Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast
Music
About
Join lifelong Billy Joel fans, Michael and Jack, as they take deep dives in to Billy’s history, songs, albums, tours, band members, and more. Part of Pantheon Podcasts,
Episodes
- EP 163 - Inside Our Favorite Billy Joel Lyrics
This episode of Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast features hosts Michael and Jack discussing their favorite lyrical passages from Billy Joel songs. They delve into the themes, ideas, and literary devices that contribute to the songs' imp…
- EP 162 - In The Joel Hole with Singer / Songwriter Matt Nathanson
Singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson discusses his connection to Billy Joel's music, including his performance at Carnegie Hall and his EP "Songs In The (M)attic," where he reinterprets Joel's classics. Nathanson also reflects on watching the…
- EP 161 - Behind The Board with "An Innocent Man" Assistant Engineer Scott James (Part 2)
This episode continues a discussion with Scott James, assistant engineer on Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" album. Topics include the team's recording and overdubbing methods for the album, studio dynamics, and James's subsequent work.
- EP 160 - Behind The Board with "An Innocent Man" Assistant Engineer Scott James (Part 1)
In the first part of a two-part discussion, recording engineer Scott James shares his experiences breaking into the music industry and working as the assistant engineer on Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man" album under Phil Ramone and Jim Boye…
- EP 159 - Concert Classics: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY (December 11, 1977)
This episode features a soundboard recording of Billy Joel's concert at Nassau Coliseum on December 11, 1977, during The Stranger Tour. The setlist includes prominent songs such as "The Stranger," "Piano Man," and "New York State of Mind."
- EP 158 - Billy Joel Dolby Atmos Listening Session
In our last episode, Bradshaw Leigh walked us through remixing classic Billy Joel albums in Dolby Atmos. This week, we're diving deep into his mixes with a listen through in the Dolby Atmos Room at Montgomery County Community College. Reco…
- EP 157 - Inside Billy Joel's Dolby Atmos Mixes with Brad Leigh
This week, we’re joined by audio engineer and friend of the podcast Bradshaw Leigh for an in-depth conversation on the technology behind Dolby Atmos and his work remixing eight of Billy Joel’s albums in the immersive format. ------ Email u…
- EP 156 - Peer Review: Springsteen & Billy Joel
This week we sit down with Jesse Jackson, host of Setlusting Bruce: The Bruce Springsteen Fan Podcast . We are also joined by author and historian Jim Cullen as we unpack the parallels and differences between the music and career arks of B…
- EP 155 - Looking ahead to 2026 with John Jackson
This week, we sit down with John Jackson, Director of the Billy Joel Archive as we talk through his work and look ahead to what they're working on for 2026. ------ Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com Glass Houses - A…
- EP 154 - 2025 Odds & Ends + Year In Review
2025 was quite the busy year for us.. From all of our work and adventures around the new Billy Joel documentary to our travel adventures around that, our Metallica concert adventure and an amazing experience emceeing an event for a wonderf…
- EP 153 - Collecting and Archiving Billy with Jeff Fisher & Jenni Nordaby
This episode, we are joined by our friends and fellow collectors and archivists Jeff Fisher & Jenni Nordaby. We discuss our methods and process over time as well as what got us into collecting as well as revisiting a little about our work…
- EP 152 - Concert Classics: The Forum - Inglewood, CA (December 14, 1982)
This week, we journey back to December 14, 1982 as we dip into an audience recording from The Nylon Curtain Tour at The Forum in Inglewood, California, just outside of Los Angeles. Listen to the concert here courtesy of Activer Music. The…
- EP 151 - Video Retrospective: A Matter Of Trust: The Bridge To Russia (2014 Documentary)
This week, we sit down to dive into the 2014 Jim Brown directed documentary Billy Joel - A Matter Of Trust: The Bridge To Russia , which gives a fresh perspective on Billy Joel's landmark 1987 of Moscow and Leningrad. ------ Email us: …
- EP 150 - Side Quests #2 - Michael chats with singer/songwriter Ashton Allen
Purchase Ashton Allen's 'Dewdrops' 20th Anniversary vinyl edition HERE. Michael Grosvenor here. Every so often, Jack or I will do what we call a “Side Quest” episode. It’s a chance for one of us to give the other a break and dive deep into…
- EP 149 - Billy Joel's Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Singles Ranked
Join us as we unpack and rank Billy Joel’s 13 appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten Charts. Pre-Order Ashton Allen's 'Dewdrops' on Limited edition vinyl here: https://ashtonallen.myshopify.com ------ Email us: glasshous…
- EP 148 - Album Retrospective: My Lives Disc 4
------ Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media: Website: https://www.glasshousespod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook…
- EP 147 - Year In Review: 1985
