1
00:00:13,471 --> 00:00:16,641
-(horn honking)
-(engines revving)

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00:00:20,270 --> 00:00:22,605
(gentle music playing)

3
00:00:22,605 --> 00:00:24,983
(siren wailing)

4
00:00:28,653 --> 00:00:31,489
(engine revving)

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00:00:37,245 --> 00:00:39,247
♪♪

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00:00:46,296 --> 00:00:48,882
(buzzing)

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00:00:51,134 --> 00:00:52,969
Billy Joel:
Ah, key change.

8
00:00:53,011 --> 00:00:54,429
-(laughing)
-It's like a flat.

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00:00:54,846 --> 00:00:56,556
One half step down.

10
00:00:56,598 --> 00:00:58,433
(scanner beeping)

11
00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,029
(audience chattering)

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00:01:16,326 --> 00:01:20,163
(audience cheering)

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00:01:32,258 --> 00:01:35,637
(cheering intensifies)

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("My Life" playing)

15
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♪ Mmm, yeah ♪

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♪ Alright ♪

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00:01:50,527 --> 00:01:51,903
Yeah!

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00:02:05,750 --> 00:02:08,628
♪ I don't need you
to worry for me ♪

19
00:02:08,670 --> 00:02:10,797
♪ 'Cause I'm alright ♪

20
00:02:13,049 --> 00:02:15,885
♪ I don't want you
to tell me it's time ♪

21
00:02:15,927 --> 00:02:17,679
♪ To come home ♪

22
00:02:20,515 --> 00:02:23,059
♪ I don't care
what you say anymore ♪

23
00:02:23,101 --> 00:02:24,894
♪ This is my life ♪

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00:02:27,522 --> 00:02:29,899
♪ Go ahead
with your own life ♪

25
00:02:29,941 --> 00:02:34,070
♪ Leave me alone ♪

26
00:02:34,779 --> 00:02:36,781
♪ Keep it to yourself ♪

27
00:02:36,823 --> 00:02:38,825
♪ It's my life... ♪

28
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I don't like being told
what to do.

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I never did.

30
00:02:45,707 --> 00:02:48,835
♪ They will tell you
you can't sleep alone ♪

31
00:02:48,877 --> 00:02:50,837
♪ In a strange place... ♪

32
00:02:51,629 --> 00:02:52,922
When I was growing up,

33
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it was, "You're going
to graduate high school,

34
00:02:54,757 --> 00:02:56,092
"you're going to college,

35
00:02:56,092 --> 00:02:58,303
you're going to get
a good job, that's it."

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00:02:58,344 --> 00:03:00,263
And there was really
nothing beyond that.

37
00:03:00,305 --> 00:03:03,183
♪ Ah, but sooner or later
you sleep ♪

38
00:03:03,224 --> 00:03:05,602
♪ In your own space... ♪

39
00:03:05,643 --> 00:03:07,979
And I thought, wait a minute,
that doesn't really suit

40
00:03:08,021 --> 00:03:09,439
what I want my life to be.

41
00:03:09,939 --> 00:03:11,774
I want to be
something different.

42
00:03:14,527 --> 00:03:16,279
That's kind of
my life's philosophy.

43
00:03:16,946 --> 00:03:19,115
If I want to do it,
I'll do it.

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00:03:19,157 --> 00:03:22,118
I don't need your authority
to get me there.

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00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:23,953
♪ Keep it to yourself ♪

46
00:03:23,995 --> 00:03:26,539
♪ It's my life ♪

47
00:03:32,420 --> 00:03:35,340
(audience cheering,
applauding)

48
00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:47,143
The pop music artist
of the '70s

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00:03:47,143 --> 00:03:49,479
known as "The Piano Man"
is alive

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00:03:49,479 --> 00:03:51,814
and doing rather well
in the '80s.

51
00:03:51,856 --> 00:03:54,192
Proof of that could be found
in Cincinnati tonight.

52
00:03:54,234 --> 00:03:55,735
Dan Royal was there.

53
00:03:55,777 --> 00:03:57,570
Dan Dan: At age 33,
Billy Joel has been

54
00:03:57,612 --> 00:03:59,197
29 years on the piano.

55
00:03:59,239 --> 00:04:01,699
1973 was a turning point
in his career,

56
00:04:01,741 --> 00:04:04,160
some say,
with the song "Piano Man."

57
00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,829
National attention followed
by a string of hits.

58
00:04:07,205 --> 00:04:09,540
But just about a year ago,
another milestone:

59
00:04:09,582 --> 00:04:11,000
the motorcycle accident.

60
00:04:11,042 --> 00:04:13,836
The wrist got broken.
Wrist is, you know, it's...

61
00:04:13,878 --> 00:04:16,005
I don't have full range
of motion in it.

62
00:04:16,464 --> 00:04:18,007
I should be able to get
my hand down further,

63
00:04:18,007 --> 00:04:19,342
but I can't.

64
00:04:19,384 --> 00:04:20,843
And the thumb got crushed.

65
00:04:20,843 --> 00:04:22,929
So there's a piece of bone
missing in the thumb.

66
00:04:23,554 --> 00:04:24,847
It hurts. (chuckles)

67
00:04:24,847 --> 00:04:27,850
But, uh, I mean,
this is rock and roll.

68
00:04:27,850 --> 00:04:29,686
This... I'm not
Vladimir Horowitz here.

69
00:04:29,686 --> 00:04:32,063
-(upbeat music playing)
-(audience cheering)

70
00:04:32,981 --> 00:04:35,233
Bob Sirott: In the past year,
Joel has split with his wife.

71
00:04:35,275 --> 00:04:37,360
You'd think that
and the accident

72
00:04:37,610 --> 00:04:39,362
would tone this guy
down a little.

73
00:04:39,404 --> 00:04:43,741
I accept it
with quiet dignity and grace.

74
00:04:43,783 --> 00:04:46,411
I do not want to live!

75
00:04:46,452 --> 00:04:49,414
♪ And the dogs go mad
in packs on the west side ♪

76
00:04:49,455 --> 00:04:51,207
reporter: Have you been taking
very good care of Billy?

77
00:04:51,541 --> 00:04:52,792
I hear that you've had
a few personal problems,

78
00:04:52,834 --> 00:04:54,210
but you've got
a new manager now and...

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00:04:54,210 --> 00:04:55,586
No, they beat me up
every night.

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00:04:55,628 --> 00:04:57,380
-(reporter chuckles)
-Yeah.

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00:04:57,380 --> 00:04:58,715
You know
that motorcycle accident?

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00:04:58,756 --> 00:05:00,758
I was driving the car.
-(laughter)

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00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,928
♪ While the millionaires hide
in Beekman Place ♪

84
00:05:04,262 --> 00:05:06,723
♪ The bag ladies throw
their bones in my face ♪

85
00:05:06,764 --> 00:05:09,225
(indistinct)

86
00:05:09,225 --> 00:05:12,395
♪ I don't wanna hear it
but he won't turn it down ♪

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00:05:12,395 --> 00:05:14,772
Dan: For those who had
any doubt, Billy is back.

88
00:05:14,814 --> 00:05:16,399
And the strange thing:
about it,

89
00:05:16,733 --> 00:05:18,609
the crowds never seem
to have left.

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00:05:21,529 --> 00:05:23,281
Billy: The album
"Glass Houses"

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00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:24,741
was great to play live.

92
00:05:24,782 --> 00:05:28,161
It had stronger dynamics
to get across

93
00:05:28,202 --> 00:05:29,579
in a big venue.

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00:05:29,620 --> 00:05:32,999
It was closer
to the rock and roll music

95
00:05:33,041 --> 00:05:35,126
that used to excite me
when I was younger.

96
00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:37,795
And after that album was done,

97
00:05:37,837 --> 00:05:40,214
I wanted to completely
change direction.

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00:05:41,924 --> 00:05:43,593
I was going
through a divorce.

99
00:05:43,634 --> 00:05:46,262
I was reevaluating
everything in my life.

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00:05:46,846 --> 00:05:49,390
I wanted to do
something more serious.

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00:05:51,142 --> 00:05:52,310
(camera shutter clicks)

102
00:05:55,688 --> 00:05:57,857
I went into
the studio last year

103
00:05:57,899 --> 00:05:59,317
to do this album,

104
00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:00,777
but I got hung up
finishing it

105
00:06:00,777 --> 00:06:02,487
because I'd had
a motorcycle accident,

106
00:06:02,528 --> 00:06:04,655
and that kind of threw
the whole scheduling off

107
00:06:04,697 --> 00:06:05,782
and everything.

108
00:06:07,950 --> 00:06:10,661
It took a long time to make,
but I'm glad I stuck with it.

109
00:06:13,289 --> 00:06:15,208
Billy doesn't have
that much patience

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00:06:15,249 --> 00:06:16,626
in the studio
making a record.

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00:06:16,667 --> 00:06:19,337
I would say "The Nylon
Curtain" was the exception.

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00:06:20,254 --> 00:06:23,716
Billy: I wanted to make
a real sonic masterpiece.

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Bradshaw Leigh: Normally,
you would use the studio

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00:06:28,096 --> 00:06:30,473
to capture something
that you were creating.

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In this case, there was a lot
of work in the studio

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00:06:33,643 --> 00:06:36,562
using the technology
to finish the song.

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00:06:37,230 --> 00:06:39,148
Billy: I was experimenting
playing the studio

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00:06:39,148 --> 00:06:40,400
as an instrument.

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He was creating moods
and soundscapes,

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00:06:43,861 --> 00:06:45,613
like in "Scandinavian Skies."

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♪ I could play
the blues all night ♪

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00:06:54,414 --> 00:06:58,209
♪ Ah ♪

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Larry Franke: It was
an incredibly fertile time

124
00:07:01,045 --> 00:07:03,089
musically and creatively
for Billy.

125
00:07:06,467 --> 00:07:08,386
They started changing
what I was hearing

126
00:07:08,428 --> 00:07:09,429
in my headphones.

127
00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:11,055
The vocal sounded different.

128
00:07:11,097 --> 00:07:12,557
The echo sounded different.

129
00:07:12,598 --> 00:07:14,934
I said, oh, wow,
I can write to that.

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00:07:15,977 --> 00:07:19,355
♪ Pressure! Pressure! ♪

131
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It's so fucking weird
and avant garde.

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I wanted to create something
where the sound was

133
00:07:27,071 --> 00:07:29,532
as important
as the notes themselves.

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00:07:29,574 --> 00:07:32,201
("Pressure" playing)

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For "Pressure," I'm hearing
this Tchaikovsky like...

136
00:07:39,125 --> 00:07:42,211
And I want to hear mandolins
and balalaikas.

137
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Phil Ramone found these
Russian balalaika players,

138
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brought them all
into the studio.

139
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Which is kind of weird,
walking in the studio,

140
00:07:49,010 --> 00:07:51,179
seeing all these old guys
with these old instruments.

141
00:07:51,512 --> 00:07:54,432
But it was very cool.
And it sounded great.

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Six balalaika players,
for what?

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00:07:56,309 --> 00:07:57,810
In a semicircle.

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00:07:57,852 --> 00:07:59,395
(humming)

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00:08:01,314 --> 00:08:03,566
You're kidding me.
No, that's what we want to do.

146
00:08:04,358 --> 00:08:06,277
♪ Pressure! ♪

147
00:08:08,613 --> 00:08:10,323
One, two, three, four...

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00:08:10,364 --> 00:08:11,574
♪ Pressure! ♪

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00:08:11,574 --> 00:08:15,745
(audience cheering,
applauding)

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00:08:15,745 --> 00:08:18,831
Billy: I'm probably
the most proud of that album

151
00:08:18,873 --> 00:08:20,708
as a work of sonic art.

152
00:08:21,459 --> 00:08:24,170
And it was a transition
in how I wrote.

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Because the music
kind of directed me

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00:08:26,797 --> 00:08:28,758
towards writing
a different kind of lyric.

155
00:08:28,758 --> 00:08:31,594
It can't just be about love
and girlfriends.

156
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It has to be serious.

157
00:08:33,054 --> 00:08:35,306
Because the music
was more serious.

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I had grown up.
I wasn't in my 20s anymore.

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It wasn't just
about rock and roll.

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It was about the world.

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00:08:45,566 --> 00:08:47,485
It was the era of Reagan

162
00:08:47,818 --> 00:08:49,862
which was supposed to be
the shining city on the hill,

163
00:08:49,904 --> 00:08:52,782
but there was a lot
of underbelly stuff going on.

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00:08:52,782 --> 00:08:56,452
The promise of America
wasn't there anymore.

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Things were really changing.

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00:08:58,871 --> 00:09:00,498
(whistle hoots)

167
00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:03,417
("Allentown" playing)

168
00:09:10,007 --> 00:09:13,970
♪ Well, we're living here
in Allentown ♪

169
00:09:14,387 --> 00:09:17,640
♪ And they're closing
all the factories down... ♪

170
00:09:18,182 --> 00:09:20,977
The steel industry
was dying in Pennsylvania.

171
00:09:20,977 --> 00:09:22,311
People were out of work.

172
00:09:22,353 --> 00:09:24,146
This was in the headlines
every day.

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00:09:24,146 --> 00:09:27,149
♪ ...here in Allentown ♪

174
00:09:27,149 --> 00:09:30,027
♪ But they've taken all
the coal from the ground ♪

175
00:09:30,069 --> 00:09:31,404
Jackson Browne:
At a certain point,
he sort of turned

176
00:09:31,445 --> 00:09:33,489
his attention
to songs like "Allentown."

177
00:09:33,531 --> 00:09:35,825
The camera pulls back,
and you see us all

178
00:09:35,825 --> 00:09:37,451
in a particular place in time.

179
00:09:38,536 --> 00:09:42,039
♪ Every child had
a pretty good shot ♪

180
00:09:42,081 --> 00:09:46,002
♪ To get at least as far
as their old man got ♪

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00:09:46,002 --> 00:09:47,670
Anthony DeCurtis:
I think he really got a lot

182
00:09:47,712 --> 00:09:49,422
of what he was trying
to go for.

183
00:09:49,463 --> 00:09:51,549
It was very much
a Billy Joel song

184
00:09:51,591 --> 00:09:54,844
and very much a song about
something larger than him.

185
00:09:54,885 --> 00:09:57,221
♪ ...place ♪

186
00:09:57,805 --> 00:09:59,056
♪ Whoa ♪

187
00:09:59,765 --> 00:10:05,521
♪ And it's getting
very hard to stay ♪

188
00:10:05,563 --> 00:10:09,942
♪ And we're living here
in Allentown ♪

189
00:10:10,818 --> 00:10:12,737
Jackson: The egalitarian
nature of that song,

190
00:10:12,778 --> 00:10:14,530
a connection
to working people,

191
00:10:14,530 --> 00:10:16,657
that's really important
in his music.

192
00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:20,244
Paul McCartney:
His songs relate to people.

193
00:10:20,286 --> 00:10:23,372
He knows
what will reach someone,

194
00:10:23,372 --> 00:10:25,041
because he's felt it himself.

195
00:10:25,082 --> 00:10:26,792
So he's got the passion,

196
00:10:26,834 --> 00:10:30,755
and I think it starts
in the purity of the music.

197
00:10:34,634 --> 00:10:36,886
He cares about
the human experience.

198
00:10:36,927 --> 00:10:38,137
There's no bullshit.

199
00:10:38,888 --> 00:10:40,640
He wrote songs that matter.

200
00:10:43,809 --> 00:10:49,231
♪ We met as soulmates ♪

201
00:10:49,273 --> 00:10:52,401
♪ On Parris Island ♪

202
00:10:53,069 --> 00:10:55,655
Billy: There's a song
on "The Nylon Curtain"

203
00:10:55,696 --> 00:10:59,158
that I wrote for my friends
who were veterans of Vietnam.

204
00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,994
They told me they wanted me
to write a song for them,

205
00:11:02,036 --> 00:11:04,288
and I said, well,
I didn't go to Vietnam.

206
00:11:04,330 --> 00:11:06,582
I don't think I have
credibility to write a song.

207
00:11:06,582 --> 00:11:08,167
And they said, "We'll tell
you what we went through."

208
00:11:08,209 --> 00:11:13,130
♪ ...sharp
as sharp as knives ♪

209
00:11:14,465 --> 00:11:19,970
♪ And we were so gung ho
to lay down our lives ♪

210
00:11:21,013 --> 00:11:22,598
There was never
a song really written

211
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:24,266
from the soldier's
point of view,

212
00:11:24,308 --> 00:11:27,144
who was the guy over there
getting his ass shot off.

213
00:11:28,437 --> 00:11:30,106
Not whether it was wrong,
whether it was right.

214
00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:32,066
It was just: How did you feel
when you were over there?

215
00:11:33,317 --> 00:11:37,488
♪ And we held
onto each other ♪

216
00:11:37,530 --> 00:11:41,117
♪ Like brother to brother ♪

217
00:11:41,117 --> 00:11:43,536
Bruce Springsteen:
All art has
political implications.

218
00:11:43,577 --> 00:11:45,705
But Billy's thing was
less political

219
00:11:45,746 --> 00:11:48,457
than just pure attitude.

220
00:11:48,499 --> 00:11:52,837
Billy's angry young man thing
was literally just that,

221
00:11:52,878 --> 00:11:55,798
you know, it wasn't
an angry activist young man.

222
00:11:56,590 --> 00:11:58,634
One of the things I like
about Billy's writing

223
00:11:58,676 --> 00:12:00,886
is that he never
directly goes there.

224
00:12:00,928 --> 00:12:03,806
It's also a part of why
the material hasn't dated.

225
00:12:03,806 --> 00:12:09,353
♪ ...all go down together ♪

226
00:12:09,603 --> 00:12:16,610
soldiers: ♪ Yes, we will
all go down together ♪

227
00:12:18,779 --> 00:12:20,156
Steven Hyden: When I listen
to "Goodnight Saigon,"

228
00:12:20,197 --> 00:12:21,657
I'm not thinking about

229
00:12:21,657 --> 00:12:23,492
the socio-political
ramifications

230
00:12:23,492 --> 00:12:24,869
of the Vietnam War.

231
00:12:24,910 --> 00:12:26,662
I'm thinking about
the guys in that song.

232
00:12:26,996 --> 00:12:30,249
I think Billy Joel at
his best writes about people,

233
00:12:30,291 --> 00:12:32,543
not causes or concepts.

234
00:12:32,585 --> 00:12:35,546
(audience cheering)

235
00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:37,131
Billy: Thank you.

236
00:12:37,715 --> 00:12:38,966
You've been incredible.

237
00:12:43,137 --> 00:12:46,348
I've never liked
getting political onstage.

238
00:12:46,390 --> 00:12:48,517
People want to get away
from a lot of that stuff,

239
00:12:48,517 --> 00:12:49,560
I realize that.

240
00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:52,605
(audience cheering)

241
00:12:52,646 --> 00:12:55,191
But sometimes,
there are things that happen,

242
00:12:55,191 --> 00:12:56,901
and you can't just look away.

243
00:12:58,068 --> 00:13:01,071
When I wore
the yellow Star of David

244
00:13:01,655 --> 00:13:04,241
about a week
after Charlottesville,

245
00:13:04,283 --> 00:13:06,202
The Unite the Right rally...

246
00:13:06,660 --> 00:13:09,538
all: Jews will not replace us!

247
00:13:09,955 --> 00:13:12,041
Billy: ...I had
to do something.

248
00:13:12,041 --> 00:13:13,542
I was angry.
Here they are

249
00:13:13,542 --> 00:13:15,377
marching through
an American city

250
00:13:15,419 --> 00:13:18,130
saying, "Jews will not
replace us."

251
00:13:18,172 --> 00:13:21,133
We fought a war to,
you know, defeat these people.

252
00:13:21,175 --> 00:13:23,552
(clamoring)

253
00:13:24,887 --> 00:13:26,305
Billy: And then when Trump
comes out and says,

254
00:13:26,347 --> 00:13:28,891
"There were very fine people
on both sides."

255
00:13:28,933 --> 00:13:30,976
You had people that were...

256
00:13:32,061 --> 00:13:34,063
very fine people
on both sides.

257
00:13:34,104 --> 00:13:35,773
You know, he should have
come out and said

258
00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:37,107
those are bad people.

259
00:13:37,942 --> 00:13:39,235
There is no qualifying it.

260
00:13:39,568 --> 00:13:43,072
The Nazis are not good people.
Period.

261
00:13:43,072 --> 00:13:44,448
And I was angry.

262
00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:45,741
I was very angry,
and I had to do something.

263
00:13:45,783 --> 00:13:47,076
But I didn't want to get up

264
00:13:47,076 --> 00:13:48,744
on a soapbox onstage

265
00:13:48,744 --> 00:13:49,829
and say this is wrong.

266
00:13:50,371 --> 00:13:52,498
So I wore the star,

267
00:13:52,540 --> 00:13:53,916
basically to say...

268
00:13:55,626 --> 00:13:56,752
no matter what,

269
00:13:57,586 --> 00:13:59,922
I will always be a Jew.

270
00:14:00,506 --> 00:14:02,591
-(projector clicking)
-(pleasant music playing)

271
00:14:06,554 --> 00:14:08,013
Billy: I am a Jew.

272
00:14:09,974 --> 00:14:13,936
My father grew up in Germany
in a well-to-do family.

273
00:14:14,812 --> 00:14:18,315
I only met my father's
parents a few times.

274
00:14:18,357 --> 00:14:20,109
They were very proud
to be German.

275
00:14:20,609 --> 00:14:22,486
They weren't practicing Jews.

276
00:14:23,028 --> 00:14:26,115
My father got bar mitzvahed,
and that was it.

277
00:14:26,115 --> 00:14:27,700
They really didn't go
to synagogue.

278
00:14:28,158 --> 00:14:29,618
But in Germany,

279
00:14:29,660 --> 00:14:31,912
if your family was Jewish,
you were a Jew.

280
00:14:34,039 --> 00:14:36,625
My paternal grandfather,
Karl Joel,

281
00:14:36,625 --> 00:14:40,629
had a business called
Joel Macht Fabrik

282
00:14:40,629 --> 00:14:42,131
in Nuremberg,

283
00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:45,801
and they had a factory
where they made textiles

284
00:14:45,843 --> 00:14:46,969
and clothing.

285
00:14:47,636 --> 00:14:50,180
His business was doing
very, very well

286
00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:52,933
until the Nazis came
to power.

287
00:14:55,185 --> 00:14:56,395
They were wealthy people.

288
00:14:57,438 --> 00:14:59,982
They lived in a nice house
next to a park.

289
00:15:00,858 --> 00:15:04,778
The park was where they had
the Nazi Nuremberg rallies.

290
00:15:05,905 --> 00:15:07,656
crowd: Heil!

291
00:15:07,698 --> 00:15:10,117
Heil! Heil!

292
00:15:10,784 --> 00:15:13,203
Heil! Heil!

293
00:15:13,245 --> 00:15:16,248
(Hitler talking in German)

294
00:15:29,637 --> 00:15:31,597
Billy: My dad would look
over the fence

295
00:15:31,639 --> 00:15:33,807
while they were doing all
these anti-Semitic speeches

296
00:15:34,558 --> 00:15:36,268
and see this going on.

297
00:15:36,685 --> 00:15:38,395
I can't imagine
the trauma

298
00:15:38,437 --> 00:15:42,733
to watch the SS parade
espousing these principles.

299
00:15:43,776 --> 00:15:46,904
He was born in 1923,
so he was 10

300
00:15:47,446 --> 00:15:49,657
when Hitler became
Chancellor of Germany.

301
00:15:50,324 --> 00:15:51,659
Things got nasty.

302
00:15:54,787 --> 00:15:57,957
The German government
revoked the citizenship

303
00:15:57,998 --> 00:15:59,875
of anyone who was Jewish.

304
00:16:01,710 --> 00:16:03,754
You couldn't sit in the park.

305
00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:06,215
You couldn't walk
on the street.

306
00:16:06,548 --> 00:16:08,092
You had no rights at all.

307
00:16:09,885 --> 00:16:11,303
The Jewish kids
in the school had

308
00:16:11,345 --> 00:16:13,180
to sit on the other side
of the class.

309
00:16:17,893 --> 00:16:19,687
Eventually, he couldn't
even go to school.

310
00:16:21,981 --> 00:16:24,441
There was a newspaper editor,
Julius Streicher,

311
00:16:24,775 --> 00:16:26,902
who had a couple
of anti-Semitic newspapers

312
00:16:26,944 --> 00:16:28,070
that they published.

313
00:16:28,070 --> 00:16:29,780
"Der Stürmer" was
the big one.

314
00:16:30,322 --> 00:16:31,907
They would target
my grandfather.

315
00:16:32,533 --> 00:16:34,994
"The Jew Joel,"
he was referred to.

316
00:16:37,746 --> 00:16:40,207
Billy: Eventually,
these ordinances and laws,

317
00:16:40,749 --> 00:16:43,919
anti-Semitic newspapers
took a toll on the business.

318
00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:46,964
They had to stamp everything
that they mailed out

319
00:16:47,006 --> 00:16:48,507
with a "J" for "Jew."

320
00:16:49,383 --> 00:16:52,594
I don't know why he thought
he could survive this,

321
00:16:52,636 --> 00:16:54,430
because it was
becoming apparent

322
00:16:54,930 --> 00:16:57,599
that no Jewish business was
going to be able to survive.

323
00:16:57,975 --> 00:17:00,269
He must have been an optimist

324
00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:03,272
or just didn't want
to see it,

325
00:17:03,272 --> 00:17:04,481
didn't want to know it.

326
00:17:07,026 --> 00:17:09,695
They were forced to sell
the business for nothing.

327
00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:12,156
You know, like pennies
on the dollar,

328
00:17:12,948 --> 00:17:14,992
to a guy named Neckermann.

329
00:17:15,034 --> 00:17:17,244
But Neckermann never paid.

330
00:17:17,786 --> 00:17:20,998
My grandfather was asking what
he should do to get the money

331
00:17:21,832 --> 00:17:25,252
and he got a message,
"We'll settle the account."

332
00:17:26,503 --> 00:17:28,338
He was warned
at the last minute,

333
00:17:28,380 --> 00:17:29,548
you know, watch out.

334
00:17:29,590 --> 00:17:30,591
They're going to kill you.

335
00:17:32,134 --> 00:17:34,386
My grandfather realized
this is it.

336
00:17:34,803 --> 00:17:37,347
I better leave while I can.
And he was lucky.

337
00:17:37,389 --> 00:17:39,683
They got to go
across the Swiss border

338
00:17:39,725 --> 00:17:42,811
which was difficult
for a lot of people.

339
00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:47,900
If my grandparents
had been found on the train

340
00:17:47,941 --> 00:17:49,693
with the documents
that said "Jew,"

341
00:17:49,735 --> 00:17:51,487
they would have been
sent immediately

342
00:17:51,487 --> 00:17:52,863
to a concentration camp.

343
00:17:53,238 --> 00:17:55,157
They got out. A miracle.

344
00:17:57,076 --> 00:17:58,660
The ironic thing is,

345
00:17:58,702 --> 00:18:01,038
when Neckermann took over
the business,

346
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:02,748
they actually started
to manufacture

347
00:18:02,790 --> 00:18:04,249
the striped pajamas

348
00:18:04,291 --> 00:18:06,251
that the prisoners
in the concentration camps

349
00:18:06,293 --> 00:18:07,336
had to wear.

350
00:18:07,711 --> 00:18:09,671
That was made
by Joel Macht Fabrik.

351
00:18:14,885 --> 00:18:16,178
I didn't know
any of that

352
00:18:16,220 --> 00:18:17,846
until I was in my mid-20s.

353
00:18:18,514 --> 00:18:19,848
There's still a lot
I don't know.

354
00:18:19,848 --> 00:18:21,391
I'm still trying
to put the pieces together.

355
00:18:22,768 --> 00:18:24,311
I didn't know
my father at all

356
00:18:24,812 --> 00:18:27,606
from the time I was
about eight years old

357
00:18:27,648 --> 00:18:29,566
until I was in my mid-20s.

358
00:18:29,608 --> 00:18:31,110
Tried to, um...

359
00:18:32,569 --> 00:18:34,238
figure out
where he was,

360
00:18:34,279 --> 00:18:36,907
how I, how I could
contact him, but nobody knew.

361
00:18:39,451 --> 00:18:42,621
♪ Well, so here I am ♪

362
00:18:42,663 --> 00:18:45,165
♪ At the end of the road ♪

363
00:18:46,083 --> 00:18:48,919
♪ Where do I go from here? ♪

364
00:18:48,961 --> 00:18:53,048
Billy: When I was 21, 22,
I went to Europe.

365
00:18:54,216 --> 00:18:57,136
I played in clubs, and I
played in these little bars

366
00:18:57,177 --> 00:18:59,138
and showcase places.

367
00:19:01,056 --> 00:19:02,975
And I figured maybe
I could track down

368
00:19:03,016 --> 00:19:04,143
my father somewhere

369
00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:06,395
because I never heard
from him.

370
00:19:06,436 --> 00:19:08,730
I never got a card,
not a phone call, nothing.

371
00:19:08,772 --> 00:19:11,233
And I was wondering, is he
dead or alive? I didn't know.

372
00:19:11,275 --> 00:19:15,070
♪ And it's hard ♪

373
00:19:15,112 --> 00:19:17,781
The day I was leaving
to go back to the States,

374
00:19:18,365 --> 00:19:20,159
I get a, a telegram,

375
00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:23,078
and it says,
"We found your father."

376
00:19:23,620 --> 00:19:25,914
And oh, my God,
they found my father.

377
00:19:25,956 --> 00:19:27,291
W-w-w-where?
How do I do that?

378
00:19:27,332 --> 00:19:29,084
And then I found out

379
00:19:29,126 --> 00:19:30,669
my father lived in Vienna.

380
00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:39,178
I went to visit
my father's apartment,

381
00:19:39,219 --> 00:19:41,555
and there was
a little blonde boy.

382
00:19:42,764 --> 00:19:44,516
I found out
I had a half-brother.

383
00:19:47,728 --> 00:19:49,605
Alex Joel: I met Bill
when I was five.

384
00:19:50,814 --> 00:19:52,149
I remember that moment.

385
00:19:53,317 --> 00:19:56,653
It was my first day in school.
And I just got out of school.

386
00:19:57,154 --> 00:19:58,488
He read me a goodnight story.

387
00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:01,491
Billy: I saw pictures
of my father

388
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:03,327
playing in the snow
and skiing.

389
00:20:03,368 --> 00:20:05,704
And I said,
you never did that with me.

390
00:20:06,038 --> 00:20:07,664
How come...
What did I do?

391
00:20:07,706 --> 00:20:09,458
How come
I never heard nothing?

392
00:20:11,251 --> 00:20:13,754
I had conflicting feelings
about it,

393
00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:18,008
but he had
a very strange life.

394
00:20:18,050 --> 00:20:21,637
He fought in the US Army
under General Patton.

395
00:20:22,429 --> 00:20:23,889
They liberated Dachau.

396
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,016
I tried to get him
to talk about it,

397
00:20:26,058 --> 00:20:29,144
but he didn't really want
to talk about his past.

398
00:20:29,186 --> 00:20:32,064
And I heard most of it
from my brother.

399
00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:36,693
Alex: In the first week,
he was there

400
00:20:36,735 --> 00:20:40,280
after it was liberated
and saw the terrible things.

401
00:20:43,617 --> 00:20:46,495
It was something that,
uh, deeply traumatized him.

402
00:20:48,997 --> 00:20:50,958
Billy: And then I found out
about my father's family.

403
00:20:51,833 --> 00:20:53,126
They were hunted.

404
00:20:54,753 --> 00:20:56,630
Alex: Many from my family
were in Auschwitz.

405
00:20:57,214 --> 00:21:00,133
Our whole family,
most of them were killed.

406
00:21:02,552 --> 00:21:04,388
Billy: I visited
the graveyard

407
00:21:04,429 --> 00:21:06,473
where the Joel
family's buried,

408
00:21:06,974 --> 00:21:09,559
and I didn't even know
I had that many relatives.

409
00:21:11,937 --> 00:21:15,440
There's an underlying rage
that comes out sometimes.

410
00:21:15,482 --> 00:21:17,025
And it's, "What are you
getting all mad about?

411
00:21:17,025 --> 00:21:20,279
Nobody did anything to you."
But they wiped out my family.

