He's pretty sure he did, anyway, Joel certainly played piano on the New York girl group's early sessions but the mercurial studio practices of madcap producer George "Shadow" Morton make categorical assertions tricky. "The singers used to come in later and lay down the tracks so you never really knew what you were playing on," Joel said. "I was never even sure who it was for."

Hearing debut single "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" later on the radio, the 15 year-old recognized the doomy opening chords as his own. He's less sure about their biggest hit "Leader of the Pack" but, considering his presence on the same day, he's probably there somewhere. Recalling the 1965 session in a Levittown, New York basement, Joel remembered Morton demanding he play "more purple." After gently enquiring of his fellow sessioneers what that meant, he was told, "Oh, just play louder kid." He was never paid for his contributions.

Joel next recorded a pretzel commercial with Chubby Checker before going heavy metal with distorted-organ-and-drums duo "Attila." The cover for the band's sole album, 1970's "Hour of the Wolf," featured Joel and partner Jon Small dressed as barbarians. After that group split, Joel became depressed, eventually trying to commit suicide by drinking a bottle of Pledge furniture polish ("It has the skull and crossbones on it so I thought that might do it. All I ended up doing was farting furniture polish"). Finally, he sought psychiatric help and afterwards success as a solo artist and the love of proto-supermodel Christie Brinkley.

Each has sold out multiple dates at the Hartford Civic Center. In February, two of the biggest pop stars to ever play there, Elton John and Billy Joel, will join forces for one concert.

Tickets will go on sale November 17th, 2001 for the show, set for February 4th, 2002 with prices at a heady $176.50, $86.50 and $46.50.

Joel, 52, holds the record for most consecutive sell-out performances at the Hartford Civic Center: four in 1989 and another four in 1998. John, 54, has also enjoyed a long string of Civic Center successes; his last show there was in late 1998.

Together, their combined shows have played only the biggest
stadiums in the region, with multiple dates at Foxboro and Giants Stadium and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY.

After combining forces most recently on a 31-date, 25-city tour of North America from January 19th, 2001 to May 16th, 2001, the two teamed up one more time in "The Concert for New York City" headlined by Paul McCartney at Madison Square Garden October 20th, 2001.

From now on, call Billy Joel "The Pianoforte Man."

The rock and roller, known for three decades as "The Piano Man," just went classy with his latest #1 hit - that's because it's in the classical, not the pop charts.

"Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano," is the highfalutin title of the album that debuted atop the Billboard classical charts last month.

Richard Joo, a Korean-British virtuoso, actually plays the pianoforte on the disc, which was recorded at the Mozart Hall of the Vienna Concert House. But the music - Opus 1-10 - is original "William Joel," who is perhaps better known for such ditties as "Uptown Girl," or "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me."

"I'm just a ham-fisted rock and roller," Joel said of his own keyboard style. "I can't play with that 'bravura' style. Basically I would be holding on for dear life hoping to just hit the right notes," he chuckled in a recent interview with Reuters.

Of Joo, he said: "I'd be looking and thinking, 'His left hand is better than mine.' He'd suggest changes, or he'd say, 'That's a quote from Chopin' or 'It's too much like Ravel.'"

"But if I am derivative, I don't mind. Who isn't derivative? I grew up in New York and heard everything. I don't know anyone who grew up in a test tube."

Of his debut at #1 on the classical charts, Joel was self-effacing. "That was a shocker - I feel bad for Yo-Yo Ma going to #2! Who am I? Just a pop upstart with a big name, knocking people out the way with my small piano pieces!"

"SMART-ASS GUY"

While hardly receiving acclaim from classical critics - Joel generally got a lukewarm reception, he is not dissuaded from venturing deeper into the genre.

"I am taking baby steps, I approach this as a student, reverentially," he said. "I'm a smart-ass guy but I'm just dipping my toe in the shallow end. Not like (Beatle Paul) McCartney diving in the deep-end with symphonies.

"But I hope to build on piano pieces, I'm working on a piece for piano and violin and maybe I will write a symphony, but late in life," said Joel, who is 52.

Not that classical music is alien to a kid who grew up on Long Island being taunted by school friends for taking piano lessons. "My mom dragged me down the block when I was four. The problem was the teacher also taught ballet. So I used to get beat up. Kids would say 'Billy, where's your tu-tu?' I was not thrilled but I took to it."

"(But) I discovered it was a great way to meet girls. I would sit down at the piano at a party and the birds would flock around," he mused.

That's when the Beatles entered the picture.

"I fell in love with rock and roll and got swept away, after 12 years of Beethoven and Debussy. I saw the Beatles (on TV) and I loved them because they wrote their own songs. Before that it was all that cutesy white boy music like Pat Boone.

"But the Beatles, they were working-class schlubs like me. And they had long hair and John Lennon had that knowing smirk.

"Rock and roll was that woman in the fishnet stockings and the high heels who seduced me. Nowadays she's not looking so good and I rediscovered the girl next door."

"THREE LITTLE MAIDS FROM SCHOOL"

That Joel should write classical music is no real surprise, given his upbringing. His father was from Germany and classically trained, while his mother, though born in Brooklyn, was from an English family steeped in the tradition of the London musical halls.

"They actually met doing a production of 'The Mikado' - my mom was one of the three little maids from school," he laughed. "So Gilbert and Sullivan had as much influence on me as did Lennon and McCartney."

Music is important to Joel, who appears in a cable television show on November 11th, 2001 on the A&E Network - "Billy Joel: In His Own Words" - in which he talks to students and performs his hits.

His brother Alex, a conductor living in Vienna, actually introduced Joel to modern classical musicians and Joo. "My brother is tied in with the classical music scene there, which is full of these guys who came from Eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall came down."

"They're maniacs and Bohemians and remind me of my early days in rock and roll when we would eat, drink and sleep music," the singer-songwriter said.

"It's funny, classical used to be OK, and if you told your parents you wanted to be a classical musician they would accept it. But not rock and roll, you were going to be a degenerate.

"Nowadays, you go into pop and you don't have to sing and you make a video and these huge companies back you up. It's all flipped. Now, if you tell your parents you want to be a classical musician, they'll slash their wrists and say 'You'll never make any money.'"

WORST MELODY

But Joel makes no excuses for writing pop tunes. "Pop music is the legitimate heir to operetta and English music hall, people like melodies and my style is very 'cantabile,' easy to sing. No matter what I write, there's an element of cantabile. After all, I'm a song-writer."

Writing classical offered no new challenges to the process. "I always wrote the music first anyway - 'Uptown Girl' or any other hits could have been arranged as classical piano pieces."

"I watched Elton John working and he gets Bernie's (Taupin) words first. He told me 'it must be difficult to do it the other way round!'"

