
‘He said ‘just tell the truth'': behind a revealing Billy Joel documentary
Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a two-part feature documentary premiering this week on HBO, feels like an attempt to stay true to that same basic ethos while not shying away from Joel's public and private life over the years. The five-hour project tells Joel's story, but does so by prioritizing his music, in content and in form. 'He has 121 songs in his catalog and we used over 110,' said Jessica Levin, who directed the film with Susan Lacy, describing just how many Joel tunes wound up somewhere in the movie. It's tempting to study the credits and figure out the unlucky 10 that didn't make the cut, but in effect it's all here. There are also a few non-Joel compositions in the film, but the vast majority of the music is his, including some adaptations of his melodies into subtle underscore. 'It was a goal of ours to use it as score, not just throw it in,' said Levin. 'It's a testament to the depth and breadth of his catalog that we were able to do that.'
More immediately noticeable, And So It Goes follows Joel's discography with more discipline than a lot of music docs, which tend to lose track of later-period records to focus on more personal ups and downs. This confers a sense of importance on his albums full of working-class story songs, accessible ballads and style-shifting pop. Maybe owing to Joel's mid-90s retirement from writing pop music, the film gives every album its due, while branching out from his career timeline to delve into more personal stories. Material about his heritage, for example, comes later in the film, rather at the beginning; the narrative more or less begins with him playing music as a young man.
At the same time, Joel himself is a part of the movie, despite his previous reluctance to talk about his life. He sat with Lacy for 10 interviews, with nothing off limits. 'He said: 'Just tell the truth,'' said Lacy, who has plenty of experience profiling artists as the creator of the PBS series American Masters; her past HBO projects have gone deep on Steven Spielberg and Jane Fonda. There are still some subjects where it seems like Joel must have stayed, if not mum, perhaps reluctant or uninterested. Whether or not he has resolved his longstanding problems with alcohol, for example, isn't discussed directly, and a song he released just last year, co-written with a lesser-known songwriter, goes entirely unmentioned. (His more recent health problems came after the interviews.) But there is insight through a deep dive into Joel's catalog.
'Once you've seen this film, you'll never hear Vienna the same way again,' Lacy said of the song that's become a concert favorite, and that the movie reveals as really about Joel's mostly absent father. 'I knew, no matter how many times he said it wasn't about his father, it was about his father, and I finally got him to admit it in the last interview,' Lacy said. Levin added: 'That song is kind of a sleeper hit. It was not a hit when it came out on [Joel's commercial smash] The Stranger; it was just a catalog song. And over the years it became more and more resonant with people. That he's talented enough to write a song like that, that's actually about something else but has this incredible universal appeal, is really something to behold.'
Managing to highlight deeper cuts such as Vienna and the title song (which, Lacy said, she didn't realize was Joel's favorite of his when she chose the title) is especially impressive given the sheer percentage of Joel's songs that have made the US top 40 chart. With 33 such entries, more than a quarter of his total output as a solo artist has been a hit single. That's contributed to his reputation in some corners as a classic panderer, rather than a more considered album artist. That's less prevalent in today's more poptimistic environment, but shifting historical perception about Joel's work was still a goal for And So It Goes. Lacy described the film-makers' intent as 'to make a film that would satisfy and appeal to the fans, but also the people who would say 'why Billy Joel?'' At the movie's best, Lacy and Levin seem like they're able to fit into both categories, even if they're not as skeptical as the latter. They both obviously love and respect Joel's music, but they're able to communicate the 'why' of his work through the observations of others.
In fact, some of the doc's best observations come not from Joel but his ex-wife Elizabeth Weber, who also served as his manager early on. 'In the beginning, she didn't want to talk about the songs,' Lacy said, characterizing her as more focused on the business side that she was so involved in, and perhaps reluctant to say more after a long silence about all matters Joel. But eventually she did speak on the many songs seemingly written about her, whether the wedding staple Just the Way You Are or the spikier Stiletto (which she says, if anything, describes Joel more accurately). That song was also sampled by rapper Nas in his song Disciple, which is why he was originally contacted to join figures such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen. 'We started to pursue Nas because Billy's music has been sampled a lot in rap. But he started to speak about the other songs and how his father loved New York State of Mind, and we ended up getting rid of the rap [material],' Levin said, including Nas's more in-depth appreciation instead. 'He brought a poetry to it,' Lacy said.
