Teaser // Billy Joel: RIVER OF DREAMS with Ezra Koenig & Jake Longstreth

Summary

Jokermen Podcast – Teaser // Billy Joel: RIVER OF DREAMS with Ezra Koenig & Jake Longstreth

Date: September 8, 2025
Guests: Ezra Koenig & Jake Longstreth (from Time Crisis)

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the final chapter in the "Joel Kerman" Billy Joel series, diving into reflections on Billy Joel's legacy—specifically through the lens of regionalism, personal upbringing, and shifting music tastes. Joined by Ezra Koenig and Jake Longstreth of the radio show Time Crisis, the conversation orbits the impact of Joel's music in the Tri-State area, generational perspectives, authenticity, and the often-contrarian stance indie circles have taken towards “uncool” icons like Billy Joel.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Regional Power of Billy Joel

• The hosts and guests reflect on Joel’s deep cultural resonance in the New York/Tri-State area, describing how some of his deeper cuts (like "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant") overloaded classic rock radio stations in their youth, but wouldn't have the same radio airplay outside the region.

  • Ezra Koenig (03:05): “Billy Joel and his portrayal of Tri-State area Italian American or Italian American adjacent life was just part of the ether where I grew up.”

• Contrast is made between how classic rock radio in North Jersey vs. Southern Connecticut played (or didn’t play) specific Billy Joel tracks, illustrating the invisible cultural lines surrounding his legacy.

  • Jake Longstreth (04:22): “You’d get Anthony’s Song. You’d get ‘My Life’, ‘Still Rock and Roll to Me’… I don’t think we would get ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’.”

2. Family, Upbringing, and Musical Exposure

• Ezra shares that his father's eclectic yet discerning record collection included Billy Joel’s "The Stranger"—reflecting a broad musical open-mindedness, albeit one that didn’t fully embrace Joel as a central figure.

  • Ezra (01:51): “You gotta show at least a little respect to the man.”

• Jake’s parents, on the other hand, were culturally “tapped out” on new music by 1972, so his exposure to Billy Joel came from ambient classic rock radio rather than direct parental influence.

  • Jake (03:50): “My parents stopped listening to new music in like 1972, which respect. They knew when western culture peaked and they tapped out.”

3. Authenticity, Legacy, and Coolness

• The group unpacks the tension between Billy Joel’s mass appeal, musical chops, and his reputation in indie or “cool” circles—where he was often derided or ignored in favor of other influences.
• Ezra describes as a “contrarian” attitude: in college, he would joke that Joel’s vocalizations on “Hackensack” are proto-Animal Collective, poking fun at indie rock snobbery.
  • Ezra (10:39): “I was kind of like, I think these guys are really cool. They probably are Billy Joel fans… Billy Joel did it first with Hack and Sack Ack… I was like, there’s something that starts some of the Animal Collective DNA.”

4. Billy Joel’s Impact as a Regional Icon

• The hosts compare Billy Joel’s local hero status to the Beach Boys’ connection to Southern California, arguing Joel embodies the “mirror image” for New York and its suburbs.

  • B (06:53): “Billy’s sort of the mirror image of that [Beach Boys representing SoCal] with Tri State area… Once you start hitting Pennsylvania, it probably starts to taper off.”

• Joel’s specific place-naming in songs like “Allentown” or “Hackensack” is cited as creating global prominence for these regional spots—even if the shoutouts aren't always flattering.

  • Ezra (07:25): “That Hackensack has global prominence due to Billy Joel. That’s a very specific place that he dropped in a hit song.”

5. Personal Connections, Fandom, and “Discusser” vs. “Fan”

• The participants self-identify with varying levels of Joel enthusiasm (“discusser” vs. “fan”), and share personal journeys from casual familiarity to deeper appreciation or critique.

  • A (01:05): “At the beginning, Ian didn’t really know the music very well…”
  • B (09:13): “I’m really sorry, but I’ve never been a hater either.”
  • Jake (08:51): “In the year 2000, I said, okay, I’m thinking long term. Who’d I put my money on? The dead or Billy? I’m going dead… I never owned a Billy record and I’ve never listened to a full length Billy record until River of Dreams last week.”

• There’s humor in how Joel’s music for some was omnipresent but rarely “owned” or deliberately sought out, echoing that his singles are touchstones even if the LPs are less frequently consumed in full.

