Before our feature presentation, ACME would like to start the evening with another Bugs Bunny (with Gruesome Gorilla) Looney Tunes cartoon, the 1948 Gorilla My Dreams, directed by Robert McKimson.
Look for it: A drawing of the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys can briefly be seen on the wall of the Gruesome household.
November 9, 1973 -
The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Billy Joel's second studio album, Piano Man. Piano Man proved to be the first Billy Joel album to gain any real traction on the charts, where it broke the Billboard Top 30 in 1974. His first album was released by Family Records in 1971, and the contract Joel signed to get that deal came back to haunt him. As is often the case with young musicians, Joel did not understand the contract, and it bound him "for life" to the label. Joel was forced to pay royalties to Family for years after breaking the deal and signing with Columbia. So we would like you to relax (quick, find the most comfortable seat on the sofa,) get a snack (perhaps, some popcorn,) and a beverage and join The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour in listening to Billy Joel's break though album, Piano Man.
The album and it's eponymous track was inspired by Joel's experiences playing at The Executive Room, a piano bar in Los Angeles. He worked there for six months in 1972 after his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, tanked. Billy Joel played under the name Bill Martin, which explains why the patrons in the song call him Bill. Martin is his middle name. The characters in the song are based on real people Joel encountered while working at The Executive Room. The "waitress practicing politics" is Elizabeth Weber, who ended up becoming his first wife when Joel married her in 1973 (they divorced in 1982).
Demand Euphoria!
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