Jokermen Podcast – Teaser: Billy Joel: STORM FRONT with Tim Heidecker

Date: August 21, 2025
Guests: Tim Heidecker
Theme: Reflecting on Billy Joel, “Storm Front,” and Personal Encounters

Overview

In this teaser episode, the Jokermen hosts are joined by comedian, musician, and actor Tim Heidecker to discuss Billy Joel’s penultimate studio album, Storm Front, and Tim’s personal (if awkward) brush with the "Piano Man" himself. The episode’s main throughline blends playful banter, Billy Joel nostalgia, and musings on the pop legend’s place in cultural memory. While serving as an intro to a longer conversation, this segment is loaded with humorous anecdotes and sharp observations about fanhood, regional connections, Billy Joel’s era, and his reputation in rock culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tim Heidecker’s Near Billy Joel Encounter (00:00–03:54)

• The episode opens with Tim prompting the hosts:
  Tim (A): “Do you guys, true or false, think I’ve been in the presence of Billy Joel?” (00:00)

  • The hosts riff about what it would mean to “bear the mark” of Joel, eliciting a mix of humorous skepticism and encouragement.
  • Tim recounts living in New York pre-fame, with his parents visiting from their hometown of Allentown—a city immortalized by Joel’s song.

• Tim’s mother, a lifelong Joel fan dating back to Cold Spring Harbor, jumps at a chance encounter with Joel at Balthazar restaurant.
  Tim (A): “We realized the table we were waiting for was Billy Joel and his young wife and his equally aged daughter, it seemed like…” (02:23)

• The emotional center:
  Tim (A): “As Billy Joel’s leaving, my mom says, ‘Mr. Joel. I’m from Allentown.’ And he did not stop. He shook his head and kept moving, just kept running. Oh, man, it was so embarrassing.” (02:52)

• The group reacts with empathy and amusement, probing how Tim’s mother took the brush-off. Tim notes a lingering coldness in her attitude toward Joel, especially when he later recommends a documentary.
  Tim (A): “…there was a bit of a coldness towards it when I proposed it. Kinda like, why would I want to watch that?” (03:49)

Reflections on Storm Front and Billy Joel’s Career (04:07–08:32)

• The hosts transition to discussing Storm Front as Billy Joel’s second-to-last album, and Tim’s relationship with it as a contemporary release during his youth: Tim (A): “I’m old enough to remember Stormfront coming out…had it on CD. It was a contemporary record for me…he was a current artist for me at a period of my life where I was starting to really get into music.” (04:27)

• Tim contextualizes the record in the era of his musical awakening, alongside CDs like Aerosmith’s Pump and Eric Clapton’s Journeyman—identifying Storm Front as a "seminal CD" for his generation.
  Tim (A): “…just like these seminal CDs. It’s a very…this is a very CD, classic CD record, compact disc record.” (05:35)

• Discussion of the album’s cultural dominance, notably the ubiquitous single:
  Tim (A): “…the video is the ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’…it was everywhere. It was massive and huge…He’s certified legend status at this point, I would think.” (05:39)

• Comparing Storm Front’s high profile to the less-celebrated previous record The Bridge: Host B: “You know, we talked on The Bridge about how…that was a record that came out, I think, three years after Innocent had come out. And he. That was a big hit for him first.” Tim (A): “But The Bridge was not.” (06:19)

• The Bridge is dissected with humor; only "Matter of Trust" is declared worthwhile:
  Tim (A): “Matter of Trust is a good song, right? Is that the only good song on that record?” (06:22)
  Host C: “It’s the only hit that made waves.” (06:25)

Billy Joel’s Persistent Underdog Status (07:15–08:32)

• Tim comments on the recent Billy Joel documentary’s significance, contrasting it to The Last Play at Shea, which had to combine Joel’s story with the New York Mets and the old Shea Stadium: Tim (A): “He didn’t have a documentary. He had to share a documentary with the Mets in a baseball stadium…He always felt like a guy that wasn’t—he’s like a Rodney Dangerfield.” (07:46)

• This spurs a running gag, as the hosts dub Joel “the Rodney Dangerfield of rock music,” cementing his reputation as an artist who “gets no respect.”
  Host B: “I’ve called him the Rodney Dangerfield of rock music several times on this series…He gets no respect, the man.” (08:16)

• The episode closes with the idea that Joel is finally achieving overdue respect:
  Tim (A): “…so he’s starting to rise up in everyone’s perception, I guess that’s right.” (08:23)
  Host B: “And, you know, just a whole series of massively successful podcasts about him online…” (08:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tim Heidecker, on mistaken etiquette:
  “It broke my heart that she called him Mr. Joel. Mr. Joel. I’m from Allentown. And he did not stop…just kept running. Oh, man, it was so embarrassing.” (02:52)
• Host B, nailing the recurring gag:
  “He gets no respect, the man.” (08:16)
• Tim Heidecker, on generational fandom:
  “I was old enough to remember Stormfront coming out…He was a current artist for me at a period of my life where I was starting to really get into music.” (04:30)
• On documentaries:
  “He had to share a documentary with the Mets in a baseball stadium…He’s like a Rodney Dangerfield.” (07:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:54: Tim Heidecker’s “Mr. Joel” story: A failed fangirl moment for his mother at Balthazar, NYC
• 04:07–06:33: Storm Front and Billy Joel as a personal, contemporary artist; the landscape of CD-era rock
• 06:33–07:15: Digressing into The Bridge and other record ephemera
• 07:15–08:32: Billy Joel’s weird split spotlight, documentary history, and underdog persona

Tone and Style

The episode balances affectionate nostalgia with good-natured teasing. Tim Heidecker’s self-deprecating humor and the hosts’ irreverent banter create a fast-paced, conversational rhythm. Their style is accessible to both casual and hardcore Billy Joel fans, peppered with inside jokes and knowing references.

For longtime Jokermen listeners, this teaser whets the appetite for a deeper dive into Storm Front and Billy Joel’s legacy, illuminated by Tim Heidecker’s wit and a shared sense that—finally—Billy Joel just might be getting a little of the respect he’s always deserved.