It's still rock 'n' roll to himLegendary songwriter Bill Joel hasn't been too keen on bringing his catalog of hits to
music gamers, but The Piano Man has changed his tune.
And we can all thank a TV sitcom -- and media mag Entertainment Weekly -- for that. The bizarre turn ofevents began with an EW review of an episode of NBC's 'The Office' in which Jim and Pam briefly discuss the fictional game Rock Band: Billy Joel.
"The critic wrote something like, 'God forbid that ever should happen,' Joel told USA
Today. "So I called my people and said, 'Get me (on) that Rock
Band game.' Then I wrote the critic, saying that every time I get
a check, I'll give him a little nod."
And what Billy Joel wants, Billy Joel gets. Today MTV
confirmed that a collection of Joel's greatest hits will be made
available as downloadable content for Rock Band 3, including classics like
"Big Shot," "Captain Jack," "It's Still Rock N Roll to
Me," "Movin' Out," "Only The Good Die Young,"
"Piano Man," "Pressure," "Say Goodbye to
Hollywood," "The Entertainer," and "The Stranger."
While his decision to put his music in a game was born out of somewhat playful spite, on paper his piano-driven tunes are the perfect match for Rock Band 3 (releasing 10/26 for
the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii), which features a brand new keyboard peripheral and
a mode that teaches players how to play real instruments.
EW writer Darren Franich, however, refutes at least one of Joel's points.
"I have never received any mail, email, or text messages from Mr. Joel," Franich contends.
"He has not posted on my Facebook wall. He has not @ed me on Twitter. I'm
pretty sure I'd remember if one of the most successful musicians of the era
wrote me a spiteful note...Therefore, I have no choice but to declare Shenanigans."
Still, he's pretty stoked that Joel even brought him up.
"I'm absolutely tickled to hear that he will think of me every time his Rock
Band 3 royalty check arrives."