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Comedian Bassem Youssef, known for his sharp wit and political commentary, discovered Billy Joel’s “Pressure” in an unlikely place — midway through an episode of Amazon’s superhero satire The Boys. From the first notes, he knew he had to seek out the song for himself. On this episode of The Spark Parade, Youssef explains how he fell in love with the track once he did. Listen above, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The more Youssef dove into “Pressure,” the more he connected with its energetic synth-rock vibe, soaring melodies, and themes of dealing with stress. “[I had] the pressure of touring and the pressure of the Piers Morgan show and the exposure again, and I found out that all my life I’ve been living that kind of pressure,” the comedian says. “So, I kind of decided to make it the theme song, my walk-on music on stage — and maybe it’s the theme song of my life.”
Listen to Bassem Youssef dive into Billy Joel’s “Pressure” above or on your preferred podcast provider. Also, make sure to follow and review to support The Spark Parade, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.
Host Adam Unze (The Opus) explores creativity in all its forms on The Spark Parade by asking musicians, artists, comedians, and other creators to share the single cultural work that has most inspired them. Whether it comes from the world of music, film, comedy, visual art, or literature, we all have something that sparks our own creative desires. On The Spark Parade, guests reveal the single piece of art that ignites within them to fire of creation.