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Jan 30, 12:26 AMSundance Recap: 8 Shows, Lots of Celebs, Really Freakin' ColdHey guys! Just got back to California, and I must say my trip to the Sundance Film Festival was a jam-packed week, with 8 shows in 4 days and about 1600 miles of driving, lots of it in one straight shot.
On the way to Utah I stopped in the absolutely middle-of-nowhere town of Elko, Nevada. Got some solid apple pie at the one diner on the block, but couldn't walk back to my hotel without hearing the banjo duel from Deliverance in my head. When I arrived in Park City the next day, the temperature was a solid 35 degrees, but it wouldn't be long before it got down to 2 degrees that night. You know you're not made for the cold when every time you look at the snow-capped mountains, rather than just sit back and appreciate the beautiful landscape before your eyes, all you can think is, "Damn, it's freakin' cold!"
While at Sundance I stayed with my 5th-grade teacher from Plantation, Florida, if you can believe it. I'm so glad I was a decently-behaved kid...who knew the "S" for "Satisfactory" on my 5th-grade report card would lead to free lodging? Huge thank you to the DeKoff's for their amazing hospitality. Amazing how delicious a home-cooked meal tastes after just one week on the road.
I was fortunate enough to play 3 songs on Park City TV on the first day of the festival (footage to come soon!), followed by a live radio performance on the Randy Barton Show the next day, a couple headlining gigs and a handful of artist showcases. Definitely saw celebs, though it was mostly of the B-list variety...but it's cool, I quickly realized there's a protocol to B-list celebrity sighting: whenever you see someone you recognize but can't name, just yell the show you saw them on. For example, if you see the guy from Tell Me You Love Me walking down the street, just scream "Tell me you love me!" and you're sure to get a head-nod, maybe even a thumbs-up in return. I swear, walking around it felt like everyone was looking at everybody else wondering, "Are you famous?...Are you famous?...Is that guy famous?"
Walking down Main Street I did see Anthony Kiedis (very sharp features) and Pierce Brosnan (taller than you think), plus Oscar-nominated-actor-turned-straight-to-DVD-fixture Cuba Gooding, Jr. I asked him if he wouldn't mind taking a photo but he said he was too busy. Really, Cuba? What, are you running late to the press junket for the sequel to Daddy Day Camp? Or was it Boat Trip 2?
Check out the photos from my trip below. The first one's a shot of Salt Lake reflecting the mountains just as you cross over the Utah border. The next three are from my show at Star Bar. The couple below that are from my radio session on The Randy Barton Show on KPCW. The snowy scene was on the drive to the Sundance Resort, where I played at the Owl Bar. Definitely the best drive of the trip. Then we got the requisite celeb shots...me with J.K. Simmons (Juno, Spider Man), Johnny Rzeznik (lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls), Justin Kirk (Weeds, Angels in America), and singer-songwriter Katie Herzig at the ASCAP Music Cafe. The last couple shots are from my gig at JB Mulligans on Main St. The crew around the table came out from San Francisco, always nice to see fellow Bay Area folk staying out of the cold!
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Dec 27, 03:23 PMMy Top 10 Albums of 20081. David Byrne and Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Standout tracks: "Home", "One Fine Day"It's not unusual for an album we eventually fall in love with to be challenging or even off-putting on the first listen, but my favorite album of 2008 was that rare collection of songs that I loved as much on the first listen as on the thirtieth. Equal parts art and pop, Everything elegantly balanced the weird and the warm by enveloping Byrne's exultant lyrical proclamations in Eno's grandiose pop sheen. These two wizards' gloriously accessible collaboration reminded me of why Talking Heads and U2 were so incredible in the first place.