412
00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:22,281
I would have liked to have
known some of these people.

413
00:21:27,035 --> 00:21:29,705
And so, my father,
he was very internal.

414
00:21:30,330 --> 00:21:31,915
Very dark man.

415
00:21:31,957 --> 00:21:34,001
And he told me once
when I was a little kid,

416
00:21:34,668 --> 00:21:36,211
"Life is a cesspool."

417
00:21:37,170 --> 00:21:39,673
Wow. That's not
a great outlook on life.

418
00:21:41,591 --> 00:21:43,468
After he moved
to the States,

419
00:21:43,510 --> 00:21:45,345
he didn't really take
to America.

420
00:21:48,056 --> 00:21:50,225
He thought it was
too commercial.

421
00:21:50,267 --> 00:21:51,685
Lacking in culture.

422
00:21:52,811 --> 00:21:54,896
And the anti-Semitism
he ran into

423
00:21:54,896 --> 00:21:56,231
embittered him a good deal.

424
00:21:57,733 --> 00:22:00,402
And then when
my grandparents decided

425
00:22:00,402 --> 00:22:02,279
they were going
to move back to Germany,

426
00:22:02,321 --> 00:22:05,866
my father and mother divorced
around that time,

427
00:22:06,783 --> 00:22:08,994
and he moved back to Europe.

428
00:22:14,416 --> 00:22:18,086
Russell Javors:
I was there when Billy
met with his dad.

429
00:22:18,128 --> 00:22:21,131
His father walks in,
and nobody's saying anything,

430
00:22:21,173 --> 00:22:22,632
but you could see the angst.

431
00:22:24,551 --> 00:22:26,094
Billy: It was awkward.

432
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,722
How do you reconnect
with your father?

433
00:22:29,181 --> 00:22:30,932
How does he reconnect
with his son?

434
00:22:31,391 --> 00:22:34,269
I guess we were too shy
to talk to each other.

435
00:22:34,603 --> 00:22:37,939
We just kind of spent time
being near each other

436
00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:40,108
and trying to warm it up

437
00:22:40,108 --> 00:22:41,943
and figure out
how to communicate.

438
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:44,363
Neither of us knew
how to do it.

439
00:22:45,238 --> 00:22:47,240
(inaudible)

440
00:22:51,703 --> 00:22:54,081
Those thoughts marinated.

441
00:22:55,749 --> 00:22:57,292
And one day, I just sat down

442
00:22:57,334 --> 00:23:00,670
and started writing
this song.

443
00:23:00,712 --> 00:23:03,882
This is for my father.
Okay. Here we go.

444
00:23:05,008 --> 00:23:07,219
(playing "Vienna")

445
00:23:07,260 --> 00:23:10,263
(audience applauding,
cheering)

446
00:23:20,148 --> 00:23:23,318
♪ Slow down
you crazy child ♪

447
00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:26,655
♪ You're so ambitious
for a juvenile ♪

448
00:23:26,655 --> 00:23:28,740
♪ But then
if you're so smart ♪

449
00:23:28,782 --> 00:23:32,119
♪ Tell me why are you
still so afraid?

450
00:23:32,619 --> 00:23:34,830
♪ Hmm ♪

451
00:23:35,455 --> 00:23:38,083
♪ Where's the fire?
What's the hurry about? ♪

452
00:23:38,125 --> 00:23:42,003
♪ You better cool it off
before you burn it out ♪

453
00:23:42,045 --> 00:23:45,006
♪ You got so much to do
and only so many... ♪

454
00:23:45,048 --> 00:23:46,508
Howad Stern: I've had
the privilege of getting

455
00:23:46,508 --> 00:23:47,968
to know Billy personally.

456
00:23:48,343 --> 00:23:51,555
And Billy had a lot of trauma
in his young life.

457
00:23:52,389 --> 00:23:54,057
When you look
at some of Billy's songs,

458
00:23:54,099 --> 00:23:56,476
you see a glimpse of this.

459
00:23:57,060 --> 00:23:59,479
♪ When will you realize ♪

460
00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:02,983
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪

461
00:24:04,609 --> 00:24:06,111
Billy:
"Vienna waits for you."

462
00:24:06,153 --> 00:24:08,280
I suppose it's what
I was searching for.

463
00:24:08,780 --> 00:24:10,365
You know,
my father was there.

464
00:24:10,407 --> 00:24:11,950
I know I was searching
for him.

465
00:24:12,367 --> 00:24:14,411
But beyond my father,

466
00:24:14,453 --> 00:24:16,955
it's the music city
of the world.

467
00:24:16,997 --> 00:24:18,790
So it has a lot of meaning.

468
00:24:18,832 --> 00:24:20,417
There's a lot
of different layers to it.

469
00:24:21,793 --> 00:24:24,546
♪ Too bad, but it's
the life you lead ♪

470
00:24:24,588 --> 00:24:26,423
♪ You're so ahead
of yourself ♪

471
00:24:26,465 --> 00:24:28,258
♪ That you forgot
what you need... ♪

472
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:32,387
Howard: I think Billy's story
is way deeper psychologically

473
00:24:32,387 --> 00:24:34,389
than Billy wants to know.

474
00:24:34,431 --> 00:24:37,100
♪ You're right ♪

475
00:24:37,142 --> 00:24:38,727
Howard: There are
certain traumas

476
00:24:38,727 --> 00:24:40,270
that one never gets over,

477
00:24:41,271 --> 00:24:43,398
and there are
certain motivators in life

478
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,150
that sometimes
we're not even aware of.

479
00:24:46,526 --> 00:24:49,571
But I think his drive comes
from wanting to know

480
00:24:49,571 --> 00:24:50,822
his father through music.

481
00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:53,325
♪ When will you realize ♪

482
00:24:54,743 --> 00:24:59,873
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪

483
00:25:10,467 --> 00:25:12,052
(slams key)

484
00:25:12,928 --> 00:25:14,304
(audience cheering
applauding)

485
00:25:14,346 --> 00:25:16,556
Alright. Thank you.

486
00:25:17,098 --> 00:25:19,976
Now, I want to try playing
the piano with my father

487
00:25:20,018 --> 00:25:21,311
if he'll come up and do it.

488
00:25:21,353 --> 00:25:24,105
(audience cheering,
applauding)

489
00:25:24,105 --> 00:25:28,902
(playing upbeat music)

490
00:25:31,238 --> 00:25:32,656
Billy: There was always
a remoteness,

491
00:25:32,697 --> 00:25:34,366
there was always
a distance.

492
00:25:34,407 --> 00:25:36,493
He was one of those people
who kind of held you off.

493
00:25:37,244 --> 00:25:40,247
(upbeat music continues)

494
00:25:42,499 --> 00:25:44,125
Billy: I wanted
to be close to him.

495
00:25:44,125 --> 00:25:46,628
I would have liked my father
to have been proud of me.

496
00:25:46,628 --> 00:25:47,963
I would have liked
to have talked to him

497
00:25:48,004 --> 00:25:50,298
about music and life.

498
00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,388
But we never really made
a strong connection.

499
00:25:58,181 --> 00:26:00,267
Never really had
that magic moment.

500
00:26:02,936 --> 00:26:04,104
It's disappointing.

501
00:26:09,651 --> 00:26:15,657
♪ Where's the orchestra? ♪

502
00:26:15,657 --> 00:26:21,705
♪ Wasn't this supposed
to be a musical? ♪

503
00:26:21,746 --> 00:26:26,751
♪ Here I am in the balcony ♪

504
00:26:27,836 --> 00:26:32,799
♪ How the hell could I have
missed the overture? ♪

505
00:26:33,508 --> 00:26:35,844
♪ I like... ♪

506
00:26:35,885 --> 00:26:37,012
Billy:
"Where's the Orchestra?" was

507
00:26:37,012 --> 00:26:38,179
the last song I wrote

508
00:26:38,179 --> 00:26:40,015
on "The Nylon Curtain" album.

509
00:26:40,015 --> 00:26:43,101
♪ Even though I have ♪

510
00:26:43,143 --> 00:26:48,690
♪ Absolutely no ♪

511
00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:50,734
♪ Idea at all ♪

512
00:26:50,775 --> 00:26:52,485
It was a song
of disillusionment.

513
00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:55,363
It's a summation
of life for me.

514
00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:58,241
Life is not a musical,
it's a Greek tragedy.

515
00:26:58,283 --> 00:27:03,872
♪ Where's the orchestra? ♪

516
00:27:03,913 --> 00:27:06,666
(audience cheering)

517
00:27:07,584 --> 00:27:10,587
Goodnight, D.C. Don't take
any shit from anybody.

518
00:27:12,422 --> 00:27:14,049
Billy: I was wiped out
emotionally,

519
00:27:14,090 --> 00:27:16,259
physically from doing
"The Nylon Curtain."

520
00:27:16,301 --> 00:27:18,595
I felt like
I was close to death.

521
00:27:19,429 --> 00:27:21,973
I'd been on the road
year after year after year,

522
00:27:22,015 --> 00:27:26,269
writing, recording,
touring, on and on and on.

523
00:27:26,311 --> 00:27:28,229
And I'd really never
taken a vacation.

524
00:27:28,605 --> 00:27:31,900
So I was talking with
Paul Simon, who was a friend.

525
00:27:31,941 --> 00:27:33,818
He said, "Why don't you go
to this place

526
00:27:33,860 --> 00:27:35,403
down in the Caribbean
called Saint Barts."

527
00:27:35,403 --> 00:27:36,613
I never heard of it.

528
00:27:36,655 --> 00:27:39,115
"It's really quiet.
It's real chill.

529
00:27:39,157 --> 00:27:40,325
"You'll really like it.

530
00:27:40,367 --> 00:27:42,994
Nobody's going
to bother you."

531
00:27:43,036 --> 00:27:45,455
So I took his advice
and I went to Saint Barts.

532
00:27:46,539 --> 00:27:47,582
I just thought
this is going to be

533
00:27:47,624 --> 00:27:48,792
a quiet little island.

534
00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:51,127
♪ Let me tell you a story ♪

535
00:27:51,169 --> 00:27:52,754
photographer: There you go.

536
00:27:52,754 --> 00:27:54,756
reporter: Christie Brinkley
has hooked the brass ring

537
00:27:54,756 --> 00:27:56,466
on the modeling
merry-go-round.

538
00:27:58,218 --> 00:27:59,844
This golden girl
from California

539
00:27:59,886 --> 00:28:01,596
has run up
the astounding record

540
00:28:01,596 --> 00:28:04,849
of appearing on more than
100 magazine covers.

541
00:28:04,891 --> 00:28:06,810
♪ She was always
Christie Lee ♪

542
00:28:08,395 --> 00:28:09,938
Christie Brinkley:
I was on a shoot.

543
00:28:09,938 --> 00:28:11,606
We were in Saint Barts.

544
00:28:11,648 --> 00:28:13,441
One of the people
from our crew

545
00:28:13,441 --> 00:28:15,110
comes running in and goes,

546
00:28:15,652 --> 00:28:18,113
"Oh, my God, you guys,
Billy Joel's at the PLM."

547
00:28:18,113 --> 00:28:22,659
We zip over to the PLM,
and he's sitting at the bar.

548
00:28:26,413 --> 00:28:27,789
One of the things
I love about Billy

549
00:28:27,789 --> 00:28:29,207
is he's never comfortable
in a room

550
00:28:29,249 --> 00:28:30,291
until he sees a piano.

551
00:28:32,335 --> 00:28:34,003
He doesn't perform
so other people

552
00:28:34,045 --> 00:28:35,296
can hear him play.

553
00:28:35,338 --> 00:28:37,132
It's like
his security blanket.

554
00:28:37,173 --> 00:28:39,217
So it isn't surprising
he's down there.

555
00:28:39,259 --> 00:28:40,802
He's in Saint Barts.

556
00:28:40,802 --> 00:28:43,012
He's in a bar.
There's a piano.

557
00:28:43,054 --> 00:28:44,347
He sits down to play.

558
00:28:44,389 --> 00:28:46,141
And he looks up,
and there are

559
00:28:46,141 --> 00:28:48,977
these amazingly beautiful
models staring down at him.

560
00:28:49,436 --> 00:28:51,062
Christie: He's burned
to a crisp.

561
00:28:51,104 --> 00:28:53,481
He's got, like, a Hawaiian
shirt on or something,

562
00:28:53,523 --> 00:28:55,275
you know,
like his holiday shirt.

563
00:28:57,193 --> 00:28:59,320
Billy: I said, oh, my God,
this is fantastic.

564
00:28:59,362 --> 00:29:01,322
Thank you so much, Mr. Piano.

565
00:29:01,322 --> 00:29:03,324
Christie: Right away,
he cracked me up.

566
00:29:03,366 --> 00:29:04,993
He was so funny.

567
00:29:04,993 --> 00:29:07,537
And he's like, "Let me play
a couple songs for you."

568
00:29:07,579 --> 00:29:09,038
There's a piano bench,

569
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,332
so I go over and sit next
to him and he goes,

570
00:29:11,374 --> 00:29:12,500
"What kind of music
do you like?"

571
00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:14,669
And I just launch into,

572
00:29:14,711 --> 00:29:19,090
♪ Olha que coisa mais linda
mais cheia de graça ♪

573
00:29:19,132 --> 00:29:20,925
And I'm doing
the singing,

574
00:29:20,967 --> 00:29:24,387
and Billy's kind of like,
you know, "Okay, alright."

575
00:29:24,429 --> 00:29:26,556
He's playing the song,
and I'm singing.

576
00:29:28,641 --> 00:29:30,935
And then,
in comes Elle MacPherson.

577
00:29:30,977 --> 00:29:32,729
She is a huge
Billy Joel fan.

578
00:29:32,771 --> 00:29:34,522
She's got this gorgeous body,

579
00:29:34,522 --> 00:29:36,566
and she's draping
the gorgeous body

580
00:29:36,608 --> 00:29:39,068
all over the place to try
and get his attention.

581
00:29:40,195 --> 00:29:43,364
So I'm chatting up Elle,
I'm chatting up Christie.

582
00:29:43,364 --> 00:29:45,867
All of a sudden,
this young girl

583
00:29:45,909 --> 00:29:49,204
comes over and goes,
"Well, I can sing too."

584
00:29:49,245 --> 00:29:50,622
Yeah, yeah,
sure you are.

585
00:29:50,663 --> 00:29:52,540
Like, hey,
don't bother me, kid.

586
00:29:52,582 --> 00:29:54,876
This young, beautiful girl

587
00:29:54,918 --> 00:29:57,754
comes out with this voice.

588
00:29:57,796 --> 00:30:00,423
It was Whitney
freakin' Houston!

589
00:30:01,132 --> 00:30:03,468
Christie: It was like
her first modeling job.

590
00:30:03,510 --> 00:30:05,428
It was amazing.

591
00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:07,055
Billy: They were
all beautiful.

592
00:30:07,096 --> 00:30:08,431
They were all models.

593
00:30:08,473 --> 00:30:10,225
And I was just a schlub

594
00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:12,393
with a sunburn
playing the piano.

595
00:30:12,393 --> 00:30:14,270
And then Billy, you know,

596
00:30:14,312 --> 00:30:16,397
finally got a chance
to sing a couple songs.

597
00:30:16,397 --> 00:30:20,318
He was just so fun and funny

598
00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:24,239
and, uh, pink and shiny.

599
00:30:24,239 --> 00:30:26,115
And... (chuckles)

600
00:30:26,157 --> 00:30:28,743
there was something
very endearing about him.

601
00:30:28,743 --> 00:30:30,286
We just had a great time

602
00:30:30,328 --> 00:30:32,789
laughing, talking,
all of that.

603
00:30:32,831 --> 00:30:35,542
And so we decided
that we would stay in touch.

604
00:30:38,127 --> 00:30:39,921
Billy: We both lived
in New York City,

605
00:30:40,463 --> 00:30:44,676
and we started to hang out
and liked each other.

606
00:30:44,717 --> 00:30:46,010
Christie:
I said to my mom,

607
00:30:46,052 --> 00:30:48,596
I'm seeing this guy
who's so sweet,

608
00:30:48,596 --> 00:30:51,516
but he's, like, you know,
not really my type.

609
00:30:51,558 --> 00:30:54,769
He's kind of got, like,
the Long Island bubble hair.

610
00:30:54,811 --> 00:30:57,188
But he's really
interesting and fun.

611
00:30:57,230 --> 00:30:59,941
And she said, "Honey,
you can change the hair.

612
00:30:59,983 --> 00:31:01,401
"You can change his shoes.

613
00:31:01,943 --> 00:31:05,446
But if he's got a good heart,
you should follow your heart."

614
00:31:05,822 --> 00:31:08,449
So we went out, like,
on a real date

615
00:31:08,449 --> 00:31:10,952
to a Beach Boys concert.

616
00:31:10,952 --> 00:31:13,288
And, of course,
Billy ended up on stage.

617
00:31:13,788 --> 00:31:14,956
There was something
really sweet

618
00:31:14,956 --> 00:31:16,958
and old fashion-y about him.

619
00:31:16,958 --> 00:31:21,087
So that's how our friendship
turned into our romance.

620
00:31:22,589 --> 00:31:26,301
♪ Whoa ♪

621
00:31:26,342 --> 00:31:28,803
♪ For the longest time ♪

622
00:31:28,845 --> 00:31:30,013
Billy: You know,
here I am dating

623
00:31:30,054 --> 00:31:32,807
this beautiful supermodel,
and me?

624
00:31:32,807 --> 00:31:34,309
I'm from Hicksville.

625
00:31:34,309 --> 00:31:35,643
What am I doing with her?
What's she doing with me?

626
00:31:35,685 --> 00:31:38,146
But it was a very
productive time for me.

627
00:31:38,187 --> 00:31:39,731
I wrote a lot
of songs for her.

628
00:31:39,772 --> 00:31:41,524
She was a muse.

629
00:31:41,566 --> 00:31:44,152
It was like being
a teenager all over again,

630
00:31:44,152 --> 00:31:46,404
experiencing those
same emotions

631
00:31:46,446 --> 00:31:48,573
that I had when I was
first discovering

632
00:31:48,615 --> 00:31:50,325
romance and love.

633
00:31:50,325 --> 00:31:53,161
We're having
the best time!

634
00:31:54,162 --> 00:31:58,333
♪ Whoa ♪

635
00:31:58,374 --> 00:32:01,085
♪ For the longest time ♪

636
00:32:01,127 --> 00:32:03,838
♪ Whoa ♪

637
00:32:03,838 --> 00:32:05,256
♪ For the longest... ♪

638
00:32:05,298 --> 00:32:07,425
♪ I'm that voice ♪

639
00:32:07,467 --> 00:32:11,012
♪ You're hearing
in the hall ♪

640
00:32:11,012 --> 00:32:15,850
♪ And the greatest
miracle of all... ♪

641
00:32:15,850 --> 00:32:16,935
Christie: It was fun
to be having

642
00:32:16,976 --> 00:32:18,770
this whirlwind romance

643
00:32:18,811 --> 00:32:22,565
and having certain aspects
of that turn into music.

644
00:32:22,607 --> 00:32:25,360
("An Innocent Man" playing)

645
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,028
(audience cheering)

646
00:32:32,158 --> 00:32:36,037
♪ Some people stay
far away from the door ♪

647
00:32:36,037 --> 00:32:40,333
♪ If there's a chance
of it opening up ♪

648
00:32:41,751 --> 00:32:43,127
Billy: I wanted
to do something simple

649
00:32:43,169 --> 00:32:44,379
and dumb and happy.

650
00:32:44,420 --> 00:32:45,838
And I did "An Innocent Man,"

651
00:32:46,255 --> 00:32:47,590
which is really an homage

652
00:32:47,632 --> 00:32:49,717
to all the music
of my teenage years.

653
00:32:50,551 --> 00:32:54,305
♪ Some people live
with the fear of a touch ♪

654
00:32:54,347 --> 00:32:58,726
♪ And the anger
of having been a fool... ♪

655
00:32:58,768 --> 00:33:00,728
Billy: Like the song
"Innocent Man"

656
00:33:00,728 --> 00:33:02,897
is done in the style
of The Drifters.

657
00:33:02,897 --> 00:33:08,069
♪ ...cry, because I am
an innocent man ♪

658
00:33:08,069 --> 00:33:09,904
♪ ...with an uptown girl ♪

659
00:33:09,946 --> 00:33:12,740
Billy: With "Uptown Girl,"
I wanted to recapture

660
00:33:12,782 --> 00:33:15,076
The Four Seasons
with Frankie Valli.

661
00:33:15,076 --> 00:33:19,247
♪ And when she's walkin'
she's lookin' ♪

662
00:33:19,247 --> 00:33:21,290
♪ So fine ♪

663
00:33:21,332 --> 00:33:23,459
We were all
bar band guys,

664
00:33:23,501 --> 00:33:24,752
and it was kind of like

665
00:33:24,794 --> 00:33:26,921
the '50s
and the '60s again,

666
00:33:26,921 --> 00:33:29,340
playing the music we grew up
learning how to play.

667
00:33:29,382 --> 00:33:32,260
♪ Under the boardwalk ♪

668
00:33:33,386 --> 00:33:37,432
♪ Down by the sea, yeah ♪

669
00:33:38,016 --> 00:33:39,559
band: ♪ Under the boardwalk ♪

670
00:33:39,934 --> 00:33:41,310
♪ Boardwalk ♪

671
00:33:41,352 --> 00:33:43,604
(laughter)

672
00:33:45,314 --> 00:33:48,026
Billy: We were having a blast
making those recordings.

673
00:33:48,067 --> 00:33:50,111
And all those songs
for "An Innocent Man,"

674
00:33:50,111 --> 00:33:51,654
they came fast.
(snapping fingers)

675
00:33:51,696 --> 00:33:52,780
I mean, just...

676
00:33:53,114 --> 00:33:55,199
This is how I'm feeling.
This is what I'm writing.

677
00:33:55,241 --> 00:33:56,284
This is what it is.

678
00:33:56,993 --> 00:33:58,745
♪ I want the easy ♪

679
00:33:59,871 --> 00:34:02,582
♪ Easy, easy money ♪

680
00:34:03,291 --> 00:34:04,459
Alan Hunter: Billy Joel
is in the middle

681
00:34:04,459 --> 00:34:06,627
of a national tour
that was sold out

682
00:34:06,627 --> 00:34:08,046
before he ever hit the road.

683
00:34:08,087 --> 00:34:10,339
♪ Tell her about it ♪

684
00:34:10,381 --> 00:34:12,008
Billy: On the tour,
there's a whole new audience.

685
00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:13,384
A lot younger kids
who didn't know

686
00:34:13,426 --> 00:34:14,719
anything about "Piano Man,"

687
00:34:14,761 --> 00:34:16,637
who don't even know
"The Stranger,"

688
00:34:16,637 --> 00:34:19,348
who may only know
from the videos of "Pressure"

689
00:34:19,390 --> 00:34:21,142
and "Allentown"
and the new videos

690
00:34:21,184 --> 00:34:22,643
we did
on "An Innocent Man."

691
00:34:22,685 --> 00:34:25,146
They've just discovered me
through that, which is great.

692
00:34:25,146 --> 00:34:26,481
Billy's incredible, man.

693
00:34:26,522 --> 00:34:27,899
-interviewer: How old are you?
-Sixteen.

694
00:34:28,316 --> 00:34:29,734
Billy: This was
the early '80s

695
00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:31,652
when MTV came to be.

696
00:34:31,944 --> 00:34:33,404
announcer:
MTV Music Television!

697
00:34:33,446 --> 00:34:36,074
Video music 24 hours a day!

698
00:34:36,407 --> 00:34:37,909
Christie:
Billy didn't really enjoy

699
00:34:37,950 --> 00:34:39,243
having to do videos.

700
00:34:39,285 --> 00:34:43,164
He wanted his music
to just paint the air

701
00:34:43,206 --> 00:34:46,167
and for people to use
their own imagination,

702
00:34:46,167 --> 00:34:47,418
which is limitless.

703
00:34:47,460 --> 00:34:49,670
(singing indistinctly)

704
00:34:49,712 --> 00:34:51,214
Christie: Plus he didn't
think he was

705
00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:54,509
a matinee idol type
for these videos.

706
00:34:54,509 --> 00:34:56,344
We want to look good
on camera, don't we?

707
00:34:57,136 --> 00:34:59,180
That's right,
and Paula makes sure we do.

708
00:34:59,222 --> 00:35:00,848
Christie: But he realized
they were important.

709
00:35:00,890 --> 00:35:03,184
So these videos ended up

710
00:35:03,226 --> 00:35:05,228
being a big part
of his career.

711
00:35:06,145 --> 00:35:10,108
This is not a video. This is
a mini major motion picture.

712
00:35:10,149 --> 00:35:11,901
It's a three minute movie.

713
00:35:11,943 --> 00:35:13,069
Jon Small: At that time,
I had just started

714
00:35:13,111 --> 00:35:14,237
doing music videos.

715
00:35:14,278 --> 00:35:16,447
I had my own
little production company.

716
00:35:16,489 --> 00:35:18,533
So I call Billy
and I tell him what I'm doing.

717
00:35:18,908 --> 00:35:20,493
-crew member 1: Quiet!
-crew member 2: Rolling!

718
00:35:20,993 --> 00:35:22,203
Jon: The first one
they wanted to do

719
00:35:22,203 --> 00:35:23,704
was "Tell Her About It."

720
00:35:23,704 --> 00:35:26,082
And Dennis Arfa,
Billy's agent,

721
00:35:26,124 --> 00:35:28,042
said, "I could get you
Rodney Dangerfield."

722
00:35:28,209 --> 00:35:30,211
Hi, this is
Rodney Dangerfield.

723
00:35:30,253 --> 00:35:32,547
I'll be on MTV,
the world premiere

724
00:35:32,547 --> 00:35:33,631
of the Billy Joel video.

725
00:35:33,673 --> 00:35:35,633
♪ Listen, boy, I don't want ♪

726
00:35:35,675 --> 00:35:37,885
♪ To see you let
a good thing slip away ♪

727
00:35:37,927 --> 00:35:39,095
♪ Slip away ♪

728
00:35:39,137 --> 00:35:40,138
Jon: So we made
"Tell Her About It."

729
00:35:40,471 --> 00:35:41,764
It came out great.

730
00:35:41,806 --> 00:35:42,890
Christie: They ended up doing

731
00:35:42,932 --> 00:35:45,101
some of the real standouts

732
00:35:45,143 --> 00:35:46,561
of that period.

733
00:35:47,228 --> 00:35:49,564
♪ I had to wait forever ♪

734
00:35:49,772 --> 00:35:52,650
♪ But better late
than never ♪

735
00:35:52,692 --> 00:35:54,819
Hi, I'm Billy Joel,
and you're watching me

736
00:35:54,861 --> 00:35:56,404
on MTV,
Music Television.

737
00:35:56,445 --> 00:35:58,072
-(beep)
-(distant siren wailing)

738
00:35:58,114 --> 00:36:00,158
Jon: The next video
was "Uptown Girl."

739
00:36:00,199 --> 00:36:01,909
Billy said
so we'll get Christie.

740
00:36:01,909 --> 00:36:03,744
I go, yeah,
but she's in the newspaper

741
00:36:03,744 --> 00:36:05,079
with you every day.

742
00:36:05,079 --> 00:36:07,206
It only makes sense
to be her, you know?

743
00:36:07,540 --> 00:36:09,083
So then I went to Christie.

744
00:36:09,125 --> 00:36:12,003
Christie goes, "You see this?
This is money."

745
00:36:12,044 --> 00:36:15,089
So I said, look, you're only
in it for a little bit.

746
00:36:15,089 --> 00:36:18,092
We'll get the hair and makeup
you want, whatever you want.

747
00:36:18,092 --> 00:36:19,468
Just tell Billy
you want to do it.

748
00:36:19,510 --> 00:36:21,137
So she told Billy
she wanted to do it.

749
00:36:21,179 --> 00:36:23,806
♪ With an uptown girl ♪

750
00:36:23,848 --> 00:36:27,310
♪ You know I've seen her
in her uptown world ♪

751
00:36:27,351 --> 00:36:31,355
♪ She's getting tired
of her high class toys

752
00:36:31,397 --> 00:36:35,026
♪ And all the presents
from her uptown boys ♪

753
00:36:35,067 --> 00:36:36,777
♪ She's got a choice ♪

754
00:36:36,777 --> 00:36:39,322
I felt comfortable
in the gas station outfit

755
00:36:39,363 --> 00:36:40,948
because I used to work
at a gas station.

756
00:36:40,990 --> 00:36:42,533
♪ ...white-bred world ♪

757
00:36:42,575 --> 00:36:46,329
♪ As long as anyone
with hot blood can ♪

758
00:36:46,370 --> 00:36:49,957
♪ And now she's looking
for a downtown man ♪

759
00:36:49,999 --> 00:36:51,334
♪ That's what I am ♪

760
00:36:52,001 --> 00:36:54,795
♪ And when she's walkin' ♪

761
00:36:54,837 --> 00:36:58,883
♪ She's lookin' so fine ♪

762
00:36:59,467 --> 00:37:02,303
♪ And when she's talkin' ♪

763
00:37:02,303 --> 00:37:06,474
♪ She'll say that
she's mine ♪

764
00:37:06,933 --> 00:37:08,309
Billy said, "Well,
I don't want to dance."

765
00:37:08,309 --> 00:37:09,518
I said, well,
you're not dancing.

766
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:11,062
You're just going
from A to B,

767
00:37:11,103 --> 00:37:13,272
and you're doing it
with some style, you know?

768
00:37:14,398 --> 00:37:17,693
♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪

769
00:37:17,735 --> 00:37:19,195
Dennis Arfa:
It was upspirited,

770
00:37:19,237 --> 00:37:21,364
and it showed
the celebrity power.

771
00:37:21,405 --> 00:37:23,741
♪ Uptown girl ♪

772
00:37:23,783 --> 00:37:26,744
♪ She's my uptown girl ♪

773
00:37:26,786 --> 00:37:29,664
You know, they were
the most powerful,

774
00:37:29,705 --> 00:37:31,999
uh, celebrity couple
at that time.

775
00:37:31,999 --> 00:37:35,169
I mean, the ultimate
rock-pop star

776
00:37:35,211 --> 00:37:37,380
and the world's
greatest model

777
00:37:37,421 --> 00:37:39,548
now in this celebrity video,

778
00:37:39,590 --> 00:37:42,510
which is still legendary
to this day.

779
00:37:42,510 --> 00:37:46,097
♪ ...I'm in love
with an uptown girl ♪

780
00:37:46,138 --> 00:37:47,265
♪ My uptown girl ♪

781
00:37:47,306 --> 00:37:48,349
Dennis: "Uptown Girl"

782
00:37:48,391 --> 00:37:50,601
was a monster
worldwide record.

783
00:37:50,643 --> 00:37:52,603
Are you the man singing
"Uptown Girl?"

784
00:37:52,645 --> 00:37:58,693
-Billy: That's me!
-Billy and Christie: ♪ Oh ♪

785
00:37:59,151 --> 00:38:01,070
Dennis: The momentum,
the album had, like,

786
00:38:01,112 --> 00:38:02,571
four hit singles on it.

787
00:38:03,155 --> 00:38:05,783
But again,
it was battling the critics.

788
00:38:11,956 --> 00:38:13,582
Bruce: Particularly
in the early '80s,

789
00:38:13,624 --> 00:38:16,252
people if they felt something
wasn't, quote, rock and roll,

790
00:38:16,294 --> 00:38:18,879
you know, it came in for
a certain sort of criticism.

791
00:38:19,588 --> 00:38:20,881
John Rockwell:
All the rock critics

792
00:38:20,923 --> 00:38:25,219
were totally interested
in blues-based rock.

793
00:38:25,219 --> 00:38:27,888
Well, Billy Joel did not fit
into that mold.

794
00:38:27,888 --> 00:38:32,268
And, as such, awakened
their indifference or scorn.

795
00:38:32,310 --> 00:38:33,894
Don Henley: We had that
in common with Bill.

796
00:38:34,228 --> 00:38:36,981
We got a lot of bad reviews.
And I took it personally.

797
00:38:37,023 --> 00:38:39,108
You know, it hurt.
I thought, who are these guys?

798
00:38:39,150 --> 00:38:40,651
You know?
And they don't know me.

