Some 400 scholars and fans convened to discuss 30 papers written about Billy Joel by academics from around the world, the New York Times reported. Who says nothing ever happens in Colorado Springs?
Joel himself was "not really quite sure what to make of it," he told NYT, but he was intrigued. Some of the presenters seemed to know his music better than he did, which is a bit intimidating for a guy who didn't graduate high school, he said.
A few of the Times' favorite lecture titles:
- “Billy Joel and the Language of Pecuniary Aspiration”
- “The Gendered and Physical Embodiment of Interpreting Billy Joel in American Sign Language”
- “Jesus and Billy Joel: A Musicotheology"
I would like to imagine there was an entire lecture devoted to figuring out who actually started the fire. If you need more Joelology, the Times has you covered.