2. R.E.M., Accelerate
Standout tracks: "Man-Sized Wreath", "Supernatural Superserious"The most welcome return-to-form of the year, Accelerate ranks amongR.E.M.'s best work—and when you're talking about a band that's made such classics as Out of Time and Automatic For The People, you know that's no small feat. R.E.M.'s stripped-down and urgent "Fuck you!" to the Bush administration stands alongside U2's All You Can't Leave Behind and Elton John's Songs From The West Coast as triumphant late-career albums by legendary artists striving to make waves in the wake of their best material.
3. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
Standout tracks: "Lost!", "42"I must admit, I didn't like it at first. Some parts were too predictable, I thought, and others felt like they were just pieces of song ideas strewn together with a lack a cohesive vision. Then I finally submitted like the rest of the world, and now I just enjoy the hell out of it. Keep 'em comin' Coldplay—at this point they can do whatever they want.
4. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Cardinology
Standout tracks: "Fix It", "Let Us Down Easy"Another year, another Ryan Adams album (or four). This guy's like the Woody Allen of singer-songwriters: different project, same story, always great. This one in particular has been growing on me since I salivated over it's acoustic soft-rock when it came out two months ago.
5. Jakob Dylan, Seeing Things
Standout tracks: "Something Good This Way Comes", "All Day And All Night"Artists living in the shadow of the extraordinary accomplishments of their parents never have it easy, but surely none has had a tougher go than Jakob Dylan. You'd expect the son of Bob Dylan's first solo outing to shock and awe its way into the limelight like a child desperate for attention; instead, the Wallflowers front man coolly delivers some quiet, straightforward folk that sounds not too unlike Bob's first disc some fifty years ago. Yeah, you could accuse him of playing it safe, but since "Something Good This Way Comes" is my favorite song of the year, I like to give the guy a break.
6. Vampire Weekend
Standout tracks: "Oxford Comma", "M79"Oh how I wanted to hate these guys. The cover of Spin magazine some one month after they released their first album? The buzz is not to be believed, right? But dammit if their debut isn't one of the most refreshing listens of the year, copping Graceland-era Paul Simon and early Talking Heads in equal doses, and proving that a "serious" indie record can still be joyously optimistic.
7. She & Him, Volume 1
Standout tracks: "Sweet Darlin'", "You Really Got A Hold On Me"This wonderful throwback to 50s era Doo-wop and Motown features the voice of Zooey Deschanel, whose innocent yet sexy crooning sounds so sweet and so sad all at the same time. Check out their stellar, slow-as-molasses cover of "You Really Got A Hold On Me", which just happens to sound like it was recorded in a bathroom.
8. Mudcrutch
Standout tracks: "Scare Easy", "Orphan Of The Storm"Some suspected Tom Petty's reunion with his old band from Gainesville would just be a subpar take on a new Heartbreaker's record. Turns out Mudcrutch was the best Petty project since Wildflowers. Lead by a man whose age wears him well, Mudcrutch had a voice all its own due to Petty's winning mix of Southern charm and backwoods wisdom. And "Scare Easy" has got to be the best Petty song since "I Won't Back Down".
9. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Standout tracks: "Kids", "Time To Pretend" "Kids" was the song for this and all summers, a breezy and affectionate ode to innocence that sported the catchiest synth keyboard lick since Van Halen's "Jump". Great to see "Time To Pretend" over the opening credits of the movie 21 too...too bad the rest of the movie blew!
10. The Raconteurs, Consolers Of The Lonely
Standout tracks: "Old Enough", "Many Shades Of Black"Jack Black, you are the savior of rock n' roll for our times. While the first Raconteurs record's saving grace was the killer single "Steady As We Goes", their second outing was the album that indicated that The Raconteurs are not just Mr. Black's one-off experiment, but a band with a singular sound that could stand on its own. Meg, who?
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Dec 05 2008, 05:56 PMViper Room SOLD OUT!! Video, Pics & Setlist (LA CD Release Party, 11/22/08)What’s up guys! My LA CD Release Party was an unreal SOLD OUT night at the Viper Room! The band kicked ass, the Bryan Brothers sat in with us to play Tiny Dancer, and the performance was rock-solid. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better show to kick-start my solo career!
