‘And So It Goes' Traces Billy Joel's Dramatic Early Days: 5 Takeaways

New York Times

2 days ago

The Tribeca Festival's opening-night premiere of the upcoming HBO documentary 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' was marked, in part, by the absence of Billy Joel himself. Late last month, the musician announced that he was canceling all of his upcoming concerts because of a brain disorder called normal pressure hydrocephalus, which has led to problems with his hearing, vision and balance.
After Robert De Niro called Joel 'the poet laureate of New York' and helped introduce the film with a dramatic reading of some of his lyrics ('He works at Mr. Cacciatore's down on Sullivan Street,' he intoned), one of the film's co-directors, Susan Lacy, told the Beacon Theater audience that Joel sent his greetings — with typical wry humor: 'In fact, he said, 'Getting old sucks, but it's still preferable to getting cremated.'' The audience roared with laughter. On a note of encouragement, Lacy said Joel 'will be back.'
The crowd broke out into applause throughout the screening, which included just the first part of the two-part film. It still ran nearly two and a half hours as it covered Joel's childhood and rise to fame through his infamous 1982 motorcycle accident. (To put that in perspective: It doesn't get to the writing of 'Uptown Girl.' No Christie Brinkley yet.)
There are pictures and footage of early Joel performances and stories about the surprisingly robust Long Island rock scene of the 1960s. But 'Part One' is largely an intimate portrait of Joel's relationship with his first wife, Elizabeth Weber, who would eventually become his manager, and it elevates her to a starring role in his life. It also features a host of stories about the making of some of his best-known songs, and tidbits about his Long Island obstinance. Here's some of what we learned.
As Joel's relationship with Weber first foundered, he attempted suicide twice.
Joel and Weber's relationship began in dramatic fashion: She was married to Jon Small, Joel's early bandmate, and had a son with him. Joel and Small first played together in a group named the Hassles, then broke off to start a Led Zeppelin-inspired metal outfit called Attila. (An album cover shoot featuring a longhaired Joel standing amid sides of raw beef, wearing fur, is something to behold.) Eventually, Joel fell in love with Weber, but when a guilt-ridden Joel shared his feelings with Small, he got punched in the nose and Weber left.
Despondent, Joel overdosed on pills and was in a coma for days. His sister, Judy Molinari, who had provided the pills to help him sleep, recounts her guilt onscreen. 'I felt that I killed him,' she says. Joel drank a bottle of furniture polish in another attempt on his life. After moving back into his mother's house, he checked into an observation ward where his own struggles were put into perspective. From there he started to channel his feelings into music, and the songs that he wrote as a result of the experience would become his first solo album, 'Cold Spring Harbor.' After about a year, Weber re-entered his life.
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