Bob,<\/p>\n
About an hour into part one.\u00a0\u00a0Riveting, but what a rollercoaster ride\u2026already.<\/p>\n
I grew up in Hicksville, lived 3 blocks from Billy Joel\u2019s childhood home, a stone\u2019s throw from (“…remember those nights hanging out at”)\u00a0 the Village Green.<\/p>\n
Back then, for kids from Long Island, he was our hometown hero.\u00a0 Over the years, he\u2019d give props to our\u00a0collective geography. In NY area shows when singing the line from “New York State of Mind”<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026the New York Times, the Daily News\u201d, he\u2019d add \u201c\u2026and Newsday too\u201d, our local paper.<\/p>\n
Billy\u2019s Long Island roots ran deep,\u00a0Cole\u00a0Spring Harbor, Oyster Bay and of course Hicksville where as as\u00a0delinquent student,\u00a0 Billy received the praise of one Mr. Charles “Chuck” Arnold, Hicksville High School\u2019s long time music teacher.<\/p>\n
Many years later, Mr. Arnold and the Hicksville High School chorus appeared on the recording of \u201cLeningrad\u201d on 1989\u2019s Storm Front.\u00a0When Mr. Arnold\u00a0retired\u2014Billy returned to the school’s auditorium\u00a0to speak at\u00a0a \u201cMr. Holland\u2019s Opus \u201c style retirement event to return the praise for a man who changed his life.<\/p>\n
I was fortunate to enter the music business predominately with MTV as the gateway, in 1981.\u00a0\u00a0I had two encounters with my Hicksville hero.\u00a0\u00a0The latter was a meeting that Jeff Schock (Billy\u2019s dearly departed and longtime man of many talents) and I had before a Billy\u00a0Joel concert in New Jersey.\u00a0 We were there to convince Billy to perform for his televised induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
A man who was proud of his work, Billy didn’t want to put himself in the spotlight, but finally bought into a proposed idea of him singing \u201cOnly the Good Die Young\u201d to follow Jann Wenner’s annual roll call of those lost the year before. That\u2019s the best we could get from the\u00a0Piano Man.\u00a0\u00a0We took it.<\/p>\n
But the moment that sticks with me, that reinforced–for good,\u00a0bad or indifferent that Billy is a man who never lost his Long Island roots, was about 10 years before that.<\/p>\n
I happened to be north of the border and sessions for\u00a0“Storm Front” were taking place at a friend\u2019s home.\u00a0\u00a0Another friend was producing and when said friends\u00a0learned I was in town, they\u00a0insisted I come over the next day for a hang.\u00a0\u00a0Billy was there, and as I watched him record vocals, I felt like Kevin Costner in \u201cField of Dreams….<\/p>\n
\u201dI am pitching to Shoeless Joe Jackson\u201d<\/p>\n
A \u201ctake five\u201d in the action led to my heading upstairs to the kitchen in my friend\u2019s home studio and as I was making some tea, in walked the\u00a0man\u00a0 himself\u2026just me and him.<\/p>\n
Billy was kind of sizing me up and so I went for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, uh\u2026I\u2019m sure you hear this all the time, but I’m from Hicksville\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Somewhat delighted, but cautious,\u00a0 he looked at me and shot back \u201cOh yeah? What street?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0I told him and he shot back his street.<\/p>\n
I responded with \u201cI know the street where your house was…right near\u00a0Fork Lane Elementary”\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYeah, okay, so did you go to Fork Lane?\u201d, Billy asked. \u201cYep\u201d, I volleyed back.<\/p>\n
He then went deeper.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWho\u2019d you have for music?\u201d Total recall kicked in and I responded \u201cMiss Miladantre (sp)\u201d For visual\u00a0purposes, I remember her\u00a0looking like a chain-smoking Olive Oyl from the Popeye cartoons.<\/p>\n
I guess he had the same recall and without hesitation, Billy put two fingers to his lips like he was taking a drag off an imaginary cigarette and with a Brenda\u00a0Vacarro-like growl said \u201cOkay kids, do the chorus one more time\u201d and he feigned Miss M. walking away like she was more interested in her cigarette than the kids.<\/p>\n
We both cracked up. \u201cMan\u201d, he added, \u201cthat woman? She needed to get laid\u201d.<\/p>\n
And 36 years later (and in part one alone), he’s still the same lovable wise guy from Long Island.<\/p>\n
Brian Diamond<\/p>\n
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Bob, Billy Joel came into my office in Hollywood looking for work on November 8, 1972. \u00a0I still have his hand written resume. \u00a0He seemed pretty desperate. \u00a0I personally thought he was unfriendly, all business, but later realized this was typical of New Yorkers. \u00a0I gave his number to a top 40 lounge agent who auditioned him and later told me that he was terrific, but he couldn’t book him because “all he wanted to play was his own originals!”<\/p>\n