6. Joel’s Contrarian Appeal, Musical “Realness,” and Indie Culture

• Ezra’s father’s open-mindedness towards Joel is attributed in part to seeing him open for Kinky Friedman (an oddball, cult country artist), suggesting Joel’s “realness” exceeds his reputation for “corny” 70s pop.
  • Ezra (10:03): “Even just imagining Billy in that world already contextualized him… as being, like, I don’t know, a little more real than, like, some slick, corny, 70s, easy listening, which, of course, is how a lot of people see him.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ezra Koenig on NYC Radio (03:05):
  “You would get ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’, which is... a non single Billy Joel song. So that’s just an example of the extent to which Billy Joel... was just part of the ether where I grew up.”

• Jake Longstreth on Parental Tastes (03:50):
  “My parents stopped listening to new music in like 1972, which respect. They knew when western culture peaked and they tapped out.”

• Ezra Koenig on Contrarianism (10:39):
  “I was kind of like, I think these guys are really cool. They probably are Billy Joel fans… Billy Joel did it first with Hack and Sack Ack… I was like, there’s something that starts some of the Animal Collective DNA.”

• Group Dynamics (01:05 & 01:18):
  On becoming a fan through the project, and on losing some fandom through overexposure.

• A on Joel’s regional appeal (05:12):
  “We are playing this and we’re playing it all the time... It’s Bohemian Rhapsody for... our culture.”

• B comparing Billy Joel and the Beach Boys (06:53):
  “Billy’s sort of the mirror image of that with like, Tri State area… once you start hitting... Pennsylvania, it probably starts to taper off a little bit.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00-02:24 — Introductions, guest background, early personal exposure to Billy Joel.
• 02:24-04:40 — Regional radio programming and the Billy Joel “zone.”
• 04:40-06:32 — Discussion of Joel's radio ubiquity, thoughts on local culture, and specific song choices.
• 06:53-08:35 — Parallels to the Beach Boys, regional vs. national popularity, place name-checking in Joel's lyrics.
• 08:35-10:24 — The role of "coolness," indie contrarianism, and reactions against/for Billy Joel.
• 10:24-End — Reflections on authenticity, musical “realness,” memories of Joel and "cool" bands, personal connections.

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation feels loose, humorous, and self-aware, with plenty of affectionate ribbing and genuine reflection. There’s a strong local pride mixed with outsider perspective—perfectly captured by Jake’s hands-off but respectful stance and Ezra’s lifelong need to probe Billy Joel’s place in the pop firmament.

Takeaway:
Billy Joel’s true legacy may be his ability to vividly crystallize a sense of place—often dismissed by tastemakers, but beloved by generations, especially in his home region. In the end, everyone’s a Billy Joel “discusser”… some are just a little more honest about it.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome back one final time to Joel Kerman, the Billy Joel Kerman series. We're at the precipice. We're standing on the edge of Cold Spring harbor, ready to cast off into the final episode. And we have some very exciting guests to join us.

[B]

It's the combination of the Internet's number one Billy Joel podcast and the number one Billy Joel Internet radio program. Long time coming, Ezra and Jake from Time Crisis. What's up, guys?

[C]

What's up?

[D]

Thanks for having us.

[B]

Noted Billy Joel. I mean, noted Billy Joel. I don't know if I want to call you heads necessarily.

[C]

Discussors.

[B]

Discussors.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

We've been talking Joel, over the years.

[D]

I think Ezra's more of a fan than I am.

[B]

I think that we've gotten. Evan and I have kind of developed the same sort of relationship here as well. I feel like we're both Billy discussers, and I think that at this point, I'm more of the Billy Joel fan than he is.

[A]

But at the beginning, Ian didn't really know the music very well. You knew, like, maybe a few songs here and there.

[B]

Yeah, I knew a couple songs from the Stranger. I knew my life. You know, I knew Allentown for some reason.

[A]

I knew, like, a ton of them. But then there were all these ones I didn't know, and now I'm less of a fan.

[C]

Oh, boy.

[A]

It doesn't mean that I still don't. Don't still appreciate the ones I came in with, the ones that brung me.

[C]

Well, you.

[B]

I mean, you grew up with Billy, I think, is the thing, and I certainly did not. So I'm kind of approaching him, you know, from a distance, you know, with a degree of anthropological curiosity. Jake, Ezra. Did you guys grow up listening? I would assume maybe some. Billy was going on in the households with the parents.

