Billy Joel: brilliant musician and dumb-ass citizen.

Or just ignorant.

We (meaning the public in general) have a bad habit of investing famous people with an assumption of knowledge and understanding that there’s no particular reason to expect them to have. That’s true of musicians and actors. Being brilliant at music or acting or sculpting doesn’t imply anything at all, either way, about understanding of current events or politics or public affairs.

Ditto scientific talent. Being a brilliant physicist or medical doctor or inventor says nothing whatever about one’s political knowledge. One can be a Noble Laureate in physics and still clueless outside a lab. (Which is in fact relatively common, since it takes so much time and effort to become a physicist or a medical doctor or a concert pianist or whatever.)

Of course, it’s equally true that there’s nothing preventing such people from being well-informed and insightful on public affairs, either. But there’s no inherent reason to expect it.

I remember years ago when one of the popular science magazines interviewed a bunch of well-known scientific minds for their opinions on public affairs. Reading their comments drove home the fact that the stereotype of the genius who is clueless about practical matters may be insulting and simplistic, but it’s also often true.

“CIA Russia report leader still embraces Steele dossier, says Trump a ‘dictator’ and MAGA ‘Nazis’”—
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/dictator-trump-maga-nazis-2016-intel-report-team-leader-still-says

https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2025/07/breaking-now-2-shot-including-police.html

There’s been a shooting in mid-town Manhattan. 6 shot. Gunman kills himself on the 33rd floor of 345 Park Ave. The media says that the NFL and Blackstone are housed in that building, but the only thing I can confirm about the 33rd floor is that a company named POA Solutions is or was located there. A company focused on digital business solutions for communication and collaboration.

President Trump should invite Joel to the White House for a private dinner with his family and explain. Even show him footage of the speech. President Trump’s Jewish daughter, son-in-law and their Jewish children should also be at the dinner. Kosher food, of course.

https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/74663.html

BREAKING: Attorney General Letitia James is suing the Trump administration in an effort to keep illegal immigrants eligible for SNAP benefits.

@GeneralMCNews