799
00:38:40,693 --> 00:38:43,321
I know that he hated
the rock critics.

800
00:38:43,654 --> 00:38:45,614
I know it bugged
the fuck out of him.

801
00:38:46,282 --> 00:38:48,075
Piss on a bunch of critics.

802
00:38:48,451 --> 00:38:51,412
Every critic
that ever criticized Billy,

803
00:38:51,412 --> 00:38:52,830
where are they?

804
00:38:55,207 --> 00:38:58,586
Where are all these people
that knew so much

805
00:38:58,627 --> 00:39:00,963
about what we
should be doing?

806
00:39:01,005 --> 00:39:02,423
Edna Gunderson:
Billy put so much

807
00:39:02,423 --> 00:39:05,134
of himself in these songs.

808
00:39:05,176 --> 00:39:07,803
I mean, so many of them
are autobiographical

809
00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:11,015
that he is kind of spilling
his guts and his life

810
00:39:11,057 --> 00:39:13,267
and his soul,
putting it out there,

811
00:39:13,309 --> 00:39:15,269
and then have somebody
slap them down.

812
00:39:15,311 --> 00:39:17,438
You know, it,
it's very painful.

813
00:39:17,772 --> 00:39:19,482
Bryant Gumbel: Though he's
sold over 40 million albums,

814
00:39:19,523 --> 00:39:22,777
won five Grammys, and seen
over a dozen singles go gold,

815
00:39:22,777 --> 00:39:25,529
critical acclaim has, for
the most part, eluded Joel.

816
00:39:25,571 --> 00:39:27,281
Critics charge that
his varied styles

817
00:39:27,323 --> 00:39:29,950
deprive him of an authentic
musical identity,

818
00:39:29,992 --> 00:39:32,703
and others label him
an unoriginal imitator.

819
00:39:32,745 --> 00:39:34,789
A musical chameleon
of sorts.

820
00:39:34,789 --> 00:39:36,457
The charges have
understandably left

821
00:39:36,457 --> 00:39:39,001
Billy Joel perhaps
a bit defensive overall.

822
00:39:39,043 --> 00:39:40,127
Billy: I don't think
that's bad.

823
00:39:40,127 --> 00:39:41,337
To me, it means renaissance.

824
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:42,671
I do change all the time.

825
00:39:42,713 --> 00:39:44,924
I'm interested
in all kinds of music.

826
00:39:45,466 --> 00:39:47,968
Steven: If you aren't inclined
to like Billy Joel,

827
00:39:48,010 --> 00:39:50,805
his versatility actually
becomes a liability.

828
00:39:51,514 --> 00:39:53,349
A lot of critics
looked at Billy Joel

829
00:39:53,391 --> 00:39:54,892
as almost like
a carpetbagger.

830
00:39:54,934 --> 00:39:57,561
This is a guy who doesn't
have his own identity.

831
00:39:57,603 --> 00:40:00,147
That he would do anything
to get on the radio.

832
00:40:00,189 --> 00:40:02,066
He would, you know,
just chase any trend.

833
00:40:02,108 --> 00:40:04,819
And yeah, you know,
he writes nice songs,

834
00:40:04,860 --> 00:40:07,822
but he's unoriginal
and derivative.

835
00:40:08,155 --> 00:40:09,824
John: The critics
didn't appreciate

836
00:40:09,865 --> 00:40:12,076
Billy Joel's musicality.

837
00:40:12,118 --> 00:40:15,496
For that crowd,
musicality is a bad word.

838
00:40:15,496 --> 00:40:19,250
But even with all of the
eclecticism of his influences,

839
00:40:19,291 --> 00:40:21,335
there is an authenticity
about him.

840
00:40:21,335 --> 00:40:23,504
And people respond to that.

841
00:40:23,546 --> 00:40:24,839
They think they know him,

842
00:40:25,339 --> 00:40:28,467
and they respond
to what he says and feels.

843
00:40:29,552 --> 00:40:31,679
Edna: If you look
at Billy Joel's songs,

844
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:33,431
he doesn't beat
around the bush.

845
00:40:33,472 --> 00:40:35,850
He doesn't write
these obscure lyrics.

846
00:40:35,891 --> 00:40:39,520
He's very straightforward
and he's very openhearted,

847
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:41,856
and you know exactly
where he's coming from

848
00:40:41,856 --> 00:40:43,732
and what he's saying.

849
00:40:43,774 --> 00:40:46,694
I don't dwell in a lot
of metaphor and simile.

850
00:40:46,694 --> 00:40:50,656
I write like I talk,
and I write how I think.

851
00:40:51,031 --> 00:40:53,701
I think that's another reason
that critics

852
00:40:53,701 --> 00:40:54,869
sort of look down on him.

853
00:40:55,369 --> 00:40:58,456
But this is exactly what some
of the greatest songwriters

854
00:40:58,497 --> 00:41:00,374
of the popular era,

855
00:41:00,416 --> 00:41:02,626
you know,
of the American Songbook did.

856
00:41:03,502 --> 00:41:06,547
Sting: He's one of the few
contemporary songwriters

857
00:41:06,547 --> 00:41:09,633
who can write a standard
by those rules,

858
00:41:09,675 --> 00:41:12,094
you know, where there's verse,
chorus, verse, chorus,

859
00:41:12,136 --> 00:41:14,805
middle eight,
key change, coda.

860
00:41:14,847 --> 00:41:16,640
That art is dying out.

861
00:41:16,682 --> 00:41:18,809
He's a structural songwriter,

862
00:41:18,851 --> 00:41:21,729
and that's really
what I appreciate.

863
00:41:22,688 --> 00:41:25,441
I think it also is
what makes songs last.

864
00:41:25,858 --> 00:41:27,735
♪ Tell her about it ♪

865
00:41:27,735 --> 00:41:30,321
♪ Tell her everything
you feel ♪

866
00:41:30,362 --> 00:41:31,572
Billy: A lot of critics
didn't like

867
00:41:31,614 --> 00:41:33,908
the "Innocent Man" album.
Tough shit.

868
00:41:33,908 --> 00:41:36,827
It's like, I want to do
what I'm interested in.

869
00:41:36,869 --> 00:41:38,746
I want to do
what I want to hear.

870
00:41:38,787 --> 00:41:40,831
(song ends)

871
00:41:40,873 --> 00:41:44,585
(audience cheering,
applauding)

872
00:41:44,627 --> 00:41:47,838
The greatest
rock and roll show ever!

873
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:49,840
paparazzi:
Billy! Billy! Billy!

874
00:41:49,882 --> 00:41:53,886
(paparazzi clamoring)

875
00:41:54,094 --> 00:41:56,472
Mark Rivera: I never saw him
on the cover of magazines

876
00:41:56,514 --> 00:41:58,599
with his arm
around anybody until then.

877
00:41:58,641 --> 00:42:00,100
Then he's like, pff,

878
00:42:00,142 --> 00:42:01,936
the paparazzi
couldn't get enough of them.

879
00:42:01,936 --> 00:42:03,145
It exploded.

880
00:42:03,187 --> 00:42:04,438
There you have it,

881
00:42:04,438 --> 00:42:06,106
the paparazzi of London.

882
00:42:06,857 --> 00:42:08,108
Steve:
During the Christie years,

883
00:42:08,108 --> 00:42:09,193
there was a super intensity.

884
00:42:09,235 --> 00:42:11,487
He became a celebrity.

885
00:42:11,529 --> 00:42:12,821
But I don't think
I ever saw him

886
00:42:12,863 --> 00:42:14,949
being comfortable
with any of it.

887
00:42:14,949 --> 00:42:16,784
Paparazzi: Christie,
can you look this way?

888
00:42:16,784 --> 00:42:18,160
Christie: She does.
Look, look.

889
00:42:18,202 --> 00:42:21,872
Our first ever argument
was because

890
00:42:21,914 --> 00:42:24,375
we got surrounded
by paparazzis

891
00:42:24,416 --> 00:42:26,669
and Billy was
really rude to them.

892
00:42:27,002 --> 00:42:28,796
And I said,
it's so much easier

893
00:42:28,837 --> 00:42:30,339
just to give them a smile.

894
00:42:30,381 --> 00:42:31,966
Now they're going to probably
get a picture of you going

895
00:42:31,966 --> 00:42:35,386
grr, arr, ahh, you know,
and they'll run those.

896
00:42:35,427 --> 00:42:37,846
If you just see
the camera, smile,

897
00:42:37,888 --> 00:42:40,724
they'll get their shot
and leave us alone.

898
00:42:40,766 --> 00:42:42,393
And so we used to joke.

899
00:42:42,434 --> 00:42:44,603
Every time we'd see a camera,

900
00:42:44,812 --> 00:42:46,564
I'd strike a pose,
and he'd go...

901
00:42:46,605 --> 00:42:48,023
(camera shutter clicking)

902
00:42:48,065 --> 00:42:51,068
We started doing
this shtick everywhere.

903
00:42:51,110 --> 00:42:55,406
♪ But she's always
a woman to me ♪

904
00:42:57,783 --> 00:43:04,164
♪ Oh, and she
never gives out ♪

905
00:43:04,164 --> 00:43:05,666
Liberty DeVitto:
You know, I remember
they were going out,

906
00:43:05,708 --> 00:43:07,668
they were dating.
And I remember saying, like,

907
00:43:07,710 --> 00:43:09,336
you going to get married?

908
00:43:09,336 --> 00:43:11,380
And he goes,
"You think I should?"

909
00:43:11,922 --> 00:43:15,676
I said, I think you should.
Yeah, I think you should.

910
00:43:18,429 --> 00:43:20,222
Morris Jones:
Pop-rock singer Billy Joel

911
00:43:20,264 --> 00:43:21,932
is tying the knot tonight
in New York.

912
00:43:21,974 --> 00:43:25,102
His bride is fashion model
Christie Brinkley.

913
00:43:25,144 --> 00:43:27,688
♪ Even though
I'm in love... ♪

914
00:43:27,730 --> 00:43:30,024
Christie: We wanted
to get married in the harbor

915
00:43:30,024 --> 00:43:33,777
with the New York skyline,
the Statue of Liberty.

916
00:43:33,819 --> 00:43:35,696
Liberty: The wedding
was great. We all went.

917
00:43:35,696 --> 00:43:38,532
Me, Steve, and Brian
were in the bridal party.

918
00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:42,077
He borrowed all my 45s
and gave them to the DJ,

919
00:43:42,119 --> 00:43:43,996
and we played all
that kind of music.

920
00:43:44,580 --> 00:43:46,290
We had a lot of people.

921
00:43:46,332 --> 00:43:50,628
Record industry people,
some model industry people,

922
00:43:50,669 --> 00:43:54,423
the whole band was there,
friends, family.

923
00:43:54,465 --> 00:43:57,217
It was really fun
and glamorous.

924
00:43:57,259 --> 00:43:58,552
Liberty: It was a big deal.

925
00:43:58,594 --> 00:44:01,305
It was like, this is,
this is fame.

926
00:44:02,890 --> 00:44:04,892
(yodels)

927
00:44:04,892 --> 00:44:10,064
♪ Didn't I say
I wasn't ready for romance? ♪

928
00:44:10,105 --> 00:44:11,565
♪ Shoop, shoop-ahh ♪

929
00:44:11,565 --> 00:44:14,985
Christie: Today is
December 15th, 1985,

930
00:44:15,027 --> 00:44:18,822
and this is our new town
of East Hampton.

931
00:44:19,406 --> 00:44:21,075
Isn't it beautiful?

932
00:44:21,784 --> 00:44:23,661
♪ A slow dance ♪

933
00:44:23,702 --> 00:44:25,079
Hello!

934
00:44:25,079 --> 00:44:28,123
This comes up
our driveway now.

935
00:44:28,165 --> 00:44:30,417
♪ ...there and then ♪

936
00:44:30,459 --> 00:44:32,252
Christie:
Those first couple years,

937
00:44:32,252 --> 00:44:33,796
it was just so much fun.

938
00:44:33,837 --> 00:44:35,089
It was so great.

939
00:44:35,089 --> 00:44:39,009
And here it comes! Oh, yay!

940
00:44:39,051 --> 00:44:40,427
man: Oh, yeah.

941
00:44:40,427 --> 00:44:44,056
♪ ...who's seen
it all before? ♪

942
00:44:44,765 --> 00:44:50,896
♪ Now that you're here
it's not the same situation ♪

943
00:44:51,647 --> 00:44:53,982
We made it back home!

944
00:44:54,024 --> 00:44:56,527
The sailors! Yay!

945
00:44:57,111 --> 00:45:00,447
♪ Tomorrow ♪

946
00:45:00,447 --> 00:45:05,452
♪ Is a long time away ♪

947
00:45:05,494 --> 00:45:08,330
♪ This night ♪

948
00:45:08,372 --> 00:45:15,379
♪ Can last forever ♪

949
00:45:15,462 --> 00:45:18,465
(audience cheering,
applauding)

950
00:45:21,677 --> 00:45:23,804
Billy: Someone's looking
a bit larger these days.

951
00:45:24,221 --> 00:45:27,558
Only four weeks to go now.

952
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:29,560
Three and days.

953
00:45:29,601 --> 00:45:30,936
Billy: Three
and a couple of days.

954
00:45:31,895 --> 00:45:33,981
Well, this is
the 16th of December,

955
00:45:33,981 --> 00:45:39,361
so the next time we film,
maybe we'll tell the tale.

956
00:45:43,198 --> 00:45:44,825
news anchor:
Cover girl Christie Brinkley

957
00:45:44,867 --> 00:45:47,202
and singer Billy Joel
are now proud parents.

958
00:45:49,037 --> 00:45:52,666
Brinkley gave birth to a six
and a half pound baby girl

959
00:45:52,708 --> 00:45:55,002
last night
at a Manhattan hospital.

960
00:45:58,172 --> 00:45:59,757
Billy: I don't think
you really can grow up

961
00:45:59,798 --> 00:46:02,050
until you've had the
experience of being a parent

962
00:46:02,092 --> 00:46:03,343
and all of a sudden,

963
00:46:03,385 --> 00:46:05,679
the emphasis
of everything isn't you.

964
00:46:05,679 --> 00:46:08,223
It gives you a whole
different perspective.

965
00:46:08,265 --> 00:46:09,850
Unconditional love.

966
00:46:09,850 --> 00:46:11,685
I never knew a feeling
like that before,

967
00:46:11,727 --> 00:46:14,271
till I held this little child
in my arms.

968
00:46:14,313 --> 00:46:16,064
This is more important
than me.

969
00:46:16,106 --> 00:46:19,193
This is everything.
This is the future.

970
00:46:19,234 --> 00:46:20,861
And I'm responsible for it.

971
00:46:21,570 --> 00:46:23,947
I better make sure
I do the right thing.

972
00:46:23,989 --> 00:46:25,199
Here we go.

973
00:46:25,240 --> 00:46:29,119
♪ This is the time
to remember ♪

974
00:46:29,161 --> 00:46:32,539
♪ 'Cause it will not
last forever ♪

975
00:46:32,581 --> 00:46:34,041
I didn't have a dad.

976
00:46:34,041 --> 00:46:36,043
I wanted to be the dad
that I didn't have.

977
00:46:37,127 --> 00:46:38,295
It was very important to me.

978
00:46:39,797 --> 00:46:41,215
-Hi!
-Hi!

979
00:46:41,256 --> 00:46:43,467
Alexa Ray Joel: I grew up
in East Hampton.

980
00:46:43,509 --> 00:46:47,012
And I thought, wow,
my parents are really popular.

981
00:46:47,596 --> 00:46:51,475
I didn't know that my
parents were the celebrities.

982
00:46:51,517 --> 00:46:53,101
I thought I was the star

983
00:46:53,143 --> 00:46:55,771
because that's how
they treated me as a child.

984
00:46:55,813 --> 00:46:58,398
They were always filming me
and building me up

985
00:46:58,398 --> 00:47:02,152
and always making me the star
of their family musicals.

986
00:47:03,111 --> 00:47:06,907
♪ Daddy, daddy, daddy, da ♪

987
00:47:06,907 --> 00:47:10,160
-That's me.
-♪ Daddy, daddy... ♪

988
00:47:10,202 --> 00:47:12,579
Christie: Billy would
sit down at the piano

989
00:47:12,621 --> 00:47:14,081
and start playing,

990
00:47:14,081 --> 00:47:17,251
and she would just tune in
to the piano

991
00:47:17,251 --> 00:47:18,794
and then start singing.

992
00:47:18,836 --> 00:47:20,254
♪ The Yanks are coming ♪

993
00:47:20,254 --> 00:47:23,507
♪ The drums rum-tumming
everywhere ♪

994
00:47:23,549 --> 00:47:24,842
Alexa: Every day
we would sing.

995
00:47:24,883 --> 00:47:27,511
And when my grandmother,
I call her Nanny Roz,

996
00:47:27,553 --> 00:47:29,930
was with us,
she was always singing.

997
00:47:29,972 --> 00:47:33,433
She loved musical theater
with such a passion.

998
00:47:33,433 --> 00:47:36,478
There's a song
from the musical "Showboat:"

999
00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:38,814
♪ Because he's just my Bill ♪

1000
00:47:38,856 --> 00:47:41,775
She named my father
after that song.

1001
00:47:42,442 --> 00:47:44,152
Roz was one of a kind.

1002
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:48,115
When she and Billy
would get together,

1003
00:47:48,115 --> 00:47:52,286
they always loved singing
little songs from Broadway,

1004
00:47:52,286 --> 00:47:55,163
and they would go in
and out of accents.

1005
00:47:55,205 --> 00:47:56,790
(imitating Vito Corleone)
You never come to my house

1006
00:47:56,790 --> 00:47:58,792
-anymore for coffee.
-(laughter)

1007
00:47:58,834 --> 00:48:01,962
Christie: They loved
putting on a show together.

1008
00:48:02,337 --> 00:48:05,549
-♪ One more for my baby ♪
-(audience cheering)

1009
00:48:05,591 --> 00:48:09,553
♪ And one more for the road ♪

1010
00:48:09,595 --> 00:48:12,306
Alexa: My grandmother
was extremely extroverted,

1011
00:48:12,347 --> 00:48:13,974
almost to a fault.

1012
00:48:14,016 --> 00:48:16,810
Just such an endless well
of emotion

1013
00:48:16,852 --> 00:48:18,770
always bubbling up
inside of her.

1014
00:48:19,187 --> 00:48:21,315
She would just start
singing something,

1015
00:48:21,315 --> 00:48:23,483
and then she would
become overcome

1016
00:48:23,483 --> 00:48:26,069
with the emotion,
she'd just start crying.

1017
00:48:27,237 --> 00:48:28,530
Christie:
She was unpredictable.

1018
00:48:29,323 --> 00:48:31,325
Very erratic moods, oh, yes.

1019
00:48:31,366 --> 00:48:32,993
You know,
that was hard for him,

1020
00:48:32,993 --> 00:48:35,162
to have his mom act
erratically like that.

1021
00:48:35,871 --> 00:48:38,832
But I think that he felt an
enormous amount of sympathy

1022
00:48:38,832 --> 00:48:41,043
for her plight
as a single mom.

1023
00:48:42,753 --> 00:48:45,047
Billy:
She was always there. Always.

1024
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:49,051
She was
the original motivator.

1025
00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:51,303
She was my champion.

1026
00:48:53,972 --> 00:48:57,059
Christie: Through thick
and thin, he loved her.

1027
00:48:57,100 --> 00:49:00,437
And she was so proud
that he was so successful

1028
00:49:00,479 --> 00:49:02,689
and traveling
all over the world.

1029
00:49:03,065 --> 00:49:06,234
There's Big Ben, Alexa.
See that big clock up there?

1030
00:49:06,276 --> 00:49:09,696
Il Torcello. De prima capital
en de Venezia.

1031
00:49:09,738 --> 00:49:11,949
Christie: And I loved
being on the road.

1032
00:49:11,990 --> 00:49:15,410
And I just loved being part
of that big road family.

1033
00:49:15,911 --> 00:49:18,705
band and crew: ♪ Volaré ♪

1034
00:49:19,623 --> 00:49:22,376
♪ Oh-oh ♪

1035
00:49:23,210 --> 00:49:26,546
♪ Cantaré ♪

1036
00:49:26,546 --> 00:49:29,383
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪

1037
00:49:30,676 --> 00:49:33,637
So I did try to go
as often as I could.

1038
00:49:33,679 --> 00:49:36,890
And I felt it was
really important for Billy

1039
00:49:36,932 --> 00:49:39,726
to have that time with Alexa.

1040
00:49:40,602 --> 00:49:43,772
background singer: ♪ I am ♪

1041
00:49:43,814 --> 00:49:47,818
Billy: ♪ An innocent man ♪

1042
00:49:47,859 --> 00:49:51,613
background singer:
♪ Oh, yes, I am ♪

1043
00:49:52,155 --> 00:49:53,407
Christie: Do you feel like
your fans are really going

1044
00:49:53,407 --> 00:49:54,825
to get everything
that they're after?

1045
00:49:54,866 --> 00:49:56,284
Billy: No, they're not going
to get everything that...

1046
00:49:56,326 --> 00:49:57,995
She's got dressing room stuff.

1047
00:49:58,036 --> 00:49:59,246
-You know, makeup things--
-Oh, yeah?

1048
00:49:59,287 --> 00:50:00,789
And yeah. Yeah,
she's got some great stuff.

1049
00:50:00,831 --> 00:50:03,250
Alexa: People really connected
to them as a couple.

1050
00:50:03,750 --> 00:50:05,794
I think it was fun
for people to see

1051
00:50:06,169 --> 00:50:08,088
that opposites can attract.

1052
00:50:08,130 --> 00:50:10,424
-Hi, I'm John Malkovich.
-I'm Billy Joel.

1053
00:50:10,465 --> 00:50:12,175
I have to tell you,
I admire the fact

1054
00:50:12,217 --> 00:50:13,760
that you're married
to Cindy Crawford.

1055
00:50:14,344 --> 00:50:15,971
No, I'm married
to Christie Brinkley.

1056
00:50:16,013 --> 00:50:17,848
(scoffs) You wish.

1057
00:50:19,683 --> 00:50:21,435
Billy: I had put out
"Nylon Curtain,"

1058
00:50:21,435 --> 00:50:23,478
and then I had put out
"An Innocent Man."

1059
00:50:23,895 --> 00:50:25,772
I had a brand new
baby daughter.

1060
00:50:25,772 --> 00:50:28,442
I didn't want to be
slaving away on my own

1061
00:50:28,442 --> 00:50:30,444
in a room by myself,

1062
00:50:30,444 --> 00:50:32,446
trying to come up
with song after song.

1063
00:50:32,946 --> 00:50:35,532
I wanted to be enjoying
my family.

1064
00:50:35,949 --> 00:50:38,660
So I kind of resisted it
for a couple of years.

1065
00:50:39,703 --> 00:50:43,206
But I knew that eventually,
I had to get back to work.

1066
00:50:44,374 --> 00:50:48,003
(vocalizing)

1067
00:50:51,381 --> 00:50:53,050
Phil Ramone: Do the harmony.

1068
00:50:53,091 --> 00:50:56,219
(both vocalizing)

1069
00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:02,559
Billy: It was kind of
a struggle to write.

1070
00:51:03,435 --> 00:51:05,020
I didn't have the ambition

1071
00:51:05,062 --> 00:51:07,647
that I did
on the previous albums.

1072
00:51:07,689 --> 00:51:09,316
I can hear it on the album.

1073
00:51:09,316 --> 00:51:10,484
I gotta come up
with another section

1074
00:51:10,525 --> 00:51:11,568
for it though.

1075
00:51:11,610 --> 00:51:12,986
Bridge or a, uh...

1076
00:51:13,028 --> 00:51:14,738
Writing a lot of times, I see

1077
00:51:14,780 --> 00:51:16,865
the piano
as this big black beast

1078
00:51:16,907 --> 00:51:20,035
with 88 teeth
trying to bite my hands off.

1079
00:51:20,702 --> 00:51:22,579
And it won't come.
And it won't come.

1080
00:51:22,621 --> 00:51:24,164
And then when I start
to get it,

1081
00:51:24,581 --> 00:51:25,999
I better, you know,

1082
00:51:26,374 --> 00:51:28,502
make sure that I stay there
until I get it.

1083
00:51:29,252 --> 00:51:31,880
Because the dry feeling
is the worst.

1084
00:51:31,922 --> 00:51:34,966
(pleasant piano music playing)

1085
00:51:35,967 --> 00:51:37,511
I've always written alone.

1086
00:51:37,552 --> 00:51:38,845
It's very lonely.

1087
00:51:39,596 --> 00:51:44,851
There's solitude that I have
to have when I'm writing.

1088
00:51:44,893 --> 00:51:46,436
Otherwise, I get distracted.

1089
00:51:46,478 --> 00:51:49,856
I have to completely be
in my own cave,

1090
00:51:49,856 --> 00:51:51,233
like a caveman.

1091
00:51:51,274 --> 00:51:54,069
I get grouchy, I get cranky,
I get moody,

1092
00:51:54,111 --> 00:51:57,114
I go through all kinds
of emotional feelings.

1093
00:51:57,155 --> 00:52:00,367
I feel completely isolated
from the rest of the world.

1094
00:52:00,408 --> 00:52:01,785
But it has to be like that

1095
00:52:01,827 --> 00:52:03,537
if I'm going to write
on my own.

1096
00:52:03,537 --> 00:52:07,582
I just have to be able
to be completely in a vacuum.

1097
00:52:07,999 --> 00:52:09,709
So it is a lonely job.

1098
00:52:10,252 --> 00:52:12,254
To me, the main language
is the music.

1099
00:52:12,295 --> 00:52:14,381
There's always a message
in the music.

1100
00:52:14,381 --> 00:52:17,759
Even before the words.
There's something in there.

1101
00:52:18,969 --> 00:52:21,304
But the work
is digging it out,

1102
00:52:21,346 --> 00:52:22,764
figuring out what that is.

1103
00:52:24,724 --> 00:52:27,227
Wow. Drums sound great
in this room.

1104
00:52:27,894 --> 00:52:29,437
Yeah. You don't hear
the drums?

1105
00:52:53,587 --> 00:52:55,505
-Did it sound good?
-It was incredible.

1106
00:52:55,547 --> 00:52:56,965
crew member:
Hey, Lib, you can go home.

1107
00:52:57,007 --> 00:52:59,801
Phil: Sing.
Come on. Sing.

1108
00:52:59,843 --> 00:53:01,761
♪ When I'm blue ♪

1109
00:53:03,680 --> 00:53:05,557
♪ When I'm lonely... ♪

1110
00:53:06,057 --> 00:53:07,851
Billy: I was told
by Phil Ramone,

1111
00:53:07,893 --> 00:53:09,603
who was a friend
of Ray Charles,

1112
00:53:09,644 --> 00:53:12,105
that Ray wanted
to do a song with me.

1113
00:53:12,105 --> 00:53:13,815
"Do you have anything in mind

1114
00:53:13,857 --> 00:53:16,776
that you could write
for Ray and you?"

1115
00:53:16,776 --> 00:53:18,945
I mean, I idolized
Ray Charles all my life.

1116
00:53:18,987 --> 00:53:22,032
He's probably my
favorite singer of all time.

1117
00:53:22,073 --> 00:53:23,867
So I thought
I'll write a song

1118
00:53:23,909 --> 00:53:25,702
about something
we have in common.

1119
00:53:25,744 --> 00:53:28,496
What's been
the most consistent thing

1120
00:53:28,538 --> 00:53:29,831
in our lives?

1121
00:53:30,290 --> 00:53:32,000
The piano.

1122
00:53:32,542 --> 00:53:35,170
So we flew out to Los Angeles
to do this session,

1123
00:53:35,212 --> 00:53:36,963
and in walked Ray Charles,

1124
00:53:37,005 --> 00:53:39,466
and I almost went
into a freeze-up.

1125
00:53:39,507 --> 00:53:42,469
Oh, my God, he's really there.
That's really Ray Charles.

1126
00:53:42,802 --> 00:53:45,889
I got you singin' "I've come
far from the life..."

1127
00:53:45,931 --> 00:53:47,307
Well, I'm going
to finish up the bridge.

1128
00:53:47,349 --> 00:53:48,558
You want me
to keep on singin'?

1129
00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:49,684
Yeah.

1130
00:53:49,726 --> 00:53:50,894
Phil Ramone suggested,

1131
00:53:50,936 --> 00:53:52,479
"Why don't you just
both play the piano?"

1132
00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:55,065
And it broke
the ice immediately.

1133
00:53:55,106 --> 00:53:58,068
(moody piano music playing)

1134
00:54:10,247 --> 00:54:12,123
Billy: That's a bond
between people.

1135
00:54:12,666 --> 00:54:14,668
It's a very
emotional attachment

1136
00:54:14,668 --> 00:54:16,419
that we both have
to this thing.

1137
00:54:17,504 --> 00:54:20,507
And now I'm going to sing
with Ray Charles!

1138
00:54:21,299 --> 00:54:23,051
I was so intimidated.

1139
00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:28,181
♪ She comes through ♪

1140
00:54:28,223 --> 00:54:32,852
♪ She's the only one
who can ♪

1141
00:54:32,852 --> 00:54:36,356
♪ My Baby Grand ♪

1142
00:54:36,398 --> 00:54:38,900
♪ Is all I need ♪

1143
00:54:38,942 --> 00:54:43,029
I love the extended metaphor
of the piano

1144
00:54:43,029 --> 00:54:45,365
as a lifelong love affair.

1145
00:54:45,365 --> 00:54:47,409
I adore that song.

1146
00:54:47,450 --> 00:54:49,703
And then getting Ray Charles
to sing with him.

1147
00:54:49,744 --> 00:54:51,371
That's, that's genius.

1148
00:54:52,789 --> 00:54:54,582
Ray: ♪ All it takes ♪

1149
00:54:55,959 --> 00:55:00,714
♪ Is the power in my hands ♪

1150
00:55:00,714 --> 00:55:04,217
♪ And this Baby Grand ♪

1151
00:55:04,259 --> 00:55:07,846
♪ Is good to me ♪

1152
00:55:10,807 --> 00:55:12,726
-That's the one.
-Oh, yeah, that's fine.

1153
00:55:12,726 --> 00:55:14,394
-That's soup.
-Soup!

1154
00:55:14,436 --> 00:55:17,564
Soup time. Soup time.

1155
00:55:17,605 --> 00:55:19,899
Soup du jour,
oh, yeah it is.

1156
00:55:19,941 --> 00:55:21,401
That's what happens
when you relax.

1157
00:55:21,443 --> 00:55:23,570
Yeah, that's right!
No, that's it.

1158
00:55:23,570 --> 00:55:28,116
♪ A-one, a-two
a-one, two, three, four ♪

1159
00:55:28,825 --> 00:55:30,952
Dennis:
After "The Bridge,"

1160
00:55:30,994 --> 00:55:32,662
we were touring
all over the world.

1161
00:55:33,204 --> 00:55:36,583
♪ Some love is just
a lie of the heart ♪

1162
00:55:37,417 --> 00:55:39,627
♪ The cold remains
of what began ♪

1163
00:55:39,669 --> 00:55:41,838
♪ With a passionate start ♪

1164
00:55:43,673 --> 00:55:45,133
Billy: We were
all over the place.

1165
00:55:45,175 --> 00:55:46,593
We played a lot of France.

1166
00:55:46,593 --> 00:55:48,595
-We were in Holland.
-Flew to London.

1167
00:55:48,636 --> 00:55:51,765
Billy: We played
in Berlin in 1989.

1168
00:55:51,806 --> 00:55:53,266
-The wall came down.
-Dennis: Right.

1169
00:55:53,308 --> 00:55:54,851
Billy: We were
the first act to get there

1170
00:55:54,893 --> 00:55:56,936
when the reunification
of Germany.

1171
00:55:56,936 --> 00:55:58,313
I had this whole speech.

1172
00:55:58,980 --> 00:56:00,815
Steve Cohen:
My sense of it is that

1173
00:56:00,857 --> 00:56:03,151
you would always want
to go someplace unique,

1174
00:56:03,193 --> 00:56:05,695
where people couldn't
experience this kind of stuff.

1175
00:56:05,737 --> 00:56:07,614
And you would say yes
to those things

1176
00:56:07,655 --> 00:56:10,450
that other guys wouldn't do,
like Russia.

