Latest news with #Billy
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Billy Joel 'resisted' making documentaries about his life
Billy Joel has always "resisted" making documentaries about his career. The Piano Man singer explained that he has been hesitant to let the public into his life as he is "sick" of talking about himself before he agreed to the making of the two-part HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. In an interview with People, Billy said: "I've resisted this kind of thing for so long. I'm sick of talking about myself. Some of the stupid stuff I did, that's painful to talk about. (But) they asked me for some thematic guidance. I said, 'Just tell the truth.'" The documentary delves into how the Uptown Girl hitmaker has overcome substance abuse, failed marriages and mental health struggles during his lengthy career and Billy found the process "self-revelatory". The 76-year-old singer - who has daughter Alexa, 39, from his marriage to model Christie Brinkley, as well as Della, nine, and Remy, seven, from his relationship with current spouse Alexis Roderick - said: "There was some stuff I found out about myself. There was some self-revelatory stuff." Joel admits that he initially just wanted to get the documentary, which features contributions from his family and friends, "over with" as he is so reluctant to talk about himself. He 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 We Didn't Start the Fire singer feared that he would "hate" the film as it revisited some of the unhappier times in his life but he didn't feel that way when he watched the finished documentary. Billy - who has reassured fans he is "okay" after being diagnosed with the treatable brain condition normal pressure hydrocephalus in May, which forced him to cancel his upcoming concerts - explained: "You realise sometimes you were a jerk and you did something stupid or you were wrong, or you were mean and you didn't mean to be. Although I always maintain that the only original thing any of us really does is make mistakes. "I was worried, maybe I'm going to hate this thing, because it's a lot to ask of somebody, a lifetime of work. (But) at the end, I didn't hate it, which, to me, is the real compliment."
Economist
11 hours ago
- Business
- Economist
IKEA's prints have transformed how homes everywhere look
Culture | Interior design A collection of bright ideas Photograph: © Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2025 Jul 23rd 2025 | EDINBURGH | 4 min read N O FIRM IN history has had as penetrating an impact on everyday design and taste as IKEA . Even if you have never found yourself winding through a shop, absent-mindedly adding 'Billy' bookcases, 'Rodalm' picture frames or 'Glimma' tea lights to a trolley, you will probably have encountered 'Stockholm' rugs, 'Rinnig' tea towels or 'Ektorp' sofas in the homes of friends or in Airbnbs. This is, after all, a company with over 480 shops in 63 countries, which generated around €45bn ($52bn) in sales last year. As people flee the increasingly authoritarian city they are taking their sweet teeth with them Our picks ask why people believe in religion, ideology or conspiracy theories For decades the country's officials turned international adoption into a money-making racket Kits encode all sorts of information, Joey D'Urso argues It is not just vinyl. Film cameras and print publications are trendy again, too Three new books look at the blind spots of the intelligence services
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Billy Joel savagely slates 'half-assed' Beatles album
Billy Joel has slammed one of The Beatles most acclaimed albums (Pictures: Getty) Billy Joel has unexpectedly taken aim at The Beatles, calling one of their albums a 'collection of half-assed songs'. In 1968, five years after the release of their debut album Please Please Me, the Liverpudlian band dropped their self-titled album, which also came to become known as the White Album. The album featured 30 songs, including Blackbird, Helter Skelter and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Topping record charts in Britain and the United States, the album has since been certified 24× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and labelled by some as one of the greatest albums of all time. However nearly 60 years on, one of the band's contemporaries Billy, 76, has made it clear he is not a fan. The White Album was written when the band – which included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – attended a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. The American singer said the band's 1968 The White Album was a 'collection of half-assed songs' (Picture: Angela Weiss/ AFP via Getty Images) The band's line up consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison (Picture: Jeff Hochberg/ Getty Images) Reflecting on the release Billy – best known for his 1973 song Piano Man – didn't mince his words. He suggested the Fab Four were 'too stoned' or 'didn't care anymore' when recording the string of songs. 'I hear it as a collection of half-assed songs they didn't finish writing because they were too stoned, or they didn't care anymore,' he said on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, which was released this week. 'I think they had fragments and they put them on the album.' Win tickets to see Tom Jones and Sugababes at Camp Bestival worth £1,172 We've teamed up with Camp Bestival Dorset to give one lucky Metro reader and their family the chance to win family weekend tickets, worth up to £1,172! Created by families, for families, Camp Bestival combines all the fun of a fantastic family camping holiday with everything you would expect from a perfect and action-packed festival adventure. Headliners include music legend Sir Tom Jones, pop icons Sugababes, plus a carnival-filled live show from electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. Simply enter your details here to be in with a chance of winning four tickets to this epic experience. You have until midnight on 23 July to enter. Good luck! * Open to GB residents (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18+. Promotion opens at 18:01 on 16/7/25 and closes at 23:59 on 23/7/25. Entrant must submit their first and last name, email address, date of birth and postcode when prompted via the entry form available on (available here). 