To this day, you vividly remember that Sunday evening twenty years ago. You were out to dinner when your Motorola RAZR V3 rang. You politely excused yourself and answered, only to be greeted by your neighbor Cheryl breathlessly exclaiming āSomebody crashed his car into your house, and I swear to God itās Billy Joel!ā You dropped the phone and ran out of the restaurant, leaving your friends behind as you sped through the streets back to Bayville. You got there in record time, but sonofabitch! The unofficial God of Boomer Rock had already left the scene, leaving you to deal with countless lawyers over the next several months as you tried to patch up the foundation damage (and subsequent drainage issues) resulting from his reckless little late-April stroll.
And what are you going to do, get mad? Fuck no. Youāre going to get prepared. We all know lightning can strike twice, so The Hard Times is going to ensure youāre ready when Mr. Long Island decides to give your domicile another kiss on the cheek with his 1967 Citroen. After all, the dude might be a shitty driver, but goddamn is he a great performer. So shell out the dough to get that old Steinway tuned and park your ass by the window, as we give you a guide with 10 songs spanning Billyās esteemed career (that for the love of Christ does NOT include āWe Didnāt Start the Fireā) you can request he play for you the next time he drives his car into your house.
10. Temptation
Alright, letās get things started! You want to begin with a song that eases you into the night while also building excitement and matching the energy of a freshly demolished living room, and we canāt think of a better opener than 1986ās āTemptation.ā So settle in and enjoy this private show courtesy of a very reluctant, uncomfortable, and visibly drunk performer. Isnāt this great?
9. Summer, Highland Falls
This one might be a toughie for ole Billy. He hasnāt played it in a while and those arpeggios are quick. Not to mention he may still be cold and shaken up from the crash just having occurred outside. These are his problems, though. Youāve earned this concert, and you are fully entitled to this song if itās what you want to hear. Go ahead and look up the sheet music if he requests it, but donāt go caving in to all of his demands. This is your night, after all.
8. The Downeaster āAlexaā
You might not possess all the resources Billy needs to perform his iconic ode to the plight of the Long Island fisherman, but whatever. This aināt Madison Square Garden, so he can cope with the absence of his accordion for one goddamn set. Fuck it, you donāt even need to know barre chords to play this on guitar, so grab your old acoustic off the wall and join in with him. Artists love when their fans impulsively do stuff like that.
7. Stop in Nevada
This is going great! At this stage in his career, heās just got to be sick of the idiot fan who constantly shouts āPiano Manā during his shows, so youāre definitely a step ahead of that guy. You had to have impressed him with this request, and there will definitely be an appraising nod thrown in with his constant furtive glances at the door. Looks like someone will become his new number-one fan!
6. Los Angelenos
The initial wave of adrenaline from having Billy Joel in your house will likely start to fade by this point, and youāll start to realize that heās actually kind of banged up from that wreck. Heāll have definitely earned himself a glass of water (and any bandages he may need) during this song. Best to err on the side of caution and make sure youāve locked the door while youāre up, though. Weād hate for the concert to get cut short.
5. Sleeping With the Television On
This song is a personal favorite of ours, and definitely has more of an upbeat tone than the last couple, which is good because heāll definitely have had enough. Itās impossible to not tap your toe to this one, though, so weāre hoping itāll be an energy boost for him.
4. Rosalindaās Eyes
This song is absolutely gorgeous, and frankly, weāve been surprised that it was never a huge hit ever since we first heard it on an episode of āFreaks and Geeksā 25 years ago. Weād love to hear whatever backstory may have inspired the lyrics, but Billy may be more interested in getting out of the house and having his wounds tended to, which is a fine preoccupation so long as it doesnāt affect his performance.
3. Surprises
Weāll take it easy for these last few songs, because Billy definitely will be ready to rest. Let him slow the pace down a bit and do his best Paul McCartney impersonation with 1982ās āSurprises.ā We predict that heāll be absolutely nailing it despite being out of practice and in a completely new and frightening environment. What a pro!
2. Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)
You can tell him this is the last song, so heāll really be pouring his heart, soul, and maybe even some actual blood into it (depending on the severity of the accident that brought him here.) The heartfelt lyrics he wrote for his daughter should bring a tear to your eye, which may increase the resentment heāll have felt for you since you convinced him to play these songs. Oh well, he can tough it out for a few more minutes.
1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
We know this is an Elton John song, but you really like it, and he crashed his car into your house, for fuckās sake! If he wanted to avail himself of the privilege of picking and choosing the songs he plays live, he wouldāve brushed up on his driving skills before setting out. Remind him that he can for sure leave after this and enjoy the unique rendition. We sincerely doubt heāll be open to any encore requests, so bravo, Mr. Joel! Bravo!

Known colloquially as āStevieās mom,ā Kitty is an overbearing control freak and, when pushed to it, an absolute explosive asshole. She would keep everyone in line, but at what cost?
Craig is exactly the worst kind of nerd. Inviting this dick into your punk house is a fast track to him throwing away half of your record collection because theyāre the wrong pressing.
Though eyepatches and hook hands are pretty commonplace in punk house living situations, this dude is basically a cop, so don’t even bother opening the door for him.
Ida is a horrible, racist sociopath – and while being a sociopath doesnāt exclude someone from being a punk house roommate out of hand, being a racist piece of shit surely does at that.
Herkabe is the kind of nerd whose behavior actually makes you empathize with bullies. We donāt know which wedgie is the one who finally drove this manipulative bitch over the edge, but weāre confident in saying that even then he definitely deserved it.
Loisās explosive temper and utter pettiness would be one thing if any of it was actually effective. But after years of screaming demands and doling out corporal punishments her household is still an unlivable hell.
Lavernia barely edges out Lois because at least her brand of unnecessary cruelty gets results. She runs a hell of an Alaskan company store, but certainly not one weād ever want to live in.
We only ever see enough of these characters to know that theyāre manipulative, irresponsible jerks. But still, youād probably be able to have some fun doing each other’s nails together before having to kick them out for fucking your boyfriend with the door open for the thousandth time this week.
Like a lot of these assholes towards the bottom of the list, Piama has some serious anger problems. What she has in her corner though is a pretty consistent track record of trying to make things work out for the best – just when they donāt work out, hide the power tools and make sure she doesnāt change the WiFi password on you.
This fucking frat boy is gonna talk a big game and then immediately fall to shit when the slightest bit of adversity heads his way. Considering that any punk house living situation is wall to wall adversity, let him buy a keg or two for the party and then kick his whiny ass to the curb.
Heās a dumbass, heās a bully, and that early 2000s gelled hairdo makes his head look like stale paintbrush. He may be alright for a laugh or two at first, but there are only so many belching contests you can have in one afternoon before the charm is lost entirely. For all his bullying, the man cannot make anyone pay rent.
This fucker is secretly a jock in nerdās clothing. Would be barred from entering a basement show. Pass!
This fucker is secretly a goth – otherwise known as the jocks of the undercrust. Would kill the vibe of a basement show. Pass!
Abe has a good heart, and in general seems like a pretty fun dude. But when the chips are down, we donāt trust him not to call the cops because someone accidentally put their leftover mozzarella sticks on his designated corner of the fridge.
We donāt know much about Finley except that heās in military school and is kind of a wuss. Still, an affable goon who blends into the background is fine to live with as long as he pays his share of the rent on time.