1177
00:56:10,450 --> 00:56:13,203
reporter: What's the maximum
benefit you would like

1178
00:56:13,244 --> 00:56:15,872
to achieve out of this entire
two-week experience?

1179
00:56:15,914 --> 00:56:17,165
Billy: Make a lot
of friends,

1180
00:56:17,207 --> 00:56:19,876
hopefully make some people
happy with my music

1181
00:56:19,918 --> 00:56:22,295
and get something
that can be continued.

1182
00:56:22,337 --> 00:56:25,006
(choir harmonizing)

1183
00:56:28,051 --> 00:56:31,805
♪ Swing low ♪

1184
00:56:31,846 --> 00:56:36,976
♪ Sweet chariot ♪

1185
00:56:37,018 --> 00:56:39,354
Christie: This guy just
invited us to his house.

1186
00:56:39,896 --> 00:56:41,856
-You have good music.
-Billy: Thank you.

1187
00:56:41,898 --> 00:56:43,650
Pop music is
a universal language

1188
00:56:43,691 --> 00:56:45,652
among young people
in any country.

1189
00:56:45,693 --> 00:56:47,362
You know, the politicians
don't seem to be able

1190
00:56:47,404 --> 00:56:48,738
to make
any major breakthroughs.

1191
00:56:49,114 --> 00:56:51,032
I think sometimes
maybe it's up to the artists

1192
00:56:51,074 --> 00:56:52,492
to open up a dialogue.

1193
00:56:52,534 --> 00:56:54,035
-(fan speaking Russian)
-Billy: Bye-bye. Thank you.

1194
00:56:55,412 --> 00:56:57,831
We had a great audience
who were all excited

1195
00:56:57,831 --> 00:56:58,998
to hear rock and roll.

1196
00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:00,166
They wanted to rock out.

1197
00:57:00,208 --> 00:57:02,168
Steve: That was like
the spirit

1198
00:57:02,168 --> 00:57:03,711
of those people in Russia.

1199
00:57:03,753 --> 00:57:05,755
They wanted
to hang out with us.

1200
00:57:05,797 --> 00:57:07,924
The vodka bottle
would come on the table,

1201
00:57:07,966 --> 00:57:10,093
they'd take the top,
throw the top off.

1202
00:57:10,135 --> 00:57:13,221
I remember they didn't have
screw-on tops on the vodka.

1203
00:57:13,263 --> 00:57:16,015
It was a thing you took off
and you threw it away.

1204
00:57:16,015 --> 00:57:18,393
And I would say to them,
don't you have a top

1205
00:57:18,435 --> 00:57:19,727
that you can put back?
And they said, "Why?"

1206
00:57:19,769 --> 00:57:20,937
-Steve: "Why?"
-(laughter)

1207
00:57:20,979 --> 00:57:22,439
-"What for?"
-Steve: What for?

1208
00:57:22,480 --> 00:57:24,190
When I trashed the piano,

1209
00:57:24,190 --> 00:57:26,025
-the crowd loved it.
-Brian Ruggles: Oh, yeah.

1210
00:57:26,067 --> 00:57:27,193
They'd never
seen that before.

1211
00:57:27,235 --> 00:57:28,570
Rich Americans,

1212
00:57:28,611 --> 00:57:30,613
they smash their equipment.

1213
00:57:30,655 --> 00:57:31,865
Is he mad at us?

1214
00:57:31,906 --> 00:57:33,032
(in Russian accent)
What are you going

1215
00:57:33,032 --> 00:57:34,159
to trash tonight?

1216
00:57:34,742 --> 00:57:36,161
♪ Whoa ♪

1217
00:57:45,128 --> 00:57:49,007
(audience cheering)

1218
00:57:50,717 --> 00:57:52,343
Christie: ♪ Da da! ♪

1219
00:57:52,886 --> 00:57:55,930
It's Daddy, Alexa,
in a helicopter!

1220
00:58:03,897 --> 00:58:05,565
It's Daddy!

1221
00:58:13,239 --> 00:58:15,408
Billy: I'm two days back
from Leningrad.

1222
00:58:15,408 --> 00:58:16,910
Christie: How does it feel
to be home?

1223
00:58:16,910 --> 00:58:20,538
♪ I'm so glad
I'm-a livin' in the USA ♪

1224
00:58:21,289 --> 00:58:22,749
♪ Whoa, yeah ♪

1225
00:58:22,790 --> 00:58:26,878
♪ I'm so glad
livin' in the USA ♪

1226
00:58:26,920 --> 00:58:28,338
♪ Hully gully ♪

1227
00:58:28,379 --> 00:58:29,672
Great to be back.

1228
00:58:30,590 --> 00:58:32,383
We're on
the road again, folks.

1229
00:58:32,717 --> 00:58:34,302
This time, we're going
up to Maine.

1230
00:58:34,844 --> 00:58:38,348
So far, we've gotten to here.
Bantam Lake.

1231
00:58:39,265 --> 00:58:41,226
Christie, why don't you give
'em a look at Bantam Lake.

1232
00:58:41,601 --> 00:58:44,521
Christie:
We actually set about

1233
00:58:44,562 --> 00:58:47,607
driving the coastline
from Maine,

1234
00:58:47,982 --> 00:58:51,194
zigzagging in and out
of the shoreline.

1235
00:58:52,362 --> 00:58:56,824
It was a magical trip
discovering little towns.

1236
00:58:57,200 --> 00:59:00,954
Billy and Christie:
♪ My kind of town ♪

1237
00:59:00,995 --> 00:59:03,164
♪ Menemsha is ♪

1238
00:59:03,206 --> 00:59:04,874
Christie: And it was funny
'cause every town

1239
00:59:04,916 --> 00:59:06,960
that we went in,
the waiter

1240
00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:09,337
or the owner
of the restaurant would go,

1241
00:59:09,379 --> 00:59:11,130
"Oh, yeah.
You guys own

1242
00:59:11,172 --> 00:59:14,133
that huge property
up the street."

1243
00:59:14,592 --> 00:59:16,302
We're like, no, no, we don't.

1244
00:59:16,678 --> 00:59:18,471
And then they would say,
"Oh, yeah, yeah.

1245
00:59:18,471 --> 00:59:21,057
You bought a, uh,
a horse from me, you know."

1246
00:59:21,099 --> 00:59:23,476
We'd go, no, no, we didn't.

1247
00:59:23,893 --> 00:59:25,478
This is interesting.
I'm kind of glad

1248
00:59:25,478 --> 00:59:26,729
we're going to stay
in the area

1249
00:59:27,647 --> 00:59:29,065
instead of driving
further down.

1250
00:59:29,107 --> 00:59:30,650
Because we're running
out of daylight.

1251
00:59:30,692 --> 00:59:32,068
Christie: We were bumping
into people,

1252
00:59:32,110 --> 00:59:33,820
and then it was like,
"Oh, yeah, you bought

1253
00:59:33,861 --> 00:59:35,697
this old hotel in,

1254
00:59:35,738 --> 00:59:37,240
you know, North Carolina,"
or something.

1255
00:59:37,282 --> 00:59:39,242
It's like, no, not us.

1256
00:59:41,077 --> 00:59:44,330
I started getting, like,
a little feeling

1257
00:59:44,330 --> 00:59:47,166
that his manager was
buying things with his money.

1258
00:59:51,337 --> 00:59:53,840
I thought, wow,
he's flying everywhere

1259
00:59:53,881 --> 00:59:56,175
on, like, a private jet.

1260
00:59:56,175 --> 00:59:59,387
He's buying
racehorses galore.

1261
00:59:59,429 --> 01:00:02,473
And everybody thinks
we own property near them.

1262
01:00:03,182 --> 01:00:06,936
♪ Well, I know
you got your troubles ♪

1263
01:00:06,978 --> 01:00:09,188
Christie:
Something's not right here.

1264
01:00:09,188 --> 01:00:13,526
♪ But I've got problems
of my own ♪

1265
01:00:13,568 --> 01:00:14,736
Christie:
I said to Billy,

1266
01:00:14,777 --> 01:00:16,738
Frank Weber
is ripping you off.

1267
01:00:17,113 --> 01:00:19,532
And he did not want
to hear that.

1268
01:00:20,033 --> 01:00:22,702
Billy: I had an apartment
in Manhattan,

1269
01:00:22,702 --> 01:00:25,204
and I went to look
at a house

1270
01:00:25,246 --> 01:00:27,707
that needed to be renovated.

1271
01:00:27,707 --> 01:00:29,917
And I heard that
there was issues

1272
01:00:29,959 --> 01:00:32,086
with the expense of that.

1273
01:00:32,128 --> 01:00:33,630
And people
in the music business

1274
01:00:33,671 --> 01:00:35,048
that I knew were telling me,

1275
01:00:35,048 --> 01:00:36,633
"You shouldn't have a problem

1276
01:00:36,674 --> 01:00:38,718
coming up with the money
to do this.

1277
01:00:38,718 --> 01:00:40,803
You just had
all these hit records.

1278
01:00:40,845 --> 01:00:42,055
Where's all your money?"

1279
01:00:42,347 --> 01:00:43,890
And I didn't have
an answer for that.

1280
01:00:43,931 --> 01:00:46,601
I really hadn't stayed
on top of that.

1281
01:00:46,643 --> 01:00:48,144
(applause)

1282
01:00:48,186 --> 01:00:52,065
♪ Into each life
must fall some rain ♪

1283
01:00:52,065 --> 01:00:53,441
Jon: Billy called me
and he goes,

1284
01:00:53,483 --> 01:00:54,942
"I don't have enough money
to pay for my house."

1285
01:00:54,984 --> 01:00:57,278
I go, oh, but Frank
can pay for his house?

1286
01:00:57,320 --> 01:00:59,739
He goes, "Well, he doesn't
have the expenses I have."

1287
01:00:59,739 --> 01:01:01,824
I said, Billy, man,
you're so naive.

1288
01:01:01,866 --> 01:01:06,079
♪ We all walk
in darkness sometimes ♪

1289
01:01:06,788 --> 01:01:08,915
Christie: Frank had become
like a confidante,

1290
01:01:08,956 --> 01:01:11,000
a trusted advisor.

1291
01:01:12,502 --> 01:01:13,920
Walter Yetnikoff:
Billy told me that
he doesn't have

1292
01:01:13,961 --> 01:01:15,129
a lot of money.

1293
01:01:15,171 --> 01:01:16,464
I mean, at this point
in his career

1294
01:01:16,506 --> 01:01:17,840
for Billy Joel to say,
"I don't have money,"

1295
01:01:17,882 --> 01:01:19,008
is ridiculous.

1296
01:01:19,050 --> 01:01:20,426
Something is wrong.

1297
01:01:20,468 --> 01:01:21,803
You've had top ten records.

1298
01:01:21,844 --> 01:01:23,429
You have tours,
which you should have

1299
01:01:23,471 --> 01:01:24,597
a lot of money.

1300
01:01:24,639 --> 01:01:26,015
Why don't you have
a lot of money?

1301
01:01:26,057 --> 01:01:27,350
What is the problem?

1302
01:01:27,392 --> 01:01:28,726
And he said to me,

1303
01:01:29,227 --> 01:01:30,770
"Mind your own
fucking business."

1304
01:01:30,812 --> 01:01:33,189
When I first said it
to him, he said,

1305
01:01:33,231 --> 01:01:35,775
"Hey, I've known him
a hell of a lot longer

1306
01:01:35,775 --> 01:01:37,110
than I know you."

1307
01:01:37,777 --> 01:01:40,029
He felt like
this was his family,

1308
01:01:40,071 --> 01:01:42,115
the family that he chose.

1309
01:01:44,701 --> 01:01:47,578
I said, look, I love you,
I'm trying to protect you.

1310
01:01:48,538 --> 01:01:50,415
I see people ripping you off.

1311
01:01:51,708 --> 01:01:53,376
Billy trusted him.

1312
01:01:53,710 --> 01:01:56,462
He trusted him
more than he trusted me,

1313
01:01:56,462 --> 01:01:59,716
which of course hurt me
to hear that.

1314
01:02:00,925 --> 01:02:02,802
And I said, why don't you
get an auditor?

1315
01:02:02,802 --> 01:02:04,971
Get an auditor.
Not saying anything is wrong,

1316
01:02:05,012 --> 01:02:06,973
but you ought to have
someone take a look.

1317
01:02:07,014 --> 01:02:09,183
So I had
an audit authorized.

1318
01:02:09,225 --> 01:02:11,477
And after the audit,
I found out

1319
01:02:12,186 --> 01:02:14,564
I didn't have anywhere near
the money I should have had.

1320
01:02:14,605 --> 01:02:16,357
It hit me like
a ton of bricks.

1321
01:02:16,399 --> 01:02:19,986
I should have been worth this,
and I was worth this.

1322
01:02:20,528 --> 01:02:23,364
Kurt Loder: Yesterday, Joel
filed a $90 million lawsuit

1323
01:02:23,406 --> 01:02:26,075
against Frank Weber,
his manager since 1980.

1324
01:02:26,117 --> 01:02:28,202
An independent audit of Weber
and his company,

1325
01:02:28,244 --> 01:02:30,496
Frank Management,
has found that, quote,

1326
01:02:30,496 --> 01:02:33,499
Weber used Billy as
his personal bank, unquote.

1327
01:02:33,499 --> 01:02:34,834
Now, it's bad enough
that the manager

1328
01:02:34,876 --> 01:02:36,836
used to be
Billy's brother-in-law,

1329
01:02:36,836 --> 01:02:39,922
but he's also the godfather
of Billy Joel's daughter.

1330
01:02:41,090 --> 01:02:43,718
Billy: I owed Uncle Sam
five million dollars.

1331
01:02:43,760 --> 01:02:45,678
I didn't have the money
I thought I had.

1332
01:02:46,053 --> 01:02:47,764
And it was devastating.

1333
01:02:48,514 --> 01:02:50,933
Dennis: Billy can have
a blind loyalty,

1334
01:02:51,309 --> 01:02:53,519
and he had a blind loyalty
to Frank.

1335
01:02:53,519 --> 01:02:56,314
And finally,
that loyalty was broken.

1336
01:02:57,774 --> 01:02:59,609
Billy: It was
an emotional shock.

1337
01:02:59,650 --> 01:03:01,235
If I can't trust this guy

1338
01:03:01,277 --> 01:03:02,695
to look after
my best interests.

1339
01:03:02,737 --> 01:03:05,281
How stupid was I?

1340
01:03:05,323 --> 01:03:07,200
How naive could I have been?

1341
01:03:07,617 --> 01:03:09,702
It was
a very depressing thing.

1342
01:03:09,744 --> 01:03:11,204
Frank Weber: When I started
working for Billy,

1343
01:03:11,204 --> 01:03:12,955
he didn't even own
all of his copyrights.

1344
01:03:12,997 --> 01:03:15,708
Under my direction,
we reacquired all the rights

1345
01:03:15,750 --> 01:03:18,169
to his, uh,
to his songs.

1346
01:03:18,878 --> 01:03:20,880
Rob Weller: Frank Weber says
he always acted

1347
01:03:20,922 --> 01:03:22,799
in Billy Joel's
best interest

1348
01:03:22,840 --> 01:03:24,425
and was totally unprepared

1349
01:03:24,467 --> 01:03:26,052
when he was hit
with a lawsuit.

1350
01:03:26,093 --> 01:03:30,473
Billy used to say that, uh,
he would take care of the, uh,

1351
01:03:30,515 --> 01:03:32,934
the music and I would
take care of the business.

1352
01:03:32,975 --> 01:03:35,061
(upbeat music playing)

1353
01:03:35,102 --> 01:03:36,813
Rob: Frank denies
these charges

1354
01:03:36,854 --> 01:03:38,272
and counters that
the investments

1355
01:03:38,314 --> 01:03:39,565
in question failed

1356
01:03:39,607 --> 01:03:42,068
because of the recession
and other factors.

1357
01:03:42,777 --> 01:03:45,530
("Last of the Big Time
Spenders" playing)

1358
01:03:47,031 --> 01:03:48,616
Alexa: That was
a life-changing,

1359
01:03:48,658 --> 01:03:50,576
tragic event for my father.

1360
01:03:53,496 --> 01:03:57,834
♪ Well, if money makes
a rich man ♪

1361
01:03:57,875 --> 01:03:59,752
Alexa: When he betrayed
his trust

1362
01:03:59,794 --> 01:04:01,420
and betrayed
his friendship...

1363
01:04:01,462 --> 01:04:04,674
♪ Then I might never
make the grade ♪

1364
01:04:04,715 --> 01:04:06,592
Alexa: ...I think that that
was absolutely devastating.

1365
01:04:06,592 --> 01:04:08,845
He had a great deal
of pain about it.

1366
01:04:09,220 --> 01:04:13,432
♪ I'll be
a small time operator ♪

1367
01:04:13,432 --> 01:04:15,268
Billy: When I found out
that my money

1368
01:04:15,268 --> 01:04:16,727
was pretty well spent,

1369
01:04:17,395 --> 01:04:18,646
I was furious.

1370
01:04:19,689 --> 01:04:22,775
I realized I gotta start
all over again.

1371
01:04:22,775 --> 01:04:25,778
I gotta go right back
to writing new songs,

1372
01:04:25,778 --> 01:04:28,781
recording the new songs,
and go out on the road

1373
01:04:28,781 --> 01:04:30,783
and try to make
that money back.

1374
01:04:30,783 --> 01:04:33,119
(audience cheering,
applauding)

1375
01:04:33,870 --> 01:04:35,454
You know, I got a family,
I got a kid,

1376
01:04:35,454 --> 01:04:37,540
I-I got a wife,
I-I got relatives,

1377
01:04:37,582 --> 01:04:39,292
I gotta take care
of everybody.

1378
01:04:39,333 --> 01:04:40,710
Because I was taking care
of everybody.

1379
01:04:41,586 --> 01:04:42,962
-Christie: You tired?
-I'm exhausted.

1380
01:04:42,962 --> 01:04:44,547
I haven't stopped.

1381
01:04:44,589 --> 01:04:47,216
♪ ...spender ♪

1382
01:04:47,258 --> 01:04:49,468
Billy: I was worried about,
this is going to not be good

1383
01:04:49,468 --> 01:04:50,636
for my marriage.

1384
01:04:51,429 --> 01:04:53,055
This is not going to be good

1385
01:04:53,097 --> 01:04:54,974
for my relationship
with my daughter.

1386
01:04:55,516 --> 01:04:57,476
I am bitter about it.
And it gets me mad.

1387
01:04:57,518 --> 01:04:58,728
I want to be with them.

1388
01:04:58,769 --> 01:05:00,021
I don't want to be doing this

1389
01:05:00,062 --> 01:05:01,814
because of
financial problems.

1390
01:05:03,983 --> 01:05:05,276
But I had no choice.

1391
01:05:06,569 --> 01:05:08,195
I had to go out
and make a living.

1392
01:05:09,739 --> 01:05:13,993
♪ I believe 'cause
I've been there too ♪

1393
01:05:14,327 --> 01:05:16,162
Christie: At this point
in his career,

1394
01:05:16,162 --> 01:05:19,040
he was able to book
multiple nights

1395
01:05:19,081 --> 01:05:22,501
at Madison Square Garden,
multiple nights in Boston.

1396
01:05:22,543 --> 01:05:27,506
So the possibility
of earning it back

1397
01:05:28,299 --> 01:05:31,344
was probably a better idea

1398
01:05:31,344 --> 01:05:34,096
than trying
to just keep fighting

1399
01:05:34,138 --> 01:05:38,017
and draining your energy
and dragging you down

1400
01:05:38,059 --> 01:05:39,393
and just... (exhales)

1401
01:05:40,686 --> 01:05:42,730
So, the decision was made

1402
01:05:42,772 --> 01:05:46,359
to just roll up the sleeves
and get to work replenishing.

1403
01:05:50,237 --> 01:05:52,949
Bob Buchman:
Long Island's own
writer, composer,

1404
01:05:52,990 --> 01:05:54,200
singer, concert performer.

1405
01:05:54,241 --> 01:05:56,243
Billy Joel comin'
to Yankee Stadium.

1406
01:05:56,285 --> 01:05:59,288
The guy gets bigger,
I think, every single album.

1407
01:05:59,330 --> 01:06:01,248
Probably because
he stays a regular guy

1408
01:06:01,290 --> 01:06:03,292
despite all those
incredible talents.

1409
01:06:03,334 --> 01:06:05,127
You like the way this feels
down at the end?

1410
01:06:05,169 --> 01:06:06,879
Steve: Doing
a three-song encore?

1411
01:06:06,921 --> 01:06:08,464
That's really good, man.

1412
01:06:11,467 --> 01:06:13,177
Rock and roll, Billy Joel!

1413
01:06:16,514 --> 01:06:19,058
♪ Good times, bad times ♪

1414
01:06:19,058 --> 01:06:20,643
♪ You know I've had
my share ♪

1415
01:06:20,685 --> 01:06:23,562
I don't care what he sings,
I just want to see Billy Joel.

1416
01:06:23,604 --> 01:06:25,398
He's such an entertainer,
he gives the best concert,

1417
01:06:25,439 --> 01:06:26,774
-he's incredible.
-We drove all the way

1418
01:06:26,816 --> 01:06:28,067
from Ohio just to see

1419
01:06:28,109 --> 01:06:30,236
Billy Joel
play "Piano Man" once.

1420
01:06:32,613 --> 01:06:35,950
(folksy rock music playing)

1421
01:06:51,424 --> 01:06:55,344
♪ Well, I'm on
the downeaster "Alexa" ♪

1422
01:06:56,429 --> 01:07:00,474
♪ And I'm cruising
through Block Island Sound ♪

1423
01:07:01,642 --> 01:07:06,188
♪ I have charted a course
to the vineyard ♪

1424
01:07:06,897 --> 01:07:09,692
♪ But tonight,
I am Nantucket bound... ♪

1425
01:07:09,734 --> 01:07:11,402
Billy: It happens
to a lot of musicians.

1426
01:07:12,570 --> 01:07:14,321
♪ I got bills to pay ♪

1427
01:07:14,363 --> 01:07:16,991
♪ And children
who need clothes ♪

1428
01:07:17,575 --> 01:07:19,452
We're not
financially oriented.

1429
01:07:19,493 --> 01:07:22,038
It wasn't about the money.
It was about being a musician.

1430
01:07:22,079 --> 01:07:24,290
♪ Like all the locals here ♪

1431
01:07:24,290 --> 01:07:26,584
♪ I've had to sell my home ♪

1432
01:07:27,752 --> 01:07:28,961
♪ Too proud to leave ♪

1433
01:07:29,003 --> 01:07:31,547
♪ I worked
my fingers to the bone ♪

1434
01:07:31,589 --> 01:07:35,968
♪ So I could own
my downeaster "Alexa" ♪

1435
01:07:36,552 --> 01:07:38,512
I didn't like thinking
as a businessman.

1436
01:07:38,554 --> 01:07:40,306
I wanted to be an artiste.

1437
01:07:40,347 --> 01:07:41,640
I just wanted to think
about the music

1438
01:07:41,640 --> 01:07:43,350
and the creativity,
bah bah bah.

1439
01:07:43,392 --> 01:07:44,560
And I'm above all that.

1440
01:07:44,894 --> 01:07:47,521
Well, bullshit.
I wasn't above all of that.

1441
01:07:47,563 --> 01:07:50,900
♪ ...and a good captain
can't fall asleep ♪

1442
01:07:52,651 --> 01:07:54,487
I needed to protect
these songs.

1443
01:07:54,528 --> 01:07:55,821
These were my children.

1444
01:07:55,863 --> 01:07:56,989
They were orphans

1445
01:07:57,031 --> 01:07:59,825
until I asserted
my parenthood of them.

1446
01:07:59,867 --> 01:08:02,161
♪ ...from the bell
in Gardiner's Bay ♪

1447
01:08:02,661 --> 01:08:04,830
So I took over
my management,

1448
01:08:04,830 --> 01:08:06,707
and I never looked back.

1449
01:08:08,626 --> 01:08:12,421
♪ But I got people back
on land who count on me ♪

1450
01:08:12,463 --> 01:08:18,511
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

1451
01:08:18,511 --> 01:08:21,180
(audience cheering)

1452
01:08:22,098 --> 01:08:23,224
Bryant:
1989 has been a year

1453
01:08:23,265 --> 01:08:24,850
of great change
for Billy Joel.

1454
01:08:24,892 --> 01:08:26,852
He turned 40,
fired his manager,

1455
01:08:26,852 --> 01:08:28,395
added some new members
to his band,

1456
01:08:28,437 --> 01:08:30,689
and recorded his first album
in three years.

1457
01:08:30,689 --> 01:08:31,857
It's called "Storm Front."

1458
01:08:32,733 --> 01:08:36,070
(upbeat music playing)

1459
01:08:41,033 --> 01:08:42,785
Billy: The flag is
a hurricane flag.

1460
01:08:42,827 --> 01:08:45,204
It's a red flag with
a black square in the middle.

1461
01:08:45,204 --> 01:08:47,081
When you see that flag,
you don't go anywhere.

1462
01:08:47,123 --> 01:08:48,666
-interviewer: Is it a warning?
-Billy: Yeah.

1463
01:08:49,166 --> 01:08:50,459
It means something's going
to happen, man.

1464
01:08:50,501 --> 01:08:51,919
Means a storm front's coming.

1465
01:08:51,961 --> 01:08:55,297
♪ And I am restless ♪

1466
01:08:56,632 --> 01:08:59,426
♪ For the open water ♪

1467
01:09:01,053 --> 01:09:04,473
♪ Red flags are flying ♪

1468
01:09:05,808 --> 01:09:08,978
♪ From the Coast Guard mast ♪

1469
01:09:10,437 --> 01:09:11,897
♪ They told me... ♪

1470
01:09:11,939 --> 01:09:13,816
Name your favorite
Billy Joel album.

1471
01:09:13,858 --> 01:09:15,317
That's tough.

1472
01:09:15,359 --> 01:09:17,194
But for me, "Storm Front."

1473
01:09:17,528 --> 01:09:18,946
People go, "Oh, man,
if you're a Billy Joel fan,

1474
01:09:18,988 --> 01:09:20,406
that was so late
in his career."

1475
01:09:20,865 --> 01:09:23,784
How many other artists
do you know

1476
01:09:23,826 --> 01:09:25,035
that late in their career

1477
01:09:25,452 --> 01:09:28,289
has an album
that fucking moving?

1478
01:09:28,330 --> 01:09:30,624
♪ There's a storm front
coming ♪

1479
01:09:33,210 --> 01:09:34,587
Sylvia Glover: After being
in the music business

1480
01:09:34,628 --> 01:09:36,130
for more than 16 years,

1481
01:09:36,172 --> 01:09:37,590
Joel says it's a challenge

1482
01:09:37,631 --> 01:09:39,508
to make
every new album different.

1483
01:09:39,550 --> 01:09:41,343
This time, he tried
to accomplish that

1484
01:09:41,385 --> 01:09:42,928
by working
with a new producer:

1485
01:09:42,970 --> 01:09:44,805
Mick Jones of Foreigner.

1486
01:09:44,847 --> 01:09:47,266
♪ On the radio ♪

1487
01:09:47,308 --> 01:09:48,809
I never had a problem
with Phil Ramone.

1488
01:09:48,851 --> 01:09:51,145
I just wanted somebody
who was a songwriter this time

1489
01:09:51,187 --> 01:09:52,605
and someone who also played
an instrument,

1490
01:09:52,646 --> 01:09:53,856
which is Mick Jones.

1491
01:09:56,317 --> 01:09:57,818
I had been working
with Phil Ramone

1492
01:09:57,860 --> 01:09:59,653
up until the late '80s,

1493
01:09:59,695 --> 01:10:02,489
and we were
sort of falling into

1494
01:10:02,531 --> 01:10:03,991
what I thought was a rut.

1495
01:10:04,992 --> 01:10:08,120
And I recognized
it's time for a change.

1496
01:10:10,039 --> 01:10:12,124
Liberty: Phil was really hurt.
And I knew he was.

1497
01:10:12,124 --> 01:10:15,628
Because the relationship
was so tight.

1498
01:10:15,836 --> 01:10:18,130
It was like a breakup.

1499
01:10:18,130 --> 01:10:21,008
("Shameless" playing)

1500
01:10:21,717 --> 01:10:24,136
♪ Well, I'm shameless ♪

1501
01:10:24,136 --> 01:10:25,471
Billy: The personnel
you're working with,

1502
01:10:25,471 --> 01:10:26,972
they become like a family.

1503
01:10:27,306 --> 01:10:29,266
And it's hard to break
out of a family.

1504
01:10:31,894 --> 01:10:34,313
It's not always easy
when you get used

1505
01:10:34,355 --> 01:10:35,522
to doing things
a certain way.

1506
01:10:35,564 --> 01:10:37,316
♪ Well, I'm standing ♪

1507
01:10:38,525 --> 01:10:41,403
♪ Here for all
the world to see ♪

1508
01:10:41,445 --> 01:10:42,821
Liberty:
But it was something
that Billy had to do.

1509
01:10:42,821 --> 01:10:45,032
He had to change
to stay current

1510
01:10:45,074 --> 01:10:46,909
and a different sound.

1511
01:10:46,951 --> 01:10:49,411
♪ I just wanted you to
wanted you to know ♪

1512
01:10:49,453 --> 01:10:51,330
♪ Shameless ♪

1513
01:10:51,372 --> 01:10:52,831
Liberty: Billy did that
with every album,

1514
01:10:52,831 --> 01:10:54,041
he changed things.

1515
01:10:54,083 --> 01:10:55,167
But I mean you can see

1516
01:10:55,167 --> 01:10:57,044
the difference on the album.

1517
01:10:57,086 --> 01:11:01,548
(both vocalizing)

1518
01:11:09,098 --> 01:11:12,101
(audience cheering)

1519
01:11:13,477 --> 01:11:16,438
("We Didn't Start the Fire"
playing)

1520
01:11:39,086 --> 01:11:42,589
♪ Harry Truman, Doris Day
Red China, Johnnie Ray ♪

1521
01:11:42,631 --> 01:11:44,049
♪ South Pacific
Walter Winchell ♪

1522
01:11:44,300 --> 01:11:45,801
♪ Joe DiMaggio ♪

1523
01:11:45,843 --> 01:11:47,636
♪ Joe McCarthy
Richard Nixon ♪

1524
01:11:48,012 --> 01:11:49,388
♪ Studebaker, television ♪

1525
01:11:49,388 --> 01:11:53,267
♪ North Korea, South Korea
Marilyn Monroe ♪

1526
01:11:53,309 --> 01:11:54,435
Billy: "We Didn't Start
the Fire"

1527
01:11:54,476 --> 01:11:55,686
was the first single

1528
01:11:55,936 --> 01:11:57,146
from the "Storm Front" album,

1529
01:11:57,187 --> 01:11:58,897
and it was a huge hit.

1530
01:11:59,440 --> 01:12:02,568
♪ Rosenbergs, H-Bomb,
Sugar Ray, Panmunjom ♪

1531
01:12:02,818 --> 01:12:06,113
♪ Brando, The King and I
and The Catcher in the Rye ♪

1532
01:12:06,155 --> 01:12:09,325
♪ Eisenhower, vaccine,
England's got a new queen ♪

1533
01:12:09,366 --> 01:12:12,745
♪ Marciano, Liberace
Santayana goodbye ♪

1534
01:12:12,786 --> 01:12:14,955
♪ We didn't start the fire ♪

1535
01:12:15,664 --> 01:12:18,083
♪ It was always burning
since the world's... ♪

1536
01:12:18,083 --> 01:12:19,335
Billy: When I was writing
that song,

1537
01:12:19,376 --> 01:12:21,170
I was starting to come up
with an idea

1538
01:12:21,211 --> 01:12:22,671
of headlines.

1539
01:12:22,713 --> 01:12:24,423
And I went year
by year by year.

1540
01:12:24,423 --> 01:12:25,799
The headlines keep coming.

1541
01:12:25,841 --> 01:12:27,676
♪ Joseph Stalin, Malenkov ♪

1542
01:12:27,718 --> 01:12:29,261
♪ Nasser and Prokofiev ♪

1543
01:12:29,261 --> 01:12:32,264
♪ Rockefeller, Campanella
Communist Bloc ♪

1544
01:12:32,639 --> 01:12:34,308
There's a palpable sense
of history

1545
01:12:34,350 --> 01:12:35,934
because of these headlines.

