Go to YouTube and type in “Billy Joel, Vanderbilt University.”
You'll probably find a video where Billy Joel is at Vanderbilt University giving a talk to the students. When it came time for questions and answers, they handed the microphone to a freshman in the crowd named Michael Pollack.
The youngster asked, “My favorite song of yours is 'New York State of Mind.' Can I play piano while you sing?”
Billy Joel was a bit shocked, but he said, “Okay.”
So, the kid got up on stage, and Billy asked, “What key do you play it in?”
“Any key you want,” said Michael.
You can tell Billy is a little nervous. But Michael isn't, even though he was playing in front his peers, ones that he'd have to see for the next four years.
"Play it in C," said Billy.
Imagine if Pollack screwed this up…
But he didn't. Michael Pollack crushed.
After the song, Billy Joel said to the crowd, "That's Michael Pollack. Remember that name. Nice goin' Michael. The guy's got chops … Good luck to you Michael, I think you're going to do fine."
Later a reporter asked Michael, “What has happened in your life as a result of that YouTube video?”
“I want to be a singer-songwriter and performer when I graduate from college, and everybody in the music industry either knows me by name or all I have to do is say 'Billy Joel Vanderbilt University' and they know what I’m referring to.”
This put Michael Pollack on the map.
As always,
Brian
P.S. – Now 30 years old, Pollack has written and produced dozens of pop songs. On the map? He's practically the cartographer now.
If you're looking to get on the map and have something to say to the public, our new print magazine, The Los Gatos Review, has its next issue coming out this fall. We're still looking for a few more contributors.
If magazine writing strikes your fancy, maybe we can put you on the map. For submission guidelines:
To buy the digital trial version and get an idea about what we're up to, go to:
Here's the link to the Billy Joel video at Vanderbilt if you weren't sure if this was a tale of fiction or not...