Hats off to the Bryan Brothers for not only playing their hearts out, but for being all-around just the nicest guys in the world. I got to hang with Bob & Mike all weekend, and we had so much fun playing together that the three of us are going on tour as a trio to play at tennis tournaments across the U.S.! Keep a look out for upcoming tour dates in '09 with both the Bryan Brothers and my full band, including CD Release Parties on the east coast.
A huge thank you to people like Stacy who drove 300 miles to see the show, my brother and the rest of my family for coming out from Florida, and to everybody who came out in support to make the Viper Room the most rockin' place to be in LA on November 22, 2008. Will see you all tomorrow at my San Francisco CD Release Party, then on TV at Sundance in January and on the road in '09!
Peace,
David
Setlist and pics below:
1. Love Is Just A Lie
2. Standing Still ->
3. Don't Stop Believin'
4. Tiny Dancer (w/ the Bryan Brothers)
5. Kids
6. New York State of Mind
7. Shadows On The Inside
8. Nothing To Fear
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Sep 30 2008, 02:10 PMJamming with the Bryan BrothersLet me qualify this post by saying that I'm a huge tennis fan.
So when Mike and Bob Bryan, the 1-ranked Men's Doubles tennis team in the world, greeted me at the Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles, CA by giving me hugs and carrying my bags, it was more than a little surreal.
For the two days I spent with the eponymous founders of the Bryan Brothers All-Star Tennis Smash—the first annual charity gala and tennis exhibition in support of the Bryan Brothers Foundation to raise money for at-risk kids in Ventura County—the guys made me feel like I was family. After Mike and Bob drove me to and from the press conference when I arrived on Friday, they invited me to their home studio to jam with them before the weekend's festivities would begin that night.
As it turns out, the twins are huge musicians. Their studio had some 20 guitars (including a Fender Strat specially designed for them by Adidas), half-dozen keyboards, flat-screen TVs, drums, and vocal mics amplified by a Bose sound system. Their neighbors came in to see us jam for 3 hours on tunes by Elton John, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, U2 and more. We started out with Mike on drums, Bob on bass, and me on piano, but by the end we were switching instruments from song to song: Mike going to keys while I played drums, Bob playing organ while I played guitar, and so on. All the while, the walls of their studio were peppered with framed magazine covers and press photos of them receiving championship trophies at the U.S. Open, French Open, Davis Cup, Wimbledon...suffice to say, the tennis fan in me was definitely geeking out.
As interested as I was in what it was like to party with Andy Roddick and win the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, the guys seemed to be just as interested in what blues licks would sound good during a piano solo on the Counting Crows' "Hangin' Around", or how to finger the bass line to Dave Matthews' "Crash Into Me". Their love for music was sincere and palpable, and when they said they were as honored to have me as I was to be there, it was clear that you couldn't wish for a nicer duo of tennis phenoms.
The next day, I got to watch a host of tennis stars and celebrity amateurs like Jon Lovitz (?!) play exhibition matches. Who knew the comedian best remembered as the crotchety brother of Billy Crystal in City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold had a serve that Lindsay Davenport couldn't even return?
That night, the crowd gathered in the ballroom for the gala dinner, which was followed by a live auction where Justin Gimelstob inexplicably bid on every item. Finally at around 10:30, the musical performances began. Mike Bryan introduced me personally, and what a thrill it was to play "Love Is Just A Lie", "Kids", and "Nothing To Fear" on a stage directly in front of Maria Sharapova and Andre Agassi's table. After I finished, I invited up the Bryan Brothers to join me for a rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" with Mike on drums, Bob on bass and organ, and me on piano and vocals. Everyone rushed to the front of the stage to catch a glimpse of the tennis stars rocking out, and I must say, they did a killer job. Despite a hurt shoulder aggravated from a long day of tennis, Mike came through on his drum fills while Bob kept the bass groove solid and steady.