Sterling Howard, founder\/owner
\nhttps:\/\/www.MusiciansContact.com<\/p>\n
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When you say “Billy continued to have hits and figured out MTV,” it’s only fair to point out that it was director Russell Mulcahey who figured MTV out (among Russell’s many brilliant videos was the very first to open MTV – “Video Killed\u00a0The Radio Star”). Russell directed “Allentown,” “Pressure” and “She’s Right on Time” – all from “The Nylon Currtain” album – which broke Billy on MTV. Russell later followed up with\u00a0the video for “A Matter of Trust” (which I produced) that Billy has called his favorite of all his music videos.<\/p>\n
Paul Flattery<\/p>\n
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Re: McCartney\u2019s comment about \u201cJust The Way You Are\u201d (a song he wished he had written).<\/p>\n
I was once at a songwriters round table event\/performance at NY\u2019s Bottom Line\u2026<\/p>\n
Alan Toussant was a participant and was asked what song he wished he had written and his response was \u201cMuskrat Love\u201d – He was dead on serious and preceded to perform it ! You never know!<\/p>\n
Doug Pomerantz<\/p>\n
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I’m glad I didn’t take your advice. I was not a fan of Billy Joel, but I am now. I lived in a very small rural town and we had two radio stations to choose from. A classical music station or the adult station, so I got to hear Billy Joel.\u00a0 I had forgotten the impact he had on me in my childhood years. His songs told me stories about adults. But I only heard whatever the program director at that adult station wanted me to hear, so some of his music escaped me. Until last night. I watched part one and then I ran to Spotify to listen to some old favorites I had forgotten about an discovered some new ones. I was shocked to see he has 38 million monthly listeners! I am looking forward to part two.<\/p>\n
Keith Michaels<\/p>\n
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“Re: “However, what really happened with the Family Productions legal situation… Rumor was always that Billy signed with Columbia and they didn’t know he was already under contract. This could be untrue, but I would have liked to have heard more about the nitty-gritty of the ultimate settlement.””<\/p>\n
Artie is still around and not who you and most people think he is. He lives in the LA area and I\u2019d be happy to connect you. I haven\u2019t seen the movie, but if they didn\u2019t talk about how Billy was re-united with his biological father and equally talented sibling, they didn\u2019t cover the significance of Artie\u2019s involvement.<\/p>\n
I worked for him at Family Productions and managed the associated Fidelity Studios during the time when the Billy Joel Columbia contract \u2013 I was told it was the biggest single artist contract ever at the time and was given a paper copy to peruse \u2013 provided the revenue for Artie\u2019s operations. Billy Joel royalties paid part of our salaries, and the controversy over “Cold Spring Harbor\u201d was active.<\/p>\n
As the popular refrain now goes, \u201cI don\u2019t want to get ahead of my (former) boss\u201d, but I assure you that there\u2019s an entire movie\u2019s worth of material around that period \u2013 but that\u2019s Artie\u2019s story to tell\u2026.<\/p>\n
Victor Levine<\/p>\n
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The term documentary suggests a candid, balanced representation of a given subject, but they\u2019re often anything but these days. That\u2019s especially true of documentaries featuring recording artists given their direct and indirect participation in their making. Glenn Frey (History of the Eagles), Taylor Swift (Miss Americana),\u00a0Billie Eilish (The World’s a Little Blurry), Bruce Springsteen\u00a0(Western Stars), Paul McCartney (McCartney 3,2,1) are among the artists who served as executive producers of documentaries in which they are featured.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Steve Cohen, Billy Joel\u2019s longtime creative director and collaborator, is an executive producer of\u00a0Billy Joel: And So It Goes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For many recording artists, documentaries constitute an additional revenue stream, not to mention the opportunity to airbrush their legacy. That doesn\u2019t make them any less entertaining, but let\u2019s not delude ourselves into believing that these artists are showing us anything they don\u2019t want us to see.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bob Knott<\/p>\n