------ Email us: glasshousespodcast@gmail.com Glass Houses - A Billy Joel Podcast on the web / social media: Website: https://www.glasshousespod.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/…
- EP 146 - Behind Billy Joel: And So It Goes - Part 4 (with Music Mixer Brad Leigh)
Recording engineer Brad Leigh touched nearly every song Billy recorded as part of his work restoring and remixing music for the HBO Max documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes." We're rounding out our coverage of the doc with our thoughts…
- EP 145 - Behind Billy Joel: And So It Goes - Part 3 (with Archive Producer John Jackson)
It took nearly five years to find and restore all the archival footage and audio in the five hour HBO documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes." John Jackson, the director of Billy Joel's archive, talks about tracking down footage, solving…
- EP 144 - Behind Billy Joel: And So It Goes - Part 2 (with Executive Producer Steve Cohen)
Steve Cohen brought 50 years of experience working with Billy Joel to his role as an executive producer on the HBO documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes." Steve talks about getting the often-private Billy to let filmmakers Susan Lacy and…
- EP 143 - Behind Billy Joel: And So It Goes - Part 1 (with directors Susan Lacy & Jessica Levin)
To celebrate the release of the HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” we’re going behind the scenes with directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin. We’re also getting behind the keyboards with Billy Joel fans who reacted in real time…
- EP 142 - In Conversation with Jon Small (Longtime Billy Joel collaborator)
Billy Joel's biggest fans know Jon Small as the drummer for The Hassles and Attila, the bands the two played in as teenagers and young adults in Long Island. Some may even recognize Small's further contributions to Billy's career as the di…
- EP 141 - Video Retrospective: The Last Play At Shea Documentary
“Last Play At Shea” promised to tell the story of Billy Joel’s historic back-to-back 2008 concerts at the iconic Long Island baseball stadium. But it’s not long into the running time that the story becomes much larger than one of music’s b…
- EP 140 - Billy Joel: And So It Goes (Tribeca Documentary Premiere Coverage)
It’s been a busy month in the Billy Joel world – and Michael and Jack were there for it. June kicked off with the premier of the “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” documentary at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. As the first event for this y…
- EP 139 - Concert Classics: Boarding House & Mar y Sol Pop Festival (1972)
A 1972 Billy Joel performance doesn’t sound like the concerts he’s been performing over the last 50 years. Instead, two live recordings from that year reveal an artist still finding his way – even if a few key elements were already in plac…
- EP 138 - Year In Review: 1992
1992 wasn’t a prolific year for Billy, nestled between the end of one of his longest tours supporting a monster hit album and releasing his final pop album the next year. But, his decisions here would determine the next phase of his career…
- EP 137 - Tour Retrospective: Glass Houses Tour (1980-81)
Billy Joel banked on his recent success when he wrote and recorded the 1980 album Glass Houses . The songs were much more streamlined and guitar-driven than his previous two platinum-selling releases, and arranged to be played in arenas an…
- EP 136 - Album Retrospective: Glass Houses (Part 3)
Today, we know Glass Houses as one of Billy Joel’s biggest albums. The 1980 release became his third-consecutive album to quickly go platinum. It kept the band playing some of the biggest venues in the world, and features a handful of song…
- EP 135 - Album Retrospective: Glass Houses (Part 2)
Billy Joel’s 1980 release, Glass Houses, is considered classic rock in 2025. But at the time, listeners and critics heard a huge leap into then-current New Wave – and not necessarily a good one. The album was a stripped-down departure from…
- EP 134 - Album Retrospective: Glass Houses (Part 1)
With a pair of award-winning, chart-topping albums under his belt, Billy Joel entered A&R Recording in 1979 with the intention of abandoning the sound that made him a superstar. He did so by showcasing the musicians who were instrumental t…
- EP 133 - Billy Joel On Late Night TV Part 3 (1986-2024)
Even though Billy Joel was a superstar by the 1980s, he still had to promote each new album. That included appearances on late night television shows. Billy was never a fan of music videos or performing on television, saying music shouldn’…
- EP 132 - Billy Joel On Late Night TV Part 2 (1973-1982)
With more than 50 years of performances as a solo artist, Billy Joel’s songs and stage show have evolved alongside the formats for musical performances on late night television programs. Spots like these have always been valuable for devel…
- EP 131 - Billy Joel On Late Night TV Part 1 (with Steve Mandel of The Tonight Show)
Late night television has been an important showcase for musical talent for well over half a century. The casts and crews make producing these shows seem effortless. But the truth is that it takes split-second timing and a tight knit team…
- EP 130 - Billy Joel Desert Island Tracks Vol. 2 (1980-1993)