After Evan and Jaron and Brandi Carlile's sets, the Bryan Brothers invited me back on the stage with them to perform "Johnny B. Goode" and Dave Matthews' "41". To close out the night, Evan and Jaron joined Mike, Bob, and myself for an impromptu rendition of "Brown Eyed Girl", where Evan, Jaron, and I traded lead vocals while Bob and Mike played piano and guitar.
When the show was complete, Bob and Mike took me aside and said, "You know, we would trade our tennis skills to be rock stars in a heart beat." Hard to believe, but when the night was over, the philanthropist tennis stars had managed to be both. -
Jul 30 2008, 04:48 PMStarting Now
Here's a demo of a song I'm working on...
I wrote it for my brother Adam and his fiance. They're getting married next month, and I thought I'd sing this during my best man speech. That's right: best man! Well, actually, co-best man (I gotta share the title with Ivan, the oldest and wisest brother of us all). Hey, you take what you can get when you're the youngest... -
Jul 30 2008, 04:28 PMA Word About George CarlinI just read that George Carlin passed away today. I have to say, when I read the headline, it took my breath away. I started shaking my head and a very real sadness came over me from loss of somebody I've never met but who has made me laugh so hard, so many times.
When I was a sophomore in college, my roommate and I slept on bunk beds in the corner of the room. One night as I lay in bed unable to sleep, I put on some headphones and listened to Carlin's Back In Town CD in my portable CD player (remember those?). That's the one that starts with the 8 ½ minute-long rant about abortion, and how the people who are against it are usually those "you wouldn't wanna fuck anyway." When he got to the part about how a proper feminist protest should include castrating guys in parking lots with a Coke can, I burst out laughing so hard that I couldn't stop till tears were streaming down my cheeks. Naturally, my roommate woke up with a violent startle and asked me what the hell was so funny. I told him don't worry about, just go back to sleep, and I left the room to listen to the rest of it. I spent that night and many more laughing my ass off while marveling at the man's insight and ballsiness.
George Carlin was funny, to be sure, but more than that, he was somebody who was never afraid to say what was on his mind. He wasn't just a comedian; he was a great American anti-bullshit crusader. Whether it was about politics, religion, or general human nature, Carlin's jokes carried a powerful subtext that screamed, "Wake up and stop listening to the bullshit they're feeding you!" Even when his humor was at its basest, it was delivered in an intelligent manner with the intention to expose his audience to a deeper reality beneath the euphemisms. To me, George Carlin was the best example of an entertainer who never apologized for being himself, and who never settled for less than unflinching honesty.
He was a true inspiration, and he will be missed.
George Carlin, R.I.P. -
Jul 30 2008, 04:27 PM7 Great Breakup Albums1. Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks
Standout tracks: "Buckets Of Rain", "If You See Her, Say Hello"
Of course. The record against which all other breakup albums are measured, this Everest of Emo contains all the components of a great breakup story: finding love ("Simple Twist of Fate"), hating your lover ("Idiot Wind"), losing said lover ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"), musing on lost love ("If You See Her, Say Hello"), and finally coming to terms with it ("Buckets of Rain"). Great breakup albums guide us through hard times because of their power to give voice to our heartache. In this one, the best songwriter of the modern age sets the stage for all great breakup albums to follow.
2. Josh Rouse, Nashville
Standout tracks: "Street Lights", "Carolina"
He isn't as ubiquitous as Jason Mraz or Jack Johnson, but for sheer pop bliss I'll take Josh Rouse, one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters. His voice sounds like a less depressive Jeff Tweedy, and his lyrics range from the whimsical to the heartbreaking. The production is glossy but still soulful (not an easy feat), and the string arrangements and horn sections lift the melancholy to grandiosity. Its warmth just envelops you.
