Billy Joel - Q&A: Who Do You Like To Listen To? (Vassar College 1996)

[@ingenito919]

we'll be listening to Billy 200 years later

[@TheDMhoffland]

it's gonna be really sad the day he dies.

[@EPA18]

Really? We don't even listen to him in 2020.

[@GK-we4co]

I surely will. Oh wait...

[@robertcronin6603]

Yep

[@wendyk3914]

More!

[@lexiBAMF]

The way I feel about billy Joel is the way he expresses himself about Beethoven

[@gauravarya802]

lexiBAMF me too

[@kai326]

same here

[@caseykunz1703]

lexiBAMF what do you like to listen too?

[@therealkaryn7805]

I became a poet because of Billy Joel. Saw him in concert in 1978 . Never saw a better show in my life. I’m still writing 40 years later.

[@ELLIOT1311]

Me too, he’s my idol.

[@morganalvarez5925]

He is just a naturally funny and entertaining guy

[@gedofgont1006]

Better standup than 99% of so-called comedians on the scene today.👌

[@barbraannemariekorwan4258]

Billy is hysterical what a personality 🎹

[@dalusgembalus]

he is such a great pianist

[@wrlord]

Incredibly, I'm reminded of the lectures Bernstein used to give in his efforts to bring music to the people. BJ is so relate-able, and breaks down the music in such a novice-friendly way, that it's a great shame he doesn't do more of this sort of thing.

[@whyyeseyec]

That was hilarious! The way he went off on a tangent - had me rolling on the floor!!

[@dylanbalsamo3498]

Man he’s got the improv and tangent chops of Robin Williams

[@madalinadanila_piano]

what culture this man has!!! a true musician and artist. thank god for his songs and concerts.

[@shawnagraves8582]

Mesmerizing entertainer. Billy Joel is a treasure

[@fay-amieaspen6046]

Very good question to actually ask Billy what he listens to, as opposed to actually asking him to perform like many do! Better to show an interest in him personally as a human being, rather than as a performer.

[@MAC071]

my father was a humble piano man who earned his keep playing to bars overseas... a large part of his earnings came from playing songs that the genius that is Billy Joel wrote and played.

[@aabaahgnaarbuulaajaadiijn744]

💙

[@jefff6167]

Billy Joel, you made a positive difference in my life with your music. Thank-you.

[@RaelNYC]

Of course the most prolific and profound pop rock songwriter of our era can just rattle off and analyze and play a bunch of Beethoven and ad lib entertaining banter about it. He truly has always been the best of the best of all our rock stars. He does bubble gum and epic progressive poetry and jazzy brilliance and bluesy grit and every bit of it is fantastic. And the honesty and dignity. When he said he was finished, he bowed with a brilliant album and kept his vow all these years.

[@G0ldkloud]

Man, Billy would surely cringe if he heard some of the stuff that passes for country music now.

[@bradybiggs7939]

Um...... He's still alive

[@G0ldkloud]

+Brady Biggs Uh.....I know....

[@ZoeCave]

Uh.... let’s ask him and see what he thinks.

[@FutureAbe]

This is fantastic, what a genius

[@bmurphy458]

Amazing he can play Beethoven from memory!

[@jerbear7952]

He's Billy Joel...

[@MonsieurFeshe]

How is that amazing? I suppose you just don't play piano. If you have played a song, you can play a song.

[@kvvvy6359]

Damn, I went to Vassar! I missed his lecture by only 23 years.

[@angelashepherd4429]

Funny personality. He's got it all. Love him.❤

[@sharkbiteleft2651]

I'm not sure if anyone caught that...I heard him say "Bands go by so fast"...He's right....He was really trying to appreciate the music of today.....and he knows it is substandard. He was extremely political and tried his best to be current and lie...he knows better. This was in 1996 and he knew then!...VERY SMART.

[@thetruthchannel349]

I started playing guitar and piano at age 4. I could basically play stuff and play it back with one or two hearings. My older brothers would go to school. Id sneak in their rooms and set their guitars up and take all their records apart and learn everything by the time they came home. So I was playing all of Eddie Van Halens solos by the time I was 7. Spent my entire childhood being the best guitar player with 500 miles off my hometown. And then the 90s happened. I literally contemplated suicide. Suddenly I was a dork because I could play everything. And the kids that went to pawn shops and could play nothing but could play Nirvanas album within 2 hours of buying their guitars they were cool. My teen years were spent in deep dark depression. The 90s were the record labels intentionally trying to train-wreck the music industry to try and get all the power back. It back fired big time and it never recovered.

