UNREST’S MARK ROBINSON REVEALS THE FULL STORY BEHIND BILLY JOEL'S DISCOGRAPHY (PART 1: COLD SPRING HARBOR) (Ep. 234)

Discograffiti is the deep-dive podcast for music obsessives. In this episode, host Dave Gebroe talks with the epitome of DIY punk spirit (who can also write a pop hook like the best of ‘em), the great Mark Robinson (of Unrest, Grenadine, Air Miami, Flint Flon, Uncomfortable Police, et al), and together they discuss Billy Joel’s entire recorded output with commentary, stories, and star ratings for every release. If you’re a long-time listener, then you know that Dave has harbored a long-time hatred of Billy Joel…so why the sudden turnaround in taste? Discograffiti’s Mark Robinson Tackles Billy Joel (But Only Metaphorically) Series dissects every last release Billy Joel’s ever had a hand in creating. Part 1 tackles his turmoil-ridden ancient history, including early bands The Hassles and Attila, plus his debut LP, Cold Spring Harbor.

Here are just a few of the many things that Mark discusses with Discograffiti in this podcast:

• Dave’s complete revolution in taste from abject hatred of anything Billy Joel-related to discovering to his shock that he actually likes him;
• How first wife Elizabeth’s glue-sniffing brother’s crazed antics gave Billy his initial big break in first band The Hassles;
• How The Hassles metamorphosed into Billy’s sole foray into Zeppelin-inspired head-banging with his duo Attila;
• An overview of his early days struggling with depression, which culminated in Billy attempting suicide twice in a row;
• How that experience turned his life around and led to his career finally taking off;
• And an in-depth deep dive on the early Hassles records, plus every song off Attila and his debut Cold Spring Harbor.

Listen: linktr.ee/discograffiti

I support a wife and a six-year-old son with Discograffiti as my sole source of income.

If you’re a Mark Robinson & Billy Joel superfan like me, The Director’s Cut of this episode is ad-free and features 12 additional minutes of essential material. Support Discograffiti by opting for this clearly superior version.

Either subscribe to Discograffiti’s Patreon at the Lieutenant or Major Tier, or just grab the episode as a one-off at the same link.

The Director’s Cut: Patreon.com/Discograffiti