3. Bruce Springsteen, Tunnel of Love
Standout tracks: "Two Faces", "Brilliant Disguise"
One of Bruce's most underrated albums, this chronicle of his ill-fated marriage to model Julianne Phillips is also one of his most revealing and personal. After the mega hit Born In The U.S.A., the Boss turns his perceptive eye on marriage and commitment. "Nobody knows, baby, where love goes," he sings, "But when it goes, it's gone, gone, gone." It's his Nebraska for the bedroom: the death of love told stark, cold, and matter-of-fact. This is music about love for adults.
4. Weezer, Pinkerton
Standout tracks: "Across The Sea", "The Good Life"
Rivers Cuomo can't get no lovin'—and he's pissed! In 35 urgent minutes, the Buddy Holly look-alike spits bile at himself, his mother, and every female who's denied him some booty. The barely-mixed tracks perfectly capture the band's frenetic energy and Cuomo's temper tantrums, which feature lyrics that are frequently raw and disturbing but never dishonest. On Pinkerton, Weezer turns blue balls into art.
5. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Standout tracks: "Gronlandic Edit", "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal"
Love the line: "There's the girl that made me bitter/Want to pay some other girl to just go up to her and hit her!" Don't we all? Of Montreal is digital pop music with attention-deficit disorder, full of random musical tangents with multi-layered keyboards and a liberal use of auto-tunage. It's also fronted by the genius Kevin Barnes, who turns his cryptic lyrics into some unbelievably catchy songs.
6. Beck, Sea Change
Standout tracks: "Guess I'm Doing Fine", "Already Dead"
From the very first guitar strum of "The Golden Age," Beck and producer Nigel Godrich transport us into the bleak and beautiful world of a relationship ruined. Beck the Ironic Hipster is nowhere to be found—just sincere heartache delivered in that trademark monotone of his. Word has it that he wrote all the songs in just 2 weeks after he split with his fiancé of 7 years. It's a heartwrenching story; luckily for us, Beck finds the beauty amidst the tragedy.
7. Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker
Standout tracks: "Oh My Sweet Carolina", "In My Time Of Need"
Ryan Adams started his solo career with this brooding, stunning breakup album that has some the best moments he's ever put on tape. The guy's output is ridiculous—in the year 2006 he released 3 studio albums, one of which was a double album—and while some decry this as an inability to self-edit, I just think the dude has killer work ethic. Even if his records are at times uneven, he's one of those artists for whom I'll buy everything he releases because his greatest songs are some of the best I've ever heard. -
Jul 30 2008, 04:27 PMMy First KissIt wasn't my first peck on the lips (that was during a John Patrick Shanley scene for drama class). Nor was it the first Spin The Bottle make-out session (thank you Hebrew School!). This was the first kiss. You know the one I'm talking about—where time stands still, the earth stops spinning on its axis and the angels in your head cry out, "Hallelujah!" even though you have no idea what you're doing and you inevitably use way too much tongue.
It was the summer before sophomore year, on a campground somewhere in Utah. She was a Jersey girl, but to protect the innocent, let's keep names out of it.
We found each other on a charter bus in the southwest United States. It was me, her, Scott, and about 40 other teens whose parents had signed them up for this traveling summer camp called a Teen Tour. We stayed at college dorms and campsites on the way to some of the biggest tourist attractions in California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Scott and I flew out to meet the group in San Francisco, the starting point of our three-week journey.
I noticed her immediately. She was fair-skinned with dark brown hair, the kind of girl whose pale cheeks turned pink when the wind blew cold. I remember she looked best right when she woke up. One morning, I watched her come out of her tent at our campsite in Lake Tahoe. She was draped in sweaters, her arms folded across her chest as she shivered from the chill. It was the first time I was overcome with this urge to want to kiss somebody…and it was immediately replaced with the horrifying realization that I'll never have a chance with this girl.