[@moderoy]

You were the best guitar player within 500 miles. And now look at you.

[@cindylindstedt4696]

He's a true Red White and Blue New Yorker. Love him.

[@garycogswell5499]

Man, what a comedic, fun performance. Plus, educational.

[@corinneromabiles2410]

I love Billy Joel!

[@gingerjackson7811]

I absolutely in love with Billy Joel as a human being a person and a musican.love him hes so cute and so funny and down to earth and expressive.

[@podcasterat1542]

Best question to ask a musician!!! And I love spinning the dial on Sirius XM.

[@sequoiasemperviren3163]

Brilliance. Absolute brilliance.

[@CliffMcAulay]

Talent and intelligence is a wonderful combination....It is obvious that Billy is in love with melody, lucky us! Thank you for posting.

[@Hammett175]

Amazing answer.

[@azloii9781]

I absolutely adore how he doesn't shut up about classical music. That's how you know this man is truly passionate

[@UWish0430]

Just got to see Billy in concert for the first time last week in Cincinnati. I'll never forget that show! What an amazing musician!

[@PirateSometimes]

he's also a really big Beatle fan

[@steviesindahouse4903]

Actually that's why he does these events at colleges; because he wrote the Beatles about getting into the music industry and they sent him .. well .. something else !!! "In a recorded Masterclass at the University of Pennsylvania, Joel later recollected that he had written to the Beatles asking them how to get started in the music industry. In response, he received a pamphlet about Beatles merchandise. This later led to the idea of Joel conducting Q&A sessions around the world answering questions that people had about the music industry." (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joel) Also (from Billy Joel's Wikipedia entry), "After seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Joel decided to pursue a career in music. In an interview he said of the group's impact, "That one performance changed my life … Up to that moment I'd never considered playing rock as a career. And when I saw four guys who didn't look like they'd come out of the Hollywood star mill, who played their own songs and instruments, and especially because you could see this look in John Lennon's face - and he looked like he was always saying: 'F--- you!' - I said: 'I know these guys, I can relate to these guys, I am these guys.' This is what I'm going to do - play in a rock band'." " A giant standing on the shoulders of other giants !!! :-))))))) ...

[@tubendous1]

Stevie's In Da House! D

[@Christopher-xn8qk]

What a riveting entertainer...

[@barbararey4337]

He so funny and a great storyteller and then there's the wonderful music. :) Thank you.

[@cmgee480]

This is amazing. Randomly rattling off a Beethoven symphony out of the blue and telling jokes at the same time. Genius

[@southernsunshine1149]

So funny. Billy is my all time fav!

[@patrickhart3581]

Billy did a an a ,, at Hofstra , was on the radio !! A student asked him about,, stage fright!!! He said ,, every night ,,, went on to say , take that feeling and embrace it ! That’s why we do this !!! For that feeling!!! Thank you Billy !!! I still get stage fright! Every night , but ,,,, I’m on stage !!!!

[@andreashoppe1969]

That's how I feel about Billy too. How can I play the piano like he does? How can I write lyrics like him?

[@Realest636]

Andreas Hoppe I love to ask him how long he practiced for everyday in his formative years.

[@Apefather]

Great video! This song is dedicated to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless. "I'm calling out your name tonight" by Richie Levoi kzbin.info/www/bejne/gITFeHqfiMpmiZo

[@keepinmahprivacy9754]

The trick is to stop trying to play like someone else and figure out how to play like you.

[@redlightmax]

0:47 Listen to Travelin' Prayer, the first single from Piano Man. Billy made a country song so good that it was covered by Earl Scruggs and Dolly Parton.

[@utoobuser101]

I gave a thumbs up as soon as i heard the name TORI AMOS

[@stufftvofficial]

In this video, does his face remind anyone of kevin james?

[@Realest636]

stuff TV when he was younger He reminded me of Michael Keaton

[@okaneji]

❤️ Billy Joel ❤️

[@480pilot]

Bloody Brilliant! 😂😂😂😂

[@robr471]

Absolutely awesome

[@Ahggie43]

great characterization!

[@nanicattack]

Absolute Genius!

[@redlightmax]

3:37 "You only know him from the bust." I like how Billy had a bust of Beethoven on his piano at the Yankee Stadium concert.

[@ChakraW]

Love it!

[@caseykunz1703]

Nicr to hear Bush getting some love.. sixteen stone, great album

[@annduncan745]

So talented and very funny.

[@Dungeon47]

Brilliant.

