outwardly, and I mean in practice, he's not about the numbers. He at least claims not to be. Well, yeah, and I do. I mean, one thing though is like, he hasn't sold his catalog. Like, I saw a. There was a clip of him on Howard Stern and he's. Stern's like, well, all these guys selling their, their, their catalogs, you know, they're. They're making like a billion dollars. Like, how much, how much would it.

[B]

Be a reason to sell? Or a recent clip, relatively recent.

[A]

He's like, how much would it be? How much would it have to be for you to sell those songs? And his answer is like, you know, a billion dollars. And, you know, basically, though, he then goes on to say, like, no, it's like, I put a lot of thought and creative energy into these songs and they mean a whole lot to me. And I feel like to just sell them feels kind of mercenary, is what he said. And so I respect that. I mean, whether or not this stuff is true and like, that he doesn't really think about the numbers. I don't think he necessarily has the money as his driving goal. I think it's more wanting to be liked.

[B]

Yeah, no, I don't think it's the money either. I think it's the fame and the recognition and really the respect out of all of it.

[A]

The respect.

[B]

The respect, exactly. Because again, I think he is not a brilliant born with it talent in the way that a lot of the other artists that we've talked about on this show have been. And yet he's undeniable and a titan of the recording industry in the 20th century. And, you know, ended up really. I think he. I think he worked a lot harder than a lot of other people might have and for quite some time. So it's the type of person he was. And it kind of reinforces itself throughout the career as he goes on to become more of the type of person he is, if that makes sense. But, you know, the records are still the records. And so you got to kind of take that. I think that's what we try to do on this program in general is just, you know, take it, Take it for what it is, meet it where it's at, and not try to put too much extra armchair psychoanalysis into the program.

[A]

I'm getting it out of my system now, I guess.

[B]

No, I mean, there's no way around it. And he's a fascinating guy to think about and talk about. Because he is this kind of blank slate in a. In a sense, but like a blank slate in the complete opposite way that Bob Dylan is a blank slate. Anyways, Piano Man.