Baltimore, MD<\/p>\n
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Broadway rocker is a good description.\u00a0 I like him, but not enough to watch a documentary more than 30 minutes.\u00a0 He had a dozen top 10 hits in the 70s and 80s, and as you say, not all that interesting back story.<\/p>\n
Thanks for watching so I don’t have to.<\/p>\n
Edmund J. Kelly<\/p>\n
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Perfect analysis, thank you. I felt the same – but when the artists themselves put these things together, what can we expect? Always gonna be at least somewhat absent of \u2018awkward\u2019 facts.<\/p>\n
Adam Howell<\/p>\n
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Completely disagree
\ni\u2019ve never been a Billy Joel fan. After watcvhing the doc, I have respect for him and his craft.<\/p>\n
Defne Tabori<\/p>\n
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“Others have come down off our thrones and realized our roots are who we are, public school and single family dwellings on a plot of land.”<\/p>\n
This! Thats us \u2026<\/p>\n
Billy is our Beatle, Bob!<\/p>\n
Got to MSG twice in May and June of 23. Best. Live. Experience. Ever. Home court advantage. 3 hour sing along!<\/p>\n
Glass Houses \u2026owned it on vinyl and 8 Track \u2026<\/p>\n
The night we were there\u2026he played 6 tracks off of it, never before, never since.<\/p>\n
All for Leyna, Sleeping with the Television On,<\/p>\n
C\u2019etait Toi\u2026plus the hits \u2026like the Beatles, the whole album is Fab three more singles could\u2019ve been released at least!<\/p>\n
Keep Rockin!<\/p>\n
Blaine Leeds<\/p>\n
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Count me in the camp that recognizes Billy Joel\u2019s great musical talent but is not a fan of it. I particularly detest the trite and egomaniacal lyrics of his megahit \u201cPiano Man\u201d, so I found this essay both hilarious and on target. Enjoy the humor if you haven\u2019t read it yet.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/substack.com\/home\/post\/p-158845411<\/p>\n
Regards,<\/p>\n
Barry Ekstrand<\/p>\n
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When I started reading your rundown of the new documentary about Billy Joel, I said to myself \u201cobviously Bob\u2019s not from New York.\u201d \u00a0To us New Yorkers, Billy Joel is the closest thing we have to a Poet Laureate.<\/p>\n
We grew up with him, we grew up with his music. His narratives had real meaning to us – his references were our references – from the ode to NY loser kids on Long Island in Captain Jack to his references to a crumbling NYC in Miami 2017 to our unofficial anthem NY State of Mind to the tale of a drunken night of abandon at Elanie\u2019s in Big Shot to Scenes from an Italian Restaurant to the desire to the stories of working class New Yorkers people trying to break out of their wasted lives in Movin\u2019 Out and even schmaltzy hits about a working class guy falling in love with a rich Upper East Side girl like in Uptown Girl.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s so many more references I could provide, but these songs, many of which had international success, resonate with Every New Yorker in a way that\u2019s incomprehensible for people to understand that didn\u2019t grow up here. Not just the Bridge and Tunnel crowd – all of us.<\/p>\n
More than that, he\u2019s one of us. You\u2019d see him at Nello\u2019s on the Upper East Side having a drink, you\u2019d go see him play The Garden, you\u2019d turn the corner of a street and see him recording a music video – and if you were lucky like me, get to join in.<\/p>\n
Growing up in NYC, I was into The Talking Heads, the Jam, The Clash, Blondie, all kinds of dance music, New Wave, Punk, but Billy Joel, even at his worst was never uncool or irrelevant to us New Yorkers. He\u2019s part of the fabric of our state, our city and our lives. But more than that, he\u2019s a great artist and his music resonates not only with New Yorkers but with people across the planet.<\/p>\n
As to the documentary? \u00a0It\u2019s not too bad. \u00a0Worth a watch and listen. \u00a0But if you want to know his story, just dig into his catalogue.<\/p>\n
Mark Frieser – Sync Summit<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m quite amazed how accurate you can be sometimes.<\/p>\n
Billy Joel IS a national songwriting treasure.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m seen a few clips of him on Stern\u2019s show and he comes off very much like one of us. \u00a0I imagine though to work with him on stage might be a big challenge.<\/p>\n
Thanks,<\/p>\n
Will Eggleston<\/p>\n
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Beautiful review touching \u00a0all the dots that connect to make a superstar career..
