The song is indeed about Billy's loathing of Hollywood and its fake people - Bobby, driving down Sunset Boulevarde just to be seen in his hot new car, which he doesn't own, just rents... and Johnny, the agent for "troubadours" (like Billy himself) who's now got his back to the door because he owes so many favours to unsavoury people... all the phonies, in other words.
And then "life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again" - he's off home to NY. And lucky for us, too, or we wouldn't have The Stranger, 52nd Street, The Nylon Curtain... or any of his other masterpieces.
I believe that the Billy Joel's time in Los Angeles coincided with the time John Lennon (famously) spent there - separated from Yoko Ono. He frequented at times, The Troubadour, on Sunset - famously being kicked out, for drunkenly heckling Tommy Smothers. The flowers sent the following day to the Troubadour by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson were accompanied by a letter of apology that reads like it's from another time entirely. It goes well with what Tom Smothers had to say on stage immediately after the incident. Brilliant and self-effacing.
National Lampoon's editor, Tony Hendra (Spinal Tap's manager) adds some...
I believe that the Billy Joel's time in Los Angeles coincided with the time John Lennon (famously) spent there - separated from Yoko Ono. He frequented at times, The Troubadour, on Sunset - famously being kicked out, for drunkenly heckling Tommy Smothers. The flowers sent the following day to the Troubadour by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson were accompanied by a letter of apology that reads like it's from another time entirely. It goes well with what Tom Smothers had to say on stage immediately after the incident. Brilliant and self-effacing.
National Lampoon's editor, Tony Hendra (Spinal Tap's manager) adds some color to that time period, based on an interview of John Lennon by Rolling Stone. In a song entitled, "Genius Is Pain", he summarizes - and dramatizes a lot of Lennon's angst.
The first time I heard it, I thought it WAS John Lennon and damn near went into shock.
As for, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood"? Brilliant.
The song is indeed about Billy's loathing of Hollywood and its fake people - Bobby, driving down Sunset Boulevarde just to be seen in his hot new car, which he doesn't own, just rents... and Johnny, the agent for "troubadours" (like Billy himself) who's now got his back to the door because he owes so many favours to unsavoury people... all the phonies, in other words.
And then "life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for goodbye again" - he's off home to NY. And lucky for us, too, or we wouldn't have The Stranger, 52nd Street, The Nylon Curtain... or any of his other masterpieces.
I believe that the Billy Joel's time in Los Angeles coincided with the time John Lennon (famously) spent there - separated from Yoko Ono. He frequented at times, The Troubadour, on Sunset - famously being kicked out, for drunkenly heckling Tommy Smothers. The flowers sent the following day to the Troubadour by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson were accompanied by a letter of apology that reads like it's from another time entirely. It goes well with what Tom Smothers had to say on stage immediately after the incident. Brilliant and self-effacing. National Lampoon's editor, Tony Hendra (Spinal Tap's manager) adds some...
I believe that the Billy Joel's time in Los Angeles coincided with the time John Lennon (famously) spent there - separated from Yoko Ono. He frequented at times, The Troubadour, on Sunset - famously being kicked out, for drunkenly heckling Tommy Smothers. The flowers sent the following day to the Troubadour by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson were accompanied by a letter of apology that reads like it's from another time entirely. It goes well with what Tom Smothers had to say on stage immediately after the incident. Brilliant and self-effacing. National Lampoon's editor, Tony Hendra (Spinal Tap's manager) adds some color to that time period, based on an interview of John Lennon by Rolling Stone. In a song entitled, "Genius Is Pain", he summarizes - and dramatizes a lot of Lennon's angst. The first time I heard it, I thought it WAS John Lennon and damn near went into shock. As for, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood"? Brilliant.