Andrew Cuomo and Billy Joel: Breaking down the bromance

Gov. Andrew Cuomo keeps losing friends on Long Island. Dean Skelos cooperated with Cuomo on same-sex marriage and gun control, but a corruption scandal knocked the former state Senate majority leader out of office. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano was another reliable Republican ally until he too was hit with corruption allegations. And it’s an open question how long state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan’s collaboration with Cuomo can last, considering the growing criticism of the GOP’s partnership with the Independent Democratic Conference.

But for the longest time, Cuomo has cultivated a bromance with another native Long Islander: Billy Joel. They’ve ridden motorcycles together on the anniversary of Sept. 11 and to publicize the battle against breast cancer. Joel named Cuomo as godfather to his daughter. Cuomo put Joel’s songs on his Spotify playlist. And in a memorable feature in Beach magazine, Joel was interviewed by the governor himself.

Here’s a rundown of the similarities and differences between the two men.

AGE

Andrew Cuomo: 59
Billy Joel: 68

BORN

AC: Queens    
BJ: Bronx

RAISED

AC: Queens     
BJ: Hicksville

BACKGROUND

AC: Italian     
BJ: Jewish

BREAKTHROUGH

AC: Named HUD secretary in 1997
BJ: Releases “The Stranger” in 1977 

POPULARITY  

AC: Won 63 percent of the vote in the 2010 gubernatorial race  
BJ: Is the sixth-highest-selling musical artist

TRAVEL

AC: Has considered potential trips to Canada, Mexico, Italy and China
BJ: Upcoming concerts in Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Boston