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Coming in at 4 hours and 52 minutes, Billy Joel: And So It Goes dives deep into the complete legacy of Billy Joel, tales of his adolescence mingling with tales of his rise to the highest, adopted by an ever-evolving discography and sound. Loads of well-known faces present as much as sing Joel’s praises, whereas he, his household, and his shut collaborators replicate on his ups and downs over the many years he’s been generally known as the Piano Man.

Directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin (with Joel as a producer) the brand new HBO documentary might arguably be extra revealing than it’s, but it surely does serve properly as a comparatively full portrait of one of many twentieth century’s defining artists. “I don’t consider myself as a rock star — I consider myself as a musician,” Joel says early on, and his ardour for the actual craft of music, on show numerous occasions over the course of each components, confirms that.

Under are a few of the most notable revelations to return from And So It Goes, from the tune he appears least keen to debate to how he feels concerning the rumors that he’s had “all these DUIs.”

Billy Joel Doesn’t Love Being on Digital camera

Significantly — in his first speaking head interview at the start of the documentary, he says that “I’ve by no means been comfy on digital camera. When you’re on digital camera, like proper now, there’s slightly little bit of an uptight factor happening. Can’t escape. Can’t disguise behind the piano.”

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That being mentioned, whereas he’s not capable of disguise behind the piano, he’s seated at a piano for practically all of his modern-day interviews. It’s a wise alternative on the a part of the administrators, because it permits him to punctuate his ideas and tales with jaunty little musical asides.

Billy Joel Tried Suicide Twice in His 20s

Maybe the documentary’s largest revelation, first mentioned again in June when it premiered at Tribeca, is that when Joel first fell in love with Elizabeth Weber, the lady who would turn into his first spouse, she was already married to Jon Small, Joel’s associate within the band Attila. When Joel admitted to his emotions, the band broke up and Joel fell right into a despair that led to him making two suicide makes an attempt, earlier than getting assist.

Later, Joel and Weber would reconnect, and they might not solely be married from 1973 to 1982, however she would function his supervisor for the important thing early years of his profession. (Extra about that later.)

Billy Joel Selected Columbia Data of Bob Dylan

When deciding on the best file firm to signal with for his second file, Joel picked Columbia Data “as a result of it was the label of Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan wasn’t know as an important file vendor, however he was Bob Dylan. I believed, what, this can be a label that’s persevering with to launch information by this man who doesn’t actually promote primary albums, however they’re dedicated to him. I believed I wish to have a profession like that.”

“Piano Man” and “The Entertainer” Are Linked on a Meta Degree

Billy Joel in 1977 (courtesy of HBO)

“Piano Man” was Joel’s first huge hit, impressed by his experiences acting at lounges in Los Angeles whereas attempting to get out of a foul recording contract, and was adopted in 1974 by “The Entertainer,” which he explains within the documentary was principally a sequel to the earlier tune. Or, to be extra correct about it, “The Entertainer” was about the way in which that “Piano Man” was edited down for radio play. Says Joel, “It was principally autobiographical about placing out ‘Piano Man.’ I used to be very sensitive about that — don’t go chopping my tune up. I used to be beginning to turn into disenchanted with the music enterprise, and ‘The Entertainer’ was my approach of complaining about it.”

Joel provides a bit later that “Piano Man” “was a few man kvetching about taking part in at a piano bar, and this follow-up is the man kvetching about having successful file within the music enterprise. It’s like, alright, I’m doing effectively, let me screw this up by some means.”

Billy Joel Turned George Martin Down for His Band

By a sure level within the Nineteen Seventies, Joel had discovered a band he actually loved taking part in with each dwell and within the studio, however he hadn’t but discovered a producer he actually needed to work with. Then got here a gathering with George Martin, who, y’know, produced The Beatles. “My idol,” Joel says within the doc. “Nonetheless to at the present time, I feel, one of many best producers who ever lived.”

Whereas Martin was inquisitive about working with Joel, the producer had one sticking level: He didn’t wish to use Joel’s band. As an alternative, he needed to herald “studio guys,” skilled musicians that, based on Joel, are “guys who are available in and may learn the dots, learn the music, however there’s not essentially a chemistry inside that ensemble. Which could be very crucial, you’ve obtained to have the chemistry. We had been killing it dwell — let me use my guys.”

So Joel instructed Martin “Love me, love my band,” and the 2 parted methods. Ultimately, Joel would begin working with producer Phil Ramone, with whom he obtained alongside straight away: “It was like having one other musician behind the management board.” Joel additionally credit Ramone with understanding the band’s vibe on the time, saying that “If the musicians are having enjoyable, you possibly can hear it. it wasn’t clean, it wasn’t polished, but it surely was distinctive. Phil appreciated that side of it. He mentioned ‘It’s type of tough, however that’s your sound.”

Billy Joel and Phil Ramone in 1978 (courtesy of HBO)