1546
01:12:35,976 --> 01:12:37,519
♪ Dien Bien Phu Falls ♪

1547
01:12:37,561 --> 01:12:39,188
♪ "Rock Around the Clock" ♪

1548
01:12:39,229 --> 01:12:40,814
♪ Lebanon
Charles de Gaulle ♪

1549
01:12:40,856 --> 01:12:42,441
♪ California baseball ♪

1550
01:12:42,441 --> 01:12:43,692
Lynn Sherr: Today at 41,

1551
01:12:43,734 --> 01:12:45,778
the punk who never
finished high school

1552
01:12:45,819 --> 01:12:47,780
has a surprising
new following:

1553
01:12:47,821 --> 01:12:48,947
school children.

1554
01:12:48,947 --> 01:12:50,949
♪ We didn't start the fire ♪

1555
01:12:51,367 --> 01:12:52,993
Lea Tyrrell: Some educators
say Joel's song

1556
01:12:53,035 --> 01:12:55,788
is the greatest teaching tool
since Sesame Street.

1557
01:12:55,788 --> 01:12:57,456
Dennis:
"We Didn't Start the Fire"

1558
01:12:57,456 --> 01:12:59,666
just propelled Billy
to probably,

1559
01:12:59,708 --> 01:13:02,127
at that time,
the pinnacle of his career.

1560
01:13:02,961 --> 01:13:04,963
Paula Yates: He's one
of America's hugest stars:

1561
01:13:05,005 --> 01:13:06,298
-Billy Joel.
-Billy Joel.

1562
01:13:06,340 --> 01:13:07,466
-Billy Joel.
-Billy Joel.

1563
01:13:07,466 --> 01:13:09,635
-Billy Joel.
-(audience cheering)

1564
01:13:09,676 --> 01:13:12,304
Billy: We just started, uh,
rehearsing for a tour,

1565
01:13:12,346 --> 01:13:15,391
which we'll do in, um,
beginning in December.

1566
01:13:15,432 --> 01:13:17,017
We're going to be out
for a long, long time.

1567
01:13:17,059 --> 01:13:19,812
I don't like the travel part.
I like to play.

1568
01:13:19,853 --> 01:13:22,523
When musicians are having
a good time playing together,

1569
01:13:22,564 --> 01:13:24,858
you remember why did I do this
in the first place.

1570
01:13:27,069 --> 01:13:28,487
You're on top of the world.

1571
01:13:38,539 --> 01:13:42,167
♪ Call me a joker
call me a fool ♪

1572
01:13:42,167 --> 01:13:45,671
♪ Right at this moment
I'm totally cool ♪

1573
01:13:45,712 --> 01:13:49,550
♪ Clear as a crystal
sharp as a knife ♪

1574
01:13:49,591 --> 01:13:52,928
♪ I feel like I'm in
the prime of my life ♪

1575
01:13:53,512 --> 01:13:54,888
Christie:
"I Go to Extremes" was

1576
01:13:54,930 --> 01:13:56,849
kind of what was
going on in his life,

1577
01:13:56,849 --> 01:13:58,267
because he was boomeranging

1578
01:13:58,308 --> 01:14:00,853
between being a family man

1579
01:14:00,853 --> 01:14:03,522
and tortured artist.

1580
01:14:03,522 --> 01:14:09,027
♪ Darling, I don't know
why I go to extremes ♪

1581
01:14:09,403 --> 01:14:10,571
Crystal Taliefero:
I don't know all that

1582
01:14:10,612 --> 01:14:12,531
he was going through
during that time.

1583
01:14:12,573 --> 01:14:14,533
But I saw
a struggling person.

1584
01:14:14,908 --> 01:14:16,785
But what musician
doesn't feel safe

1585
01:14:16,827 --> 01:14:18,412
onstage or in their music?

1586
01:14:18,454 --> 01:14:20,205
I mean, that's the only thing
that won't stab you

1587
01:14:20,247 --> 01:14:21,748
in the back, you know?

1588
01:14:21,790 --> 01:14:24,168
I'm sure that
that was his safe place.

1589
01:14:25,502 --> 01:14:31,341
♪ Darling, I don't know
why I go to extremes ♪

1590
01:14:39,933 --> 01:14:43,103
It's kind of manic.
Why do I go to extremes?

1591
01:14:43,145 --> 01:14:46,106
Why am I always
at the end of my tether?

1592
01:14:49,526 --> 01:14:50,903
It's not always pleasant.

1593
01:14:50,944 --> 01:14:53,238
You're being torn one way,
torn the other way.

1594
01:14:56,617 --> 01:14:58,827
And when you recognize that,
you go,

1595
01:14:58,869 --> 01:15:00,329
I must be difficult
to live with.

1596
01:15:03,582 --> 01:15:04,708
It kind of reminds me
of my mom

1597
01:15:04,917 --> 01:15:07,252
because she was
very up and down.

1598
01:15:07,252 --> 01:15:09,963
She was depressed
then she was euphoric.

1599
01:15:10,464 --> 01:15:12,216
So, it probably runs
in the family.

1600
01:15:23,185 --> 01:15:25,812
(audience cheering)

1601
01:15:27,606 --> 01:15:31,151
(gentle music playing)

1602
01:15:34,905 --> 01:15:36,949
Liberty: We were
on the "Storm Front" tour.

1603
01:15:36,949 --> 01:15:39,785
And I've seen Billy lose it.

1604
01:15:39,826 --> 01:15:41,662
And this time,
he really went...

1605
01:15:42,621 --> 01:15:44,081
just bad.

1606
01:15:45,415 --> 01:15:47,042
He would come into rehearsal

1607
01:15:47,084 --> 01:15:48,961
and sometimes be
so out of it,

1608
01:15:49,002 --> 01:15:50,295
between what's going on

1609
01:15:50,337 --> 01:15:52,839
and trying to soothe
the pain,

1610
01:15:52,881 --> 01:15:55,467
he would tell me to do
something on the drums

1611
01:15:55,467 --> 01:15:57,135
and then the next day come in

1612
01:15:57,177 --> 01:15:59,680
and ask me why I was doing
what I'm doing.

1613
01:15:59,721 --> 01:16:01,014
And the rest of the band
would look at him and go,

1614
01:16:01,056 --> 01:16:02,683
"You told him
to do that yesterday."

1615
01:16:02,724 --> 01:16:05,978
He goes, "I did?"
He just didn't remember.

1616
01:16:07,896 --> 01:16:11,024
Christie: This is the period
where Billy was reeling.

1617
01:16:11,066 --> 01:16:13,986
You know, there was just
too much unraveling

1618
01:16:14,027 --> 01:16:15,237
in his life.

1619
01:16:16,280 --> 01:16:18,865
One night,
I woke up in bed,

1620
01:16:18,907 --> 01:16:20,576
and I was like,
where's Billy?

1621
01:16:21,451 --> 01:16:23,662
And I literally
started calling

1622
01:16:23,662 --> 01:16:25,330
different bars out there

1623
01:16:25,872 --> 01:16:28,000
and found him.

1624
01:16:28,500 --> 01:16:30,335
They said, "Yeah, he's here."

1625
01:16:30,377 --> 01:16:32,337
And I said, okay,
don't say anything.

1626
01:16:32,337 --> 01:16:36,133
I just wanted to make sure
he was someplace.

1627
01:16:37,551 --> 01:16:39,511
But a few incidents
like that were starting

1628
01:16:39,553 --> 01:16:41,346
to sort of seep in
here and there

1629
01:16:41,346 --> 01:16:44,224
that I was aware of
that was disconcerting.

1630
01:16:44,266 --> 01:16:47,102
But he didn't really like
to talk about it.

1631
01:16:48,270 --> 01:16:53,483
He preferred to just
push it down deeper, away.

1632
01:16:59,656 --> 01:17:02,659
Alexa: So many artists
struggle with addiction.

1633
01:17:03,201 --> 01:17:05,037
They just need that outlet.

1634
01:17:05,537 --> 01:17:07,789
That, and on top
of the endless pressures

1635
01:17:07,831 --> 01:17:10,375
of being in
the entertainment industry.

1636
01:17:10,417 --> 01:17:12,210
The pressure of being
on stage.

1637
01:17:12,252 --> 01:17:16,089
The pressure of trying
to please everyone at once.

1638
01:17:16,131 --> 01:17:17,966
The pressure to keep
his marriage together

1639
01:17:18,008 --> 01:17:20,886
with my mother
or to stay going on tour.

1640
01:17:21,720 --> 01:17:24,640
I just think that he felt
the weight of the world

1641
01:17:24,681 --> 01:17:26,058
on his shoulders.

1642
01:17:26,099 --> 01:17:27,351
And it led him to drink.

1643
01:17:30,771 --> 01:17:32,731
interviewer:
So can you tell me what
you're working on now?

1644
01:17:33,940 --> 01:17:37,944
Yeah, I'm writing
and recording a new album

1645
01:17:37,986 --> 01:17:40,947
out here, actually, in
the east end of Long Island.

1646
01:17:42,741 --> 01:17:44,284
I have a little studio set up.

1647
01:17:44,826 --> 01:17:47,412
sound engineer: China,
very rough mix, 12/16/92.

1648
01:17:47,954 --> 01:17:50,248
♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

1649
01:17:50,582 --> 01:17:52,584
♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

1650
01:17:53,001 --> 01:17:56,088
♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah ♪

1651
01:17:56,088 --> 01:17:59,675
He wanted to do this
on Shelter Island

1652
01:18:00,175 --> 01:18:01,927
because he felt so grounded

1653
01:18:01,927 --> 01:18:03,220
on the east end
of Long Island.

1654
01:18:04,179 --> 01:18:05,639
Billy: I'm compiling
recordings.

1655
01:18:05,681 --> 01:18:06,973
The working title
for this thing now

1656
01:18:07,015 --> 01:18:08,517
is the
Shelter Island Sessions.

1657
01:18:08,558 --> 01:18:12,771
♪ Hey, hey ♪

1658
01:18:14,272 --> 01:18:15,941
♪ Advice is cheap... ♪

1659
01:18:15,982 --> 01:18:18,443
His thoughts were like
let's keep it

1660
01:18:18,485 --> 01:18:20,612
where it was born
and raise it here.

1661
01:18:21,279 --> 01:18:23,782
Liberty: Billy was going
to produce it himself.

1662
01:18:23,824 --> 01:18:25,450
So now Billy's writing
the songs,

1663
01:18:25,450 --> 01:18:26,785
writing the music,
writing the words,

1664
01:18:26,827 --> 01:18:29,121
running the studio.

1665
01:18:29,121 --> 01:18:31,123
He couldn't do everything.
There's too many hats.

1666
01:18:31,748 --> 01:18:33,458
He said,
"I have to get a producer."

1667
01:18:34,042 --> 01:18:37,462
So he calls up
Danny Kortchmar.

1668
01:18:37,921 --> 01:18:40,006
Danny Kortchmar:
We originally took the tapes

1669
01:18:40,048 --> 01:18:41,466
back to a different studio

1670
01:18:41,508 --> 01:18:42,634
so we could listen to them

1671
01:18:42,676 --> 01:18:44,469
and see what he had on tape.

1672
01:18:44,720 --> 01:18:45,971
He asked me,
"What would you think?"

1673
01:18:46,012 --> 01:18:48,682
I said, there's three things
I really love.

1674
01:18:48,724 --> 01:18:51,393
I love the songwriter.
He's fabulous.

1675
01:18:51,435 --> 01:18:53,145
I love the keyboard player.

1676
01:18:53,186 --> 01:18:54,521
And I love the singer.

1677
01:18:55,480 --> 01:18:56,648
Everyone else sucks.

1678
01:18:57,023 --> 01:19:00,652
Now, I felt that these guys
ha-had gotten so complacent,

1679
01:19:00,652 --> 01:19:03,613
it just sounded like
they were phoning it in.

1680
01:19:05,198 --> 01:19:07,325
I said, just let me bring in
my own guys.

1681
01:19:07,325 --> 01:19:08,994
And if it doesn't work out,
you can go back

1682
01:19:08,994 --> 01:19:10,203
to doing
what you were doing.

1683
01:19:10,245 --> 01:19:11,496
No harm, no foul.

1684
01:19:12,330 --> 01:19:15,208
I don't want to shut myself
off from a novel idea

1685
01:19:15,250 --> 01:19:17,836
because I'm used to doing
things a certain way.

1686
01:19:18,754 --> 01:19:20,589
And I kind of liked
what I was hearing.

1687
01:19:20,630 --> 01:19:24,009
♪ But in the darkness ♪

1688
01:19:24,009 --> 01:19:27,012
♪ I see
your light turned on ♪

1689
01:19:27,012 --> 01:19:28,930
Liberty: I hear
Billy's back in the studio

1690
01:19:28,972 --> 01:19:30,056
with another band.

1691
01:19:30,098 --> 01:19:31,600
I said, I'll call Billy.

1692
01:19:31,641 --> 01:19:34,853
He says, "What do you want?"
I said, well, what's going on?

1693
01:19:34,853 --> 01:19:36,605
He goes, "What do you mean,
what's going on?

1694
01:19:36,646 --> 01:19:38,064
You called me.
What's going on?"

1695
01:19:38,106 --> 01:19:39,357
I said, Billy, I know.

1696
01:19:39,399 --> 01:19:41,902
He said,
"Lib, I have to try this.

1697
01:19:41,943 --> 01:19:43,028
"I just want to try it.

1698
01:19:43,069 --> 01:19:44,321
I'm going to do it
for one song."

1699
01:19:45,572 --> 01:19:47,532
One song turned
into two songs,

1700
01:19:47,532 --> 01:19:50,827
turned into three songs,
turned into the whole album.

1701
01:19:52,954 --> 01:19:55,207
It was time
to turn the page.

1702
01:19:56,333 --> 01:19:58,585
Billy turns the page
in a hard way.

1703
01:20:00,128 --> 01:20:01,880
Billy: He was my drummer
for a long time.

1704
01:20:02,297 --> 01:20:04,216
It just wasn't working
with me and Liberty.

1705
01:20:04,216 --> 01:20:06,760
There were differences
in tempo.

1706
01:20:07,427 --> 01:20:09,763
There were differences
in our personal lives.

1707
01:20:11,848 --> 01:20:14,392
And it was like a divorce.
And it was acrimonious.

1708
01:20:16,436 --> 01:20:18,772
There was tension created
because of that.

1709
01:20:18,814 --> 01:20:20,190
There was a lot of friction.

1710
01:20:20,565 --> 01:20:22,108
There was a lot
of hard feelings.

1711
01:20:26,029 --> 01:20:28,573
Liberty: I can remember
being upset about it.

1712
01:20:29,074 --> 01:20:31,243
I sent him a fax
and I said, Billy,

1713
01:20:31,284 --> 01:20:32,911
I realize you've got to do
what you got to do.

1714
01:20:32,953 --> 01:20:34,246
Your name's on the record.

1715
01:20:34,287 --> 01:20:36,248
But if you ever need me,
if you need my help,

1716
01:20:36,248 --> 01:20:37,749
call me, I'll be there.

1717
01:20:37,791 --> 01:20:39,751
But if Danny Kortchmar
needs my help,

1718
01:20:40,126 --> 01:20:41,461
tell him to kiss my ass.

1719
01:20:42,504 --> 01:20:44,339
Well, Billy took that fax
and just stuck it

1720
01:20:44,381 --> 01:20:47,175
on the wall at the,
at the studio.

1721
01:20:47,759 --> 01:20:49,845
Billy: A lot of people
are angry at me

1722
01:20:49,886 --> 01:20:52,305
because they think I did
something bad to Liberty.

1723
01:20:52,806 --> 01:20:55,016
And I'm not going to make
an excuse for it.

1724
01:20:55,517 --> 01:20:58,687
It wasn't working out with us,
and that's what happened.

1725
01:20:58,728 --> 01:21:01,481
I think Lib was
kind of bitter about it.

1726
01:21:02,440 --> 01:21:04,943
But we made up,
and we're friends again.

1727
01:21:07,028 --> 01:21:10,824
arranger: B, D, and F sharp
in our right hand.

1728
01:21:10,866 --> 01:21:14,119
(soft piano melody playing)

1729
01:21:14,160 --> 01:21:15,537
B, D, E.

1730
01:21:19,082 --> 01:21:20,542
Just to A, C sharp.

1731
01:21:20,584 --> 01:21:21,960
Danny:
I knew he was brilliant,

1732
01:21:21,960 --> 01:21:24,504
but I had no idea
what a badass he was

1733
01:21:24,546 --> 01:21:25,964
until I got
in the studio with him.

1734
01:21:26,631 --> 01:21:28,675
His adaption of
European music into pop music

1735
01:21:28,717 --> 01:21:31,511
was something that
practically nobody was doing.

1736
01:21:31,553 --> 01:21:34,514
Everyone else is coming
from folk music, blues,

1737
01:21:34,556 --> 01:21:36,308
or pop music of the day.

1738
01:21:37,058 --> 01:21:39,978
He started using elements that
weren't being used that much.

1739
01:21:42,439 --> 01:21:45,066
Billy: G, D, F sharp
on the right hand.

1740
01:21:45,108 --> 01:21:46,693
(piano music)

1741
01:21:46,735 --> 01:21:48,403
Billy: I saw a quote
from Neil Diamond,

1742
01:21:48,445 --> 01:21:49,821
who I think is
a terrific songwriter,

1743
01:21:49,863 --> 01:21:51,323
and he was talking about

1744
01:21:51,323 --> 01:21:53,825
how he's become comfortable
with his songwriting.

1745
01:21:53,867 --> 01:21:57,037
He said, "I forgave myself
for not being Beethoven."

1746
01:21:57,078 --> 01:21:59,831
And as soon as I read that,
I realized that's my problem.

1747
01:21:59,873 --> 01:22:02,000
I have not forgiven myself

1748
01:22:02,042 --> 01:22:03,710
for not being Beethoven.

1749
01:22:03,752 --> 01:22:06,046
And I would beat myself up
because, to me,

1750
01:22:06,087 --> 01:22:08,506
Beethoven was the greatest
composer who ever lived.

1751
01:22:08,548 --> 01:22:10,717
(classical music playing)

1752
01:22:16,556 --> 01:22:19,684
My own history
as a musician started

1753
01:22:19,726 --> 01:22:21,561
with me hearing
classical music,

1754
01:22:21,603 --> 01:22:24,439
because my father was a
classically trained pianist,

1755
01:22:24,481 --> 01:22:27,442
and those were the radio
stations my mom listened to.

1756
01:22:27,484 --> 01:22:30,111
A lot of kids first started
listening to the radio,

1757
01:22:30,153 --> 01:22:31,529
they listened to pop music.

1758
01:22:31,863 --> 01:22:35,575
I heard Mozart, I heard Bach,
I heard Beethoven.

1759
01:22:35,617 --> 01:22:37,243
And it was entrancing.

1760
01:22:37,911 --> 01:22:40,622
I actually brought
that classical education

1761
01:22:40,664 --> 01:22:42,248
into my writing.

1762
01:22:42,290 --> 01:22:43,959
It was whether
it could be played

1763
01:22:44,000 --> 01:22:47,212
as a piece
on its own without words.

1764
01:22:47,212 --> 01:22:49,130
Take, for example,
"Uptown Girl."

1765
01:22:49,172 --> 01:22:51,216
It could have been
a Mozart piece.

1766
01:22:51,257 --> 01:22:54,719
(playing cheery "Uptown Girl")

1767
01:23:03,019 --> 01:23:06,314
And that's imbued
a lot of my songs.

1768
01:23:06,356 --> 01:23:08,984
♪ This night... ♪

1769
01:23:09,025 --> 01:23:11,152
Like, "This Night"
is actually

1770
01:23:11,194 --> 01:23:13,488
a direct lift
from Beethoven.

1771
01:23:13,530 --> 01:23:15,073
It's from the "Pathétique."

1772
01:23:15,115 --> 01:23:18,118
("Sonata Pathétique" playing)

1773
01:23:24,541 --> 01:23:26,710
It was Beethoven
at his most melodic.

1774
01:23:31,464 --> 01:23:33,633
But I use his theme
for the "Pathétique"

1775
01:23:33,675 --> 01:23:35,260
to have the chorus
of "This Night."

1776
01:23:35,260 --> 01:23:36,344
But I gave him credit.

1777
01:23:36,386 --> 01:23:37,679
It says it on the back
of the album:

1778
01:23:37,721 --> 01:23:38,930
"L.v. Beethoven."

1779
01:23:38,972 --> 01:23:40,473
People said,
"He ripped off Beethoven!"

1780
01:23:40,515 --> 01:23:41,766
I didn't rip him off.

1781
01:23:41,766 --> 01:23:44,519
I didn't pay him,
but I didn't rip him off.

1782
01:23:45,603 --> 01:23:47,355
Itzhak Perlman:
We go back a long time.

1783
01:23:47,397 --> 01:23:49,941
I played violin
on "Downeaster 'Alexa.'"

1784
01:23:49,941 --> 01:23:53,945
And I noticed that he's
a real classical music lover.

1785
01:23:53,987 --> 01:23:56,614
He can play the piano,
he can do the orchestration.

1786
01:23:57,157 --> 01:24:00,452
What I admire is
his harmonic progressions.

1787
01:24:00,827 --> 01:24:02,328
Like "Allentown,"

1788
01:24:02,370 --> 01:24:05,999
it's full of little
harmonic modulations.

1789
01:24:06,041 --> 01:24:09,627
("Allentown" playing)

1790
01:24:09,627 --> 01:24:13,631
I'm always fascinated how
he maneuvers the harmonies.

1791
01:24:13,631 --> 01:24:16,342
In classical music,
it's the same thing.

1792
01:24:16,384 --> 01:24:18,803
Sting: All of us are standing
on the shoulders of giants.

1793
01:24:18,803 --> 01:24:21,347
Music doesn't just come
out of the air.

1794
01:24:21,389 --> 01:24:23,308
It comes from work and study.

1795
01:24:23,349 --> 01:24:25,727
You take what's been done.

1796
01:24:25,769 --> 01:24:29,481
You hear it, you absorb it,
and then you execute it,

1797
01:24:29,522 --> 01:24:32,233
but you enhance it
with your signature.

1798
01:24:32,275 --> 01:24:34,360
That's how music lives on.

1799
01:24:34,402 --> 01:24:36,654
(moody piano melody playing)

1800
01:24:36,654 --> 01:24:38,239
I don't really know
how to play it.

1801
01:24:42,452 --> 01:24:44,496
So this is the left hand
arpeggiating.

1802
01:24:44,954 --> 01:24:46,831
Nobody grew up
in a test tube.

1803
01:24:46,831 --> 01:24:48,500
We all grew up
with influences,

1804
01:24:48,541 --> 01:24:50,877
and I'm probably stealing
all the time

1805
01:24:50,919 --> 01:24:52,629
and not even aware of it.

1806
01:24:54,297 --> 01:24:57,717
-(piano music playing)
-arranger: G...

1807
01:24:57,759 --> 01:25:00,678
Danny: He has all this
harmonic stuff in his head.

1808
01:25:00,720 --> 01:25:03,431
Remember, he's just
following his instincts

1809
01:25:03,473 --> 01:25:05,391
when he sits at the piano,
you know?

1810
01:25:05,433 --> 01:25:07,852
And his instincts have a lot
to do with classical music,

1811
01:25:07,894 --> 01:25:10,105
and also blues and rock
and roll, which he loved.

1812
01:25:11,564 --> 01:25:13,191
Billy: That album
is a journey.

1813
01:25:13,233 --> 01:25:15,276
One song begat another song.

1814
01:25:15,693 --> 01:25:17,278
There's a song cycle here.

1815
01:25:18,696 --> 01:25:21,241
A lot of it was how I write.

1816
01:25:21,282 --> 01:25:24,702
There's this dream state
I get into,

1817
01:25:24,702 --> 01:25:26,287
almost like a trance.

1818
01:25:26,329 --> 01:25:28,289
There's a flow to it
like a river.

1819
01:25:30,041 --> 01:25:31,709
Oh, another thing
I thought of:

1820
01:25:31,751 --> 01:25:34,045
when we do the stops...

1821
01:25:34,045 --> 01:25:35,880
♪ Da da da da da ♪

1822
01:25:37,549 --> 01:25:39,592
How do you pick up...

1823
01:25:39,634 --> 01:25:41,970
The song
"The River of Dreams"

1824
01:25:42,011 --> 01:25:43,555
came to me in a dream.

1825
01:25:51,980 --> 01:25:54,816
I woke up hearing
the rhythm,

1826
01:25:54,858 --> 01:25:56,901
hearing the call
and response,

1827
01:25:56,943 --> 01:25:58,611
the gospel aspect of it.

1828
01:25:58,653 --> 01:26:00,405
I'm not a gospel artist,

1829
01:26:00,405 --> 01:26:02,574
but that was
so different to me.

1830
01:26:02,574 --> 01:26:06,411
(ethereal music playing)

1831
01:26:06,452 --> 01:26:08,246
And I said, I'm not going
to write this.

1832
01:26:08,246 --> 01:26:10,165
No, no, no.
I rejected it immediately.

1833
01:26:10,206 --> 01:26:12,625
♪ In the middle of the
I go walking in the ♪

1834
01:26:12,667 --> 01:26:13,918
(hums)

1835
01:26:13,918 --> 01:26:16,296
Call and response,
which they do in church.

1836
01:26:16,337 --> 01:26:18,423
And I went and took a shower.

1837
01:26:18,464 --> 01:26:20,925
And I'm soaping myself
and I'm singing...

1838
01:26:20,925 --> 01:26:22,468
♪ In the middle of the
I... ♪

1839
01:26:22,510 --> 01:26:24,804
And it would not go away.

1840
01:26:24,846 --> 01:26:27,140
It became part of my being.

1841
01:26:27,182 --> 01:26:29,100
It wouldn't leave me,
and it was like,

1842
01:26:29,100 --> 01:26:30,351
you're going to have
to write this

1843
01:26:30,393 --> 01:26:32,270
whether you want to or not.

1844
01:26:32,604 --> 01:26:34,480
When something
is that powerful

1845
01:26:34,522 --> 01:26:35,982
and that evocative,

1846
01:26:36,316 --> 01:26:38,026
you should usually go
with it.

1847
01:26:38,067 --> 01:26:39,235
It needs to be written.

1848
01:26:41,029 --> 01:26:43,198
♪ In the middle
of the night ♪

1849
01:26:43,698 --> 01:26:45,825
♪ I go walking in my sleep ♪

1850
01:26:46,409 --> 01:26:49,120
♪ Walking down to the banks ♪

1851
01:26:49,120 --> 01:26:51,706
♪ Of a river so deep ♪

1852
01:26:51,748 --> 01:26:53,958
♪ I must be looking
for something ♪

1853
01:26:54,459 --> 01:26:57,128
♪ Something sacred I lost ♪

1854
01:26:57,128 --> 01:26:59,797
♪ But the river is wide ♪

1855
01:26:59,797 --> 01:27:02,300
♪ And it's too hard
to cross ♪

1856
01:27:02,342 --> 01:27:04,969
♪ In the middle
of the night ♪

1857
01:27:05,011 --> 01:27:06,804
♪ I go walking in my sleep ♪

1858
01:27:06,804 --> 01:27:08,473
Billy: I was going
through a catharsis.

1859
01:27:08,806 --> 01:27:11,476
I had to rediscover faith
in humanity.

1860
01:27:11,517 --> 01:27:14,562
I needed to renew
my faith in myself.

1861
01:27:14,604 --> 01:27:17,148
I needed to be redeemed.

1862
01:27:17,190 --> 01:27:19,150
♪ Even though I know
the river is wide ♪

1863
01:27:19,192 --> 01:27:22,153
♪ I walk down every evening
and I stand on the shore ♪

1864
01:27:22,570 --> 01:27:24,572
♪ I try to cross
to the opposite side ♪

1865
01:27:24,614 --> 01:27:27,825
♪ So I can finally find out
what I've been looking for ♪

1866
01:27:27,867 --> 01:27:30,328
♪ In the middle
of the night ♪

1867
01:27:30,370 --> 01:27:32,038
♪ I go walking in my sleep ♪

1868
01:27:32,080 --> 01:27:33,414
♪ I go walking
in my sleep ♪

1869
01:27:33,456 --> 01:27:34,874
♪ Through the valley
of fear ♪

1870
01:27:34,916 --> 01:27:36,000
♪ Valley of fear ♪

1871
01:27:36,042 --> 01:27:37,418
♪ To a river so deep ♪

1872
01:27:37,460 --> 01:27:38,711
♪ River so deep ♪

1873
01:27:39,087 --> 01:27:41,005
♪ I've been searching
for something ♪

1874
01:27:41,047 --> 01:27:43,841
-♪ Taken out of my soul ♪
-♪ Taken out of my soul ♪

1875
01:27:43,841 --> 01:27:45,593
♪ Something I'd never lose ♪

1876
01:27:45,635 --> 01:27:47,845
-♪ Never lose ♪
-♪ Something somebody stole ♪

1877
01:27:47,845 --> 01:27:49,889
Billy: By the time I got
to the end of the album,

1878
01:27:49,931 --> 01:27:51,266
I recognized that

1879
01:27:51,307 --> 01:27:53,685
the song form
had come full circle.

1880
01:27:53,726 --> 01:27:56,187
I was tired of writing words.

1881
01:27:56,896 --> 01:27:58,856
Not that I was going
to give up music

1882
01:27:58,898 --> 01:28:00,733
or that I was going
to stop writing music.

1883
01:28:00,775 --> 01:28:02,694
But I've had my say.

1884
01:28:03,236 --> 01:28:07,156
This is pretty much it
for my songwriting.

1885
01:28:08,324 --> 01:28:10,952
♪ Sitting here in Avalon ♪

1886
01:28:12,161 --> 01:28:15,707
♪ Looking at
the pouring rain ♪

1887
01:28:15,748 --> 01:28:18,418
Billy: I was tired
of the tyranny of the rhyme.

1888
01:28:19,335 --> 01:28:22,213
♪ ...everybody's home again ♪

1889
01:28:22,213 --> 01:28:25,091
Pink: I asked him why
he stopped writing pop songs,

1890
01:28:25,133 --> 01:28:28,261
and he said because
it's the most awful,

1891
01:28:28,303 --> 01:28:32,265
excruciating experience
he will ever go through.

1892
01:28:32,307 --> 01:28:36,436
Because he's a perfectionist
and it was ruining his life.

1893
01:28:36,477 --> 01:28:42,233
♪ These are the last words
I have to say ♪

1894
01:28:42,233 --> 01:28:44,569
Writing is a have-to
kind of thing.

1895
01:28:44,569 --> 01:28:45,862
It's like being hungry.

1896
01:28:46,112 --> 01:28:47,322
If you don't have that
in you,

1897
01:28:47,363 --> 01:28:49,115
you're just not going
to write.

1898
01:28:50,074 --> 01:28:54,329
♪ There will be other words
some other day ♪

1899
01:28:54,370 --> 01:28:57,999
Mark: I think by the time
he wrote "Famous Last Words,"

1900
01:28:58,041 --> 01:29:00,793
he was like, I don't want to
compete with myself anymore.

1901
01:29:00,835 --> 01:29:03,755
I don't want to be compared
to "Just The Way You Are"

1902
01:29:03,755 --> 01:29:05,757
or "The Stranger"
or any of that.

1903
01:29:05,757 --> 01:29:07,842
I think there's a time
when you have to be

1904
01:29:07,884 --> 01:29:09,427
a philosopher and say, oh,

1905
01:29:09,427 --> 01:29:12,472
now is the time
to be silently stoic.

1906
01:29:12,513 --> 01:29:14,515
And, uh, I respect that.

1907
01:29:14,557 --> 01:29:18,978
♪ These are the last words
I have to say ♪

1908
01:29:19,020 --> 01:29:20,188
Billy:
I still feel like it was

1909
01:29:20,229 --> 01:29:21,856
the natural progression
of things.

1910
01:29:22,815 --> 01:29:26,778
♪ Say ♪

1911
01:29:26,778 --> 01:29:28,446
So I kind of closed the book.

1912
01:29:28,446 --> 01:29:31,616
(audience cheering,
applauding)

1913
01:29:31,657 --> 01:29:32,784
Thank you.