"The only song where I didn't write the music first was 'We Didn't Start the Fire' and it's one of my worst melodies ever."

Joel is a busy man these days. In addition to the classical debut, Sony just released "The Essential Billy Joel" - a double CD of his greatest hits. He's also working with choreographer Twyla Tharp on a show that mixes rock and roll and classical, and uses Joel's songs.

And he also recently performed at the Madison Square Garden show to benefit the police, firemen and rescue workers from the September 11th, 2001 World Trade Center attack.

Naturally, he sang "New York State of Mind."

When you watch the Billy Joel special on the A&E channel this
Sunday night, you probably won't witness the rock legend break out into a rousing chorus of "You can kiss my ass, let's go smoke some grass" when the television crew's lighting fuse blows out. You probably won't see the five-time Grammy winner make pelvic thrusts towards the piano as pianist Richard Joo reaches a climactic moment in the first movement of Joel's three-part suite, either.

But last night, hundreds of lucky students, had the chance to
experience the "Piano Man" - talented, talkative and rowdy as ever - up close and personal, with only roaming cameramen occasionally blocking their view.

Joel performed to a packed house at Irvine Auditorium as part of a taping for A&E. Tickets were highly coveted for the event; out of a lottery for which around 5,000 PennCard holders applied, just over 400 managed to win a pair of tickets to the event.

Before the show, producers from the A&E television network recorded applause from the audience. But when Joel appeared, the crowd's enthusiastic standing ovation, complete with hoots, hollers and whistles, was entirely genuine.

Joel's show, "Questions, Answers and a Little Music," had an interactive format, allowing him to perform his music, field questions from the audience and discuss his experiences to help young artists interested in pursuing music as a career.

"I got the information now, and I want to pass it on," said Joel, explaining his frustration when he wrote to the Beatles as a teenager for advice and received only a promotional packet.

Joel, after greeting the audience, went straight to one of the two grand pianos onstage and kicked off his show with his song "Summer, Highland Falls."

Joo, in a black, ankle-length tuxedo jacket, performed several selections from Joel's recently released classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions."

"People say, 'If he wrote them, why can't he play them?'" Joel said. "I wrote them, but I play them like shit... [Joo] can play the stuff with nuance."

Joo not only performed Joel's classical compositions, but also "Uptown Girl" in the style of Mozart and an excerpt from the second movement of Beethoven's Pathetique" sonata, showing the similarity between it and Joel's "This Night."

"The influence of classical music [on Joel's popular music] isn't always apparent, but it is to me," Joo said.

Guided by questions from the audience, Joel covered a variety of topics and, when appropriate, gave the audience a taste of songs such as "Allentown," "Only the Good Die Young," "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."

Joel discussed writing a song, possibly a requiem, dedicated to the events of September 11th, 2001.

"If I can't do it well, I'm not going to do it," Joel said. "But it's been on my mind. In fact, it never leaves my mind.... I have a theme in my head, but it's not ready yet."

He also talked about whether musical talent was innate or learned.

"Just like you're born heterosexual or homosexual, you're born to be an artist," he said. "That's the way it is... There's something genetic, something inherited, something congenital. There's an amount of insanity in there, too."

Joel discussed the serendipity of the musical process, explaining that the characteristic chord in the introduction of "Allentown" was originally a mistake.

"Only you can louse something up in your own unique, wonderful way," he said. "Make mistakes, use them and make them your own."

Having his initially unsuccessful song "Only the Good Die Young" banned by church officials was also fortuitous, boosting his song to the top of the charts.

"Talent is good, but getting your record banned is even better," he said.

Joel not only gave advice, but also discussed turning points in his own career.

One was his first gig at a church dance attended by his high school crush Virginia Callahan, the inspiration behind "Only the Good Die Young."

"I'm going to sing and have Virginia Callahan like me and I'm going to get paid for it," he recalled thinking at the time. "I'm going to love my life. I'm going to make out with it."

Another life-altering experience came when he realized he could make a living with music.

"It was an epiphany, just being able to support myself," he said. "It has nothing to do with charts or hit records or gold or platinum."

Joel described how his relationship with classical music has changed with age.

At a young age, "I saw classical music as the girl next door," he said. "She was sweet, had a great personality...but I wasn't sexually aroused by her. Then the rock and roll temptress came along and I fell in love with her...but 35 years later, the girl next door grew up, and she'd gotten hot."

Joel ended his show with a show-stopping rendition of "Piano Man" and a duet with Joo from his new album.

However, three and a half hours wasn't enough for the audience. The crowd called Joel back for an encore - the lullabye that he wrote for his daughter - with a standing ovation even noisier than the one that greeted him.

For fans who identify Billy Joel with pop hits like "Uptown Girl" and "Only The Good Die Young," it may be a little hard to imagine the "Piano Man" writing classical music.

But for all his rock accomplishments, including induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Joel has always maintained a love for his boyhood idols, which not only included the Beatles, but Beethoven and Mozart. He even tried his hand at classical composing decades ago, as a boy trying to outwit his mother during piano practice.

"My mother would say, 'You stay in that room, play the piano, and you ain't getting out of that room until you put in your hour!" Joel recalled. "I had to fool my mother, who had a good ear. ...(So) I just made up my own Mozart."

But he never learned the piece, and incurred the wrath of his piano teacher.

"He goes, 'You're never going to amount to anything, you stink, your mother's wasting her money.' And in the meantime, I wrote this whole Mozart piece, but I couldn't play it for anybody."

Now he can. After selling more than 100 million albums in the pop world, the Grammy-winning rocker decided to enter the classical arena with the release of "Fantasies & Delusions," which features pianist Richard Joo performing 12 of Joel's Romantic era opuses. It debuted at the top of the classical music charts and has tayed there for five weeks in a row.

Joo will perform selections from the album 9:00pm - 11:00pm [ET], Sunday on the A&E special "Billy Joel: In His Own Words," in which Joel will take questions from the audience and also perform some of his old favorites - a greatest hits package, "The Essential Billy Joel," was released the same day as "Fantasies & Delusions."

But it's the classical music, not classic rock, that inspires Joel these days.

"I'm really enjoying the process," Joel said in a recent interview. "The whole point of this wasn't necessarily to have it recorded or marketed or chart-positioned or make money - I'm fine in that department. I was doing it for my own edification, for my own
education."

Joel's transformation from pop song master to classical composer began eight years ago, shortly after he released the disc "River of Dreams."

"The last song on that album is called 'Famous Last Words,' and the main line of lyric in that song goes, 'These are the last words I have to say'," he said. "It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I kind of knew I was closing the book - well, not closing the book, closing the chapter."

For Joel, creating pop music was losing some of its allure.