\nMy only add-on would be a tip of the hat to his amazing band.. they delivered every night!<\/p>\n
Marty Simon.<\/p>\n
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WRONG<\/p>\n
Kathleen Stagg<\/p>\n
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I was born in 74, so my consciousness of music begins right around the time Billy Joel was blowing up. His songs were all over WLS in Chicago. The late 70\u2019s were a weird time for rock. KISS and Aerosmith were on their way down, even if they didn\u2019t know it yet. Disco was huge. Punk was a movement, but was never going to be mainstream. Van Halen was just getting started. Soft rock\/yacht rock was also huge. There weren\u2019t a lot of true rock n\u2019 roll bands carrying the torch, so by those standards Joel was considered rock n\u2019 roll. And parents loved it because it wasn\u2019t metal and it was music they liked listening to as well. Therein lies the true test, right? If it\u2019s something both you and your parents can enjoy together, how rock n\u2019 roll is it? Regardless, he certainly did well for himself even if he seemed hell bent on signing bad deals and getting ripped off.<\/p>\n
Neil Johnson<\/p>\n
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Bob, you always described growing up in the Northeast — specifically the Tri-State Area – so perfectly, within\u00a0the context of the music you love. You’ve got 20 years on me, but the feeling absolutely still resonates with Billy Joel. “Summer Highland Falls” — when I listen to it — it smells and sounds like New York. Hence, getting out of the city and going to the respite places. Being with your people — the friends and family who punch you on your shoulder and put you down as a sign of endearment. I love Billy and can’t wait to watch this doc.<\/p>\n
Josh Valentine<\/p>\n
Longmont, Colorado (via Rockland and Bergen Counties)<\/p>\n
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My wife was\/is a big Billy Joel fan.<\/p>\n
When I met her in 85 I had a pretty negative view of him. Growing up in London I really only knew “Just the way you are” and “Piano Man”, neither of which impressed me. Yeah, I thought he was a schmaltzy MOR piano man, like you would hear at a Holiday\u00a0Inn.<\/p>\n
So the wife convinced me to go with her to his next gig. She had seen him many times back in the pre-arena days.<\/p>\n
It only took one live experience at MSG to put me straight as to his chops, his incredible catalog and his dynamic stage presence.<\/p>\n
Like Bruce, if you don’t get him then you’ve likely never seen him live.<\/p>\n
I thought the doc was solid, I liked how they covered every album.<\/p>\n
But at 2 and a half hours it was a bit of a slog. With typical English snark I suggest they should have called it “And slow it goes.”<\/p>\n
Looking forward to part 2 though.<\/p>\n
Mrak Hudson<\/p>\n
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Billy Joel attended the opening of the Billy Joel exhibition, Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man\u2019s Journey at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame and before addressing the guests looked around and said, quite humbly, \u201cI guess I really did have a life\u201d.<\/p>\n
He was speechless, in awe of himself and his success as he took in his entire life and career showcased in one 5000 square foot room.<\/p>\n
The tens of thousands of fans who have visited the exhibition come because they see themselves in his songs and love him because he\u2019s still a regular guy from Long Island singing about their everyday lives.<\/p>\n
No pretense. No frills. Just the piano man.<\/p>\n
Ernie Canadeo<\/p>\n
Chairman<\/p>\n
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame<\/p>\n
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Thanks for letting me recoup some time in my life.<\/p>\n
I f*cking hate Billy Joel, so your first sentence was very helpful in that regard.<\/p>\n
Cheers.<\/p>\n
Doug Collitz<\/p>\n
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Looking forward to Billy’s doc. I’ve always been a big fan. First learned about Billy from a progressive AM station in Allentown, PA. I lived in Easton, PA nearby. The station, WSAN, now an oldies outlet, played tracks from Cold Spring Harbor, and then Piano Man. She’s Got a Way, from Cold Spring was probably the first tune of his I heard. Loved it. Then the\u00a0station announced he would be playing at the Roxy Theatre in Northampton, PA.<\/p>\n
My wife,then, and I pounced on those tix. They cost either $2.50 or $5.00. I forget.<\/p>\n
Anyway, the show was amazing. The theatre sat 500. He played songs from both albums.<\/p>\n
My faves were: Captain Jack, Stop in Nevada, and Billy the Kid. He told cool stories between tunes and sang like a dream. He told how he used the name Billy Martin when he played at the bar where he drew the inspiration for Piano Man. Cool.<\/p>\n
His opening\u00a0act was also a treat, Henry Gross, now mostly\u00a0forgotten, but he also had a big voice and loads of energy.<\/p>\n
His cover of Meet Me on the Corner was perfect.<\/p>\n
But the Billy tune I’m dying to mention is from the album 52nd Street. Until the Night.<\/p>\n
The blessed night when things really begin to pop. I was having an affair. It was this tune\u00a0 <\/span>dthat carried me along so many nights, and made me cry.<\/p>\n Thanks for talking about the doc and including Billy as the real deal!<\/p>\n