Truly, I could draw you the best fishing routes off the coast of Long Island before I even set foot in New York (thank you, “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’”). I was introduced to the complexities of dating beyond your station without the help of Jane Austen (“Uptown Girl,” indeed). I still sprint to see Bizet’s Carmen because it reminds me of “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.” And the first drink I ever ordered in a bar was a gin and tonic (though not a tonic and gin, as I’d first heard it in “Piano Man”).

…But until last week at Madison Square Garden, I’d never seen Billy Joel perform live—even though I’ve come to realize that he is the longest-running nonfamilial relationship of my life.

Read more at Entertainment Weekly.

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