It's felt like seven years since we've been trapped on this desert island with only 12 Billy Joel songs to listen to. If you missed Part One of this series, Jack and I picked one song from each of Billy's studio pop albums that we would wa…
- EP 129 - Billy Joel Desert Island Tracks Vol. 1 (1971-1978)
What are the 12 Billy Joel songs you can't live without? That's what we are discussing over the next two episodes. We picked one track from each pop studio album that we would want if we were trapped on a desert island. Our choices were ra…
- EP 128 - 2024 Odds & Ends (with Dan Orlando)
We often record way more than we can release on our bi-weekly episodes. That's why we always save the last episode of the year for odds and ends It's our collection of outtakes and diversions that made for great conversation but wouldn't f…
- EP 127 - In Conversation with Dan Orlando (Lords of 52nd Street)
Since joining the Lords of 52nd Street in 2021, Dan Orlando's post as piano player and lead singer has become much more than a job, albeit a crucial one, in a legacy act. The group features the music of Billy Joel played by Liberty DeVitto…
- EP 126 - Album Retrospective: My Lives Disc 3
The third disc of Billy Joel's My Lives Box Set reveals an aspect of his performances that the previous tracks only hinted at: His ability to channel other artists. The first two discs of the four-CD/one-DVD set focuses on unreleased songs…
- EP 125 - Video Retrospective: Billy Joel Tonight - December 5 & 6, 1976
In April of 1976, Billy Joel hit the road with the first incarnation of the now-legendary Lords of 52nd Street lineup. The band toured in support of the album Turnstiles , the first official audio document of this group. And, late that yea…
- EP 124 - Concert Classics: Syracuse, NY - February 2, 1990
A storm arrived in Syracuse, NY in February of 1990 — two of them, actually. The region was hit by a major storm, dumping more than eight inches of snow. At the same time, Billy Joel brought his Storm Front tour to the Carrier Dome. This s…
- EP 123 - Album Retrospective: Storm Front
1989’s Storm Front album found Billy Joel charting a new course for his career. Gone were longtime collaborators, including producer Phil Ramone and key band members Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer. Behind the scenes, Billy was embroiled…
- EP 122 - Year In Review: 1974
Depending on the time of year, 1974 is either a period of uncertainty in Billy Joel’s career, or the first signposts of the superstardom to come. He begins the year touring behind the Piano Man record, which ultimately falls off the charts…
- EP 121 - Side Quests #1 - Michael chats with Clint Wells (Metal Up Your Podcast & Morgan Wade Band)
Fall of 2024 is upon us! What is typically time for our next playlist installment, we're adjusting the title and format of the series slightly and are happy to announce the Glass Houses Side Quests. Expanding the concept of the playlists,…
- EP 120 - Exploring More 1970s Billy Joel Cover Songs with John Jackson
There's an often-overlooked part of Billy Joel's rise to fame as a recording artist: His track record as a songwriter for others. Before he was a superstar, Billy's songs were covered by dozens of performers from around the world. The tren…
- EP 119 - Madison Square Garden Part 6 - Behind The 100th with Steve Cohen + The Hall Of Fame Exhibit
Billy Joel's 10-year monthly residency at Madison Square Garden is now in the past. But its legacy has been preserved for the public to enjoy. In fact, the same can be said for his entire career. In this last installment of our series cove…
- EP 118 - Madison Square Garden Part 5 - The Final Show Of Billy Joel's MSG Residency
The opening strains of Miami 2017 took on a new meaning on July 25, 2024. It was the final show of Billy Joel’s 10-year monthly residency at Madison Square Garden, and the classic opener kicked off the night. Suddenly, the song’s theme abo…
- EP 117 - Madison Square Garden Part 4 - Billy Joel at The Garden Through The Years (2006-2024)
Starting in the mid-2000s, BIlly Joel cemented his Madison Square Garden legacy with two unprecedented engagements. The first was a dozen shows spread over 4 months in 2006. The setlists were filled with songs that were rarely, if ever per…
- EP 116 - Madison Square Garden Part 3 - Billy Joel at The Garden Through The Years (1978-2002)
When BIlly Joel plays his final show at Madison Square Garden on July 25, 2024, he’ll be closing out a nearly 50-year run of shows. And, in this episode, we’re diving deep into the first half of that legacy. Starting in December 1978, Bill…
- EP 115 - Madison Square Garden Part 2 - The 100th show of the residency (TV Special)
Billy Joel’s groundbreaking 100th Madison Square Garden Residency Show was commemorated with an edited version of the concert airing on network television. The special entitled “The 100th: Billy Joel At Madison Square Garden” was broadcast…
- EP 114 - Madison Square Garden Part 1 - The First MSG Show (December 14, 1978)
Thanks to a recently-unearthed audience recording, fans can now hear Billy Joel's first performance at the legendary Madison Square Garden. The performance took place on December 14, 1978, more than a decade after Billy first took to a sta…