Billy Joel Assured Fan Asking About Brain Disorder ‘I’m OK’ During SiriusXM Call-In Special: ‘Sounds a Lot

The special on The Billy Joel Channel also featured Joel musing about the Beatle he wishes he'd been able to perform with.

Billy Joel abriu o assunto sobre a doença cerebral que o deixou debilitado na maior parte deste ano durante seu primeiro especial ao vivo com chamadas no SiriusXM The Billy Joel Channel na última quinta-feira (Sept.

24), during which he also answered questions about his favorite songs and lyrics. The exclusive opportunity for fans of the “Piano Man” singer to directly ask him questions naturally featured one fan looking for an update on Joel’s diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus last year.

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After Dave from Pennsylvania said he hoped Joel, 77, was feeling better, a fan from Texas named Mary asked for a health update. “I know people are worried about me because they read that I have a brain disorder, which sounds a lot worse than it actually is,” said Joel.

But I’m fine. I want people to not have to worry about me. I’m OK. And I appreciate your call.”.

Famoso do Rock & Roll Hall of Fame soou brilhante e focado durante a chamada — oferecendo, com coragem, seu pedido habitual de bagel e a inspiração para o nome de sua filha mais nova, Remy — atendendo ligações de fãs de todo o país, às vezes acentuando suas respostas com um pouco de piano para lembrar de seus maiores sucessos e faixas menos conhecidas.

One call came from a woman in Pennsylvania who said she’d been diagnosed with NPH several years ago, and included the two bonding over her doctor’s recommendation that she get a shunt, a procedure Joel said he’d reluctantly agree to.

Joel previously described going to see a doctor after suffering from balance problems that made him feel like he was “on a boat,” and his neurologist recommended implanting a shunt in his brain to relieve some the intracranial pressure.

While the shunt did help some of his symptoms, Joel’s doctors did suggest he consider giving up live performance because the physical effects of repeatedly playing loud rock shows could cause further damage to his brain.

A chamada foi a primeira oportunidade que os fãs tiveram de questionar Joel sobre a desordem que forçou o cancelamento de sua turnê planejada para 2025.

Joel, who joked at the top that he’s got a “face made for radio,” also answered a call from a fan from Racine, Wisc. who wondered after performing with everyone from Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen to Olivia Rodrigo, was there anyone he never got a chance to play with that he regrets missing.

8, 1980. “It was like, he was like my old brother, my older brother to me. So, John Lennon would have been one of them. I’m trying to think, I love Steve Winwood.

Ele observou que eles tocaram juntos em “Getting Closer” do álbum The Bridge de 1986, mas nunca ao vivo. “Sempre admirei Steve Winwood. Achei que ele era um grande tecladista, grande cantor,” disse Joel.

The chat also included Joel revealing the origin of his iconic 1973 Piano Man song “Captain Jack,” explaining to Mary that it was inspired by looking out the window of his Oyster Bay, Long Island apartment across from a housing project and watching drug deals take place.

He then played the song’s bouncy baseline on piano, saying, “It’s a little bit symphonic of a theme and I always wanted to do something with that and the subject of the song seemed to fit with that particular team and that’s how it got written.”.

The Billy Joel Channel will be available on channel 93 on satellite radios and through the SiriusXM app through Thursday (Oct. 1).

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