"When you're writing pop music, you're writing in a box," he said, describing some of the constraints of the pop song formula, including a four or five-minute time limit.

"I don't live in a box, nobody lives in a box," he said. "I think it's fine when you're an adolescent - then you start growing up. And then life becomes more complicated and things aren't just in a little box anymore. ...I found myself to the point, I was in my 40s, and I said, 'This is ridiculous writing in this box, I gotta kick out the sides.'"

His decision didn't meet with universal acceptance.

"I had people who looked and went, 'What? You want to go from selling millions of albums to what, hundreds of albums?' I said, 'Well, it's going to happen anyway probably, so I might as well decide it for myself,'" he joked.

"People in the pop world said, 'You're crazy to do that,' and people in the classical world said, 'You can't do that, because you're in the pop world,' and the album's title kind of reflects that - 'Fantasies & Delusions.' Well, this is a fantasy of mine, and I'm just deluded enough to think I could do it."

But he didn't do it all alone. He relied on guidance from Joo, whom Joel met in Vienna through his 30 year-old brother, Alexander Joel, a classical conductor there.

For Joo, Joel's jump from pop to classical is not so far-fetched. In some of Joel's pop recordings, Joo can discern a classic influence.

"When he first played me some of his first pieces, they were almost like extensions of what he was always working on," he said.

Reviews of the disc were mixed. The biggest criticism Joel has received has been from those who complained that he relied the Romantic era for his inspiration. That doesn't bother Joel at all.

"I sort of predicted what a lot of the critiques would be. That it's very 19th century in character, that it's from the 1800s, that it's music which is not in anyway representative of the 21st century experience," he said. "Sure, all of that is true, absolutely. But, as a songwriter, that's my roots."

Joel hopes "Fantasies & Delusions" not only wins over the core
classical fans, but attracts some of his pop fans to the genre. So far, the album has sold more than 43,000 copies "Fantasies & Delusions," according to SoundScan, which tracks record sales.

While it's a far cry from his platinum-selling days, in the classical world it's a success - and proof, Joo said, that Joel's compositions have artistic merit.

"I think if the music was not acceptable to the classical
establishment, I don't think it would be as successful," Joo said. "I've sandwiched his pieces in recitals with Bach...and he holds up very well."

"You must bite your teeth into the ass of life," Billy Joel expressed to a packed house of students at the University of Chicago's Mandal Hall last night. As part of a six college tour, five-time Grammy winner surprised us with his human side, forgetting his carnival side shows with Elton John recently. The show was part performance, part Q & A and a helluva of a lot of one-man Broadway show. Tonight he would tell jokes, tap dance and do celebrity impressions. Dressed in his standard black suit, Billy took turns playing the piano and answering questions from students. Some questions were creatively answered with his piano. "Is there a song I regret playing? Oh, let me do it," Billy responded as the crowd laughed while he ran to his piano. "Now I like this song," as he began the opening of his well-played hit "Just the Way You Are." "But right into the second verse my mind wanders. I'm thinking she got the house, she got the car and pretty soon I don't even know where I am in the song." This is candid and as real as Joel can get. It's refreshing to watch a performer of his stature be so open to the public. He even took us back to his early piano lessons and his desire to play his own music. He would actually create his own songs by playing in the style of Mozart or Chopin to fool his mother. Speaking of classical music, he has recently released his first album of new material since 1993's "River of Dreams." As I've started to suggest, it's not a collection of pop songs but 10 classical music pieces.

Tonight he would also introduce us to several tracks from "Fantasies & Delusions" performed by the pianist that performs them on the CD, Richard Joo. "He plays them much better than I do," Billy declared. One of the new tracks Richard Joo's performed is entitled "Waltz No. 3 (For Lola)." A rather infectious and melodic number. Most of the talk tonight has been about regret and writing songs about the many women that have wandered in and out of Joel's life. Jokes on us though as this song is apparently about his pug dog. Still, it's a very serious toned piece that had Beethoven looking over his shoulder. The mood would soon shift again as Billy announced, "I'm 52 years-old and I have a big zit coming!" The kids bursted out in laughter at the familiar malady affecting someone their father's age. Taking a page from George Carlin's playbook, Joel stated "I didn't graduate high school because I skipped gym. I was called into the principal's office. This is 1966. Are you on pot?" "What do you mean am I on pot? Are you shooting pot? You don't shoot pot. Ah Ha!" These are some of the funny stories we were privy to this evening.

The song that has recently brought Billy Joel back into the spotlight is his classic from 1976's "Turnstiles," "New York State of Mind." It has become a favorite since the devastation of September 11th, 2001. "Songs have a life of their own," Billy began as he started to perform the classic. "I did a duet of this song with Tony Bennett once. When Tony sings he smiles," as he released a near perfect impression of the legend. Rich Little would have been proud. Halfway through the song he paused, "I wonder what it would sound like by Sinatra"? The crowd goes nuts as again delivered a believable impersonation of the first true lounge lizard. He slid into "My Kind of Town" with all the aplomb of a freshly signed contract at the Aladdin. "I met Sinatra once," he revealed as he broke from song. "I was in Sydney, Australia and we were staying at the same hotel. I bumped into his wife, Barbara and she asked us to stop by their room. Frank would love to see you. So Frank doesn't show until one in the morning. In walks Frank and he looks at us and states 'who the fuck are these people?'" Again doing a great Sinatra. "It's Billy Joel (a short pause)? What the fuck are they doing here? Maybe it's not a good time. The next night Barbara gives me a call and tells me Frank's in the bar. He's in a good mood, he's drinking and we should come down and I'm thinking he wasn't too happy to see us yesterday, but I went anyway. He's singing in the bar (to the melody of "Love and Marriage"), Christie Brinkley, Christie Brinkley...you can't have one without the other. I'm not going near him," Billy concluded.

Of course, the evening would not be complete without the song that gave him his first Top 20 single way back in 1983. "Well, it's time to wrap this up with an old chestnut." With that Billy jumped into "Piano Man." The familiar song took on a new life with Joel's mood elevated by the positive feedback generated by the audience. Tonight we had a rare look inside the piano player born William Martin Joel from Long Island. Zits and all.

He expresses it all in five words - remembrance of his childhood, his ongoing community contributions and acknowledgement of his greatest fans - "New York State of Mind."

Billy Joel, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and the third best-selling solo artist in US recording history, is more importantly known to some by Rolling Stone’s reference to him, "Long Island’s answer to Bruce Springsteen." Every Long Islander considers him or herself within six degrees of separation from Billy Joel. Joel’s personal accounts and references to local establishments and traditions in his songs as well as his enduring commitment to Long Island makes them feel more intimately connected to the international pop icon.

