Podcast Summary: Takin' a Walk – The Musical Joy of Singer-Songwriter Alexa Ray Joel

Podcast: Takin' a Walk (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Alexa Ray Joel
Release Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Buzz Knight takes a walk (in spirit) with singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel—daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley—to explore her musical journey, creative process, and the courage required to find one's authentic voice within a legendary family legacy. The conversation flows from influences and songwriting to resilience, authenticity, and Alexa Ray’s brand-new EP, Tales From a Winding Tower.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Alexa Dilemma and Introduction

• [04:49] Buzz jokes about the “Hey Alexa” confusion with Amazon devices; Alexa Ray explains why she goes by her full name now to avoid this issue.
  • “That’s why I do Alexa Ray as much as I can these days.” —Alexa Ray Joel

Dream Walk Companion

• [05:39] Buzz asks Alexa Ray who she'd take a walk with, living or dead.
  • Answer: Billie Holiday, out of admiration for her artistry and strength across vastly different life circumstances.
  • “I would just hear her talk.” —Alexa Ray Joel, on Billie Holiday [06:48]
  • “A trailblazer. …the gravity of how much she went through, how much she suffered, how much she put everything into her art was very profound to me.” [06:16]

Musical Mount Rushmore – Influences & Songwriting Craft

• [07:03] Buzz prompts Alexa Ray to name her Mount Rushmore of music, aside from her father.
  • On Billy Joel: “I can’t not put my father on that Mount Rushmore list. … I measure an artist based on how much they play, how much they experiment, how much they push past different boundaries…” [07:22]
  • Other Names: Joni Mitchell, George Gershwin, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Don Henley, Rodgers & Hammerstein.
  • Alexa Ray underscores the value of classic structure in songwriting and laments contemporary focus on catchy hooks over timeless craft.
    • “Can you write something that sounds timeless and structurally like the Rock of Gibraltar? ... I respect that. I try to emulate that.” [09:37]

The Magic of American Songbook & Underappreciated Songwriters

• [10:27] Buzz and Alexa discuss venues like Cafe Carlyle, classic American standards, and especially Randy Newman’s overlooked genius.
  • “My brother and sister … thought it [‘Feels Like Home’] was something I wrote. …Don’t give me credit. That was written by the great Randy Newman.” —Alexa Ray Joel [10:41]
  • Moving account of seeing Randy Newman live with her father, sharing tears during “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” [11:41].
  • “Randy Newman is like dad for me…he understands how to write timeless work that’s so well crafted and well thought out.” [12:19]
  • Insights into covering “Sail Away” and drawing parallels between classic gospel influences in both Newman’s and Billy Joel’s songwriting [12:52].

Authenticity, Process, and Inspirations

• On Randy Newman’s lack of pretense:
  • “There is no concern for appearance or any external. It's all about the writing. It's all about the music. And I just love that.” [14:09]
  • Recommends the film Begin Again for fellow music lovers.

Writing & Producing the New EP: Tales From a Winding Tower

• [15:09] Buzz probes the making of Alexa Ray’s new EP.
  • Alexa Ray details the organic, unforced nature of her recent songwriting.
    • “It was really natural for me. I don’t know, it just…was all just coming out. I wasn’t forcing it.” [15:27]
  • Collaboration with her father’s guitarist Tommy Burns and producer Tony Bruno; emphasizes the importance of trust and chemistry in sharing vulnerability.
  • Alexa Ray recorded piano and vocals barefoot at home: “I was barefoot, didn’t even have to put shoes on. Really, really spoiled with the recording process.” [17:34]
  • Sessions with studio musicians at Applehead Studios in Woodstock for a “seventies, woodsy” vibe.
  • Desire to create a diverse EP: fiery bangers, torch songs, melancholic ballads, 90s influences.

Songwriting Flow & Creativity

• [19:01] On writing Riverside Way:
  • “I think I wrote [‘Riverside Way’] in like two nights…late night in the house, in the bathtub…It was just there.” [19:11]
  • Alexa Ray feels the most authentic songwriting happens organically and sequentially—starting at the first verse and moving in order.
• [20:32] Discusses creative dry spells.
  • “I only go to it when it’s there…I like to live in a fantasy world and live in my dreams as much as I can.” [20:43]
  • On breaking out of comfort zones: “I just said, screw that and let me just take a huge departure, go off the grid… and just write a fun, fiery banger.” [21:38]
  • Similarity to her father’s creative process; both have “earworms” that demand completion.

Billy Joel’s Influence and Resilience

• [23:05] Buzz praises the Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes, and Alexa Ray reflects on revelations it brought about her father's struggles and perseverance.
  • “It was not overnight…It was not that. He had to claw and blood and sweat and toil and go through, you know, being ripped off and fight for the rights to his catalog.” [23:53]
  • On her dad’s resilience: “He’s like a cat. You have nine lives, maybe more.” [24:29]
  • Describes Billy Joel as both musical and personal chameleon, evolving with every era.

EP Release Strategy & Storytelling

• [26:13] Alexa Ray explains “waterfall releases”—dropping songs one at a time so each has a chance to shine in today’s fast-paced world.
  • “Each song is its own story, each song its own niche, its own world, its own kind of...I take on a different character for each song.” [26:29]
  • EP title Tales From a Winding Tower is inspired by her family home “Tower Hill,” evoking storybook and psychedelic influences.

Notable Quotes

• “Legacy is just your starting point, not your destination.” —Buzz Knight [00:20]
• “Sometimes the most rebellious thing you can do is simply be authentically yourself.” —Buzz Knight [00:40]
• “Resilience is everything.” —Alexa Ray Joel, on her father’s musical journey [24:26]
• “You gotta play, you gotta…I don’t like sticking with one style at all.” —Alexa Ray Joel [18:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:49 – Alexa describes why she goes by "Alexa Ray"
• 05:39 – Who Alexa Ray would take a walk with: Billie Holiday
• 07:03 – Musical influences/Mount Rushmore
• 10:27 – The American Songbook, Cafe Carlyle, and Randy Newman’s influence
• 13:52 – The authenticity of Randy Newman; mention of Begin Again
• 15:09 – Behind the making of the new EP and Alexa Ray’s creative process
• 19:01 – Songwriting flow on “Riverside Way” and the EP’s diversity
• 20:32 – Handling creative blocks; writing from inspiration
• 23:05 – Billy Joel’s documentary & resilience
• 26:13 – “Waterfall release” EP strategy and the meaning behind Tales from a Winding Tower

Memorable Moments

• Alexa Ray and her father weeping together at a Randy Newman concert [11:41]
• The candid, playful banter about Amazon's Alexa [04:49]
• The description of recording music barefoot, at home, with family nearby [17:34]
• Alexa’s poetic approach to creativity and vivid imagery of her family’s “winding tower” home as an artistic haven [26:55]

Episode Tone

The conversation is warm, introspective, and genuine—mixing humor and nostalgia with deep respect for musical craft and honesty about the challenges of artistic legacy. Alexa Ray balances reverence for past greats with her drive to carve out an original identity, providing inspiration and real-life insight for musicians and music fans alike.