Though other observers and artists such as Pink (who knows Joel personally) discuss Joel's retirement from songwriting, as does Joel himself, it feels more like an event from the past than a present-day condition, even as hints of more songs or a new album fail to materialize. The documentary's ultimate ellipsis is the open question of whether he might write and record in a serious way again someday, and continue that increasingly respected discography. Lacy and Levin would love to hear more from him, too. But they understand why it remains an open question. 'That's a survival mechanism,' Levin said. 'He does live in the moment.'
And So It Goes: Billy Joel premieres on HBO on 18 July with the second installment on 25 July
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Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Billy Joel sets record straight over DUI rumors after multiple concerning car accidents
is setting the record straight. In his candid new two-part HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the music legend tackles the ups and downs of his life in the spotlight, including long-standing rumors that he's had multiple DUIs. The 76-year-old singer, who announced he is battling the brain disorder, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), earlier this year, makes it clear: those stories are false. 'I didn't like the tabloid kind of press. For example, there's this rumor that I have all these DUIs,' Joel says in the film. 'That never happened.' 'But people keep repeating the myth. 'Oh, he's got so many DUIs.' I never had a DUI. So f**k you,' he adds. 'The press can be mean. So having that much attention paid to you is not easy.' The deeply personal documentary, now streaming on HBO, explores a turbulent chapter in Joel's life during the mid-2000s when he stepped out of the public eye. During that time, he was involved in several car accidents, leading many to speculate about substance use. In June 2002, Joel crashed his 1999 Mercedes-Benz. The following year, he drove a 2002 Mercedes into a tree in Sag Harbor and was treated for head injuries. Then in 2004, he lost control of his 1967 Citroen in Bayville, crashing into an empty house. The final accident left him with a cut finger and minor damage to the car, according to the documentary. Still, Joel insists those incidents weren't alcohol-related. In a 2013 interview with The New York Times Magazine, he clarified: 'I never had a DUI in my life. That's another fallacy. Look at the police records.' Instead, he attributed the accidents to emotional struggles. 'My mind wasn't right. I wasn't focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11. 9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don't know even now if I've recovered from it. It really, really hurt that man could do that to man. And then there was a breakup with somebody, and it took me a while to get me back on my feet again.' And So It Goes, directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, not only clears up misconceptions but also takes a closer look at Joel's battles with depression, substance abuse, and the road to recovery. As Joel told People in a recent cover story, it wasn't easy to revisit some of those moments. 'Some of the stupid stuff I did, that's painful to talk about,' he admitted. Initially hesitant about the documentary, Joel said, 'My goal was to get it over with… When I do interviews, people just ask you about yourself and you get a little self-conscious about it eventually. It's almost embarrassing. When you're talking about your personal life detached from the material… I suppose there's a little bit of wariness involved.' The film also includes insights from those closest to him, including his sister Judy, daughter Alexa Ray, 39, and longtime friends and collaborators like lighting designer Steve Cohen and booking agent Dennis Arfa. Cohen reflected on Joel's resilience and drive: 'You make mistakes. He always said to me, "You show up. You do the best you can. You admit when you're wrong and you let other people tell you how good you are. You don't tell yourself how good you are."' And ultimately, Cohen hopes fans walk away with a deeper understanding of the man behind the music. 'I hope fans walk away realizing how f**king human he is, and I hope they come back listening to these songs again with a deeper affection. I hope that you walk away from this thing going, 'I now justify my fandom. I know why this guy is as good and why I respond to it, because that's the kind of guy I can relate to his life. I can relate to those emotions.' 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This happens because the excess fluid compresses and stretches the brain tissue, interfering with the control of muscles and communication between nerve cells. When diagnosed early, NPH can often be effectively treated with surgery that drains excess fluid from the brain, relieving pressure and symptoms - but it can often be mistaken at an early stage for other illnesses such as dementia. However, if left untreated, the condition may lead to permanent damage in its later stages. Joel's illustrious career as a musician began back in the mid-1960, which led to the release of debut studio album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971). But it failed to gain any real traction until after the success of his follow-up, Piano Man (1973), that peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. Now an established name on the musical landscape, Joel became a million seller with the release of Streetlife Serenade (1974), but his commercial breakout making him a bonafide star came with the release of The Stranger (1977), which featured the hit singles Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Just The Way You Are, She's Always a Woman, The Stranger, and Only The Good Die Young. He would go on to release a 13th album - Fantasies & Delusions (2001) - that features classical compositions from Joel, a first for him during his career. With over 160 million records sold worldwide, Joel is one of the world's best-selling musical artists, and the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States.


