Love his whole thought process and the history behind each song. Billy has such an incredible creative mind. Absolutely fascinating! Thanks for posting this!
It's unimaginable that an album this good would come out now and even if it did it would just languish on Spotify with no recognition. Maybe there are albums this good out there, but I doubt it Thanks for the upload fascinating stuff
The first time he says “pentameter”, he really means “dactyl” - “Anthony works in the grocerry store.” The second time he says “pentameter”, he means “anapest” - “she can kill with a smile”, etc. With all those “dactyls” flying over Tara - they’re not gonna burn it down but still, a scary scene - and those Hapsburg “anapests” hungry to root out the little bonbon child, probably staring intently at him, squinty and bald, through pince-nez in their Viennese clinics, happy to have him carted off to Terezín with the rest of the cast of Threepennyopera, it’s no small wonder Bullied Joel probably sticks to the word “pentameter”, because Shakespeare, “I Am What Iamb” and all that, might have groused about spinach back in his salad days but never hurt anyone, at least anyone we’ve ever heard of or have heard about since. “The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie” (Scenes from an Italian Restaurant) is, for entirely personal reasons, the lyric that cuts me to the bone, like a knife through a pork cutlet. I’m glad it wasn’t sent to him in a dream. “Just The Way You Are”, iwith its godsent (unconscious) melodic origins? That story just fascinates me. Have to say: this interview is like getting to know him! I’d never correct him on that pedantic stuff, never in person. That would be like throwing my drumsticks at him - but I would have ordered the parmigiana, obviously, before making up my mind about the wine.... Thank you for posting this wonderful excerpt; here we are now waving goodbye, Oh Oh Oh O-Woe Oh....
Those are not popular but very creative songs. ‘Get in right’ is amazing how he wrote a song based on a moment. ‘Dream’ shows his versatility in his song writing, time signature and feel. The whole album is 👍