Jimmy Webb talks about his Long Island Glen Campbell show, his pal Billy Joel, more

Jimmy Webb has fond memories of being a teenager in Oklahoma and that magic moment when he first heard Glen Campbell sing.

"I was out in the middle of the wheat field on the tractor and I had my transistor radio and I heard a record by Glen Campbell called 'Turn Around, Look at Me.' I said 'This guy’s great. I want to write songs for this guy,' ” said the singer-songwriter who now calls Nassau County's North Shore home.

Roughly nine years later, Webb got his wish. Not only did he pen several hits for Campbell ("By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Galveston," "Wichita Lineman"), but they became the best of buddies, a friendship that lasted until Campbell's death in 2017. "Jimmy Webb: The Glen Campbell Years," which happens Feb. 4 at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, is a celebration of their relationship.

Webb, 77, recently spoke to Newsday about Campbell; arguably his most popular song, "MacArthur Park"; and another of his pals, Long Island's own Billy Joel.

What can audiences expect when they come to "The Glen Campbell Years?"

I’m going to be doing tributes to Glen. My wife [Massapequa-raised Laura Savini], who has been producing music shows at PBS for decades, said "Why don’t we put up a big screen and get the movies that you took together of Glen in the studio and all the photographs and tapes? We can do some technological things so that it’s actually possible for you to do a duet with Glen on stage." She’s so talented and bright that it actually turned out to be a very entertaining evening. There are my personal experiences, the records that were hits, the jokes that he loved. It was a life that was bigger than scale.

Is it true that "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was originally written for Paul Petersen of "The Donna Reed Show?"

Absolutely. I was at Motown, one of my first gigs in Hollywood. I was a contract writer there. They were trying to branch out into different areas and they signed some white artists and one of them was Paul Petersen. They also had Tony Martin, who was well known from some MGM musicals he made. I wrote the song for Paul Petersen, and I guess he didn’t like it, so then we went in and cut it with Tony Martin and they never got around to releasing that.

How did Glen get the song?

When I left Motown, they gave me all those songs I wrote — “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Up, Up and Away.” … When I moved over to Johnny Rivers Music, I took all of those songs with me. The first song Johnny cut was “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” He felt that if Glen had the right song, he’d be a huge artist. Johnny  invited Glen to his house to listen to his test recording of his album “Changes.” And on that album was “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Glen heard it and said, “I don’t really get it. Why are you playing this song?” And Johnny said, “Well, Glen, you can only have one hit at a time," and Johnny was riding on a single “The Poor Side of Town.” He was doing really well. It was very generous of him to give Glen the song.

"MacArthur Park" is one of my favorite songs, but I promise, I won't ask about the cake in the rain or "the sweet green icing flowing down."

It's all right. I would say that there’s been a whole lot of controversy over that lyric. There’s just been a lot of chatter and static about what the hell does the cake out in the rain mean. Over time I’ve figured out a way to explain to people that there’s nothing in the song that I did not see with my own eyes. … It should be obvious to most people that it’s about loss. Love lost and dissolution of a dream so to speak.

Billy Joel gave you a shoutout at his New Year's Eve show at UBS Arena and played "Wichita Lineman." What was that moment like?

Billy and I have known each other for 30 years. I’ve always been a staunch admirer of his ability as a composer. To me he’s a real composer like Aaron Copland. That’s how I felt before I knew him, and after I got to know him, I realized he was a real nice guy as well. When I did my duets album in Nashville about 10 years ago, he came in and sang “Wichita Lineman” with me. He really loves that tune. So it’s not the first time he’s ever played it. People call me and say “Billy was in Kansas last night and he played ‘Wichita Lineman.’ ” I laugh because I know that’s just him being a pal.

Is there anyone performing today for whom you'd like to write a song?

There are a lot of them. … There was a time when I said, I’m the guy to write songs for Taylor Swift, but Taylor Swift seems to be doing all right.