[C]

Yes. Um, If. If I think of my father's record collection, he. He had, like, pretty cool taste, you know, like, he had early punk records and stuff like that. But he. There was a copy of the Stranger that I think belonged to him. I think there. There was a. A sense of, like, you know, there was a lot more Bruce Springsteen records, but I think there was a sense of, you know, you got to give it up for. For Billy. Like, is he. Is he. Are you going to have every album? Maybe not, but, like, you know, there's. You got to show a little. At least a little respect to the man.

[D]

Was he playing it in the house?

[C]

He wasn't playing it in the house, but. But one. One example I always give is that because Jake and I grew up very close to each other in a sense in the Tri State area, but slight, you know, slightly different regions. I was in North Jersey, closer to the city. Jake was in Connecticut, a tiny bit further from New York. And one example I always give is like my classic rock radio station, Classic Q1043, which wouldn't play that much like southern rock. You wouldn't be hearing like that. That smell. You might get Sweet Home Alabama, but you wouldn't get that smell.

[D]

Sure, that's the cutoff.

[C]

That's the cutoff. But. But you would get scenes from an Italian restaurant, which is. Was an. Is a non single Billy Joel song. So that's just an example of the extent to which Billy Joel and his portrayal of Tri State area. Italian American or Italian American adjacent life was just part of the ether where I grew up.

[B]

Italian American adjacent.

[A]

You mean Jewish?

[C]

Yeah. In other words, Jewish? Yeah.

[B]

Jake, were you and Dave, you know, when you guys came on and talked Endless Summer, we heard about, you know, I guess you were listening to Little Deuce Coupe driving along the coast there. Did we have 52nd Street CDs in the car too?

[D]

Absolutely not. My parents stopped listening to new music in like 1972, which respect. So they're. They knew when western culture peaked and they tapped out. No, I mean, I knew Billy just kind of in the ambient sense. Kind of like what Ezra was saying of like classic rock radio. 99 Rock WPLR, New Haven's classic rock.

[C]

Only at 99 Rock WPLR, Rod Stewart in concert presented by Sony Tape.

[D]

And you'd get Anthony's song. You'd get My Life Still Rock and roll to me, you know, all that stuff. Piano Man. I don't think we would get scenes from an Italian if that smell was cut off in Jersey. Southern Connecticut got that smell.

[C]

Interesting.

[D]

We didn't get scenes from an Italian restaurant.

[C]

However, I honestly think you were just outside the gravitational pull of that Billy Joel New York centric vibe.

[B]

I mean, Italian restaurant is a pretty ballsy one to be playing on the radio station.

[A]

Well, it is for anybody who's not.

[B]

Close to the Billy Zone, the epicenter, Ground zero.

[A]

It's like a really unique case where pretty much everywhere else in the country it would be like, we're not playing this. But then they're like, oh, we're playing this.

[C]

Oh, big time.

[A]

We are playing this and we're playing it all the time. And I've even, you know, I've spent enough time in New York in my life to know that, like, you can be walking around any supermarket and like, it's not a shock to hear the radio be one of those stations that. That will play it big time.

[C]

It's. It's Bohemian Rhapsody for, exactly.

[A]

For our.

[C]

Our culture. And actually, this is the real point of conversation in the Vampire Weekend organization because I. I had suggested that we should bust it out at Madison Square Garden, you know, one of our biggest shows of all time. And. And I felt good about it because I'm like, yeah. Scenes from an Italian restaurant at the Garden, the heart of the Tri State. You know, you got fans coming in from Long Island, Jersey, whatever, it's gonna go off. But then because I was spending so much time in la, I would talk to all sorts of people. You know, you like to run ideas by people. And I'd say to a friend, I think we're working on a scene from an Italian restaurant cover. And we're going to. Out of nowhere, we're going to do it at the Garden. And it was really disturbing to me how many people said, what's that? Really nervous. Where I was like, you know the Billy Joel song? And they're like, oh, that's the movin out. No, it's not moving out, it's on the set. Wow. But then, of course, you know, getting. As it got closer and talking to people deeply from the Tri State, I was like, yeah, this is a big song. People are going to know the song. People are going to feel something.