The majority of Joel’s life has been spent on Long Island. He experienced the post-World War II era in a small house in Levittown, where he grew up with other newly suburbanized families. Although he spent time on the West Coast, he said goodbye to Hollywood in 1975 to return the place where his roots had grown deepest.

His songs, such as his first #1 hit "It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me," show it. Any Long Islander can tell you about the Miracle Mile, a Manhasset strip mall called the Americana, now occupied by the likes of Gucci, Prada and Burberry. They listen extra-closely during "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." Montauk, Gardner’s Bay and even Block Island Sound will capture a Long Islander’s attention in "The Downeaster 'Alexa'," which relates, on a more serious note, to Joel’s concerns about the struggling tradition of the Island’s commercial fishing industry.

In "Everybody Loves You Now," you’ll hear about the Staten Island Ferry and a town on the North Shore called Cold Spring Harbor, the title of Joel’s 1971 debut album, which produced the hit song "She’s Got A Way."

His lyrical tributes, complemented by his charitable actions, are extra meaningful to Long Islanders. In 1991, the town of Huntington renamed a small waterside park "Billy Joel Cold Spring Harbor Park" to honor Joel for his community involvement and his attempts to call attention to the need to protect the waters and environment of Long Island. Joel resided in Lloyd Harbor, Huntington, with then-wife Christie Brinkley and daughter Alexa Ray in the late 1980s, before relocating to East Hampton.

Joel continues to give back to the entire island community. In the spring of 2000, he gave the keynote address at Long Island University’s Southampton College commencement ceremony, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate of music. He urged all 351 graduates to use their skills to conserve the environment, pleading for them to keep the island alive. Joel’s dedication to the island’s baymen led to the formation of the Long Island Boating Company in 1996.

He also continues to entertain his fans with a purpose, performing benefit shows at Jones Beach Amphitheater in 1991, raising money for earthquake relief in Japan in 1995 and more recently aiding efforts to raise money and spirits in New York after the September 11th, 2001 attacks.

This Sunday, Georgetown will get its chance to hear about Joel’s childhood and home, and to see why Long Islanders hold him so dear to their hearts.

Billy Joel's first classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions, Op. 1-10," is already #1 on the classical music charts. If you've bought the CD or heard "Waltz #3 (For Lola)," you may be wondering: Who's Lola?

Joel wrote the piece for a 3 year-old pug owned by his former girlfriend, Hamptons artist Carolyn Beegan.

The pooch suffers from encephalitis and is blind in one eye. Here's hoping she makes it to 4.

Joo describes the music as a 21st century composer's tribute to the 19th century and the album hints at Joel's love affair with the music of the great Austro-Germanic tradition: Beethoven, Schubert and particularly Schumann are never far away. Joel comments, "Essentially, they are written in the style of the romantic era - except for the 'Invention in C Minor' which is more of an 18th century piece - I would say from the middle 19th century to early 20th century, bridging the time from Schumann up to Debussy."

Joo is clearly an advocate of this music - he helped in its transcription (it is published by Schirmer's, whose unique style is translated wittily to the CD's cover artwork) - and he will be playing some of Billy Joel's piano music (including some works not found on the new album) at his Wigmore Hall recital in London on Friday, November 16th, 2001.

Elton John is on the road solo through the end of the year, but he plans to kick off 2002 by again teaming with fellow piano man Billy Joel for another co-headlining US tour.

Stops on John and Joel's latest "Face 2 Face" tour have been confirmed for Washington, DC, Boston, Hartford, and Philadelphia. Tickets for all four dates hit the box office this Saturday (November 17th, 2001), according to John's official website. Members of "Rocket," John's official fan club, will have a shot at a limited number of premium seats beginning Thursday (November 15th, 2001).

More dates are expected soon.

Earlier this year, John teamed with Joel for the pair's fourth co-headlining tour. According to PollStar, the outing was the #2 grossing tour of the first half of 2001, pulling in more than $57 million over 31 shows.

John and Joel most recently performed together at the October 20th, 2001 "The Concert for New York City" at Madison Square Garden, where they played John's "Your Song."

John is currently touring the Far East in support of his October 2nd, 2001 release, "Songs from the West Coast" (Rocket/Universal), his first studio effort since 1997's "The Big Picture." He is scheduled to kick off a string of US dates later this month, beginning with a two-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden. His itinerary includes a December 13th, 2001 performance at Los Angeles' "Silver Lining Silver Lake" benefit concert.

Joel, meanwhile, offered up two new releases on October 2nd, 2001. The first, "Fantasies & Delusions: (Music for Solo Piano)" (Columbia/Sony Classical), features pianist Richard Joo performing ten of Joel's original piano compositions. The second, "The Essential Billy Joel" (Columbia), is a two-disc set that houses 36 of the musician's previously released pop hits and two classical compositions.

Tufts University students will get into a "New York State of Mind" tonight when "Piano Man" Billy Joel holds a musical "Master Class" for 600 coeds on the Medford campus.

Joel, who released a classical album last month, is on a campus tour with his "An Evening of Questions, Answers, & A Little Music." Students ask questions, the Grammy guy answers them and sometimes tickles the ivories in response.

Apparently, the kids are crazy for it since there had to be a Tuftie ticket lottery for a seat at tonight's Billy Unplugged.

The Long Island guy, along with classical "Piano Man" Richard Joo, have hit New York University, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania (that one aired last weekend on A&E).

Georgetown and Princeton will close out the tour.

Sadly, the public isn't invited. So don't have any "Fantasies & Delusions" about getting in.

For a night, Tufts was his classroom - and Billy Joel made the most of it. For three and a half hours, the music legend captivated the capacity crowd at Tufts' Cohen Auditorium as he whipped up a whirlwind of songs, stories and reflections on his life, career and music.

At many points, Joel sounded like an excited professor - pulling together lessons on history, music theory, writing and even career advice. Bursting with energy, Joel ran around the stage as he dissected his music career down to its roots - his life and his stories.

He structured the night around questions asked from the audience - which covered everything from his roots in music to his advice for young song writers. Joel's honesty and charm made the evening seem like a one-on-one session between the music legend and each person in the room.

In addition to some of his familiar favorites, Joel and pianist Richard Joo played a few pieces from Joel's new album of classical music. Though strikingly different in sound, Joel's old hits and new creations blended seemlessly.

Two hours into the evening, an alarm clock among the musician's equipment started beeping - presumably to warn the performer to wrap up the show. Without losing a beat, Joel jumped across the stage, grabbed the clock and smashed it into the ground, treating the audience to another 90 minutes of stories and music.

