“I Never Met John, Which Is Kind of Sad”: Why Billy Joel Shied Away From Meeting John Lennon Despite Being Neighbors

When it comes to famous musicians from New York City, Billy Joel is unarguably the most staunch and steadfast New Yorker there is. You could say Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett, but there is something about Billy Joel and his music that just embodies the bustling streets and sleepless city of New York. Another musician who is synonymous with the city is, of course, John Lennon.

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Matter of fact, after Lennon broke up with The Beatles in 1969 and moved to New York in 1971, his neighbor of sorts was none other than Mr. New York himself, Billy Joel. Which for Joel was an incredible coincidence, incredible given the fact that he was a devout Beatles fan.

Regarding his Beatles fandom, Joel told BBC Radio 2, “The Beatles built a sense of community, which I haven’t felt for a long time.” Furthermore, Joel also thanked The Beatles and their iconic Ed Sullivan Show performance for motivating him to pursue music as a career, as stated, “Up to that moment, I’d never considered playing rock as a career” and “This is what I’m going to do – play in a rock band,” per CBS. With all that in mind, Billy Joel had the opportunity to make a childhood dream come true, and that was to rub shoulders, shake hands, and meet his sort of neighbor, John Lennon.

Why Billy Joel Never Tried to Meet John Lennon

It is unclear where Billy Joel lived during Lennon’s stint in NYC, however, given that Lennon famously lived in both Soho and in The Dakota, it’s fair to assume that Joel was in the general proximity of one of those two places. However, despite the lack of distance between them, Joel never tried to meet Lennon. Actually, he shied away from the opportunity.

In his interview with BBC Radio 2, Joel stated, “I never met John, which is kind of sad because we lived near each other” and “I used to drive my boat by his house, and I’d say, ‘There’s John’s house, but I’m not gonna bother the guy; I’m sure he gets bothered all the time!’” “He used to do the same thing with me. So, we never bothered each other, which we should’ve done, actually.”

Per Joel’s comment, this was a missed opportunity, to say the least. If they did meet, who knows exactly what would have transpired, but whatever it was surely would have been memorable and very impactful for New York’s biggest mascot, Billy Joel.

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