'Piano Man' fulfills a dream
EWING, N.J. — He dispelled a myth about his piano-shaped house, took a swipe at Grace Slick, and even made a few dreams come true.
Billy Joel, the "Piano Man" who penned such classic tunes as "Captain Jack" and "Vienna," talked with students and played his music for about two hours yesterday at Trenton State College.
The ivory tickling crooner showed his down-to-earth side during the second of two lectures and concerts at the school over the weekend.
Joel took questions, described how he makes his music, and even fired off a few one-liners.
"A lot of people said I should do one of those unplugged concerts," he said. "But I play piano - the only more unplugged I can get is with Ex-Lax."
The crowd of about 900 rabid Joel fans laughed and strained their arms to get Joel's attention.
The crowd stayed away from such topics as his failed marriage with model Christie Brinkley and his financial trouble caused by his manager, who allegedly absconded with much of the virtuoso's fortune.
Those are the kinds of things reporters ask, said Joel, who did not take questions from the press.
Instead, people asked questions about the meanings of songs and the musicians he respects.
Joel talked at length about his love of classical music and showed off one of his most recent forays into the field, a Chopin-influenced work-in-progress.
He predicted classical music would be "the next big thing" as he played part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and sang some of the words to the "Ode of Joy."
Of modern artists, Joel said that he likes Tori Amos and Pearl Jam. "I go on and off U2," he added.
Jefferson Airplane, a 1960s band led by singer Grace Slick, was not on the songmeister's play list though.
"How did they get into the [Rock 'n' Roll] Hall of Fame," Joel said as he launched into a mocking version of the band's greatest hit, White Rabbit.
"That's a bad band," he said.
Joel also said rumors that he has a piano-shaped house in Deal [New Jersey] are false.
"What other kind of house would I have," said the Long Island resident. "But that poor guy who lives there must hate me, with people running up to his door all the time and asking 'Is Mr. Joel there?'"
He said that he didn't have a house in Long Beach Island. "But my manager may have bought one there with my money," he said.
Joel has been touring the East, giving such question and answer sessions at several colleges. It has been said the singer, who has sold over 85 million albums, needs the money.
Officials would not say how much Joel was paid.
For two wannabe musicians, though, the show was priceless.
"I called it the master plan," said student Ken Romm, who rehearsed how he would ask Joel for a chance to play on stage. He was one of two people with the guts to ask to play.
"I thought if I asked him nice enough he would let me do it," Romm said.
Joel did. Romm played the piano part in the song "Piano Man" as Joel sang.
Paul Stuart Wichansky also got a chance to fulfill a dream. The hearing-impaired student, who read Joel's lips to understand the music, asked him to play, "Just The Way You Are."
”The reason I wrote that is because we all want to be accepted for who we are,” Joel said.