1914
01:29:33,951 --> 01:29:35,495
Nick Paumgarten:
When Billy stopped writing,

1915
01:29:35,536 --> 01:29:38,164
he talked about how once
he became famous,

1916
01:29:38,206 --> 01:29:39,499
everybody read too much

1917
01:29:39,540 --> 01:29:41,959
into whatever he had to say
in his songs,

1918
01:29:41,959 --> 01:29:43,795
and everything got seen
or heard

1919
01:29:43,836 --> 01:29:46,130
through the filter
of his celebrity,

1920
01:29:46,172 --> 01:29:48,674
of his private life,
his marriages.

1921
01:29:48,716 --> 01:29:51,469
And something snapped.
Something broke.

1922
01:29:54,222 --> 01:29:56,682
I think some of it might
also have to do with fear.

1923
01:29:56,724 --> 01:29:59,185
He didn't want to be someone
doing lesser work

1924
01:29:59,227 --> 01:30:00,520
as he got older.

1925
01:30:03,439 --> 01:30:04,982
Anthony:
I think Billy wanted
a certain type

1926
01:30:05,024 --> 01:30:07,360
of recognition
that he had never gotten.

1927
01:30:07,402 --> 01:30:10,738
Kind of serious,
literary, poetic.

1928
01:30:11,322 --> 01:30:12,865
The critical response
to Billy

1929
01:30:12,907 --> 01:30:14,826
kind of improved
over the years,

1930
01:30:14,826 --> 01:30:16,452
but I don't think it was
quite enough for him.

1931
01:30:18,162 --> 01:30:20,081
Nick: There's something
a little sad about it.

1932
01:30:20,123 --> 01:30:21,916
You know, here's this person
who was like a fount

1933
01:30:21,958 --> 01:30:25,044
of creativity who's gone dry.

1934
01:30:25,086 --> 01:30:26,838
To see that person
still around

1935
01:30:26,838 --> 01:30:28,881
as a very much
functioning artist,

1936
01:30:28,923 --> 01:30:31,342
performing with as much,
sort of,

1937
01:30:31,342 --> 01:30:34,178
vivacity as he had before,

1938
01:30:34,178 --> 01:30:37,723
but having stopped writing,
it's almost like a puzzle.

1939
01:30:37,765 --> 01:30:39,517
(audience cheering)

1940
01:30:39,559 --> 01:30:41,352
♪ In the middle
of the night ♪

1941
01:30:41,394 --> 01:30:42,520
♪ Middle of the night ♪

1942
01:30:42,520 --> 01:30:43,855
♪ I go walking in my sleep ♪

1943
01:30:43,855 --> 01:30:45,064
♪ I go walking in my sleep ♪

1944
01:30:45,106 --> 01:30:47,525
♪ Through the desert
of truth ♪

1945
01:30:47,567 --> 01:30:50,194
-♪ To a river so deep ♪
-♪ River so deep ♪

1946
01:30:50,236 --> 01:30:52,947
-♪ We all end in the ocean ♪
-♪ End in the ocean ♪

1947
01:30:52,989 --> 01:30:55,199
♪ We all start
in the streams... ♪

1948
01:30:55,199 --> 01:30:56,868
Billy: After I wrote
"River of Dreams,"

1949
01:30:56,868 --> 01:30:59,412
it was necessary for me
to stop writing songs.

1950
01:30:59,454 --> 01:31:01,581
But it was a hit.
Go figure.

1951
01:31:01,622 --> 01:31:04,917
♪ ...the middle
of the night ♪

1952
01:31:04,959 --> 01:31:08,296
♪ I go walking in the
in the middle of the... ♪

1953
01:31:08,337 --> 01:31:10,339
Mark: Not only did
he make that money back,

1954
01:31:10,923 --> 01:31:12,884
he came back bigger
and better...

1955
01:31:14,051 --> 01:31:16,053
maybe because
of the adversity.

1956
01:31:16,053 --> 01:31:17,805
You knock me down, fuck you.

1957
01:31:17,847 --> 01:31:19,182
I'm coming back
with a vengeance.

1958
01:31:27,273 --> 01:31:30,776
(audience cheering,
applauding)

1959
01:31:31,277 --> 01:31:33,237
John Tesh: It has been three
years since his last tour,

1960
01:31:33,237 --> 01:31:35,573
but having a number one album
to take to the road

1961
01:31:35,615 --> 01:31:37,825
makes getting on stage
a whole lot easier.

1962
01:31:38,409 --> 01:31:40,495
With the crowd screaming for
more at the end of the night,

1963
01:31:40,536 --> 01:31:43,748
Billy ducks out the back door
and it's on to the next show.

1964
01:31:43,748 --> 01:31:45,166
And that next show
is in Boston.

1965
01:31:45,208 --> 01:31:46,918
Then it's on to Philadelphia
and New York.

1966
01:31:46,918 --> 01:31:49,420
The River of Dreams tour
will be on the road

1967
01:31:49,420 --> 01:31:50,922
for two years.

1968
01:31:50,963 --> 01:31:53,424
fan: We were just wondering
how your daughter, Alexa,

1969
01:31:53,424 --> 01:31:56,344
and Christie handle you being
out on the road for so long.

1970
01:31:56,385 --> 01:31:57,970
Do they go along with you?

1971
01:31:58,012 --> 01:32:00,473
Billy: Well, from time
to time, they will join me.

1972
01:32:00,515 --> 01:32:03,434
Uh, the fact that Alexa
is in second grade now

1973
01:32:03,809 --> 01:32:05,269
tends to make it
more difficult

1974
01:32:05,311 --> 01:32:06,771
for her to come out.

1975
01:32:06,771 --> 01:32:08,773
But it's one of the reasons
that I've referred to this

1976
01:32:08,814 --> 01:32:11,150
as the last long tour
that I'm going to do.

1977
01:32:11,692 --> 01:32:13,194
Uh, I really don't want
to continue

1978
01:32:13,236 --> 01:32:15,446
to live a life
of Willy Loman.

1979
01:32:15,488 --> 01:32:16,906
Larry King: You want to watch
your kid grow up.

1980
01:32:17,490 --> 01:32:19,283
Yeah. I don't want
to become Uncle Daddy.

1981
01:32:19,825 --> 01:32:22,453
Christie: Our relationship
went from lots of fun

1982
01:32:22,495 --> 01:32:25,623
and really totally enjoying
each other and everything

1983
01:32:25,623 --> 01:32:29,335
to his work
consuming him.

1984
01:32:30,711 --> 01:32:33,339
And if I did go on the road,
I wasn't seeing him

1985
01:32:33,381 --> 01:32:36,634
because the unwind period
after the show

1986
01:32:36,676 --> 01:32:40,471
was going on
till late into the night.

1987
01:32:41,264 --> 01:32:43,015
And it's like,
what am I even doing here?

1988
01:32:43,933 --> 01:32:45,977
And I just got like,
I don't know what to do.

1989
01:32:45,977 --> 01:32:50,690
But I can't be lonely,
just me and Alexa

1990
01:32:50,731 --> 01:32:52,316
in this big old house

1991
01:32:52,316 --> 01:32:55,361
that was supposed
to be so full of life

1992
01:32:55,403 --> 01:32:59,448
and love and music
and laughter and all of that.

1993
01:33:00,950 --> 01:33:04,036
Things were starting
to deteriorate.

1994
01:33:05,454 --> 01:33:07,248
Billy: I was in
a relationship with someone

1995
01:33:07,290 --> 01:33:09,000
who I cared deeply about,

1996
01:33:09,542 --> 01:33:12,712
but I was not able
to be at home.

1997
01:33:12,753 --> 01:33:14,672
I was not able to be
with my family.

1998
01:33:15,506 --> 01:33:17,466
It was a very sad time for me.

1999
01:33:18,009 --> 01:33:23,681
♪ Goodnight, my angel,
time to close your eyes ♪

2000
01:33:23,681 --> 01:33:28,853
♪ And save these questions
for another day ♪

2001
01:33:28,894 --> 01:33:31,731
At that time,
I think Alexa knew that

2002
01:33:31,772 --> 01:33:34,191
her parents were going
to split up.

2003
01:33:34,191 --> 01:33:37,528
And for a child, that's
a very traumatic thing.

2004
01:33:37,528 --> 01:33:40,698
She needed to know
I would always be there.

2005
01:33:40,698 --> 01:33:46,245
♪ I promised I would
never leave you... ♪

2006
01:33:46,287 --> 01:33:48,748
Alexa: "Goodnight, My Angel,"
"Lullabye,"

2007
01:33:48,789 --> 01:33:51,709
I can't even really talk
about it without choking up.

2008
01:33:51,751 --> 01:33:55,755
♪ Wherever you may go
no matter where... ♪

2009
01:33:55,796 --> 01:33:59,091
Alexa: He wrote that song
saying no matter what,

2010
01:33:59,133 --> 01:34:00,551
I will never leave you.

2011
01:34:00,551 --> 01:34:01,886
♪ ...far away ♪

2012
01:34:03,179 --> 01:34:04,972
♪ Goodnight, my angel ♪

2013
01:34:05,014 --> 01:34:08,434
♪ Now it's time to sleep ♪

2014
01:34:08,934 --> 01:34:14,273
♪ And still so many things
I want to say ♪

2015
01:34:14,315 --> 01:34:15,941
I just remember that it was

2016
01:34:15,983 --> 01:34:19,570
a very emotionally
tumultuous time.

2017
01:34:20,321 --> 01:34:23,783
♪ When we went sailing
on an emerald... ♪

2018
01:34:23,824 --> 01:34:25,117
Christie: I don't think
it's a secret

2019
01:34:25,159 --> 01:34:28,120
that his drinking
got pretty bad,

2020
01:34:28,162 --> 01:34:30,122
and he couldn't
really remember

2021
01:34:30,164 --> 01:34:31,832
what he did
when he was drinking,

2022
01:34:31,874 --> 01:34:36,587
and so he didn't really know
how he could hurt people.

2023
01:34:37,296 --> 01:34:40,007
♪ The water's dark
and deep ♪

2024
01:34:40,049 --> 01:34:42,259
♪ Inside this
ancient heart... ♪

2025
01:34:42,259 --> 01:34:43,678
Christie: I would just pretend
that I was sleeping

2026
01:34:43,719 --> 01:34:45,137
when he'd come in,
because I didn't want

2027
01:34:45,179 --> 01:34:46,597
to see him
in that condition.

2028
01:34:46,639 --> 01:34:50,851
And one night,
we had an argument and I said,

2029
01:34:50,893 --> 01:34:53,145
I really can't
take this anymore.

2030
01:34:53,813 --> 01:34:55,606
And I'm just going
to take Alexa

2031
01:34:55,606 --> 01:34:57,441
back up to New York
and leave.

2032
01:34:57,942 --> 01:35:00,903
And he said,
"Yeah, fine. Go."

2033
01:35:04,490 --> 01:35:07,535
Billy: I realized
love is not concrete.

2034
01:35:07,576 --> 01:35:09,453
You know,
you feel like it is.

2035
01:35:09,495 --> 01:35:11,789
But there are things
eating away at it.

2036
01:35:11,789 --> 01:35:15,126
And in the end,
it all catches up.

2037
01:35:15,167 --> 01:35:16,585
And it's hard.

2038
01:35:17,586 --> 01:35:20,464
And I was so devastated.

2039
01:35:20,464 --> 01:35:22,883
♪ Someday your child
may cry ♪

2040
01:35:22,925 --> 01:35:26,971
♪ And if you sing
this lullaby ♪

2041
01:35:26,971 --> 01:35:30,850
♪ Then in your heart
there will always... ♪

2042
01:35:30,891 --> 01:35:33,310
Christie: I tried.
I wanted it to work.

2043
01:35:33,728 --> 01:35:37,898
I knew how lucky I was,
having music and all of that,

2044
01:35:38,691 --> 01:35:42,111
but... it just didn't work.

2045
01:35:43,946 --> 01:35:46,782
("Lullaby (Goodnight,
My Angel)" playing)

2046
01:35:48,033 --> 01:35:50,411
♪ Someday we'll all be gone ♪

2047
01:35:50,453 --> 01:35:54,415
♪ But lullabies go on
and on ♪

2048
01:35:54,457 --> 01:35:56,584
♪ They never die ♪

2049
01:35:56,625 --> 01:36:00,713
♪ That's how you and I ♪

2050
01:36:01,380 --> 01:36:04,592
♪ Will be ♪

2051
01:36:26,280 --> 01:36:29,450
♪ In every heart ♪

2052
01:36:29,492 --> 01:36:32,578
♪ There is a room ♪

2053
01:36:33,412 --> 01:36:38,459
♪ A sanctuary safe
and strong ♪

2054
01:36:39,043 --> 01:36:42,087
♪ To heal the wounds ♪

2055
01:36:42,129 --> 01:36:45,883
♪ From lovers past ♪

2056
01:36:45,883 --> 01:36:51,472
♪ Until a new one
comes along ♪

2057
01:36:51,514 --> 01:36:53,724
Billy: I would say
if there was a skeleton key

2058
01:36:53,766 --> 01:36:56,602
to unlocking
what's behind the songs,

2059
01:36:56,644 --> 01:36:59,438
it would probably be
my relationships with others.

2060
01:36:59,980 --> 01:37:02,066
Everything I write
is influenced

2061
01:37:02,066 --> 01:37:03,484
by someone else.

2062
01:37:04,610 --> 01:37:07,571
♪ And still I feel ♪

2063
01:37:07,571 --> 01:37:11,283
♪ I said too much ♪

2064
01:37:11,325 --> 01:37:13,494
Billy: You know, true love
isn't always floating

2065
01:37:13,536 --> 01:37:15,162
on clouds and ecstasy.

2066
01:37:15,204 --> 01:37:16,539
A lot of it's pain.

2067
01:37:17,832 --> 01:37:23,254
♪ And every time
I've held a rose ♪

2068
01:37:23,295 --> 01:37:28,467
♪ It seems I only felt
the thorns ♪

2069
01:37:29,009 --> 01:37:31,971
♪ And so it goes ♪

2070
01:37:32,012 --> 01:37:35,099
♪ And so it goes ♪

2071
01:37:35,099 --> 01:37:39,436
♪ And so will you soon
I suppose ♪

2072
01:37:39,436 --> 01:37:41,105
It's so hard
to write something

2073
01:37:41,146 --> 01:37:44,817
very simple
and very profound.

2074
01:37:44,859 --> 01:37:47,528
It only happens once
in a lifetime, sometimes.

2075
01:37:48,779 --> 01:37:52,867
♪ Then that would be
my worst mistake ♪

2076
01:37:52,908 --> 01:37:54,869
Billy:
It's got discords in it.

2077
01:37:54,910 --> 01:37:57,580
It's got a sour note
in almost every chord.

2078
01:38:08,382 --> 01:38:10,676
It's a note
that needs to be resolved.

2079
01:38:10,718 --> 01:38:13,971
It's a suspended chord.
And it builds tension.

2080
01:38:13,971 --> 01:38:18,642
♪ That's if the choice
were mine to make ♪

2081
01:38:18,642 --> 01:38:21,270
It's sort of like
the end of a romance.

2082
01:38:21,687 --> 01:38:25,816
No resolution, which is
terrifying to consider.

2083
01:38:26,483 --> 01:38:29,069
♪ And you can have ♪

2084
01:38:29,111 --> 01:38:32,698
♪ This heart to break ♪

2085
01:38:33,782 --> 01:38:34,950
That's why I wrote it.

2086
01:38:36,577 --> 01:38:38,162
Unresolved chords.

2087
01:38:38,162 --> 01:38:40,664
♪ And so it goes ♪

2088
01:38:40,664 --> 01:38:44,585
♪ And so it goes ♪

2089
01:38:44,627 --> 01:38:48,505
♪ And you're the only one ♪

2090
01:38:48,505 --> 01:38:52,426
♪ Who knows ♪

2091
01:38:54,219 --> 01:38:55,721
Jill Rappaport: He is back.
The one and only

2092
01:38:55,763 --> 01:38:57,056
Piano Man, Billy Joel,

2093
01:38:57,097 --> 01:38:59,183
has just kicked off
his East Coast tour.

2094
01:38:59,224 --> 01:39:01,018
The first reaction
when you hear that an artist

2095
01:39:01,018 --> 01:39:02,353
is going back
on the road is oh,

2096
01:39:02,353 --> 01:39:03,729
he's promoting a new album.

2097
01:39:03,771 --> 01:39:05,230
This is a unique concept.

2098
01:39:05,272 --> 01:39:06,357
Billy:
This is the first time
we've gone on tour

2099
01:39:06,398 --> 01:39:07,775
without a new studio album.

2100
01:39:07,816 --> 01:39:09,193
So it's new for us too.

2101
01:39:09,193 --> 01:39:11,195
(audience cheering)

2102
01:39:11,528 --> 01:39:13,447
Steve Kroft: Between now
and the end of the year,

2103
01:39:13,489 --> 01:39:16,200
he'll travel Europe,
Asia, and the US,

2104
01:39:16,200 --> 01:39:18,118
nearly a hundred
performances.

2105
01:39:18,160 --> 01:39:19,370
He is road weary,

2106
01:39:19,370 --> 01:39:21,580
but for those two hours
he's onstage,

2107
01:39:21,622 --> 01:39:23,040
he still loves it.

2108
01:39:23,082 --> 01:39:24,625
♪ Come out, Virginia ♪

2109
01:39:24,667 --> 01:39:26,126
♪ Don't let me wait ♪

2110
01:39:26,168 --> 01:39:29,296
♪ You Catholic girls
start much too late ♪

2111
01:39:29,338 --> 01:39:32,132
♪ Sooner or later,
it comes down to fate ♪

2112
01:39:32,174 --> 01:39:35,719
♪ I might
as well be the one ♪

2113
01:39:35,719 --> 01:39:37,805
Billy: Performing music,
you have to leave it

2114
01:39:37,846 --> 01:39:39,098
all on the stage.

2115
01:39:39,139 --> 01:39:40,766
You can't hold back.

2116
01:39:40,808 --> 01:39:42,893
And there's a euphoria to it.

2117
01:39:43,394 --> 01:39:46,063
I think I needed that
at that point in my life.

2118
01:39:46,063 --> 01:39:47,898
♪ ...have done ♪

2119
01:39:48,399 --> 01:39:51,402
♪ Only the good die young ♪

2120
01:39:51,986 --> 01:39:54,029
That's what I said.

2121
01:39:55,155 --> 01:39:57,783
♪ Only the good die young ♪

2122
01:39:57,825 --> 01:40:00,285
♪ Only the good die young ♪

2123
01:40:00,327 --> 01:40:02,997
And that's when I started
doing the Elton tours.

2124
01:40:03,038 --> 01:40:04,748
Reg Wells:
Tonight, the Piano Man

2125
01:40:04,748 --> 01:40:06,250
met the Rocket Man onstage.

2126
01:40:06,625 --> 01:40:08,669
Thus, the stage was set
for what some call

2127
01:40:08,711 --> 01:40:10,045
the tour of the century.

2128
01:40:11,714 --> 01:40:14,925
♪ Friday night
I crashed your party ♪

2129
01:40:14,925 --> 01:40:18,178
♪ Saturday I said I'm sorry ♪

2130
01:40:18,220 --> 01:40:21,598
♪ Sunday came
and trashed me out... ♪

2131
01:40:21,598 --> 01:40:23,600
Billy: Well, I was aware
that the perception was

2132
01:40:23,642 --> 01:40:25,185
that there was a rivalry.

2133
01:40:25,602 --> 01:40:27,104
I always got compared
to Elton

2134
01:40:27,104 --> 01:40:29,064
because he hit big first.

2135
01:40:29,648 --> 01:40:31,608
And I did resent it
at the time,

2136
01:40:32,234 --> 01:40:33,444
but I got over it.

2137
01:40:34,028 --> 01:40:35,904
Billy and Elton John:
♪ You may be right ♪

2138
01:40:37,156 --> 01:40:39,241
♪ I may be crazy ♪

2139
01:40:40,576 --> 01:40:41,952
There was
a healthy competition

2140
01:40:41,952 --> 01:40:43,120
going on
between the two of them.

2141
01:40:43,162 --> 01:40:45,164
They're different kinds
of piano players,

2142
01:40:45,205 --> 01:40:48,167
so I thought they complemented
each other fantastically.

2143
01:40:49,960 --> 01:40:51,837
♪ Don't try to save me ♪

2144
01:40:52,379 --> 01:40:54,339
Crystal: Our time
touring with Elton,

2145
01:40:54,381 --> 01:40:57,468
it was like being in camp.
It was fun!

2146
01:40:57,968 --> 01:40:59,970
And I enjoyed watching
that camaraderie

2147
01:41:00,012 --> 01:41:01,388
between the two there.

2148
01:41:01,430 --> 01:41:03,474
(laughter)

2149
01:41:03,515 --> 01:41:04,892
Jay Leno: Well,
how many outfits backstage?

2150
01:41:04,933 --> 01:41:06,310
I got rid of a lot recently,

2151
01:41:06,310 --> 01:41:08,312
so I probably have
about 20 outfits.

2152
01:41:08,312 --> 01:41:09,646
-Jay: Twenty!
-And I've got more coming.

2153
01:41:09,688 --> 01:41:10,898
And, now how many
do you have?

2154
01:41:10,939 --> 01:41:12,107
Uh, this is it.

2155
01:41:14,151 --> 01:41:16,737
We enjoyed it
and the audiences liked it,

2156
01:41:16,779 --> 01:41:18,947
and it got bigger
and bigger and bigger,

2157
01:41:19,490 --> 01:41:22,242
where there's 50,
80,000 people.

2158
01:41:22,743 --> 01:41:25,829
And it went on for 16 years.

2159
01:41:25,871 --> 01:41:27,873
♪ You may be right ♪

2160
01:41:29,333 --> 01:41:33,212
♪ I said a-one, two
one, two, three, four ♪

2161
01:41:39,218 --> 01:41:40,886
(both laugh)

2162
01:41:43,013 --> 01:41:46,183
(audience cheering,
applauding)

2163
01:41:46,683 --> 01:41:48,352
Jill: And we've been
reading so much lately

2164
01:41:48,352 --> 01:41:51,188
that pop may be a thing
of the past for you,

2165
01:41:51,188 --> 01:41:53,565
and that classical music
is now the direction

2166
01:41:53,607 --> 01:41:55,025
that you're going in
full time.

2167
01:41:55,067 --> 01:41:56,693
-Any truth to that?
-Billy: Yeah.

2168
01:41:56,693 --> 01:41:58,737
I'm not saying I'm,
you know, good enough

2169
01:41:58,779 --> 01:42:01,073
to be a classical composer
yet, but I'm starting.

2170
01:42:01,115 --> 01:42:02,449
You know, I've been
writing music

2171
01:42:02,491 --> 01:42:05,077
for this guy named Billy Joel
for all these years.

2172
01:42:05,119 --> 01:42:06,495
I'm kind of getting tired
of him.

2173
01:42:08,080 --> 01:42:09,957
When I first started
writing music,

2174
01:42:09,998 --> 01:42:12,042
classical music was
the girl next door.

2175
01:42:12,084 --> 01:42:13,877
And then I was swept away

2176
01:42:13,919 --> 01:42:16,130
by this temptress
of rock and roll,

2177
01:42:16,171 --> 01:42:18,590
you know,
in black fishnet stockings

2178
01:42:18,632 --> 01:42:20,592
and smeared mascara
who smoked cigarettes.

2179
01:42:20,634 --> 01:42:24,429
And that was a hot affair for,
you know, 25 years of my life.

2180
01:42:24,471 --> 01:42:26,140
And then all of a sudden,
I discovered

2181
01:42:26,181 --> 01:42:27,724
the girl next door again.

2182
01:42:27,724 --> 01:42:31,603
(classical music playing)

2183
01:42:38,026 --> 01:42:40,904
The first piece that
I finished in its entirety

2184
01:42:40,904 --> 01:42:43,115
was called
"Soliloquy on a Separation,"

2185
01:42:43,615 --> 01:42:46,160
which was about my daughter
visiting with me

2186
01:42:46,201 --> 01:42:48,579
after we got divorced
and then leaving.

2187
01:42:48,620 --> 01:42:51,582
And those emotions
I was having

2188
01:42:52,166 --> 01:42:54,668
weren't something I could
easily write with lyrics.

2189
01:42:55,085 --> 01:42:57,296
Like, I see my kid come,
I see my kid go.

2190
01:42:57,337 --> 01:42:59,756
It hurts so bad
to want to be a father

2191
01:42:59,798 --> 01:43:01,258
and not be able to be one.

2192
01:43:01,258 --> 01:43:04,720
And I wrote these chords:
"We say goodbye."

2193
01:43:06,513 --> 01:43:08,307
"And then I watch
as you leave."

2194
01:43:12,060 --> 01:43:14,188
"And then I slowly return..."

2195
01:43:15,147 --> 01:43:16,607
"...to this quiet house."

2196
01:43:16,607 --> 01:43:18,317
And I said,
why do I have to say that?

2197
01:43:19,067 --> 01:43:20,694
The music is saying it.

2198
01:43:23,739 --> 01:43:25,115
Maybe at that point
in my life,

2199
01:43:25,157 --> 01:43:28,035
I was ready to express myself
purely with music.

2200
01:43:29,286 --> 01:43:32,039
But I realized when I had
been writing these pieces,

2201
01:43:32,080 --> 01:43:33,832
I'm not the guy
to play this stuff.

2202
01:43:34,208 --> 01:43:36,710
I can play bits of it
in increments,

2203
01:43:36,752 --> 01:43:38,212
and I can compose well enough

2204
01:43:38,253 --> 01:43:39,796
to have somebody do
the notation.

2205
01:43:39,838 --> 01:43:43,217
But I can't play the bravura
the way it should be played.

2206
01:43:44,760 --> 01:43:47,012
Hyung-ki,
that's his expertise,

2207
01:43:47,054 --> 01:43:50,140
is Rachmaninoff,
Chopin, Tchaikovsky.

2208
01:43:50,182 --> 01:43:52,142
And this is the guy
who I want to play my stuff.

2209
01:43:53,810 --> 01:43:55,979
Do you want
the first time to be

2210
01:43:56,021 --> 01:43:58,732
like a suggestion
or you want, you want...

2211
01:43:59,942 --> 01:44:02,486
-No, it can be stronger.
-It can be stronger, right?

2212
01:44:02,527 --> 01:44:04,154
So it's already present.

2213
01:44:06,365 --> 01:44:10,535
He lost the ability
to read music

2214
01:44:10,577 --> 01:44:11,870
and to notate.

2215
01:44:11,912 --> 01:44:13,538
And so everything
he does from ear,

2216
01:44:13,580 --> 01:44:15,540
which is absolutely
mind boggling to me.

2217
01:44:15,582 --> 01:44:16,708
It's incredible.

2218
01:44:18,418 --> 01:44:20,671
A lot of people
who are his fans

2219
01:44:20,671 --> 01:44:21,755
don't actually understand.

2220
01:44:21,797 --> 01:44:23,215
Wait a minute.
He's the Piano Man.

2221
01:44:23,257 --> 01:44:25,592
He's a great pianist.
What does he need you for?

2222
01:44:25,634 --> 01:44:27,844
And of course,
he's a fantastic pianist.

2223
01:44:27,886 --> 01:44:31,265
But it's a bit like asking
a ballet dancer to breakdance,

2224
01:44:31,306 --> 01:44:33,016
or vice versa.

2225
01:44:33,016 --> 01:44:35,686
I mean, they're both brilliant
in their field and virtuosic,

2226
01:44:36,019 --> 01:44:38,397
but one can't necessarily
do the other.

2227
01:44:39,273 --> 01:44:40,524
And then it has to go...

2228
01:44:40,565 --> 01:44:42,109
And then that F would
open it up there.

2229
01:44:46,363 --> 01:44:47,781
Itzhak:
He hears a certain way.

2230
01:44:47,823 --> 01:44:51,034
Classical music is something
that really is

2231
01:44:51,034 --> 01:44:52,369
very close to his heart.

2232
01:44:52,411 --> 01:44:53,453
And you feel it.

2233
01:44:54,454 --> 01:44:57,040
Hyung-ki Joo: We worked
on these ten piano pieces

2234
01:44:57,082 --> 01:44:58,750
which would
eventually become

2235
01:44:58,792 --> 01:45:00,669
the album
"Fantasies & Delusions."

2236
01:45:01,044 --> 01:45:03,046
Billy: The reason I named it
"Fantasies & Delusions,"

2237
01:45:03,046 --> 01:45:04,715
because I recognized

2238
01:45:04,715 --> 01:45:07,384
I'm delusional to think
I'm a classical composer.

2239
01:45:07,884 --> 01:45:09,928
You know, I'm a rock
and roll piano player.

2240
01:45:09,970 --> 01:45:11,888
It's a fantasy.
It's a delusion.

2241
01:45:11,930 --> 01:45:13,307
Let's call it what it is.

2242
01:45:14,641 --> 01:45:16,727
Hyung-ki: The album has
some amazing moments.

2243
01:45:16,727 --> 01:45:18,603
I mean, this is
from "Innamorato."

2244
01:45:18,645 --> 01:45:21,648
(gentle piano music playing)

2245
01:45:31,199 --> 01:45:34,202
(gentle piano music continues)

2246
01:45:38,832 --> 01:45:40,959
Billy: There's an inherent
lyric in that, which is...

2247
01:45:41,001 --> 01:45:42,085
(music pauses)

2248
01:45:42,085 --> 01:45:43,420
..."You are
my heart's desire."

2249
01:45:43,462 --> 01:45:46,089
(music resumes)

2250
01:45:52,637 --> 01:45:53,972
And I keep repeating it.

2251
01:45:56,683 --> 01:45:57,976
It's an obsession.

2252
01:46:00,854 --> 01:46:02,522
One, two, three, four.

2253
01:46:09,780 --> 01:46:12,324
Hyung-ki: This album
stands out in many ways.

2254
01:46:12,366 --> 01:46:13,700
It was certainly number one

2255
01:46:13,742 --> 01:46:16,453
on the classical Billboard
charts for 18 weeks.

2256
01:46:16,453 --> 01:46:18,538
I think it's one
of the most successful

2257
01:46:18,580 --> 01:46:20,749
classical albums
of all time as well.

2258
01:46:22,876 --> 01:46:26,630
(upbeat piano music playing)

2259
01:46:27,255 --> 01:46:29,299
Billy: I knew I was going
to get savaged

2260
01:46:29,341 --> 01:46:30,967
by the classical critics,

2261
01:46:31,468 --> 01:46:34,805
but I was trying to convey
what I loved,

2262
01:46:34,846 --> 01:46:37,516
which is
the romantic piano music.

2263
01:46:38,725 --> 01:46:42,813
(gentle piano music playing)

2264
01:46:48,193 --> 01:46:50,362
I think, in a way,
that album for me

2265
01:46:50,404 --> 01:46:51,822
is an homage to Dad.

2266
01:46:52,531 --> 01:46:54,032
It's-it's an homage
to our father.

2267
01:46:54,074 --> 01:46:55,492
I don't know
if Bill sees it that way,

2268
01:46:55,534 --> 01:46:56,910
but maybe it's subconscious.

2269
01:46:58,537 --> 01:47:01,623
(music continues)

2270
01:47:04,709 --> 01:47:06,044
Billy: He was still alive
when I did

2271
01:47:06,086 --> 01:47:07,295
"Fantasies & Delusions."

2272
01:47:12,843 --> 01:47:14,052
But I never heard
what he, like,

2273
01:47:14,094 --> 01:47:16,471
what he thought
about my piano pieces.

2274
01:47:23,728 --> 01:47:25,355
Alexa: I know
that my father has

2275
01:47:25,397 --> 01:47:27,691
a lot of abandonment issues.

2276
01:47:27,691 --> 01:47:29,985
His father left
when he was seven.

2277
01:47:30,610 --> 01:47:32,195
He never got over that.

2278
01:47:32,696 --> 01:47:37,367
It was a very impactful
moment in his life

2279
01:47:37,409 --> 01:47:40,620
when he tracked him down,
but he had to find him.

2280
01:47:40,662 --> 01:47:42,372
You know, I think it broke
his heart a little bit

2281
01:47:42,372 --> 01:47:44,458
that his father
didn't come to him.