While the roar Joel received as he walked on stage paid tribute to his legendary status as the "Piano Man," a similar ovation at the evening's close (nearly four hours later) proved that Joel is a performer unlike any other - truly "The Entertainer."

"You Mean I Get Paid For This?"

From an early age, Joel was drawn to music. But it wasn't until he was 13 years-old that he realized he wanted to be a rock star.

"At 13, I discovered rock and roll - about the same time I discovered that I liked girls," explained Joel, who said he joined a band that played Beatles songs at dances in his neighborhood.

While he hammered away on his "cheesy organ," the young musician realized that girls who never used to pay any attention to him, suddenly were.

Only later in life did Joel realize why.

"Women are so much smarter than men, because they see stuff in us that we don't look for," he said, like "souls" and "intellect."

But at age 13, the new-found attention from girls wasn't the only thing that set him on his journey to rock and roll stardom. It was a $15 check from the church where they played their first gig.

"You mean I get paid for this?" Joel said. "I thought, is this cool or what?!"

"I Was Tired of the Tyranny of Writing Music"

Joel's classical pieces are far afield from the "clanging and crashing" of rock and roll, but the recording artist said he needed a change after his last rock album was finished in 1993.

Appropriately called "Famous Last Words," Joel's last composition contained his final words.

"They were the last words I had to say," he said. "And I meant it at the time."

Writing music is a tough and exhausting process, Joel said. Reaching inside and pulling out his creations is one of the hardest things he's done.

"I always found it painful." Joel said. "By the end of the process, I've had it."

So Joel turned to classical music.

Though a major departure from his previous creations, his newest album "Fantasies & Delusions" has followed in their footsteps. For the last six weeks, it has been at the top of the classical music charts (a fact Joel happily repeated through the show.)

"Wherever the Muse Leads Me, I'm Going To Write"

For now, Joel appears to be consumed with creating classical music. But the award-winning artists wouldn't rule out the possibility of a return to rock and roll.

"I'm not cutting myself off from the possibility of writing songs," Joel told the Tufts crowd.

After the completion of his last album in 1993, Joel said he had nothing more to say. But as the lyrics of "Famous Last Words" hint, a new era in his life might bring new possibilities.

There are some signs he had already begin to write again. In a bit of a surprise, Joel treated the audience to a "work in progress."

Though the lyrics and music weren't finished, Joel's signature sound came through loud and clear. The tentative title: "Champs Elyees" - named after the famous avenue in Paris.

"I Believe Music Is A Form Of Medicine"

While the singer/song writer was somewhat guarded about future rock and roll songs, Joel was candid about another project he's like to start - a requiem.

"Ever since September 11th, 2001, I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to say," Joel said.

He doesn't expect the words to come quickly, but he said he's willing to wait. Times like this, Joel said, call for "eloquence."

In the past "we've had a Shakespeare, or a Winston Churchill," Joel said. "In 1941, they had Franklin Roosevelt."

Their words were powerful, moving and intense. Joel said a requiem carries a similar weight.

"I was thinking about writing a requiem because we need a lot of masked voices...voices who aren't here any more," he said.

It's that power that attracted Joel to music in the first place, when he was just a young child.

"Music gave me such a thrill - it was powerful stuff," he said.

Calling it alchemy and sorcery, Joel said music can shape people's moods - from love to loss, joy to pain.

"For Me, The Music Always Comes First"

So how does Joel craft his masterpieces? According to the artist himself, he does it all wrong.

"The traditional way to write, is to set poems to music," Joel said, adding that Elton John is a great example of an artist who has mastered that process.

"He writes exactly the opposite of me," Joel said. "I look at him and go: 'How the hell do you do it?'"

For Joel, the process works backwards.

"First, I think of the music," Joel explained, "Then - if I like the music - I jam words onto it."

The process may not be pretty, but it has helped him create a repertoire of stellar songs.

While he won't pick an all-time favorite (he says each one is like a child of his), he's not shy about talking about some of his worst creations.

"We All Have Our Stinkers!"

With a smile, Joel told the audience that his lyrics for "Summer, Highland Falls" and "Falling of the Rain" - both from the "Cold Spring Harbor" album - couldn't have been any worse.

"That was the most self absorbed album! I was contemplating my own navel so much, I was bent in half," he said.

But Joel belted them out anyway, pouring on the self-criticism as he went. "'Falling of the Rain?' - that was one of the worst lyrics I ever wrote!" he joked mid-song.

"A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White."

One of Joel's most famous lyrics, the words were actually the result of a bout with writer's block.

Whenever the ideas dried up, the New Yorker grabbed his empty notebook, and headed for a local Italian restaurant down the street from his home.

"I'd take my writing book with me, sit at a table, have a glass of wine and have the book open to an empty page," he said. "It helped jumpstart the process."

During one such lunch, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" was born.

"It was during one of those times I was blocked," Joel explained. A waiter asked him was what kind of wine he wanted with lunch - a bottle of red or a bottle of white.

"It was all so literal!" he joked of the song's origins.

That song, like so many other's he's created over his career, was built on the foundation of a great story.

"I've Always Been Fascinated By The Human Condition"

Joel said his music isn't meant to be laden with metaphors and hidden messages.

"I'm not a message guy," he said. "I don't write like that."

Instead, Joel said he writes about what he knows - relationships, love and loss, and of course, New York.

Joel joked, "I have never actually sat down and said I'm going to write a hit." That said, he's managed to churn out quite a few.

Over the course of the night, the artist picked a few of his best, including "And So It Goes," "The Downeaster 'Alexa'," and perhaps most fitting, "The Entertainer."

It's the battle of the dueling pianos as Elton John and Billy Joel tag team once again for another round of their "Face 2 Face" tour. Four dates have been confirmed for next year thus far: Washington, DC (January 13th, 2002), Boston (January 22nd, 2002), Hartford (February 4th, 2002), and Philadelphia (February 13th, 2002). Tickets go on sale November 17th, 2001.

The duo spent the first half of 2001 on the road together and the venture proved extremely successful with just about all of the 31 shows selling out. Fans got their money's worth as most of the concerts lasted more than four hours.

This "Face 2 Face" outing marks the fifth time "Captain Fantastic" and the "Piano Man" have teamed for a trek. They've joined forces for jaunts in 1994, 1995, 1998 and of course, earlier this year.

Sir Elton is currently on the road tickling the ivories. He plays to audiences in Japan, China, Thailand and Singapore before heading Stateside at the end of November. After his dates with Joel, John continues on to Australia for the month of April.

Aside from charity gigs and stints with Elton, Joel has kept out of the solo touring circuit since 1999. Recently, he's been busy in the recording studio, working on an album tackling the roots of the
piano: classical music. Joel's "Fantasies & Delusions" was released
in September and finds the artist exploring more classical themes than his traditional pop/jazz.