[@jackplace5665]

Say Billy in Hamilton Ontario decades ago. It was a musical show and comedy show. He is very funny too

[@fay-amieaspen6046]

Love Mozart and Beethoven too!

[@fasteddie9867]

Wonder what Billy thinks of one of the most underrated performers--Joe Jackson?

[@jaymcd8577]

This was surprisingly hilarious

[@gabyguala]

Genius!

[@Jmonkey3160]

do you still do concerts, and if so how can I attain tickets?

[@mariathomas6886]

joeschuler he's on tour now! Saw him last weekend it was the best concert I have ever been to!

[@lewisb9226]

Billy Joel turns into Eddie Izzard

[@jrm_ac]

Hahaha. So true.

[@RjBenjamin353]

My favorite classical composer is Gerald Finzi.

[@tA_aT287]

I agree Gerald is fantastic.

[@asianguy4868]

I don’t even an hr away from we’re he’s standing

[@jazzisforpainting4928]

2:03 Why I love him!♥️♥️♥️

[@rdaltry777]

Paraphrasing others, who are the composers/performers of today that will be played in 2200? I think Billy is one possibility. So much of what we hear today is passe in a few months, certainly a year or two. So "Who Let the Dogs Out" was a big hit...briefly. Play it now and look for the giggles. Put on "Piano Man" and you get a totally different reaction. 200 years is a long time, but if there is a songwriter and performer that can stand the test of time, Billy Joel is near the top of the list if not #1.

[@johnroseman9087]

Genius!🤣✌❤

[@jasonmurawski5877]

I would have loved it if he was like “theres this guy named billy joel, ever heard of him?”

[@MrSmid888]

Bush as if nobody had heard of the. Gwen had. His cover of Fleetwood Mac was exceptional best I’ve heard

[@riccardoangeli802]

Piano Man il più completo musicista songwriter... Nel suo repertorio solo autentici gioielli ...

[@somena]

wow! lol my sides hurt!

[@mikehopkins666]

put out a new studio album already, its been to damn long

[@JohnGadzaJr.]

Hey there. Here is a petition that a group of fans created in regards to that. Please sign and share it to everyone if you want: www.change.org/p/we-want-billy-joel-to-record-and-release-a-new-studio-album-soon

[@kentlewis987]

Billy should record a series of Beethoven’s works.

[@yarireyes38]

I’m here 2021

[@PElder78]

"The Pig & Sauerkraut" ... I'm done

[@roberttreadaway7853]

Beethoven would also go months sometimes while writing and then putting things away and then coming back to it and putting it away again. I think today he would be classed as a.d.d. or a.d.h.d. and possibly ocd

[@BeginHealingWithin]

When he played Beethoven, holy hell

[@brainsareus]

Beethoven flipped his wig...

[@angelashepherd4429]

Billy's father was a classical pianoist.

[@mjm5081]

❤

[@nicklevesque576]

Dear god was that Foxey Lady?

[@vincentmack37]

Purple haze I think

[@nicklevesque576]

@@vincentmack37 Ohhhh true true

[@lisamarieostuni8200]

Too Funny

[@MonsieurFeshe]

5:01 He played Beethoven's 9th, not Eroica LMAO.

[@nickcapozio7134]

All of my deep cuts are obviously the only right answers for him

[@MajorTom546]

I have a relationship with someone from 2000 years ago. ✝

[@debonaire_nerd]

....thanks. So, who do you like to listen to?

[@largolegato]

Fantastic imagination and wait, he just played a symphony???? In a wrong key???? You mean you transposed it????

[@MrPiper99]

It's not that hard.

[@iainthomas5249]

Just MacGyver aren’t you all high and mighty. Sigh....

[@JT29501]

@@tofu9107 I think Billy was being honestly humble, he hasn't transposed anything, he has just made mistakes, because it is clearly from memory. It's not really correct at all, but he is only trying to give a feel for the piece. What's more with the introduction bit he has actually got the wrong piece altogether, that is the introduction to Beethoven's 9th not the Eroica. Basically, he hasn't transposed, because to transpose means to know what should be correct, and change it on the fly. He just isn't quite sure of what is correct and has tried to briefly give an idea of what it roughly sounds like. Billy is a pretty talented pianist, his album of piano solo music is really quite good. But having said that, making assumptions about what the other guy here is "capable of" goes too far, because for an even semi-experienced musician, playing a quick reduction of a symphony like the Eroica like this off the top of your head isn't too hard. You'll have to take my word for it, but it's certainly true. I think this is a problem with a lot of art - the lay public doesn't really understand what takes real skill and what doesn't, and so simple stuff gets applauded whilst real genius is often unappreciated. I think this is especially true in arts that the public generally never attempt, like painting, musical composition or improvisation. It's less true in singing for example - we all can recognise an excellent singer because we all sing at some point in our lives. (I'm not saying Joel isn't a great musician, just that you shouldn't be too impressed by this).