You see, up until that point, some of the more influential gossipers in junior high had branded me as a dork. And I couldn't really argue; the evidence against me was stacked too high. I was the piano-playing, Broadway-singing, boisterous prepubescent nerd whose round features begot an athletic disability unseen by anyone else on the basketball court. During little league scrimmages, I silently prayed to get picked on the team that wore shirts—not skins—because let's face it: no one wants to pass the ball to the slow kid with glasses and bitch tits.
It was a predicament. I had zero confidence around girls, yet I badly wanted to profess my love to the prettiest, most popular girl on this summer excursion. Luckily, this Teen Tour provided a unique opportunity. Sure, back in junior high bullies would routinely shout "Hey pianist!" (as in, "Hey, PENIS-t!") as I walked down the halls. But here, nobody knew who I was. I could leave my dork ways behind and become someone new, someone bold, someone cool.
It took the entire three weeks to build up the nerve to tell her how I felt. Finally, three days before the trip was over, I found myself standing next to her while waiting in line for ice cream at the Bryce Canyon Visitor's Center. No one else was around, and I knew it was my only chance. So I took a deep breath, and with the most romantic Shakespearean prose I could muster, I tapped her on the shoulder and uttered:
"I uh…really like you."
Three terrible, interminable seconds of silence.
Then: "Um, David, I have to go to the bathroom."
Ok, so it didn't go exactly as I planned. But rather than pester her (or worse, follow her into the bathroom), I kept my distance, put a smile on my face, sat a few rows back from her on the bus and pretended that I wasn't fazed. Later that night, as we were sitting around the campfire, she leaned over and asked me if I wanted to go for a walk. We left the group and strolled over to the tents by the lake. As we walked towards the water, I could hear the distant crackle of roasting marshmallows over the constant chatter of my own teeth either from the nerves, the cold, or both.
I apologized for putting her on the spot earlier that day. She said it was okay. She said she actually kind of liked me too. I felt this surge of confidence sweep through me, so I turned to her and said, "I really want to kiss you right now." And right there, by the lake, under the stars and the shining moonlight, I had my first kiss.
Things were never the same after that summer. I grew a couple of inches, got contacts instead of glasses, cut my hair, and stopped wearing criminally short shorts. I walked a bit taller, smiled a little broader. By the time I was a sophomore, getting the big part in the spring musical and playing the hell out of a classical tune wasn't so uncool anymore. But most importantly, I didn't care what anyone else thought about me. I never felt like a dork again, because I had my first kiss. -
Jul 30 2008, 04:26 PM10 Random Albums I Happen To Love1. Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger
Standout tracks: "Two", "Everybody Knows"
My roommate's girlfriend can't stand Ryan Adams, but she always adds a touch of class when she sings her version of the chorus at the top of her lungs: "It takes two when it used to take duuuuuumps!"
2. Air, Talkie Walkie
Standout tracks: "Run", "Universal Traveler"
One of the great stoner albums of our time. Producer Nigel Godrich is a master at creating soundscapes so vivid you can almost reach out and touch them (see Beck's Sea Change, every Radiohead album).
3. Badly Drawn Boy, About A Boy, Original Soundtrack
Standout tracks: "Something To Talk About", "Silent Sigh"
A gloriously fun listen, this is one of my all-time favorite pop records. Great movie, too. And while we're on the subject, Nick Hornby is an excellent writer, even though I can't stand top 10 lists.
4. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, 1996 Broadway Cast
Standout tracks: "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid", "Comedy Tonight"
I saw a tiny community theatre production of this in South Florida and immediately fell in love with the material. I had to go back to see it again during its paltry two-week run, and even though I was one of 4 people in the audience, I was laughing my ass off. One of Sondheim's liveliest scores, this recording features Nathan Lane hamming it up in the starring role.
5. David Gray, Life In Slow Motion
Standout tracks: "The One I Love", "Slow Motion"
In my dreams I get to work with producer Marius de Vries, mastermind behind the beautiful orchestral arrangements heard here and on albums like Rufus Wainwright's Want One and Björk's Debut.