"The Essential Billy Joel," a double CD of his greatest hits, hit the stores at the beginning of October.

Everyone's favorite "Piano Men," Elton John and Billy Joel, are at it again. The two have booked four more "Face 2 Face" shows for early next year, with more expected.

So far, the dates include January 13th, 2002 at Washington, DC's MCI Center, January 22nd, 2002 at Boston's Fleet Center, February 4th, 2002 at Hartford's Hartford Civic Center, and February 13th, 2002 at Philadelphia's First Union Center.

Tickets go on sale Saturday (November 17th, 2001) via Ticketmaster outlets, according to the ticketing service's official web-site. The top-price, better seats will go on sale to members of John's Rocket club Thursday (November 15th, 2001) at his official web-site, www.EltonJohn.com.

John and Joel hit the road on the first "Face 2 Face" tour in January and February of this year. John is currently on a solo tour in support of "Songs From the West Coast." This trek wraps up on December 13th, 2001 at the Silver Lining benefit show in Silver Lake, California, which also features Sting, Daniel Lanois, Robert Downey Jr. (who appears in the video for John's "I Want Love" single), and others.

It's always been so easy to sing along to Billy Joel's music. But not anymore. His new songs don't have any lyrics.

Some people laughed when the "Piano Man" announced that he was
doing a classical album. They laughed even harder when he announced that he wouldn't actually play on the album himself - he'd hired a young classical pianist named Richard Joo to do it for him. But the joke is on them. "Fantasies & Delusions" has hit #1 on the
classical music charts.

Joel, 52, told ABC News Radio that he likes the fact that his classical music, for the most part, doesn't have lyrics. It lets the listeners decide for themselves what the songs are about.

"The power of music is that it's in the mind of the listener to create," Joel says. "You're actually taking it wherever you want to take it."

Videos of the Mind

For many of Joel's fans, just hearing such hits as "Uptown Girl" brings them back to the famous video of him as a mechanic, singing to ex-wife Christie Brinkley. Now such imagery is going to be left to listeners, and that's the way he wants it.

"You're not being so literal," he says. "You're being abstract. However, you are creating an emotional context and listeners can make up their own story and apply it to their own lives."

As much as he's known as a pop songwriting machine, this inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame counts Beethoven and Mozart among his biggest influences, ranking them up there with the Beatles.

As a kid, he even tried his hand at classical composing, to get out of practicing piano.

"My mother would say, 'You stay in that room, play the piano, and you ain't getting out of that room until you put in your hour!" Joel told the Associated Press. "I had to fool my mother, who had a good ear....[So] I just made up my own Mozart."

After selling more than 100 million albums in the pop world, his turn to classical music was fraught with danger. "I had people who looked and went, 'What? You want to go from selling millions of albums to what, hundreds of albums?' I said, 'Well, it's going to happen anyway probably," he said.

Sales are still modest, compared to some of his other releases. So far, the album has sold more than 43,000 copies, according to SoundScan, which tracks record sales. But Joel says he's more than pleased.

Joel's music - both pop and classical - could soon be fodder for modern dance. Choreographer Twyla Tharp is using his songs as a basis for a play that he'd like to see on Broadway.

Joel tells the Associated Press that he's not involved with the project, said he was moved by the performance, even though he has some reservations. "I thought," he said. "'Do I just like it because it's my stuff?'"

In 1975, Billy Joel flew home to New York after three years of living the itinerant rock and roll life in Los Angeles. Desperately homesick, he rushed off the plane and grabbed a Greyhound bus into Manhattan, his emotions swelling the closer he got to the city. "I’m a New Yorker, and it’s indelibly imprinted on my soul that this is where I’m from and where I should be," he says. When he got home he ran straight to the piano and within 30 minutes had written "New York State of Mind," which he calls "a celebration of a homecoming."

His latest musical endeavors are of a different genre. His current album, "Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano," is, as of this writing, #1 on the classical music charts. It features 12 original compositions by Joel that are performed by pianist Richard Joo.

But Joel still maintains his rock and roll roots. He sang at the star-studded "America: A Tribute to
Heroes" telethon and "The Concert for New York City" that raised relief funds after the September 11th,
2001 attacks.

When Joel’s not onstage, he often cruises up the East River in one of the 38-foot Shelter Island Runabout powerboats that he designed. As he makes the trip from his home in Long Island to Manhattan, he’s still awestruck by the New York skyline, and the strength of his fellow New Yorkers. "Even after the recent atrocities, people in New York are very resilient," he says. "They’re not sissies. They go on with life, and adversity makes them even stronger."

Traditionally, the holidays are an ideal time to enjoy the spirit of the Big Apple, so here’s a perfect
weekend with Billy Joel in a "New York State of Mind."

Friday

Lodging: "My favorite hotel is "The St. Regis." It’s very much old New York. It was built for John Jacob
Astor for his friends from out of town. It’s got his stamp all over it. It’s done in a grand style, but it’s not overwhelmingly big. It’s kind of classical, very comfortable, very welcoming. A lot of the appointments and decor are European in style, but it also has that old New York feeling to it. It’s Midtown, it’s convenient, and there are a lot of great things to do in the area."

Dinner: "Right across the street from Carnegie Hall is"Fontana di Trevi." It was one of the places I was thinking of when I wrote the song "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." I used to go there from time to time and I couldn’t always get a table for dinner. Then I played Carnegie Hall back in the early ’70s and it was sold-out for like three nights. They had a big poster of me outside the hall. I went across the street to "Fontana di Trevi" and asked the maitre d’ for a table. He said, "Oh, no, no. I’m sorry, we are booked." So I said, "Do you see that poster?" He said, "Yeah." And then he looked at me and said, "Oh, my god. You know, we just happen to have a table." One surefire way to get a table in New York City is to sell-out Carnegie Hall."

Nightlife: "The St. Regis" has the great "King Cole Bar & Lounge." One time, when I was staying at "The
St. Regis," I was at the bar with Mel Gibson. We’re drinking, and there’s a piano. Mel says, "Why don’t you play some songs." So we’re singing these
standards. There were about four tourists from Kansas just sitting there watching this three-hour
performance by Billy Joel and Mel Gibson with their jaws dropped. I looked at my watch and I said, "It’s 3 o’clock. Mel, you have to help me out and call my wife" - I was married to Christie [Brinkley] - because she was going to be angry with me. He comes up to my room and says, "Don’t worry. I’ll straighten it all
out." I call her and say, "Hi, honey. I’m sorry it’s so late, but I met a special friend." Mel gets on the
phone, but she doesn’t believe it’s him for two seconds. She tells him, "Oh, you’re lying. You put [Billy] back on the phone." So he hands me the phone and says, "I don’t think she’s very happy with you." And he stumbles out of my room."

