John Mayer is launching a new interview series, “How’s Life” on “Life with John Mayer” on SiriusXM, and he’s kicking it off in style. Mayer will speak with some of the biggest names in the music industry for the first time in the series, which includes an in-depth interview with Billy Joel, set to air Thursday (November 28) at ET Premieres at 8 p.m.
Joel, 75, spoke with Mayer not only about some of his career highlights and biggest hits, but also about never-before-heard songs from his archives.
In a preview clip (see below), Mayer talks songwriting with Joel, and Piano Man answers the host’s probing question about where songwriters go when they stop writing new songs; In February, Joel released his 17-year-old ’s first new song “Turn the Lights Back On”.
“Where are the writers… When you listen to new music, are the writers present? Are you listening as a writer?” Mayer asked Joel. “You say, ‘Oh, are you going to put a minor fourth in there? Are you really going to put a minor fourth chord? Do you still think like a writer even if you’re not writing?
“Yeah, he’ll never go away,” Joel said. “The writer thing is a curse that stays with you all your life. When I’m listening to material or listening to other people’s songs, the writer is always working. ‘Okay, I’ll do that. ” Or, “Why is he playing that chord?” ” and keep trying to improve what you do.
Joel describes how as a young writer you don’t over-edit yourself, but as you mature you get better and better at it until you become so adept that “you become good enough, So that nothing is good enough”.
Mayer’s biggest question was whether Joel ever wrote lyrics or lyrical ideas on his phone, especially for fans who kept praying to the pop gods that Joel would recreate a song suitable for radio stations. “I never write lyrics until I actually write a song,” Joel said. “I always start with the music.” The one exception? His 1989 course, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” was lengthy.
Mayer will be on the air all day on Thanksgiving, starting at 2 p.m. ET, when he’ll start taking calla lilies and playing music before chatting with Joel. Guests on future shows include Shawn Mendes and Maren Morris. Mayer’s year-round SiriusXM channel Life With John Mayer can be found in Chapter 1. 14. Or anytime through the SiriusXM app.
Watch a preview of “How’s Life” featuring Billy Joel below.