[@JT29501]

@@tofu9107 Yes, such an exercise where you play it in one key, then another, then another, that would be transposing. I'm a Pianist of several decades and of course I could do that - and you could too I'm sure. What I was saying was that to simply try and approximate a piece and play it in a wrong key in the first place, without an idea of what the correct key is, is not transposing. Similar to how paraphrasing a foreign writer is not the same as translating a foreign writer. It still takes talent, of course, and it's great Joel is passionate about Beethoven. Anyway, I think we mostly agree, but I do wish you would stop making assumptions about the musical skill of others, you did it with the first guy and now you are doing it with me! There is no need, really.

[@michaelalley214]

I Know, Right!

[@luvmenow33]

That audience gave no love to BUSH. Hearing Billy Joel mention a grunge band was awesome.

[@thezombiecreeper]

He mentioned Abbott and Costello too, which sadly got nothing from the audience.

[@WakaWaka2468]

3:58

[@luthierjustin1]

Tori Amos

[@ytpremium7649]

Billy has a lowrider for when he listens to rap

[@thomasnelson5758]

lmao very muted response to Bush compared to Tori Amos and Pearl Jam

[@TheUnamusic]

Cutie Pie... Cockette.

[@jenniferbeach8270]

,,

[@kevinzhang3313]

XDDDDDDDDDDDD

[@artnardone]

1996, yeah thats about the time any new music became irrelevant.

[@jordanalexander]

He plays the intro to the 9th symphony. Sad.

[@DerTodKommtImmer]

Jordan Alexander same thought

[@Tobingtons]

What?

[@jordanalexander]

He plays the introduction to the 9th symphony and not the 3rd which is what he is proclaiming to love so much. He also says “Von” Beethoven instead of “van.” This whole sequence just makes Billy Joel look like a tool trying to impress people who don’t know any better.

[@wrlord]

@@jordanalexander Easy mistake to make - German is usually "von". Dutch is usually "van".

[@iainthomas5249]

Jordan Alexander And classical snobs wonder why people think they are pricks. Did you have to go and prove them right?

[@47imagine]

Billy Joel sure is in love with himself ... Dude we get it, you're talented.

[@michaelalley214]

How do you get THAT impresssion? Are you a MEMBER of the human race?

[@47imagine]

@@michaelalley214 I just find these Q&A sessions to be a bit self-indulgent. Billy Joel says he's providing insight on the songwriting process. But in reality, it seems Billy Joel just loves to show young people how impressive he is. I don't know any other artist who does this. The music should stand on its own.

[@ytubeanon]

bleh he liked Bush

[@bobf.5538]

Billy was skinny there. Now hes as big as a house

[@michaelalley214]

Let's see how YOU look at 73.

[@bobf.5538]

@@michaelalley214 probably the same. Except I'll look like an apartment. Lol

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

Meh. Pearl Jam. I can never understand a word what their leader singer is saying. It's like listening to Boomhauer from King of the Hill and nobody can't understand a word he is saying, either.

[@chironapolonio]

I love you Billy, but you didn't say a word about ripping off Beethoven to write "This Night,." I quote: "The basis of the song's chorus uses the second movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's ." Didn´t say a word about the biggest classical-music rip-off in rock history. Shame on you!

[@seanscanlon9067]

Not trying to be rude here but considering you made a false accusation while online, you could have done a bit of research online instead and then you might not have made that same false accusation. The whole An Innocent Man album was a homage to the kind of music and musicians Billy Joel listened to as a kid and since he had to learn classical piano as a kid too, he gives a nod to Beethoven in "This Night" and Pathétique Sonata by Beethoven is credited as one of the song's writers on the sleeve of the album as "L.v. Beethoven". www.cpr.org/2020/07/22/why-beethoven-is-credited-in-this-billy-joel-song-from-an-innocent-man/

[@waynedurning8717]

Clown.

[@michaelalley214]

First off, get your Frickin' facts right. He didn't rip him off, he has ALWAYS given complete credit on the album and in interviews. It's called an homage. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT B4 you criticize!

[@UWish0430]

Just got to see Billy in concert for the first time last week in Cincinnati. I'll never forget that show! What an amazing musician!

[@jazzisforpainting4928]

2:03 Why I love him!♥️♥️♥️