Saturday

Christmas In New York: "You’ve got to go see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It’s a touristy
thing to do, but I’m not ashamed to say that’s when I’m a tourist just like everybody else. It’s just such a heartwarming sight. I used to take my daughter to FAO Schwarz. I would be singing that dumb song "Welcome to Our World" all day long. I couldn’t shake it out of my head. When I’d take my daughter to see all the new toys, I think the kid in me got jealous that we didn’t have toys like that when I was a kid. It’s fun to see all those little children with the delight in their faces. It reminds you of seeing women shopping at
Bergdorf. You know, that same kind of gleeful delight."

Sights: "I like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Before the World Trade Center
towers were built, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in Manhattan - and is again right now. It’s such a strong, bold architectural statement. I like the Chrysler Building even more because of those art-deco eagle’s wings that make up the top of it. The Woolworth Building is also beautiful, commissioned by Frank W. Woolworth when he had his
retail empire going. It’s another one of those shiny-topped buildings. I always find those buildings
fascinating - the ones that were built early in the century. They always made the tops a crown of some sort. These buildings were meant to say, "Look at me. Look how shiny I am.""

Lunch: "There’s a great French restaurant called "La Côte Basque," which I love. I just love the decor, the wine list, the way they make fish and salad. You’ll see the ladies who lunch at "La Côte Basque." They’re
older women who shop and then go to "La Côte Basque" for lunch and just have the time of their lives. I’m a big believer in lunch. There’s something that I find very civilized about taking the middle of the day for yourself, even if it’s a business day. Have some nice wine, go back to your hotel room, take a little nap,
wake up, have a little coffee. ...You’re saying, "This part of the day is for me.""

Shopping: "Urban Archaeology" has fantastic stuff that they’ve kept from older buildings that were demolished - huge clocks and spires and vaults and cast-iron poles and lights and sconces. "Steinway Hall" is one of my favorite places. This is the high temple of all pianos. The temple of music, really. It’s a beautiful old showroom. There’s a waltz on the new album called "Steinway Hall," which I wrote there. I was walking
down 57th Street and said, "Oh, I’ve got an idea! I need a piano!" I ran into Steinway Hall and said, "Can I use one of your pianos?" They said, "Well, sure, use the one in the Rachmaninoff Room." And there I was in this room with these oil paintings of Rachmaninoff staring at me. It was a lot of pressure. But I got this waltz written and I dedicated it to Steinway Hall."

Dinner: "Da Silvano" has very good Italian food - not spaghetti and meatballs, but authentic regional Tuscan cuisine. The staff have what is considered to be a typical New York sense of humor: a combination of cracking jokes and being a little bit insulting, which a lot of people find endearing. "Fresco" is also great, especially for pizza. They grill it so that the crust is crunchy on the bottom but chewy on the top, and they don’t load it down with cheese. "Castellano" is really good, both for lunch and dinner. They have a
terrific menu, but they always have a lot of specials. The headwaiter will come to your table and reel off this list of specials that you can’t believe the guy’s memorized. He waves his hands around and makes you almost see the food. That’s kind of a music-business hangout. I’m always sure I’m going to run into somebody I know at "Coco Pazzo": writers, musicians, artists, major movers and shakers. You’re going to drop some change there. And "Bice," which started in Milan, is an indoor/outdoor restaurant with a very international clientele. A waiter named Sal Sinzieri
always takes care of me. He goes, "Do you know what you want tonight? You want to have this. You know what’s really fresh? You want that. Don’t bother with this, try that.""

Nightlife: "There are a lot of jazz clubs down in the Village, like the "Village Vanguard." A friend of mine, Wolfgang, who used to be the bartender at the "King Cole Bar" at "The St. Regis," just opened "Fuel," a bar down in the Bowery, and the place is rockin’. You know, a lot of loud rock and roll, a lot of younger people, a lot of action."

Sunday

Sunday Ritual: "I get "The New York Times" and spend the morning laying in bed reading. Then I get up, take
a stroll through Central Park, and go to "Harry Cipriani" for lunch. You need a jacket for this one, even at lunch. It’s really ridiculously expensive. But if you’re in New York, I hope you’ll shell out a couple of shekels. You’re going to get good stuff for your money."

One Great Night In New York

"One night around Christmas 20 years ago, I was doing a recording session at A&R Studios in Hell’s
Kitchen. We had just finished the session, and my producer and I decided to get some food. It was fairly late at night, and we ran into Paul Simon and Steve Martin at the restaurant. We had a little bit of wine, and then we had a little more wine. Nobody was feeling any pain. We got a brainstorm that we would go back to the studio and record a Christmas record. It must’ve been about midnight at this point. So we go back to the studio, and Paul Simon and I are singing in the background that Christmas carol "Silver Bells." We’re harmonizing, and Steve Martin starts into this soliloquy "What Christmas Means to Me," with these hysterical descriptions of the secretary sitting on the copying machine, all these very risqué scenarios. And Paul and I are just trying to keep it together. We did this maybe in one take and we had a Christmas single. Now, it was never given to a record company, but there’s a copy of it floating around somewhere. Stuff like that happens in New York. It’s a small town."

Billy Joel shares personal anecdotes and advice in a question and answer session last night during his performance in Richardson Auditorium.

"Let's start things off with a song!" And with a flourish of notes, Billy Joel opened "An Evening of Questions, Answers and a Little Music" to a sold-out Richardson Auditorium. As the notes of "Summer, Highland Falls" swept over the crowd, students and older listeners alike erupted with applause.

What followed was a three hour lecture-concert sponsored by the USG. Joel stood center-stage at a microphone, like a lecturer - or a comedian - and fielded questions from the audience. He peppered his answers with stories of his own life, tips on making it in the music business and, of course, a few songs. Classical pianist Richard Joo performed selections from Joel's recently released classical music project, "Fantasies & Delusions," as well.

Joel made sure the audience knew the true nature of the event up front. "Let's not have any illusions here - this is not a concert. I hope you will all pick my brain. For any here interested in recording, playing, writing, being a rock star or not getting ripped off, this is for you," he said.

Throughout the evening, Joel poured out a steady stream of memories and lessons, all with an honest demeanor. He touched nostalgically on tales of working on clam boats, living in Los Angeles and even discussed his two divorces and his political views.

When asked about his personality, Joel chuckled coyly. "Well," he joked, pointing at his bald spot, "I was never a very outgoing guy, and I was never a movie star. Look at my hair! I always hated my hair, and so my hair left!"

Questions ranged from the easy, - "Was 'The Longest Time" influenced by a capella and barbershop music?" - to the more penetrating - "Are you really the shy guy you claim to be underneath all that music?" and "Which of your songs would be best for me to hook up to?"

