The Piano Man

Sitting by the summer campfire
behind my home in the West Milford woods,
the Smart Phone DJ is playing various songs
and says,  “How about some Billy Joel?”
Neighbor Richie says,
“Billy Joel sucks!
If you play Billy Joel,
I am leaving the campfire!”
 
I enjoy Billy Joel’s early work
such as Captain Jack, Piano Man
and Angry Young Man.
                     
I remember back to Christmas
of 1978 when I walked two miles
to the Laneco Store because
that was a gift my mother wanted - 
Billy Joel's "52nd Street" album.
It was the least I could do for Mom.
 
Laneco was next to Dorney Park
And across from the Dorneyville
Miniature Golf and Chip-n-Putt.
Laneco use to sell food,
records, hunting and
fishing equipment and had
an area full of pinball
machines to play.
 
My paper route money
makes me feel
like a Republican.
 
Mom likes the songs, Big Shot,
My Life, Rosalinda’s Eyes,
Until the Night and 52nd St.
On the album cover,
 
Billy Joel is leaning against
a dirty white brick wall on a
Street with garbage on it,  his
fishbone jacket, blue jeans, white
sneakers and a trumpet in hand.
 
Billy Joel grows up in Hicksville
Long Island and in 1967 is one credit
short of getting his diploma.
Joel is playing music until 3am
in the morning and is not
able to muster the energy to get
to his period one English class.
 
Six years later in 1973,  Joel
breaks through into the world
of Rock-n-Roll with his
album,  Piano Man.  My parents
and Uncle Dale and Sandy see
him perform in the Foxy Theater
in Northampton Pennsylvania
in his early career.
 
My buddy Gumby graduates from
Hicksville High School in 1981, and
is in the music program hanging out
with the band director after school
when they hear a motorcycle pull up
and some short guy with dark hair
crawls through a window into
the band room.
 
Gumby says,  “Are you Billy Joel?
The guy replies with a Long Island
smart alec attitude,  “Yea, it’s me - 
Billy Joel.” Gumby hangs out with the
band director and Billy Joel for an
hour or so.
 
Even though Neighbor Riche
thinks Joel’s music sucks,
I have a soft spot for Joel who
writes the song Allentown,
about the impact a post industrial
age is having upon blue collar
towns across America.
 
The’ve taken all the coal from the ground,
And the union people crawled away.
Out in Bethlehem they’re killing time,
Filling out forms and standing in line….
 
Billy Joel did not graduate in 1967,
but was given his degree in 1982.
50 years after Joel’s class graduated
from HSHS,  he was asked to address
the graduating class in 2017.
 
Billy Joel’s Commencement Speech
was short and simple.
 
You are 18, and the most idealistic
You will ever be in life.
 
The world was messed up in the
1960’s, and it is messed up today.
Fight what you can, and let the next
Generation pick up the torch.
 
Choose a job you like -  you are
Lucky to get a job you love.
 
Always try to the right thing,  and always
keep your 18 year old idealism in
your hearts the rest of your lives.