[B]

I feel like Billy is like, kind of representative of this era. That's kind of. I mean, it's gone at this point, really, but like, like the regional impact of a musician, you know, the way that, you know, the Beach Boys are so, you know, they were internationally successful, obviously, but so representative of and important to Southern California in particular. Like, Billy's sort of the mirror image of that with like, Tri State area, basically, like Long island out into the Jersey suburbs. I feel like once you start hitting, I don't know, Pennsylvania, it probably starts to taper off a little bit.

[C]

As far as he got with Allentown. No, but, yeah, truly like the. The. I grew up not that far from Hackensack. That Hackensack has. Has a global prominence due to Billy Joel. That's a very specific place that he dropped in a hit song, who Needs.

[A]

A House out in Hackensack. He's. He's not even really praising Hackensack, but it's in his. It's on his mind. So it's part of him.

[C]

Yeah, that's. Yeah, his kind of dismiss, dismissal of the. The suburbs. But hey, all press is good press.

[B]

Did either of you guys ever go through, you know, I guess. Jake, you said you're maybe more of a Billy Joel discussor than you are fan, but like Ezra, did you ever, like, kind of go through a reactive period against Billy growing up? You know, when you get into, like, cool music and. Cause I feel like there's this, you know, he. He represents something different to a lot of cool people. Indie rock people, whatever, or at least used to. And I don't know, it's taken some time to kind of put some shine on his name over the years, I think.

[C]

Did you, Jake, did you ever have a contrarian pro Billy moment?

[D]

No. I mean, yeah, I was doing that with the Dead. Certainly within indie rock circles, that was verboten. But I never.

[C]

Jake, really bet on the right horse.

[D]

Clearly in the year 2000, I said, okay, I'm thinking long term. Who'd I put my money on? The dad or Billy? I'm going dead. I never owned a Billy record and I've never listened to a full length Bully record until river of Dreams last week.

[B]

I'm really sorry, but I've never been a hater either.

[D]

And I really, really like Anthony's song. I really like Allentown. Really like honesty.

[A]

Not really had the opportunity to be a hater because you haven't really listened to some of these albums.

[C]

Well, that's the thing.

[D]

For some reason, I just intuited. I was like, he's one of those artists where I was like. I'd see like the albums and the used vinyl bin for two bucks, and I was like, do I need the stranger? I never pulled the trigger because I don't know what it was. It's just something in. In my intuition said I don't think you need to hear the deep cuts on this, bro. I don't know. And I can't really say why I felt that way because I don't. Like I said, I wasn't a hater, as there were other albums of his that you really know front to back.

[C]

Only the stranger because it's 100% hits. I'll admit that I was kind of like a singles guy with Billy Joel, but I think I was always a Billy Joel contrarian. And again, it might be because I mirrored my father's taste in music and. And the fact that my dad would even remotely give Billy Joel a little bit of credit was interesting to me. And another thing I just remembered is my dad always said that the reason he was open to Billy Joel because there's other stuff. He never would have owned a Neil diamond record, for instance, but it's because he saw Billy Joel open for Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jew Boys at Max Kansas City. And he was like. He was a Kinky Friedman fan, if anybody, that he's. He's worth discussing at some point. But he went to go see me, he's like. And there's this guy who's an incredible pianist with a great voice. And. And. And I was like, okay. So even just imagining Billy in that world already contextualized him to me as being, like, I don't know, a little more real than, like, some slick, corny, 70s, easy listening, which, of course, is how a lot of people see him. And, yeah, I even have this memory of, like, when Animal Collective first came out or when they first rose to prominence. I was probably in college or something, and they were doing a lot of that, like, with the, you know, kind of stuff, with the echoes. And I remember, just to give an example of my contrarianism, I remember my friend being like, this is cool. And I was like, yeah, this is cool. I was like, but Billy Joel did it first with Hack and Sack Ack. And I remember doing this. I guess it was a bit, you know, at some point, you're like, who knows if it's a bit where. I was kind of like, I think these guys are really cool. They probably are Billy Joel fans. And I just remember, like, my friends being like, oh, my God, shut up. And I was like, no. Hacking sack. Gag, gag, gag, gag, gag. I was like, there's something that. That starts some of the Animal Collective DNA.

[B]

Common knowledge. The Beach Boys influenced Animal Collective. I love. Now we're getting to Billy Joel influenced Animal Collective.