Funny / Billy Joel

• One of Joel's earliest musical efforts was being part of Attila, an early 1970s Psychedelic Rock album, whose first and only record is often called "one of the worst albums ever recorded". It's some kind of Concept Album built around Attila the Hun and features no guitars, just an organ and drums. It's an Early-Installment Weirdness album that is painfully bad: Attila (1970)
• In 2000 when Hillary Clinton announced her intention to run for the US Senate, she intended to have Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" played at the conference. Due to a mixup with a confused staffer and a copy of 'Billy's Joel's Greatest Hits Volume 1' instead of playing track 5, they ended up playing track 2- "Captain Jack", which is about a life ruined by heroin dependancy. Whoops.
• During a Russian concert, he flipped his shit when lights were shone on the audience. He threw a tantrum onstage (though he claims to have thrown a PIANO in the process) and kept beating on his crew members while still performing "Sometimes a Fantasy", during which he smashes a microphone stand in half and sings with it a la Freddie Mercury. Singing Is A Free Action?
  Billy Joel: When am I gonna take control, get a hold of my emotions? STOP LIGHTING THE AUDIENCE! Why does it only seem to hit me in the middle of the night? STOP IT! You told me there's a number I can always dial- LET ME DO MY SHOW, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! I don't want to deal with outside action; only you can give me satisfaction...
• Billy snarks his way through "Piano Man" line by line.
• Pretty much all of the classic video for We Didn't Start The Fire, especially the Funny Background Event that Billy Joel engages in while observing the family. Also, the way he's just waiting in the kitchen when the married couple arrives at their new home in the 1950's, like he came with the house.
  • The way he interacts with the baby, the only character who ever acknowledges his presence.
  • The way Richard Nixon makes it into both the first verse and last verse of the song despite it being organized in chronological order. The fire has indeed been burning for a very long time.