“It’s too simple, too obvious”: the pianist Billy Joel thought was overrated
Billy Joel had quite the bit of a swollen ego on him back in the day, didn’t he? Bloody hell, some of his comments could have made even Gene Simmons blush.
It’s odd because it’s something you never typically associate with the Piano Man. He’s always been a gentle soul, albeit with pretty notorious track records of romantic relationships behind him, but in terms of hating on other artists or spreading negativity around, you never think he would be the type.
But indeed, it was that bastard piano that was the root of all his arrogance problems. The point was that Joel knew inherently that it was his strongest coat of armour – not incorrectly – yet the implication arising from that, that no one else seemed to be as good as him, was where the complications came into the picture.
It also didn’t come across well when he was taking aim at Neil Young, one of the most celebrated and beloved musicians of his time. “Neil Young is a guy like that… He writes on the piano, and I don’t think he knows how to play the piano,” Joel scorned, before breaking into the basic riff of ‘Till The Morning Comes’.
In fairness, Joel did caveat his comments by saying the sound was “simple” and “fresh”, but then proceeded to dig himself a bigger hole by adding, in the same breath, “But I would never write that, because it’s too simple, too obvious.” It’s not exactly clear from this where the enemy lines lay, but things were evidently not all roses and kisses between the pair.
Of course, Young has never been known for being the sweetest type, either. He has flung his fair share of verbal missiles at other artists in his time, although he has kept notably quiet in terms of Joel, come to think of it. Whether he knows that the piano virtuoso blows him out of the water fair and square and doesn’t have a comeback, or if he just doesn’t care, the silence is definitely deafening.
Nevertheless, as much as he didn’t see the value in much of his skillset behind the keys, it was still clear that Joel had a respect for Young that could never be fully squandered. His back catalogue was too prolific, wide-ranging, and influential to be completely squandered by a lack of refined talent on one instrument.
Although Young’s playing was undeniably simple, it was equally this asset that kept his music focused on the prize of its intention. It was raw, sometimes acerbic, and never above its station. That didn’t mean it was never ambitious, but the point was that the singer would refuse to do a song if it wasn’t wholly authentic.
At least on that point, Joel could find some area of consensus, even if his own style often incorporated a lot more flash and pomp than Young would ever dream of. They are artists of their own unique dispositions, which there’s absolutely nothing wrong with, but it does raise the point that if they are so different, they shouldn’t be tearing each other down in the first place. For Joel, that’s maybe just some food for thought.
