Monday Not-Metal

This blog had high hopes for new NYC Mayor Eric Adams. So far his is Bill de Blasio's third term. Adams seems okay with jailbreak Manhattan DA Albert Bragg, appointed his brother Deputy Police Commish, and endorses none-citizens voting.  New York City elections: not legitimate. 

What Will's Watching, the team whose name may not be spoken*: We caught the last minute and a half of the Giants' suck-fest yesterday. It sucked more than anything has sucked ever before. It really sucked.  Blow the stadium up. Leave no two bricks together and sow the field with salt. Biblical destruction is the only solution. 

We got back to pulling carpet tacks yesterday. We'll have to go through one more time, but we're pretty much done. We listened to a lot of music while pulling tacks the last two days and we'll get to that in a moment.

But first a little retro. Twenty years ago we'd been living in Peapack, New Jersey for just over six months. After nearly a decade in Delaware and Northern Virginia we were getting reacquainted with the Yankee winter. We were living in a rustic farmhouse shielded from the sun by a pair of massive elms. The house was drafty. That winter was cold and gray. We were still back at school, going to American Military University online, on a dial up. 

Which brings us to the Monday (Not) Metal.

Back in 2002 we were still a year away from our Heavy Metal revival, spurred by the realization that in 15 years of loving the band, we'd never made a Led Zeppelin mixed tape.  Fun fact, yesterday was Jimmy Page's 78th birthday. 

Anyway, back in that dark winter of 2002 we listened to Billy Joel's greatest hits a lot. This album had most of the essentials, though curiously, not Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. 

Younger reader(s) Joel was huge when we were a youth. He had several smash albums in the 1970s* and easily made the 80's transition to MTV. We think Joel's greatest album is 1983's An Innocent Man. This is a homage to the Do-wop, Motown and R&B Joel listened in his youth and it's a work of art.  Joel had a lot to do with making the 1980's feel like the 1950's and 60's, man. Here's the totally catchy Uptown Girl and its brilliant video:

Joel wrote Uptown Girl for his future wife, Christie Brinkley. Guys....wow, right? Speaking of famous people who ruled the 80's. Needless to say, Joel doesn't play Uptown Girl live anymore. 

The man is our favorite non-metal, non-hard tock artist. It's Billy Joel Week all week here at Stroock's Books. Below is another classic off of An Innocent Man, Tell Her About it. Another song and video  that helped set the 80's retro-tone. There's a lot of scantily-clad babes in this video. Before the internet, that was kind of a big deal..  And keep an eye out for a very famous comedian:

*We watched the Jets too. They also suck. 

**Joel really captured the feel of 1970s New York in songs like Captain Jack and Miami 2017, among others. Listen carefully Mayor Adams.