2282
01:47:44,499 --> 01:47:46,543
He had to go to Vienna.

2283
01:47:46,585 --> 01:47:49,504
(music continues)

2284
01:47:51,798 --> 01:47:54,593
He was always looking
for that deeper connection.

2285
01:47:55,343 --> 01:47:57,220
If anything, I think
he found it more

2286
01:47:57,220 --> 01:48:00,140
through his brother, Alex,
who's a conductor.

2287
01:48:00,182 --> 01:48:02,976
(applause)

2288
01:48:07,647 --> 01:48:09,316
Alexa: And I think
it meant a lot

2289
01:48:09,357 --> 01:48:13,987
to be able to finally connect
with that part of his family.

2290
01:48:14,029 --> 01:48:15,947
Alex: It's a shame
Dad didn't become a musician.

2291
01:48:15,989 --> 01:48:17,991
I could have seen him
being very happy

2292
01:48:18,033 --> 01:48:19,284
just working in
a little opera house.

2293
01:48:19,326 --> 01:48:20,452
I think the same thing.

2294
01:48:20,494 --> 01:48:21,745
He used to play
all the operas to me

2295
01:48:21,745 --> 01:48:23,997
on the piano
before we used to go see them.

2296
01:48:24,039 --> 01:48:25,457
I know he loved music.

2297
01:48:25,499 --> 01:48:28,418
He really
and truly loved music,

2298
01:48:28,460 --> 01:48:31,588
but he hated
his own musicianship.

2299
01:48:31,630 --> 01:48:33,089
We had a piano
in the back room,

2300
01:48:33,131 --> 01:48:34,424
and he'd go in
and he played.

2301
01:48:34,466 --> 01:48:35,926
He's probably playing
a Chopin piece

2302
01:48:35,926 --> 01:48:37,260
or a Beethoven sonata,

2303
01:48:37,802 --> 01:48:41,473
and he'd come out of the room
all dark and pissed off

2304
01:48:41,515 --> 01:48:42,933
and, "Ah, I suck."

2305
01:48:43,433 --> 01:48:45,143
-To me, it sounded great.
-Alex: Yeah.

2306
01:48:45,185 --> 01:48:47,979
I thought, wow, if I can play
like that, I'd be so happy.

2307
01:48:48,021 --> 01:48:50,941
But he was never content
with what he was playing.

2308
01:48:51,483 --> 01:48:54,152
And I, I said to myself
when I was a kid,

2309
01:48:54,194 --> 01:48:55,779
I don't want to be like that.

2310
01:48:55,820 --> 01:48:58,114
I don't want to have that kind
of relationship with music.

2311
01:48:58,615 --> 01:49:02,619
So I never tried to become
a concert pianist.

2312
01:49:02,869 --> 01:49:05,789
I went kind of in a different
direction where I was,

2313
01:49:05,789 --> 01:49:07,582
I wanted to create
my own music.

2314
01:49:08,083 --> 01:49:10,669
He was very proud of you.
He really was.

2315
01:49:11,169 --> 01:49:12,712
Dad was incredibly proud
of Bill

2316
01:49:12,754 --> 01:49:14,548
and everything he's achieved
and, uh...

2317
01:49:14,589 --> 01:49:15,715
Susan Lacy:
Do you think Bill knows

2318
01:49:15,757 --> 01:49:17,217
that his father
was proud of him?

2319
01:49:19,052 --> 01:49:20,637
I don't think so,
you know.

2320
01:49:23,139 --> 01:49:24,808
I've told him,
but he doesn't believe me.

2321
01:49:27,936 --> 01:49:29,896
Billy: I think my dad was
the missing link

2322
01:49:29,938 --> 01:49:31,314
in a lot of things.

2323
01:49:35,443 --> 01:49:36,820
And when he passed away,

2324
01:49:36,861 --> 01:49:38,321
I kind of freaked out
a little bit.

2325
01:49:38,321 --> 01:49:39,698
Wow, he's gone,

2326
01:49:39,739 --> 01:49:41,157
and I'll never get
to know him.

2327
01:49:45,078 --> 01:49:47,330
But I had no animosity
towards him.

2328
01:49:47,872 --> 01:49:49,708
I just had a sense of loss.

2329
01:49:53,670 --> 01:49:57,257
And I think he wanted to say
"I love you" to me,

2330
01:49:57,882 --> 01:49:59,175
but I never heard it.

2331
01:50:02,262 --> 01:50:03,930
Judy Molinari:
When Howard was dying,

2332
01:50:03,972 --> 01:50:05,849
we stood at his bedside.

2333
01:50:05,890 --> 01:50:07,350
And I remember
Billy and Howard

2334
01:50:07,392 --> 01:50:08,643
looking at each other,

2335
01:50:09,227 --> 01:50:12,772
and there's just a blank look
on each of their faces.

2336
01:50:13,440 --> 01:50:15,483
No emotions, no anything.

2337
01:50:18,820 --> 01:50:20,363
I'm sure it made
a terrible void

2338
01:50:20,405 --> 01:50:21,865
in my brother's life,

2339
01:50:21,906 --> 01:50:24,200
and it left a hole
in his heart.

2340
01:50:26,661 --> 01:50:28,330
Billy: My mom used
to tell me,

2341
01:50:28,913 --> 01:50:31,416
"The quality of mercy
is not strained."

2342
01:50:31,458 --> 01:50:33,710
I didn't understand it
when I was little,

2343
01:50:34,294 --> 01:50:36,129
but I understood it
when I was growing up.

2344
01:50:37,380 --> 01:50:39,591
So I forgave him
a long time ago

2345
01:50:41,259 --> 01:50:45,096
You have to be able
to forgive to heal yourself.

2346
01:50:47,474 --> 01:50:51,186
(classical music playing)

2347
01:50:51,561 --> 01:50:53,229
Billy: After "Fantasies
& Delusions,"

2348
01:50:53,271 --> 01:50:55,440
I felt like, okay,
I've done it.

2349
01:50:56,566 --> 01:50:57,734
Not just
with classical music,

2350
01:50:57,734 --> 01:50:59,194
but popular music.

2351
01:51:00,028 --> 01:51:02,238
I mean,
I had been performing

2352
01:51:02,238 --> 01:51:04,616
and been a rockstar
for a long time.

2353
01:51:05,909 --> 01:51:08,787
And I thought,
what else is there for me?

2354
01:51:12,374 --> 01:51:14,959
I was feeling that
I was missing something.

2355
01:51:19,297 --> 01:51:21,299
Len Cannon:
"The Daily News" is reporting

2356
01:51:21,341 --> 01:51:23,343
that the singer
just got engaged

2357
01:51:23,385 --> 01:51:25,303
to his girlfriend Katie Lee.

2358
01:51:28,890 --> 01:51:31,685
Billy: In terms
of long-term relationships,

2359
01:51:32,060 --> 01:51:34,771
I was gun shy
about making a commitment.

2360
01:51:34,771 --> 01:51:36,648
But it was kind of fresh,

2361
01:51:36,690 --> 01:51:39,442
and I think all the rules
went out the window.

2362
01:51:42,195 --> 01:51:43,988
When you fall
in love, you fall.

2363
01:51:44,030 --> 01:51:46,783
It's not like you're flying.
You're falling.

2364
01:51:51,037 --> 01:51:52,539
Katie Lee: When we first
got together,

2365
01:51:52,580 --> 01:51:55,667
Bill wanted to take
a break from touring.

2366
01:51:55,709 --> 01:51:58,461
And so, I just took him
for his word at that

2367
01:51:58,503 --> 01:51:59,879
and I thought
that's what he wanted.

2368
01:52:01,631 --> 01:52:03,508
Steve: He would say
a lot, like,

2369
01:52:03,550 --> 01:52:05,468
I'm just tired
of being Billy Joel,

2370
01:52:05,885 --> 01:52:07,679
tired of playing
these same songs.

2371
01:52:07,721 --> 01:52:10,724
And I think that
that dissatisfaction

2372
01:52:10,765 --> 01:52:13,017
with the thing
that he loved so much,

2373
01:52:13,059 --> 01:52:14,602
I think that was tough
for him.

2374
01:52:16,438 --> 01:52:18,648
Nick: When you don't
have anything new to offer,

2375
01:52:18,690 --> 01:52:20,358
you don't have anything
to hide behind.

2376
01:52:21,401 --> 01:52:23,653
And I think that
exposed him to the world

2377
01:52:23,653 --> 01:52:26,489
and made his difficulties
more acute.

2378
01:52:27,490 --> 01:52:30,577
At that time in his life,
he was drinking a lot.

2379
01:52:31,161 --> 01:52:32,996
And over the years,

2380
01:52:32,996 --> 01:52:34,956
he had sort of
a series of calamities.

2381
01:52:35,623 --> 01:52:38,168
He was making
a mess of it in public.

2382
01:52:38,209 --> 01:52:39,335
And when that happens,

2383
01:52:39,335 --> 01:52:41,337
the public chorus
can turn on you.

2384
01:52:41,337 --> 01:52:43,339
Alex Witt: We begin with
Billy Joel's car accident

2385
01:52:43,339 --> 01:52:45,216
in Long Island,
New York, just this morning.

2386
01:52:45,258 --> 01:52:46,718
The singing superstar
is recovering

2387
01:52:46,760 --> 01:52:48,178
from a big scare.

2388
01:52:48,219 --> 01:52:49,846
Billy: You know,
along with fame

2389
01:52:49,846 --> 01:52:53,016
comes a lot
of gossip, rumors.

2390
01:52:53,057 --> 01:52:55,393
I didn't like
the tabloid kind of press.

2391
01:52:55,435 --> 01:52:58,188
Him being here in one
of the biggest media centers

2392
01:52:58,229 --> 01:53:00,231
in the world
was difficult for him,

2393
01:53:00,982 --> 01:53:02,817
because there was
a lot of scrutiny.

2394
01:53:03,651 --> 01:53:05,028
They love to capitalize

2395
01:53:05,069 --> 01:53:07,781
on the mistakes
that we have all made.

2396
01:53:07,822 --> 01:53:09,866
Julie Chen: And Billy Joel's
got another smash hit,

2397
01:53:09,866 --> 01:53:11,367
but not one he wanted.

2398
01:53:11,367 --> 01:53:14,037
The singer crashed his car
into a house yesterday,

2399
01:53:14,078 --> 01:53:15,538
his third wreck in two years.

2400
01:53:15,538 --> 01:53:16,790
Bill McCuddy: The question
this morning, obviously,

2401
01:53:16,831 --> 01:53:18,208
Eric, is: did someone put
more than bread

2402
01:53:18,249 --> 01:53:20,084
in Billy Joel's jar
last night?

2403
01:53:20,126 --> 01:53:21,711
Billy: For example,
there's this rumor

2404
01:53:22,003 --> 01:53:24,047
that I have all these DUIs.

2405
01:53:24,506 --> 01:53:25,590
That never happened,

2406
01:53:25,632 --> 01:53:28,426
but people
keep repeating the myth.

2407
01:53:28,468 --> 01:53:30,053
Oh, he's got so many DUIs.

2408
01:53:30,053 --> 01:53:32,680
I never had a DUI,
so fuck you.

2409
01:53:34,891 --> 01:53:36,476
Edna: There was
kind of a fallow period

2410
01:53:36,518 --> 01:53:38,061
where he wasn't writing
and didn't have

2411
01:53:38,102 --> 01:53:39,479
much of a profile.

2412
01:53:39,521 --> 01:53:41,606
He became the butt of jokes.

2413
01:53:41,648 --> 01:53:43,483
I can drive
these streets blind.

2414
01:53:43,525 --> 01:53:44,901
woman: Watch out!

2415
01:53:44,901 --> 01:53:46,569
Nick: When I say
that he was a punchline,

2416
01:53:46,569 --> 01:53:49,781
they treated him
as an unserious person.

2417
01:53:49,823 --> 01:53:50,949
That was close.

2418
01:53:50,990 --> 01:53:52,408
Almost gave me
a heart attack

2419
01:53:52,408 --> 01:53:53,952
ack-ack-ack-ack-ack.

2420
01:53:53,993 --> 01:53:55,328
Billy: Well,
the press can be mean,

2421
01:53:55,370 --> 01:53:57,121
so having that much attention

2422
01:53:57,163 --> 01:53:58,915
paid to you is not easy.

2423
01:54:00,458 --> 01:54:03,253
Katie: It's really hard for me
to talk about that time.

2424
01:54:03,837 --> 01:54:06,464
I felt like he needed
to be creating,

2425
01:54:06,506 --> 01:54:09,425
he needed to be
making music, performing,

2426
01:54:09,467 --> 01:54:12,470
to turn down that anxiety

2427
01:54:12,512 --> 01:54:15,348
of not having
an artistic outlet.

2428
01:54:17,058 --> 01:54:20,436
And there were struggles
with addiction.

2429
01:54:20,645 --> 01:54:23,022
It was really hard
to navigate that

2430
01:54:23,064 --> 01:54:25,316
because I had
no experience with it.

2431
01:54:26,025 --> 01:54:29,320
But he went
to Betty Ford for rehab.

2432
01:54:30,321 --> 01:54:32,866
Billy: She kind of gave me
an ultimatum.

2433
01:54:32,907 --> 01:54:34,784
Either you do something
about your drinking,

2434
01:54:34,826 --> 01:54:37,537
or this isn't going
to work out.

2435
01:54:40,415 --> 01:54:43,960
Katie: When he first got home
from Betty Ford,

2436
01:54:43,960 --> 01:54:46,629
it was a really fragile time
for both of us.

2437
01:54:48,006 --> 01:54:49,215
Steve:
I always wondered about

2438
01:54:49,257 --> 01:54:50,967
that particular period
of time with him,

2439
01:54:51,009 --> 01:54:55,096
because at that point
Billy was sober.

2440
01:54:55,680 --> 01:54:57,473
I always felt
that he was rediscovering

2441
01:54:57,515 --> 01:54:58,850
a different part of himself.

2442
01:54:59,434 --> 01:55:01,853
And when you rediscover
a new part of yourself,

2443
01:55:01,895 --> 01:55:03,146
you change.

2444
01:55:06,107 --> 01:55:08,651
Katie: He had
experienced everything.

2445
01:55:08,651 --> 01:55:11,070
He had lived this huge life.

2446
01:55:11,112 --> 01:55:16,242
But I was young and had not
experienced anything.

2447
01:55:16,492 --> 01:55:18,870
So I always wanted to go out,

2448
01:55:18,912 --> 01:55:22,081
and Bill wanted
to be at home.

2449
01:55:23,499 --> 01:55:24,834
Billy: At that point,

2450
01:55:24,876 --> 01:55:27,211
yeah, the relationship
wasn't doing well.

2451
01:55:27,253 --> 01:55:29,589
Our own Katie Lee
is going to show you--

2452
01:55:29,631 --> 01:55:32,592
Billy: She became
very career oriented,

2453
01:55:32,634 --> 01:55:33,843
and she wanted to be
in the city,

2454
01:55:33,885 --> 01:55:35,678
she wanted to socialize.

2455
01:55:36,638 --> 01:55:38,056
There's a theory
that she was having

2456
01:55:38,097 --> 01:55:39,557
an affair with some guy.

2457
01:55:39,599 --> 01:55:40,642
That's a bunch of bullshit.

2458
01:55:41,643 --> 01:55:43,519
We just drifted apart
from each other.

2459
01:55:45,104 --> 01:55:47,732
Katie: I wanted to be doing
all of the things together.

2460
01:55:47,774 --> 01:55:50,401
But I think that that's where
our age came into play.

2461
01:55:52,278 --> 01:55:54,030
Also, I think that
there was, maybe,

2462
01:55:54,072 --> 01:55:55,531
always a little bit
of resentment

2463
01:55:55,573 --> 01:55:59,369
that I had really pushed him
to go to Betty Ford.

2464
01:56:00,203 --> 01:56:02,538
Billy: With rehab, you
don't go for somebody else.

2465
01:56:02,538 --> 01:56:03,915
You have to go for yourself.

2466
01:56:04,749 --> 01:56:08,211
You have to want to do it.
I didn't want to do it.

2467
01:56:11,172 --> 01:56:13,049
Katie: It was hard
on our relationship,

2468
01:56:13,049 --> 01:56:14,550
and in a lot of ways,

2469
01:56:14,592 --> 01:56:16,260
it was hard
to recover from that.

2470
01:56:17,845 --> 01:56:19,555
I don't think either one
of us wanted it

2471
01:56:19,597 --> 01:56:22,433
to not work out,
but it just became obvious

2472
01:56:22,475 --> 01:56:23,851
that it wasn't working.

2473
01:56:24,227 --> 01:56:27,063
And I remember one night
we had dinner,

2474
01:56:27,105 --> 01:56:29,816
and I said, Bill,
I'm unhappy.

2475
01:56:30,191 --> 01:56:32,610
And he said, "Do you want
to get a divorce?"

2476
01:56:32,652 --> 01:56:35,530
And I said, yeah.
And he said, "Okay."

2477
01:56:36,072 --> 01:56:37,198
And that was it.

2478
01:56:40,451 --> 01:56:43,246
Billy: I was going
through another divorce.

2479
01:56:43,246 --> 01:56:45,790
Three times.
A three-time loser.

2480
01:56:46,541 --> 01:56:51,254
And the fear of being
alone again, dying alone...

2481
01:56:52,588 --> 01:56:55,675
uh, not having that person
in my life anymore...

2482
01:56:57,010 --> 01:56:58,594
and getting old.

2483
01:57:02,306 --> 01:57:04,350
So, I was drinking again,

2484
01:57:04,392 --> 01:57:06,102
just to kind of ease
+that pain.

2485
01:57:06,644 --> 01:57:09,230
So it was... Yeah,
it was kind of a lost time.

2486
01:57:11,107 --> 01:57:12,775
Jon: We were having dinner
one night.

2487
01:57:12,775 --> 01:57:15,111
Billy was just
basically devastated.

2488
01:57:15,153 --> 01:57:16,946
Tears coming down
his eyes and said,

2489
01:57:16,988 --> 01:57:18,281
"I got a half
a billion dollars,

2490
01:57:18,322 --> 01:57:19,866
and I have nobody to love."

2491
01:57:20,742 --> 01:57:23,536
And it just hurts you,
tears your guts out

2492
01:57:23,578 --> 01:57:25,955
to watch somebody
fall down that hole.

2493
01:57:25,955 --> 01:57:28,124
(audience cheering)

2494
01:57:28,166 --> 01:57:30,793
Billy: And that
time period coincided

2495
01:57:30,835 --> 01:57:32,628
with working
with Elton again.

2496
01:57:32,628 --> 01:57:34,172
Paula Toti:
The Billy Joel/Elton John

2497
01:57:34,213 --> 01:57:35,548
concert was canceled.

2498
01:57:35,923 --> 01:57:37,300
Angela Pace: Joel and John
canceled their show

2499
01:57:37,341 --> 01:57:38,676
in Detroit last night.

2500
01:57:38,718 --> 01:57:40,178
Curt Ludlow: He canceled
Thursday's concert.

2501
01:57:40,219 --> 01:57:42,221
Of course, everyone was
worried about Billy Joel.

2502
01:57:43,723 --> 01:57:45,349
Steven: The story
I remember is Elton John

2503
01:57:45,391 --> 01:57:47,852
accusing Billy Joel
of drinking too much,

2504
01:57:47,894 --> 01:57:50,188
which Billy Joel
did not care for

2505
01:57:50,229 --> 01:57:51,439
when he read that.

2506
01:57:52,648 --> 01:57:54,484
Dennis: Billy wasn't really
open to hear about it

2507
01:57:54,525 --> 01:57:55,818
and certainly not publicly.

2508
01:57:56,444 --> 01:57:59,822
And it led
to certain questions

2509
01:57:59,864 --> 01:58:02,492
about where he's going
in his career.

2510
01:58:02,492 --> 01:58:04,994
I think he didn't want
his demons

2511
01:58:04,994 --> 01:58:06,496
and his issues out there.

2512
01:58:06,537 --> 01:58:08,039
So that kind of
pissed him off.

2513
01:58:08,956 --> 01:58:10,833
Billy: Elton had made
a comment

2514
01:58:10,833 --> 01:58:14,212
that he thought
I needed real rehab.

2515
01:58:14,253 --> 01:58:16,547
He chalked it up to,
"Oh, he's a drunk."

2516
01:58:16,589 --> 01:58:18,841
And that really hurt me.
I said, wait a minute.

2517
01:58:18,841 --> 01:58:20,510
Don't you know me
better than that?

2518
01:58:21,010 --> 01:58:23,346
And there was bad blood
for a little while.

2519
01:58:25,556 --> 01:58:28,518
There was a dovetailing
of things

2520
01:58:28,559 --> 01:58:30,144
that happened
during that time.

2521
01:58:31,562 --> 01:58:33,314
I felt like I was clobbered.

2522
01:58:35,650 --> 01:58:38,569
(somber music playing)

2523
01:58:41,155 --> 01:58:44,450
So, yeah.
That was rock bottom.

2524
01:58:48,704 --> 01:58:50,540
I was disillusioned

2525
01:58:50,873 --> 01:58:53,543
with what I thought
it was all supposed to mean.

2526
01:58:54,377 --> 01:58:57,046
It's like all signs
were pointing to me: Enough!

2527
01:58:57,547 --> 01:59:00,258
And I wrote
this letter to the band:

2528
01:59:00,299 --> 01:59:01,551
I don't want
to do this anymore.

2529
01:59:01,592 --> 01:59:02,969
I'm going to,
I'm going to stop.

2530
01:59:04,220 --> 01:59:06,764
(somber music continues)

2531
01:59:18,776 --> 01:59:20,903
Tommy Byrnes:
I think he was trying
to save his own life.

2532
01:59:21,529 --> 01:59:23,573
It's hard to have control
over yourself

2533
01:59:23,573 --> 01:59:24,991
when you work that hard.

2534
01:59:25,867 --> 01:59:28,161
To survive, you need
to leave that behind.

2535
01:59:31,914 --> 01:59:35,126
Steve: He had spoken about
taking time off for years,

2536
01:59:35,168 --> 01:59:37,879
but this was really
a goodbye.

2537
01:59:38,254 --> 01:59:40,798
He became
very uncommunicative.

2538
01:59:40,840 --> 01:59:43,009
I didn't talk to him a lot
during that period of time.

2539
01:59:43,050 --> 01:59:45,720
And I have to say
that I was worried about him,

2540
01:59:46,137 --> 01:59:49,765
because I believed that Billy,
without this outlet,

2541
01:59:50,516 --> 01:59:53,060
that he wouldn't have
anything to live for.

2542
01:59:54,187 --> 01:59:57,148
And I thought that the...

2543
01:59:57,190 --> 01:59:58,691
I honestly thought
that that was...

2544
01:59:58,733 --> 02:00:00,943
that the clock was ticking.

2545
02:00:06,949 --> 02:00:09,952
(birds squawking)

2546
02:00:22,882 --> 02:00:25,801
♪ In the beginning ♪

2547
02:00:27,094 --> 02:00:31,140
♪ There was the cold
and the night... ♪

2548
02:00:31,807 --> 02:00:34,769
Billy: When I was 18,
I got my first boat.

2549
02:00:35,269 --> 02:00:36,979
It was about 18 feet long.

2550
02:00:37,355 --> 02:00:40,858
Rowing it was a heart attack,
and it leaked like a sieve.

2551
02:00:42,109 --> 02:00:43,486
But it was my boat.

2552
02:00:44,612 --> 02:00:47,073
Being on the water,
it means a lot of things.

2553
02:00:47,114 --> 02:00:49,408
Part of it is freedom.

2554
02:00:49,450 --> 02:00:52,995
You've left the land,
and you are on your own.

2555
02:00:53,996 --> 02:00:55,498
You're navigating.

2556
02:00:56,040 --> 02:00:58,584
You're controlling
where you're going.

2557
02:00:58,626 --> 02:01:01,671
♪ Too many kingdoms ♪

2558
02:01:02,797 --> 02:01:05,341
♪ Too many flags... ♪

2559
02:01:05,383 --> 02:01:07,593
So you've gotta
always be in control.

2560
02:01:08,094 --> 02:01:11,430
And there's something
exhilarating about that.

2561
02:01:11,472 --> 02:01:15,518
♪ So many wounds
to be healed ♪

2562
02:01:15,518 --> 02:01:18,396
♪ Time is relentless... ♪

2563
02:01:18,437 --> 02:01:21,190
I am in control.
I am the captain of my ship,

2564
02:01:21,190 --> 02:01:23,442
against all the forces
of nature.

2565
02:01:23,859 --> 02:01:25,695
And it's a,
it's a strong feeling.

2566
02:01:25,695 --> 02:01:26,779
It's very powerful.

2567
02:01:26,821 --> 02:01:29,198
♪ It's been a long time ♪

2568
02:01:29,240 --> 02:01:33,536
♪ And now I'm with you ♪

2569
02:01:33,536 --> 02:01:37,039
♪ After
two thousand years... ♪

2570
02:01:37,039 --> 02:01:39,834
It's similar to music.
It's healing.

2571
02:01:42,128 --> 02:01:44,380
I've made a lot
of mistakes in my life.

2572
02:01:45,381 --> 02:01:47,883
But I've grown from them.
I've learned from them.

2573
02:01:49,260 --> 02:01:51,721
And even after everything
I've gone through...

2574
02:01:51,762 --> 02:01:53,973
-(Billy speaking indistinctly)
-Okay, so when you get home--

2575
02:01:54,015 --> 02:01:55,141
Billy:
...I still believe in love.

2576
02:01:55,182 --> 02:01:56,517
I still believe
in relationships.

2577
02:01:57,226 --> 02:02:00,438
And it's always a big factor
in my life.

2578
02:02:00,479 --> 02:02:02,606
I probably am a romantic
at heart.

2579
02:02:06,402 --> 02:02:07,737
Billy:
When you meet someone

2580
02:02:07,778 --> 02:02:09,822
who captures
your imagination,

2581
02:02:09,864 --> 02:02:12,408
it renews, it revitalizes.

2582
02:02:13,451 --> 02:02:16,454
(gentle piano music playing)

2583
02:02:19,540 --> 02:02:21,959
I remember
the first time I met Alexis,

2584
02:02:22,001 --> 02:02:23,502
we went to my house,
and I wanted

2585
02:02:23,544 --> 02:02:25,004
to play the piano for her.

2586
02:02:25,713 --> 02:02:28,424
It's a form
of communication for me.

2587
02:02:28,424 --> 02:02:30,259
There's a scene
in a movie called

2588
02:02:30,301 --> 02:02:33,429
"The Seven Year Itch"
with Tom Ewell,

2589
02:02:33,471 --> 02:02:36,015
and he wants to impress
Marilyn Monroe.

2590
02:02:36,515 --> 02:02:38,684
So he plays Rachmaninoff.

2591
02:02:38,726 --> 02:02:41,187
You came. I'm so glad.

2592
02:02:49,362 --> 02:02:51,113
And he's got the ascot on

2593
02:02:51,113 --> 02:02:52,656
and he's puffing
on a cigarette.

2594
02:02:52,698 --> 02:02:55,618
Don't stop.
Don't ever stop.

2595
02:02:55,618 --> 02:02:57,161
Billy: So I'm playing that,
and she's completely

2596
02:02:57,203 --> 02:02:58,621
unimpressed with it.
Totally.

2597
02:02:58,662 --> 02:03:01,165
She couldn't care less
what I'm playing

2598
02:03:01,207 --> 02:03:04,627
and I'm thinking,
oh, okay, this isn't working.

2599
02:03:04,627 --> 02:03:07,380
She was very unimpressed with
the whole Billy Joel thing,

2600
02:03:07,421 --> 02:03:10,633
which impressed me
because I thought, okay.

2601
02:03:11,300 --> 02:03:13,636
Maybe she's just here
because she likes me,

2602
02:03:13,677 --> 02:03:15,096
not the Billy Joel guy.

2603
02:03:17,932 --> 02:03:19,308
Alexis:
We stayed in touch

2604
02:03:19,308 --> 02:03:21,852
after I met him originally.

2605
02:03:21,894 --> 02:03:24,814
We would speak on the phone,
we would exchange emails,

2606
02:03:24,855 --> 02:03:27,525
and we got to know
each other really well.

2607
02:03:27,566 --> 02:03:30,486
And I felt
really comfortable with him.

2608
02:03:30,528 --> 02:03:31,821
Billy: I don't know
if I was open

2609
02:03:31,862 --> 02:03:34,156
to starting
a new relationship.

2610
02:03:34,156 --> 02:03:35,908
I thought that wasn't going
to be possible.

2611
02:03:36,450 --> 02:03:38,369
How am I going to be able
to do that again?

2612
02:03:38,411 --> 02:03:40,162
I can't go
through that again.

2613
02:03:40,162 --> 02:03:41,997
But all of a sudden,
something happened.

2614
02:03:41,997 --> 02:03:44,583
Something popped.
And I was open to it.

2615
02:03:48,045 --> 02:03:49,839
When Alexis and I
got together,

2616
02:03:49,880 --> 02:03:51,173
she was still working.

2617
02:03:51,215 --> 02:03:53,342
She was in charge
of a whole section

2618
02:03:53,342 --> 02:03:54,760
of a financial company,

2619
02:03:54,802 --> 02:03:56,429
and she was successful at it.

2620
02:03:56,762 --> 02:04:00,015
And I wasn't really thinking
about working anymore,

2621
02:04:00,057 --> 02:04:02,017
so I was home a lot.

2622
02:04:02,017 --> 02:04:03,352
And when she got home,

2623
02:04:03,352 --> 02:04:05,604
there I was cooking
and serving dinner.

2624
02:04:05,646 --> 02:04:08,858
Alexis: He makes
a mean salmon teriyaki.

2625
02:04:08,899 --> 02:04:10,526
He would have it marinating
all day for me,

2626
02:04:10,526 --> 02:04:12,069
and have it ready
with my vegetables,

2627
02:04:12,111 --> 02:04:13,529
and I would come home

2628
02:04:13,571 --> 02:04:15,698
to my salmon, my vegetables,
and glass of wine.

2629
02:04:15,698 --> 02:04:16,866
So it was wonderful.

2630
02:04:18,075 --> 02:04:21,078
(gentle piano music playing)

2631
02:04:23,747 --> 02:04:26,500
(birds squawking)

2632
02:04:27,376 --> 02:04:28,461
Billy:
I hadn't really thought

2633
02:04:28,502 --> 02:04:29,628
about having children again.

2634
02:04:30,004 --> 02:04:31,672
I thought I was too old.

2635
02:04:34,592 --> 02:04:36,302
Look at you, big girl.

2636
02:04:36,343 --> 02:04:38,596
Billy: But having
these little kids

2637
02:04:38,637 --> 02:04:41,599
at this time
in my life is such a joy.

2638
02:04:41,640 --> 02:04:43,350
I have time to be with them.

2639
02:04:43,934 --> 02:04:46,145
I don't have to be recording.
I don't have to be writing.

2640
02:04:46,187 --> 02:04:48,397
I can just hang out
with my children.

2641
02:04:48,439 --> 02:04:50,149
Alexis: Can you say,
"I love you, Daddy"?

2642
02:04:50,191 --> 02:04:53,235
Love you, Daddy!

2643
02:04:54,278 --> 02:04:55,946
Alexis:
Bill's number one saying is,

2644
02:04:55,988 --> 02:04:57,239
"I'm going to be
the best dad I can be,

2645
02:04:57,239 --> 02:04:58,616
because I didn't have a dad."

2646
02:04:59,033 --> 02:05:03,996
And after years of learning
and personal growth,

2647
02:05:04,038 --> 02:05:07,124
my kids have the most
amazing version of him.

2648
02:05:07,541 --> 02:05:09,418
They're really lucky.

2649
02:05:09,418 --> 02:05:11,086
Billy: And I wanted
to make sure

2650
02:05:11,128 --> 02:05:13,506
that they got everything
they needed from me.

2651
02:05:13,923 --> 02:05:16,634
So I kind of knuckled down

2652
02:05:16,675 --> 02:05:19,220
and took fatherhood
very, very seriously.

2653
02:05:19,762 --> 02:05:22,389
I felt like, oh,
these are things I missed.

2654
02:05:23,349 --> 02:05:25,059
I want to make sure
they don't miss it.