6. The Hives, The Black And White Album
Standout tracks: "Try It Again", "Won't Be Long"
I saw these guys open for Maroon 5 without knowing a song, and by the time they finished their half hour set, I was a believer. Their cocky/funny shtick is a riot, and their hard rock rips off Iggy Pop in the best way. I've always wondered how guys like Howlin' Pelle Almqvist can scream all night long and still sing the next day.
7. Billy Joel, River of Dreams
Standout tracks: "A Minor Variation", "Two Thousand Years"
Here your favorite neighborhood Piano Man gets pissed off about his manager fucking him out of 90 million dollars and churns out his most up-tempo tracks to date. The B-sides from this album are my most coveted surprise setlisters at his concerts.
8. Elliott Smith, XO
Standout tracks: "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Bottle Up And Explode!"
I suffered from a hardcore sophomore slump my second year at Stanford, and for about 3 months Elliott Smith was the only artist that seemed appropriate to listen to. Depressing as hell, but nothing else sounds so beautiful when you feel like shit.
9. Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense
Standout tracks: "What A Day That Was", "This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)"
Jonathan Demme's groundbreaking concert film—best ever made?—showcases the manic stage antics of David Byrne, one of rock's original weirdos. On early studio albums we get Talking Heads the experimental art-school punks, but here we get Talking Heads the rousing funk party band. A big thank you to my roommate Kenton for bringing out my inner Psycho Killer.
10. Ben Folds Five, Self-Titled
Standout tracks: "Philosophy", "Underground"
Most people know Ben Folds Five from the radio hit "Brick" off their second album, but I prefer the attitude and gleeful pop sensibilities of their first record. Totally original and smarmy as hell. -
Jul 30 2008, 04:25 PMWell Hello, Mrs. RobinsonBilly Joel's Greatest Hits proved such a tremendous listen that I went and bought every album by the guy.
The exciting thing about discovering a prolific artist who is done making music is that you can buy it all at once. It's like watching Six Feet Under on DVD. There aren't any long interruptions between additions to the story—it's all out there before you. Listening to a new band like Franz Ferdinand, on the other hand, is kind of like watching Lost: it's fun anticipating the next installment, but I really wish I could go in a time machine and just buy the whole thing.
Looking back on it now, I can see that Billy Joel was a great introduction to pop music. His influences are so clear and disparate. When I first heard R.E.M.'s "End of the World (As We Know It)", I thought it sounded like a ripoff of "We Didn't Start The Fire"—little did I know it was the other way around. When I later I realized that Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind" was a near carbon copy of "New York State of Mind," I started to see how I could use Billy Joel's music as a conduit to explore other artists. I met The Beatles through "Laura," found Elvis in "Still Rock n' Roll To Me," and discovered Broadway during "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." When you listen Joel's songs, you're really just listening to his takes on different styles of music. His discography exposed me to so many parts of the Rock n' Roll canon, and introduced me to a many great artists who made music before I was born.
The only problem was I was ten when this process started, and none of this could I talk about with my friends. Coming to school excited to discuss a 20-year old hit like "Pinball Wizard" doesn't exactly win you cool points during recess. I found I could only share this budding, newfound interest of Rock n' Roll with adults 4 times my age, so it goes without saying that after a while, I became a big hit with my friends' moms. I never had any trouble sleeping at a friend's house; while my buddy hooked up the Nintendo, I could always chat it up with his mother.
"Did you know, Mrs. Savitz, that 'Only The Good Die Young' was originally a reggae tune? Amazing, isn't it? Now how bout those milk and cookies…"
A couple years later, I tried to use this power to get moms at temple to urge their daughters to date me.
"You should go out with that nice blonde Jewish boy," they would say. "He knows The Jazz Singer!"
Too bad the best way to make a girl never date you is to get her mother to like you.