Joel was all too willing to interact with the audience, telling his story and hoping to educate in the process - in response to the last question, he suggested Led Zeppelin "IV." Joel was not all laughs. While he took time to puzzle out the strange letters on the exit signs in Richardson and to imitate an endless barrage of foreign and local accents, he also taught a lesson in music.

At one point, he gave a lengthy history of the French Revolution and how it influenced Beethoven to write his passionate "Eroica Symphony." And in one of the most touching moments of the night, Joel played "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" in reflection on the World Trade Center attacks.

"What impressed me was the way in which you could hear Billy Joel in there, along with all the American and European Classical influences," Tim Skerpon said. "He showed what it was to be a musician."

But the audience's favorite moments came when Joel played alone, seated in his black suit behind the nine-foot grand piano. He did renditions of "New York State of Mind," "She's Always a Woman," "And So it Goes" and a reggae rendition of "Only the Good Die Young."

In the midst of one of his stories about his musical influences, he began to play excerpts from Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen, each time mimicking their voices with a humorous grin.

The show culminated with Joel strapping on a harmonica and singing a much-awaited rendition of "Piano Man."

Last night's concert marked Joel's third visit to Princeton. He performed at McCarter Theatre in 1994 and was also in Princeton early last spring to record parts of "Fantasies & Delusions" in Richardson Auditorium.

According to Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne, hundreds of colleges vie for the honor of hosting Joel each year, but only a few dozen are selected. Dunne said Joel had a particular interest in playing for Princeton students.

Joel began performing in this concert-lecture format in 1996 as a way to reach younger listeners and to raise money for a performing arts scholarship at City College in New York.

As the night drew to a close, Joel shared his final thoughts on the music life.

"It's a crazy, silly life, really," he said. "But we're all crazy! Who's sane? We're all kind of nutty, but I became a rock star because I wanted to play music, and its a great way to communicate."

Billy Joel does a terrific Hitler. His Al Pacino isn't bad, his Ronald Reagan is impressive, and his Dylan is dead-on. Then there's his Little Richard, his Otis Redding, his Janis Joplin, his Lyndon Johnson, his John F. Kennedy and his Jerry Seinfeld, not to mention his Keith Richards and his Beethoven.

Who knew? The "Piano Man," it turns out, could have gone the comic-impressionist route if the music thing had flopped. At Georgetown University's Gaston Hall on Sunday night, he produced more than a dozen voices in a tirelessly hammy and surprisingly raunchy three hour - plus evening of advice, gossip, storytelling and comedy. Occasionally, he even threw in a song.

"Classical music was like the girl next door," said Joel, who spent most of the night at a microphone set at center stage and the rest seated behind a piano. "She was really sweet and had a great personality. But I had a penis."

That was Joel's brief explanation for his leap as a teen from Mozart, which he'd learned in rigid and resented lessons on Long Island, to a career in rock, which he quickly realized could captivate women. That included one Virginia Callahan - later canonized as the chaste and housebound damsel of "Only the Good Die Young" - a high school knockout whom Joel was elated to discover staring at him during his first show, which took place in a church.

"The priest gave us each $15, which in 1964 was $15,000. You could buy a house with that money. You could start a McDonald's franchise and have money left over to go to Bermuda," Joel said. "And I thought you mean you can get paid for this? You can get paid? And Virginia Callahan will watch me? Who cares about any other job?"

A bit rounder than in his early days and now sporting a gray goatee, Joel is far goofier than you'd expect and hyper-energetic for 52. He'd come, he announced, to promote his new album of classical compositions for solo piano, "Fantasies & Delusions," which is #1 on Billboard magazine's classical charts, as he repeatedly reminded the audience. And he hoped to answer a few questions, though he urged the crowd to lean toward the technical and away from the lurid.

"Hopefully, the questions will be more academic than doing this in a public setting where you get more fan-oriented questions," he said, then switched to his whiny-fan voice. "What happened to you and Christie?" "Are you and Elton gay together?"

The students obliged, though Joel is so given to antic digressions, impersonations and silly asides that fewer than a dozen questions were asked in more than 210 minutes of show. ("In a million words or less," quipped one student after posing his question.) Joel diagnosed the ills of the music business ("it got so big it sucks"), narrated the history of rock, and expressed his amazement at the French, who inexplicably fell hard for "Honesty," a tune from 1978's "52nd Street" album that he denounced as cheap and cheesy. He also played half a dozen of his borderline kitsch classics, including "New York State of Mind," "Piano Man," "And So It Goes" and "Only the Good Die Young."

He talked, sang and mugged for so long that you couldn't avoid the impression he's got free time to spare.

"I just figured out how to turn on my daughter's computer and get on Yahoo! and look up porn stars," he said at one point, giving a too-vivid sense of his leisuredom. "Sylvia Saint. I thought she was kind of cute."

Performing duties were shared with Richard Joo, the master pianist who performs all the songs on "Fantasies & Delusions," a collection that Joel said is too intricate for his own hands. Joo was a dignified and bone-dry foil, dressed in white tie and tails that Joel ribbingly described as a "Count Dracula getup." Asked to perform a 59-second song so Joel could hit the men's room, Joo deadpanned, "Maybe I'll play faster."

The turnout alone seemed surprising. Though still touring as a pop performer - in January he'll play two nights at MCI Center with Elton John - Joel hasn't had a hit in a few years, and has said he won't record pop anymore. Furthermore, the classical charts aren't closely followed by college crowds. But some in this capacity audience had actually slept near the Georgetown ticket office overnight to ensure one of Gaston's 700 seats, each of which went for $25. Joel has yet to achieve the retro chic of elders like Tony Bennett, but he is a living rebuke to the notion that kids today flock exclusively to music their parents have rejected.

"My dad is a huge fan, but I'm not," explained Kristin Krikorian, who was beaming happily after the show. "I figured that for $25, I should just take the chance."

He's been visiting universities to answer questions and play selections from his new classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions."

Students ask more technical questions than the typical fan, Joel told AP Radio, and he likes that.

"I usually get asked about the project at hand or hit records but not about the job. There's a lot of job to it," Joel, 52, said. "I could have used the information when I was starting out and there was nobody to ask."

Joel, whose pop hits include "Uptown Girl" and "Only the Good Die Young," says he also likes technical questions "because I don't have the answer in my index-card file. I've really got to think."

"Fantasies & Delusions" features pianist Richard Joo performing 12 of Joel's Romantic-era opuses.

Why didn't the Grammy-winning rocker play the music himself?

"Composers don't necessarily play their own work," said Joel, adding: "It's the idea that's the hard part."