2655
02:05:25,726 --> 02:05:28,729
(gentle piano music playing)

2656
02:05:30,064 --> 02:05:32,024
I didn't know if they were
going to be musical or not,

2657
02:05:32,066 --> 02:05:34,902
but there must be something
to the genetic aspect of it.

2658
02:05:36,403 --> 02:05:39,281
My parents had this
incredible musical ability.

2659
02:05:39,281 --> 02:05:42,201
(all singing indistinctly)

2660
02:05:43,786 --> 02:05:45,663
Billy:
And my brother has it.

2661
02:05:52,461 --> 02:05:54,672
Billy: My eldest daughter
Alexa has it.

2662
02:05:54,713 --> 02:05:57,299
♪ Just in a New York ♪

2663
02:05:57,341 --> 02:06:02,054
♪ State of mind ♪

2664
02:06:02,096 --> 02:06:04,515
♪ Yeah ♪

2665
02:06:04,557 --> 02:06:06,308
Billy: Della has it.

2666
02:06:06,308 --> 02:06:08,644
♪ Keep it to yourself
it's my life ♪

2667
02:06:09,144 --> 02:06:11,647
Billy: She can pick out
melodies on a piano

2668
02:06:11,689 --> 02:06:13,857
without even knowing
how to play the piano.

2669
02:06:15,526 --> 02:06:18,487
And I see it in my youngest,
in Remy.

2670
02:06:18,487 --> 02:06:21,115
She's picking out melodies.
She's singing.

2671
02:06:22,074 --> 02:06:23,659
It's part of the DNA.

2672
02:06:24,618 --> 02:06:25,744
It's history.

2673
02:06:27,580 --> 02:06:28,747
And it goes on.

2674
02:06:31,208 --> 02:06:32,501
Alexis:
In the beginning,

2675
02:06:32,501 --> 02:06:34,003
we had
a couple years together

2676
02:06:34,044 --> 02:06:35,337
before we had kids,

2677
02:06:35,379 --> 02:06:38,257
and he had completely
stopped doing shows.

2678
02:06:38,924 --> 02:06:40,968
We traveled everywhere.

2679
02:06:41,302 --> 02:06:43,345
We did a motorcycle trip
from Maine

2680
02:06:43,387 --> 02:06:44,888
back down to Long Island.

2681
02:06:44,930 --> 02:06:46,849
We were on boats 24/7.

2682
02:06:46,890 --> 02:06:48,892
We were in Europe.
We had so much fun.

2683
02:06:49,810 --> 02:06:51,604
Billy: I was
pretty much retiring.

2684
02:06:51,937 --> 02:06:54,064
I just... I didn't want
to do it anymore.

2685
02:06:54,106 --> 02:06:56,692
I thought that part
of my life was over.

2686
02:06:57,109 --> 02:07:00,029
Alexis: I think that
he was enjoying

2687
02:07:00,029 --> 02:07:02,615
not going on the road
and not working.

2688
02:07:03,115 --> 02:07:05,075
But then everything changed.

2689
02:07:06,201 --> 02:07:09,913
Sixty-six million Americans
are bracing for impact.

2690
02:07:09,955 --> 02:07:11,540
Matt Gutman:
The weather is intensifying,

2691
02:07:11,582 --> 02:07:13,042
and it's just going
to get worse.

2692
02:07:13,083 --> 02:07:14,627
citizen: Oh, my God.

2693
02:07:14,668 --> 02:07:16,337
(debris clatters)

2694
02:07:17,421 --> 02:07:18,964
Scott Pelley:
Sandy may go down

2695
02:07:19,006 --> 02:07:22,593
as one of the
costliest storms in history.

2696
02:07:22,635 --> 02:07:24,428
Billy: Sandy destroyed
a good amount

2697
02:07:24,470 --> 02:07:26,221
of the south shore
of Long Island.

2698
02:07:26,805 --> 02:07:28,891
I was here
during the storm,

2699
02:07:28,891 --> 02:07:32,269
and I saw boats
being torn off moorings,

2700
02:07:32,311 --> 02:07:33,604
crashing onto the shore.

2701
02:07:33,646 --> 02:07:35,314
Houses being flooded.

2702
02:07:35,356 --> 02:07:36,565
It was scary.

2703
02:07:37,775 --> 02:07:41,070
I'm a Long Islander.
And these are my roots.

2704
02:07:41,737 --> 02:07:42,988
This is my home.

2705
02:07:43,739 --> 02:07:46,033
And it was hurtful
to see the damage

2706
02:07:46,450 --> 02:07:48,619
and how those lives
were wrecked.

2707
02:07:50,829 --> 02:07:52,289
They were putting together
a benefit concert

2708
02:07:52,331 --> 02:07:55,000
for the recovery effort,
and they called me.

2709
02:07:57,711 --> 02:07:59,088
I said yes, even though

2710
02:07:59,088 --> 02:08:01,006
I wasn't really performing
at the time.

2711
02:08:01,048 --> 02:08:03,258
How do you want the vocal?

2712
02:08:03,300 --> 02:08:04,968
This was something
I could do.

2713
02:08:05,886 --> 02:08:07,137
I couldn't be
a first responder,

2714
02:08:07,179 --> 02:08:08,931
I could be
a second responder.

2715
02:08:08,931 --> 02:08:12,184
announcer: Live from Madison
Square Garden, 12/12/12:

2716
02:08:12,226 --> 02:08:13,852
The Concert for Sandy Relief.

2717
02:08:14,395 --> 02:08:16,939
That was quite the hallway.
Everybody was there, right?

2718
02:08:16,939 --> 02:08:21,902
I mean, McCartney, Daltrey
and Townshend, Keith Richards.

2719
02:08:23,195 --> 02:08:24,738
David Rosenthal:
When we did 12/12/12,

2720
02:08:24,822 --> 02:08:26,990
Billy hadn't done any shows
in several years

2721
02:08:27,032 --> 02:08:29,326
and, at the time,
hadn't seemed interested

2722
02:08:29,368 --> 02:08:30,452
in really doing any.

2723
02:08:30,953 --> 02:08:33,205
Billy: We got
the spirit here tonight.

2724
02:08:33,247 --> 02:08:34,331
We're going to be okay.

2725
02:08:34,373 --> 02:08:35,833
We're going to get
through all this.

2726
02:08:35,874 --> 02:08:37,209
We're going to be alright.

2727
02:08:37,251 --> 02:08:40,170
Steve: He came out
on stage very nervous.

2728
02:08:40,879 --> 02:08:43,006
We hadn't played
in a very long time.

2729
02:08:43,048 --> 02:08:44,800
And he was going
to do four songs.

2730
02:08:46,260 --> 02:08:49,805
♪ Anthony works
in the grocery store ♪

2731
02:08:49,805 --> 02:08:52,057
♪ Savin' his pennies
for someday... ♪

2732
02:08:52,099 --> 02:08:53,892
Steve: But his voice
was pure,

2733
02:08:53,934 --> 02:08:55,310
the band was great.

2734
02:08:55,352 --> 02:08:56,687
♪ ...note on the door ♪

2735
02:08:56,729 --> 02:08:59,982
♪ Said, "Sonny, move out
to the country" ♪

2736
02:09:00,023 --> 02:09:02,818
♪ Ah, but workin' too hard
can give you a heart attack ♪

2737
02:09:03,068 --> 02:09:04,319
♪ Ack, ack, ack, ack, ack ♪

2738
02:09:04,361 --> 02:09:06,572
♪ You oughta know by now ♪

2739
02:09:07,072 --> 02:09:09,992
He just came in, and his voice
sounded like a million bucks.

2740
02:09:09,992 --> 02:09:11,702
He had all of this energy

2741
02:09:11,744 --> 02:09:13,912
that I think he wasn't
even sure that he had.

2742
02:09:14,455 --> 02:09:17,750
♪ And it seems
such a waste of time ♪

2743
02:09:18,584 --> 02:09:21,378
♪ If that's what
it's all about ♪

2744
02:09:21,420 --> 02:09:24,173
♪ Mama, if that's movin' up ♪

2745
02:09:24,173 --> 02:09:28,927
♪ Then I'm movin' out ♪

2746
02:09:28,969 --> 02:09:30,512
Steve: We knew
at that moment

2747
02:09:30,512 --> 02:09:33,056
that guy had everything back.

2748
02:09:33,098 --> 02:09:35,100
Like, nothing had left.

2749
02:09:35,142 --> 02:09:38,520
♪ Sergeant O'Leary
is walkin' the beat ♪

2750
02:09:38,520 --> 02:09:41,106
♪ At night he becomes
a bartender ♪

2751
02:09:41,148 --> 02:09:43,066
Nick: Billy gets
up there and blows it away.

2752
02:09:43,108 --> 02:09:44,777
Billy:
♪ ...down on Sullivan... ♪

2753
02:09:44,818 --> 02:09:46,028
Nick:
And I'm watching television

2754
02:09:46,069 --> 02:09:46,987
saying, oh, my God.

2755
02:09:47,154 --> 02:09:49,239
These songs are not just
dead songs

2756
02:09:49,281 --> 02:09:50,449
that are in amber.

2757
02:09:50,491 --> 02:09:51,700
These songs are alive.

2758
02:09:51,700 --> 02:09:52,826
They still come across.

2759
02:09:53,160 --> 02:09:55,913
♪ You oughta know by now ♪

2760
02:09:55,954 --> 02:09:59,833
♪ You can pay Uncle Sam
with the overtime ♪

2761
02:10:00,209 --> 02:10:03,003
♪ Is that all you get
with your money? ♪

2762
02:10:03,420 --> 02:10:07,800
♪ And if that's what
you have in mind, yeah ♪

2763
02:10:07,841 --> 02:10:10,803
♪ If that's what
you're all about ♪

2764
02:10:10,844 --> 02:10:13,388
♪ Good luck movin' up ♪

2765
02:10:13,430 --> 02:10:17,601
♪ 'Cause I'm moving out ♪

2766
02:10:27,444 --> 02:10:29,738
(audience cheering,
applauding)

2767
02:10:29,738 --> 02:10:31,907
Steven: During the 12/12/12
concert, you know,

2768
02:10:31,949 --> 02:10:34,576
which I watched while looking
at my social media feed.

2769
02:10:34,618 --> 02:10:36,328
And they were just having
a ball

2770
02:10:36,370 --> 02:10:39,289
ripping on all these, like,
classic rockers on stage.

2771
02:10:39,331 --> 02:10:41,083
You know,
these guys look old.

2772
02:10:41,124 --> 02:10:44,002
They're over the hill.
We're sick of all these songs.

2773
02:10:44,336 --> 02:10:45,921
The one person they liked...

2774
02:10:45,921 --> 02:10:47,256
(tweets chiming)

2775
02:10:47,256 --> 02:10:48,382
Steven: ...Billy Joel.

2776
02:10:51,552 --> 02:10:53,971
You look at a lot of artists
from his generation,

2777
02:10:54,012 --> 02:10:56,181
they're trying to look like
they did in the 70s.

2778
02:10:56,223 --> 02:10:59,268
The songs that they wrote
work better

2779
02:10:59,309 --> 02:11:02,020
if you imagine
a younger person singing them,

2780
02:11:02,062 --> 02:11:03,772
and I don't think
that's true of Billy Joel.

2781
02:11:03,772 --> 02:11:06,692
♪ Some folks like
to get away ♪

2782
02:11:06,733 --> 02:11:11,488
♪ Take a holiday
from the neighborhood ♪

2783
02:11:11,530 --> 02:11:12,948
Steven: I actually think
that there's a lot of songs

2784
02:11:12,990 --> 02:11:14,992
in his catalog
that make more sense

2785
02:11:15,033 --> 02:11:16,785
for him to sing
as an older man.

2786
02:11:16,827 --> 02:11:18,704
They have a certain gravitas
to them

2787
02:11:18,745 --> 02:11:20,789
that his age enhances.

2788
02:11:20,789 --> 02:11:23,959
♪ But I'm taking
a Greyhound ♪

2789
02:11:24,001 --> 02:11:27,212
♪ On the Hudson River line ♪

2790
02:11:30,424 --> 02:11:33,635
♪ I'm in a New York
state of mind ♪

2791
02:11:33,635 --> 02:11:35,053
Nick: For years,
there were critics

2792
02:11:35,095 --> 02:11:36,221
that didn't like him.

2793
02:11:36,263 --> 02:11:37,472
Then there were people
that liked him

2794
02:11:37,514 --> 02:11:39,349
only ironically,
you know, as like,

2795
02:11:39,391 --> 02:11:41,059
"Hey, Billy Joel,
Long Island."

2796
02:11:41,101 --> 02:11:42,978
Suddenly, it seemed like
there was an explosion

2797
02:11:42,978 --> 02:11:44,688
of unironic appreciation.

2798
02:11:44,730 --> 02:11:47,316
The songs themselves were
standing the test of time.

2799
02:11:47,316 --> 02:11:48,984
He, as the guy
who had written the songs,

2800
02:11:49,026 --> 02:11:51,153
was now getting
not even grudging respect,

2801
02:11:51,153 --> 02:11:52,237
like actual respect.

2802
02:11:52,279 --> 02:11:53,488
People were talking about him

2803
02:11:53,488 --> 02:11:55,073
as an American treasure

2804
02:11:55,115 --> 02:11:57,659
as opposed to a celebrity
that was a punchline.

2805
02:11:57,701 --> 02:11:59,870
That was when his sort
of renaissance began

2806
02:11:59,912 --> 02:12:02,581
in the world
of popular music.

2807
02:12:02,623 --> 02:12:06,084
♪ And I don't want
to waste more time ♪

2808
02:12:09,338 --> 02:12:13,508
♪ Just in a New York
state of mind ♪

2809
02:12:13,550 --> 02:12:15,719
(audience cheering,
applauding)

2810
02:12:19,097 --> 02:12:21,850
(smooth jazz music playing)

2811
02:12:21,892 --> 02:12:23,810
(audience cheering,
applauding)

2812
02:12:30,484 --> 02:12:32,569
Billy: When I look back
to that time,

2813
02:12:32,611 --> 02:12:33,862
I was very humbled.

2814
02:12:34,696 --> 02:12:36,740
And I think
it made me realize

2815
02:12:36,782 --> 02:12:38,617
there's still some gas
in the tank.

2816
02:12:39,576 --> 02:12:41,954
Maybe I shouldn't
throw this away.

2817
02:12:41,995 --> 02:12:45,374
(audience cheering)

2818
02:12:46,959 --> 02:12:48,669
Billy: Good evening,
New York City!

2819
02:12:49,962 --> 02:12:52,798
First night of our Madison
Square Garden run here.

2820
02:12:52,839 --> 02:12:54,466
(audience cheering)

2821
02:12:54,508 --> 02:12:57,177
I have no idea
how long this is going to go.

2822
02:12:59,638 --> 02:13:00,973
Billy: My booking agent,
Dennis,

2823
02:13:01,014 --> 02:13:02,557
came to me with the concept:

2824
02:13:02,599 --> 02:13:04,393
what about doing a residency

2825
02:13:04,393 --> 02:13:06,561
at Madison Square Garden?

2826
02:13:07,312 --> 02:13:10,983
♪ Seen the lights go out
on Broadway ♪

2827
02:13:13,819 --> 02:13:17,447
♪ I saw the Empire State
laid low ♪

2828
02:13:17,489 --> 02:13:18,907
Billy: I said okay,

2829
02:13:18,949 --> 02:13:21,618
ma-maybe that'll last six gigs
or something like that.

2830
02:13:21,660 --> 02:13:23,912
I thought it was
just going to go ehh, womp,

2831
02:13:23,954 --> 02:13:25,831
and then we'd run
out of ticket buyers.

2832
02:13:26,873 --> 02:13:30,752
♪ To watch
the island bridges blow ♪

2833
02:13:31,336 --> 02:13:33,588
But the demand
for tickets never dropped off.

2834
02:13:33,630 --> 02:13:36,508
♪ They turned
our power down ♪

2835
02:13:37,592 --> 02:13:39,261
♪ They drove us
underground... ♪

2836
02:13:39,302 --> 02:13:40,595
It got bigger
and bigger and bigger.

2837
02:13:40,595 --> 02:13:47,019
♪ But we went right on
with the show ♪

2838
02:13:49,271 --> 02:13:52,774
The first time I played
the Garden was 1978.

2839
02:13:52,816 --> 02:13:54,776
And now,
almost 40 years later,

2840
02:13:54,776 --> 02:13:56,695
it felt like
I had come full circle.

2841
02:13:57,279 --> 02:14:00,615
♪ I've seen the lights go out
on Broadway ♪

2842
02:14:01,116 --> 02:14:02,617
And I'm playing
with these guys

2843
02:14:02,617 --> 02:14:04,786
who I've been with
for years and years.

2844
02:14:05,328 --> 02:14:07,914
They really are
my extended family.

2845
02:14:08,749 --> 02:14:09,958
And we were like
the house band

2846
02:14:10,000 --> 02:14:11,793
at Madison Square Garden.

2847
02:14:12,294 --> 02:14:13,962
Maybe the best-known venue
in the world

2848
02:14:14,004 --> 02:14:15,213
for rock and roll.

2849
02:14:15,589 --> 02:14:16,965
This is a dream come true.

2850
02:14:18,050 --> 02:14:20,469
♪ ...on 42nd Street ♪

2851
02:14:22,846 --> 02:14:24,890
New generations of people

2852
02:14:24,931 --> 02:14:26,975
were the ones filling out
the audience.

2853
02:14:26,975 --> 02:14:28,518
I was seeing that
every night.

2854
02:14:28,560 --> 02:14:30,437
And they were making
a lot of noise.

2855
02:14:31,354 --> 02:14:33,231
Don: They love
to sing his songs.

2856
02:14:33,273 --> 02:14:34,316
And that's what
it's all about,

2857
02:14:34,357 --> 02:14:35,484
is that collective experience

2858
02:14:35,484 --> 02:14:36,485
of people coming together.

2859
02:14:42,115 --> 02:14:46,161
Garth Brooks: Billy Joel
is unmistakably New York.

2860
02:14:46,912 --> 02:14:50,165
♪ I've seen the lights go out
on Broadway... ♪

2861
02:14:50,207 --> 02:14:53,251
So how come
if this guy is unmistakably

2862
02:14:53,293 --> 02:14:55,504
from one pinpoint
on the planet,

2863
02:14:55,545 --> 02:14:58,381
why do we feel that
he belongs to all of us?

2864
02:14:59,299 --> 02:15:01,343
Nas: He was born
to do this.

2865
02:15:01,384 --> 02:15:02,677
He's so good,
I don't even know

2866
02:15:02,719 --> 02:15:04,221
if he knows how good he is.

2867
02:15:05,013 --> 02:15:07,390
And as big as he is,

2868
02:15:07,432 --> 02:15:11,186
he comes off as an everyday,
around-the-way guy.

2869
02:15:11,895 --> 02:15:14,523
He's like us. He sings
from that point of view.

2870
02:15:14,564 --> 02:15:16,191
You feel that truth.

2871
02:15:16,191 --> 02:15:18,568
You feel that honesty.
Powerful.

2872
02:15:18,610 --> 02:15:20,195
Long Island
loves Billy Joel.

2873
02:15:20,195 --> 02:15:23,698
This is my 123rd
Billy Joel show.

2874
02:15:23,740 --> 02:15:26,451
His music has become
a part of our everyday lives.

2875
02:15:26,493 --> 02:15:28,078
I want to see Billy Joel

2876
02:15:28,120 --> 02:15:30,038
every month
at Madison Square Garden.

2877
02:15:30,080 --> 02:15:31,414
fan: They say
he's the soundtrack

2878
02:15:31,456 --> 02:15:32,624
of our lives,
and it's true.

2879
02:15:32,666 --> 02:15:36,211
I saw him play
at Yankee Stadium in 1990,

2880
02:15:36,211 --> 02:15:37,879
and it blew my lights off.

2881
02:15:37,879 --> 02:15:39,381
His music just rocks.

2882
02:15:39,381 --> 02:15:43,218
♪ There are not many
who remember ♪

2883
02:15:43,260 --> 02:15:45,929
Jerry Seinfeld: Tonight,
we're going to commemorate

2884
02:15:45,971 --> 02:15:49,266
the 100th consecutive sellout

2885
02:15:49,307 --> 02:15:52,727
of the Madison Square
Garden residency.

2886
02:15:53,270 --> 02:15:56,148
♪ ...to tell
the world about ♪

2887
02:15:56,898 --> 02:16:00,235
♪ The way
the lights went out ♪

2888
02:16:00,777 --> 02:16:02,737
♪ And keep the memory ♪

2889
02:16:03,405 --> 02:16:09,286
♪ Alive ♪

2890
02:16:09,327 --> 02:16:11,037
Billy: It lasted
for 10 years.

2891
02:16:14,332 --> 02:16:15,458
It gave me
a whole new appreciation

2892
02:16:15,500 --> 02:16:18,170
of what I did
and the power of music.

2893
02:16:28,805 --> 02:16:32,809
(audience cheering)

2894
02:16:52,370 --> 02:16:53,872
Check how much film
I got left.

2895
02:16:53,914 --> 02:16:56,082
Sorry, fellas.
Hold on one second.

2896
02:16:58,543 --> 02:16:59,753
director: Take two.

2897
02:17:06,551 --> 02:17:09,971
(playing "Piano Man")

2898
02:17:20,148 --> 02:17:23,568
♪ It's nine o'clock
on a Saturday ♪

2899
02:17:25,070 --> 02:17:27,489
♪ The regular crowd
shuffles in ♪

2900
02:17:28,365 --> 02:17:32,035
♪ There's an old man
sitting next to me ♪

2901
02:17:32,452 --> 02:17:36,122
♪ Making love
to his tonic and gin ♪

2902
02:17:44,506 --> 02:17:48,510
♪ He says, "Son, can you
play me a memory? ♪

2903
02:17:48,843 --> 02:17:52,013
♪ "I'm not really sure
how it goes ♪

2904
02:17:52,514 --> 02:17:54,432
♪ "But it's sad
and it's sweet ♪

2905
02:17:54,474 --> 02:17:56,726
♪ "And I knew it complete ♪

2906
02:17:56,768 --> 02:18:00,522
♪ When I wore
a younger man's clothes" ♪

2907
02:18:00,522 --> 02:18:04,567
♪ Oh, la da da didi da ♪

2908
02:18:05,902 --> 02:18:11,866
♪ La da didi da da dum ♪

2909
02:18:12,867 --> 02:18:14,202
I don't know
what I would've been

2910
02:18:14,202 --> 02:18:15,537
had I not been a musician.

2911
02:18:16,246 --> 02:18:18,540
I don't know where I
would've been in this life

2912
02:18:18,873 --> 02:18:21,209
had it not been
for the piano.

2913
02:18:21,209 --> 02:18:22,919
♪ And he's quick
with a joke ♪

2914
02:18:22,961 --> 02:18:25,213
♪ Or to light up
your smoke ♪

2915
02:18:25,213 --> 02:18:29,134
♪ But there's someplace
that he'd rather be ♪

2916
02:18:29,175 --> 02:18:33,054
♪ He says, "Bill, I believe
this is killing me" ♪

2917
02:18:33,096 --> 02:18:35,807
♪ As the smile ran away
from his face... ♪

2918
02:18:35,849 --> 02:18:38,893
Steven: We're now 50 years
into Billy Joel's music

2919
02:18:38,893 --> 02:18:41,062
being a huge part
of American culture.

2920
02:18:43,231 --> 02:18:46,151
Why are these songs
still speaking to people?

2921
02:18:46,735 --> 02:18:48,737
Don't take any shit
from anybody.

2922
02:18:48,778 --> 02:18:51,156
He is this guy
who by any measure

2923
02:18:51,197 --> 02:18:53,742
has achieved
all of the dreams

2924
02:18:53,742 --> 02:18:55,243
that any singer/songwriter
would want.

2925
02:18:55,285 --> 02:18:56,953
A dream of mine.

2926
02:18:57,996 --> 02:19:01,249
And yet, the overriding theme
of his songs

2927
02:19:01,291 --> 02:19:04,419
is sort of this, like,
existential dissatisfaction.

2928
02:19:04,919 --> 02:19:08,673
♪ Well, we're all
in the mood for a melody... ♪

2929
02:19:08,715 --> 02:19:10,633
Steven: There's something
at his core

2930
02:19:10,675 --> 02:19:12,677
that's still searching
for something.

2931
02:19:12,719 --> 02:19:15,680
And that's
the human condition.

2932
02:19:15,722 --> 02:19:16,973
So, to me,

2933
02:19:17,015 --> 02:19:18,600
I think that's why
people connect with him,

2934
02:19:18,641 --> 02:19:20,352
still, after all this time.

2935
02:19:20,393 --> 02:19:23,271
♪ Paul is
the real estate novelist ♪

2936
02:19:24,147 --> 02:19:27,067
♪ Who never had time
for a wife... ♪

2937
02:19:29,069 --> 02:19:31,363
Anthony: You can hear
all of the complexities

2938
02:19:31,404 --> 02:19:34,240
of his life
in those songs.

2939
02:19:34,741 --> 02:19:36,326
You know,
I think the songs are

2940
02:19:36,368 --> 02:19:38,536
the best expression of Billy.

2941
02:19:38,912 --> 02:19:40,705
And in Billy's case,
I think

2942
02:19:40,747 --> 02:19:42,707
that's where
he wanted things to end up.

2943
02:19:45,752 --> 02:19:49,964
♪ And the piano, it sounds
like a carnival... ♪

2944
02:19:50,298 --> 02:19:53,009
Alexa: The main thing that
he would always say to me is,

2945
02:19:53,051 --> 02:19:54,344
"If you do what you love

2946
02:19:54,386 --> 02:19:55,345
then you'll love
what you do."

2947
02:19:56,221 --> 02:19:58,515
And that that's really
the secret to life.

2948
02:19:58,932 --> 02:20:01,393
And I think for him,
through all the sadness

2949
02:20:01,434 --> 02:20:04,187
and all the struggles
that he went through,

2950
02:20:04,229 --> 02:20:06,356
he was still doing
what he loved.

2951
02:20:06,398 --> 02:20:08,233
Are you not entertained?

2952
02:20:08,942 --> 02:20:10,985
And that's really
what kept him going

2953
02:20:10,985 --> 02:20:12,654
and kept the music coming.

2954
02:20:14,948 --> 02:20:18,493
♪ Sing us a song
you're the piano man... ♪

2955
02:20:18,535 --> 02:20:19,994
Billy: I think music
saved my life.

2956
02:20:20,036 --> 02:20:22,080
♪ ...song tonight ♪

2957
02:20:22,122 --> 02:20:24,833
♪ Well, we're all
in the mood for a... ♪

2958
02:20:24,833 --> 02:20:26,668
It gave me
a reason to live.

2959
02:20:27,043 --> 02:20:30,130
♪ And you've got us
feelin' alright ♪

2960
02:20:38,721 --> 02:20:41,891
(audience cheering,
applauding)

2961
02:20:58,908 --> 02:21:01,703
(playing "And So It Goes")

2962
02:21:04,330 --> 02:21:06,291
My hope was that
my music would continue

2963
02:21:06,332 --> 02:21:07,459
to resonate.

2964
02:21:11,045 --> 02:21:12,297
And I'm glad it has.

2965
02:21:14,007 --> 02:21:16,134
There'll be a part of me
that goes on.

2966
02:21:16,176 --> 02:21:18,052
(birds squawking in distance)

2967
02:21:18,094 --> 02:21:19,387
You created something.

2968
02:21:19,929 --> 02:21:21,931
You made a mark on your time.

2969
02:21:23,766 --> 02:21:25,685
I don't know why
that's so important to me.

2970
02:21:27,020 --> 02:21:28,396
It just is.

2971
02:21:32,901 --> 02:21:34,736
But I'm not finished.

2972
02:21:35,236 --> 02:21:37,071
I'm as lost
as everybody else.

2973
02:21:38,114 --> 02:21:40,241
I'm still looking.
I'm still searching.

2974
02:21:42,619 --> 02:21:44,579
I may not ever
figure it all out,

2975
02:21:45,371 --> 02:21:46,456
but I'm trying.

2976
02:21:51,920 --> 02:21:54,923
("Vienna playing)

2977
02:22:07,644 --> 02:22:11,022
♪ Slow down
you crazy child ♪

2978
02:22:11,064 --> 02:22:14,359
♪ You're so ambitious
for a juvenile ♪

2979
02:22:14,400 --> 02:22:16,361
♪ But then
if you're so smart ♪

2980
02:22:16,402 --> 02:22:20,114
♪ Tell me why are you
still so afraid? ♪

2981
02:22:20,156 --> 02:22:21,741
♪ Mm ♪

2982
02:22:23,117 --> 02:22:25,787
♪ Where's the fire
what's the hurry about? ♪

2983
02:22:25,787 --> 02:22:29,541
♪ You'd better cool it off
before you burn it out ♪

2984
02:22:29,582 --> 02:22:31,459
♪ You've got so much to do ♪

2985
02:22:31,501 --> 02:22:35,171
♪ And only so many hours
in a day ♪

2986
02:22:35,213 --> 02:22:38,049
♪ Hey ♪

2987
02:22:38,091 --> 02:22:40,969
♪ But you know that
when the truth is told ♪

2988
02:22:41,010 --> 02:22:42,804
♪ That you can get
what you want ♪

2989
02:22:42,845 --> 02:22:44,681
♪ Or you can just get old ♪

2990
02:22:44,722 --> 02:22:46,641
♪ You're gonna kick off ♪

2991
02:22:46,641 --> 02:22:50,645
♪ Before you even get
halfway through ♪

2992
02:22:50,645 --> 02:22:54,440
♪ Ooh, when will
you realize ♪

2993
02:22:55,275 --> 02:22:58,194
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪

2994
02:23:01,281 --> 02:23:04,075
♪ Slow down
you're doin' fine ♪

2995
02:23:04,117 --> 02:23:06,661
♪ You can't be everything
you wanna be ♪

2996
02:23:06,661 --> 02:23:08,162
♪ Before your time ♪

2997
02:23:08,162 --> 02:23:10,164
♪ Although it's so romantic ♪

2998
02:23:10,164 --> 02:23:13,918
♪ On the borderline tonight ♪

2999
02:23:13,960 --> 02:23:15,461
♪ Tonight ♪

3000
02:23:16,796 --> 02:23:19,507
♪ Too bad
but it's the life you lead ♪

3001
02:23:19,507 --> 02:23:21,384
♪ You're so ahead
of yourself ♪

3002
02:23:21,426 --> 02:23:23,261
♪ That you forgot
what you need ♪

3003
02:23:23,303 --> 02:23:25,179
♪ Though you can see
when you're wrong ♪

3004
02:23:25,221 --> 02:23:28,391
♪ You know you can't always
see when you're right ♪

3005
02:23:29,100 --> 02:23:31,686
♪ You're right ♪

3006
02:23:31,686 --> 02:23:35,106
♪ You've got your passion
you've got your pride ♪

3007
02:23:35,148 --> 02:23:38,651
♪ But don't you know that
only fools are satisfied? ♪

3008
02:23:39,861 --> 02:23:41,529
♪ Dream on
but don't imagine ♪

3009
02:23:41,571 --> 02:23:43,948
♪ They'll all come true ♪

3010
02:23:44,449 --> 02:23:45,992
♪ Ooh ♪

3011
02:23:46,117 --> 02:23:48,828
♪ When will you realize ♪

3012
02:23:49,162 --> 02:23:52,874
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪

3013
02:23:54,959 --> 02:23:58,046
♪ And you know that
when the truth is told ♪

3014
02:23:58,087 --> 02:23:59,881
♪ That you can get
what you want ♪

3015
02:24:00,131 --> 02:24:01,799
♪ Or you could just get old ♪

3016
02:24:02,175 --> 02:24:03,718
♪ You're gonna kick off ♪

3017
02:24:03,718 --> 02:24:07,722
♪ Before you even get
halfway through ♪

3018
02:24:07,764 --> 02:24:09,390
♪ Ooh ♪

3019
02:24:09,390 --> 02:24:11,893
♪ Why don't you realize ♪

3020
02:24:12,393 --> 02:24:15,271
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪

3021
02:24:16,898 --> 02:24:19,442
♪ When will you realize ♪

3022
02:24:20,234 --> 02:24:23,988
♪ Vienna waits for you? ♪