1 prize available of a family weekend camping ticket, including two (2) adult tickets and up to four (4) child and/or teen tickets in any combination as chosen by the winner to attend Camp Bestival (Lulworth Castle, Dorset) from 31st July 2025 to 3rd August 2025. Maximum 1 entry per person. Attendance is governed by the Camp Bestival Terms and Conditions. Full T&Cs apply, see here. He went on to suggest that Lennon was 'disassociating at that point'. 'I think Paul was carrying the weight,' he said. The White Album was a critical and commercial success 'Sometimes they were more prolific and sometimes they weren't, and I hear that in some of those things.' During the recording of the album, the only Western instrument available to the band was an acoustic guitar, with the sound also scaled down and the band breaking with their tradition of incorporating several musical styles in one song. Lennon – who was killed in 1980 – once famously quipped that 'the break-up of The Beatles can be heard on that album'. The band split two years later. Meanwhile Sir Paul previously addressed criticism of the album, telling Radio Luxembourg: 'I'm not a great one for that whole, 'Y'know maybe it was too many of that'. What do you mean? It was great, it sold. It's the bloody Beatles White Album, shut up!' Before Billy slated one of The Beatle's most acclaimed releases, earlier this year Sir Paul spoke about his admiration of the singer-songwriter. Billy is best known for his 1973 hit Piano Man (Picture: Michael Putland/ Getty Images) Speaking in the Billy Joel: And So It Goes documentary, he spoke about wishing he had penned Billy's 1997 single Just the Way You Are. 'When I first heard Billy, it was like 'Oh, wait a minute. He's good. Who's this?',' he recalled. 'You know, like you do, your ears prick up. The song that really made me know that that was happening was Just the Way You Are. 'And where I get asked, 'Is there a song that you wish you'd written?'. And I always…that's the one I always say.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: Sir Tom Jones, 85, cancels gig hours before performance after sad health update Arrow MORE: Oasis reassures cheating fans they are 'safe' after Coldplay kiss-cam saga
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Billy Joel shares health update following diagnosis
World-famous singer Billy Joel has insisted that he feels 'good' despite being diagnosed with a brain condition earlier this summer. The US music icon was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in May, which forced him to cancel a number of scheduled concerts, including dates in Edinburgh and Liverpool. After being diagnosed, he shared that the condition appeared to have been exacerbated by recent performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance. Billy Joel insists that he is feeling 'good'. Pic: Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images for ABA Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random Podcast, Billy shared a mostly positive update on his health. He said: 'It's not fixed, it's still being worked on. 'I feel fine, my balance sucks. It's like being on a boat. Billy Joel. Pic:for The Recording Academy 'They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling.' According to the NHS website, NPH is an uncommon and poorly understood condition that often affects people over the age of 60 and can be difficult to diagnose as its symptoms include mobility problems and dementia, which are associated with more common conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. The veteran singer mentioned on the podcast that he does not know what caused the condition and that, despite not drinking anymore, he thought it might have been caused by that. Billy Joel. Pic:for Maritime Music With world-renowned hits such as Piano Man, Uptown Girl and My Life, Billy Joel has been a household name since the 1970's. At the time of his diagnosis, the 76-year-old also told fans that he was 'sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience'. A statement shared on his Instagram account said: 'Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health. He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.' Since beginning his career in the mid-1960s, Joel has won five Grammy Awards and has been nominated for 23, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by one of his heroes, Ray Charles, in 1999.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Joel likens his neurological disorder to ‘being in a boat,' says he feels ‘good' nonetheless
Billy Joel is sharing a health update months after the cancellation of his tour, which was the result of his being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition that affects the brain. Joel offered the update during Monday's episode of Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast, saying that while the condition is 'not fixed' and 'still being worked on,' overall he feels 'fine.' 'My balance sucks. It's like being on a boat,' Joel said, later adding, 'I feel good. I think they keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling.' Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus is a 'very rare condition' that 'occurs when a person has too much fluid in the brain,' according to Yale Medicine. Fewer than 3% of adults over the age of 65 are diagnosed with NPH, and it affects men and women equally. Joel announced in May that his tour dates had been canceled so that he could seek treatment for NPH, saying in a statement at the time that the condition 'has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.' 'Under his doctor's instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,' the statement read. 'Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.' Joel's announcement in May came after he previously postponed eight tour dates so that he could focus on recovering from recent surgery. Last week, a new documentary about Joel's early years and career debuted on HBO Max. Titled 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' the doc covers Joel's beginnings and early musical partnerships, and also goes in depth into some of his personal struggles. (CNN and HBO Max share the same parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery.)
