Barry Manilow poses for photographs with members of valley school bands following the announcement of a $500,000 donation of instruments and musical supplies to 20 Coachella Valley schools Monday,September 29, 2008 at Palm Springs High School. / Michael Snyder,The Desert Sun
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I must confess I have Billy Joel's entire catalog of CDs and vinyl LPs. As a high school kid in Ohio in the 1980s, I loved his songs and lyrics, especially his older stuff.
I was honored to get invited to his February opening-night gig at the sparkling The Show at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa.
Tribal chairman Richard Milanovich and the entire Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have every reason to be proud of the facility.
And, hey, even though the soon-to-be-60-year-old Joel's voice wasn't as strong as I remembered from earlier concerts, he still sounded good.
So, I was a bit surprised to see these quotes from Rolling Stone magazine's Web site that made their way into Saturday's edition of The Desert Sun:
“We did some stupid casino gig in Palm Springs for one of the high rollers there. These private gigs are like doing a bar mitzvah. They're not fun because they're for private audiences, not paying audiences. They're not your audience. They don't know your stuff. They're there just to say they were there.
“I feel like a slut when I do them, but you get paid like a really good call girl. When I walk offstage, it's like the walk of shame.”
Gosh, Billy, even though it's been more than a decade since you last topped the pop charts, I thought The Show's audience offered a healthy dose of appreciation for your concert and music that night.
They sang, danced and even laughed at your self-deprecating jokes.
But no one wants you to feel like a call girl. Here's a suggestion: If you're so ashamed for taking the Tribe's money that night, why not return it?
Better yet, take a page from the songbook of Palm Springs' Barry Manilow. Through his Manilow Music Project charitable foundation, he's donated tens of thousands of dollars to valley schools that have lost music programs and instruments because of tight education budgets.
Manilow has given back.
Sure sounds like the “Piano Man,” however, has taken the money and run — and is now complaining about it.
The way I see it, that's hypocrisy.
What do you think? Drop me an e-mail or share your thoughts at mydesert.com/letters.
