Prelude / Angry Young Man

Dear James,

I spent yesterday afternoon listening to Billy Joel's Turnstiles album and smoking pot in the sunshine. If there's a better way to spend a Saturday, I've yet to find it. This live performance has much to recommend it: The way it takes a heavy-metalesque two minuutes before the lyrics start; Billy Joel's nonchalance, playing the piano one-handed while chatting with the crowd (if you read his lips, he's saying "look at this: one-handed! Do you want to meet me later?");

Once again, as in the Van Halen video, what's with the huge drumkit? It's not as if Billy Joel bothers to get a 150-key piano. I can understand that if you have eight tom toms you can do a couple of fills in the songs (there's a completely pointless one at 3:57), but is that really cost-effective? I'd invest my money in drumsticks. You can never have too many drumsticks.

How often to you see rock stars wearing suits like that these days? Was he trying to do an updated version of The Beatles' thing? Or had he come straight from a board meeting and not had time to change? And why does a fan hand him a pizza at the end of the song? Oh, hang on, it's a frisbee.

Dear Daniel,

As you know, I was a huge fan of Billy Joel at the age of 7 when An Innocent Man came out. At the time, as far as music was concerned, I liked only him and the Beatles so I may have made the suit-link without realising it. Naturally, I know all the answers to your questions. I also still know the name of the drummer. I know where and on which album sleeve you are able to find a picture of him wearing a watch around his ankle. Dammit, I even know the name of the saxophonist who is performing backing vocals. Compare this, for example, with the fact that I cannot remember any of the history I was taught at school. This is not an exaggeration. I can't even remember being taught history although I can remember the teachers who apparently did it, so there must have been at least some attempt on their part. I would probably be a better person if I knew more about the Peasant's Revolt and less about bloody Doug Stegmeyer.

This song is also on the live album Kohyept, and I hadn't thought seriously about that record for over 20 years until this summer, when I realised on a street in Irkutsk that it is supposed to be pronounced "concert".