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Inside JFK's first love, a suspected Nazi spy who stole Adolf Hitler's heart
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But Joe Kennedy was reportedly having none of it. During a heated showdown with his son, he demanded that Jack break it off with the 'Nazi b***h' immediately. The FBI eventually dropped its investigation in August 1942, finding no evidence against Arvad. But, ultimately, it wasn't enough to save the affair. Jack had caved under pressure and broken off the relationship five months earlier. It would be 10 years before he was ready to commit again. Like Arvad, Jacqueline Bouvier was incredibly intelligent, and independent. And, while her dark hair and close attention to her perfect makeup were in stark contrast to the free-spirited Dane, what she had on her side was timing. The family was all in agreement: Jack needed a wife if he was ever going to be president. They worried that he was 'obviously lukewarm' about Bouvier - but if not her, then who? Joe reportedly responded: 'I actually don't care who, so long as she didn't go to Hitler's funeral.' Jack proposed the following summer, but the author suggests that it took a long time before it became a love match. He reports Bouvier's mother, Janet Auchincloss, asked her daughter, upon hearing of their engagement: 'Do you love him?' 'It's not that simple,' she replied. 'It is, Jacqueline,' her mother shot back. 'Do. You. Love. Him?' The future First Lady's response remained non-committal: 'I enjoy him.' Taraborrelli also claims Bouvier confided in Betty Beale, the society columnist at the Washington Evening Star, around the same time, saying she felt 'Jack had been pulling away ever since the engagement was announced'. 'True to his character,' writes Taraborrelli, 'while they had been dating, he was interested in her on some days, less interested on others. She said she saw in him what she often noticed in his father toward his mother: indifference.' Just a few weeks before his wedding, Jack insisted on going on a boys-only vacation to the famous Cap-Eden-Roc hotel in Cannes where, if he'd had his way, he would have begun a torrid affair with a woman who bore more than a passing resemblance to Inga Arvad, according to Taraborrelli. Gunilla von Post was Swedish, and just 21 when she met the future president in the south of France. She was 'definitely young,' writes Taraborrelli, 'but he didn't see that as a problem.' Both blondes also bear an uncanny resemblance to the woman who would be forever inextricably linked to the Kennedy: Marilyn Monroe. On Jack's return to the U.S., he made the unusual step of asking his future mother-in-law to add his first love, Arvad, to the wedding guest list. But under questioning about this last-minute addition, he let it drop. Taraborrelli notes: 'While Jack hadn't seen Inga in six years, apparently he was still in touch with her. Maybe it shows the bond he still had with her that he wanted her at his wedding, but it also shows a foolish lapse in judgment. Certainly not much good would come from Inga's presence.' Two years after his wedding, however, it seems Gunilla von Post's rejection of his sexual advances was still very much on his mind. And, in the wake of a devastating miscarriage, which left his now-wife with crippling anxiety attacks, Jack made the astonishingly selfish proposition that they go on separate trips: she to visit her sister in England, while he would attempt once more to get von Post into bed on her home turf. Kennedy and von Post reportedly spent a week together in Sweden, with Jack's partner in crime Torbert Macdonald as fixer. And this time, he got what he wanted, says Taraborrelli. 'Some of Gunilla's descriptions of her time with Jack that week - "We were wonderfully sensual. There were times when just the stillness of being together was thrilling enough" - sound a great deal more like some sort of starry-eyed, fictional version of JFK than a realistic one,' reasons Taraborrelli. 'Much of what she'd recall… sounds unlikely given what we now know of his remote personality of the 1950s. It does, however, maybe sound like the JFK of the 1940s, the more romantic version of him back in the days when he was with Inga Arvad. Maybe, in this case, the devil isn't in the details, though. 'There are enough witnesses to Jack and [Gunilla von Post's] public outings, including close friends and relatives she identified by name, to confirm that they were definitely together.' On the flight home, Macdonald told a friend that Jack suddenly felt the weight of what he'd done, and was filled with remorse. 'This was a s****y thing to do to Jackie,' the book reports him as saying. 'This was a mistake.' While von Post was convinced it was just the start of their affair, in the end, the two never saw each other again. 'Jack told intimates… that he'd been rationalizing his bad behavior for so long, it had become second nature to do so,' writes Taraborrelli. 'His father was to blame, he'd sometimes reason. After all, if not for Joe, he would've ended up with Inga Arvad, someone he truly loved, instead of Jackie, someone he married for political purposes and then grew to love.'