Billy Joel: And So It Goes on Max streaming on 19 July – The HBO Original two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, directed by Emmy® winners Susan Lacy (HBO’s Jane Fonda in Five Acts and Spielberg) and Jessica Levin (producer of HBO’s The Janes and Jane Fonda in Five Acts), debuts Saturday, 19 July, only on HBO Max.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes is an expansive portrait of Billy Joel, the six-time GRAMMY®-winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer from Long Island, New York. With unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with intimate one-on-one interviews, the documentary explores the life and work of the singer/songwriter whose music has not only endured but soared across generations.
The two-part film is crafted around in-depth, exclusive interviews with Joel, illuminating the key moments that forged his character and the events and muses that inspired his music for more than six decades.
Exploring revelatory new territory and enriched by dynamic video and performance clips from Joel’s musical oeuvre, many never before seen, the documentary gives a window into his process and chronicles his monumental successes, while diving into the hidden complexities of his life.
From his childhood on Long Island, shaped by the absence of his father, to his first bands, the women he loved, and the colleagues and collaborators who both supported and betrayed him, Joel’s decades of songwriting mirror his rich, complicated autobiography.
Sharing origin stories about such chart hits as “Just the Way You Are,” an ode to his first love, and “Uptown Girl,” famously about second wife Christie Brinkley, the film points to the close symbiosis between his life and art, revealing the music that transformed his career, sculpted his legacy, and saved his life.
Part One: Joel admits to being a work in progress as he heads towards his eighth decade and looks back on a childhood as the son of working-class parents on Long Island, the loss he felt at the age of eight when his father left the home, and his entry into the business of music.
Acknowledging the mistakes he made along the way, Joel put everything he lived through into his music. As he went from keyboard player in local bands to striking out on his own, he discusses the love affair and first marriage with Elizabeth Weber that became the fuel for his early songwriting hits, such as “Just the Way You Are” and “She’s Always a Woman.” His collaborators and peers thoughtfully illuminate his musical gifts, and Joel delves into the business deal he made that led to the writing of “Piano Man.”
After signing with Columbia Records, Joel’s career took off and years of hits and record-breaking tours followed, as he continued to channel his personal experiences into his music. While he chafed against the critical response to his music, struggled with his relationship to alcohol, and navigated a complicated personal life, a near fatal motorcycle accident impacted his ability to play piano and left his future unclear. How would he rebuild his career and move forward with his life?
Part Two: With his eighth studio album “The Nylon Curtain,” Joel changed his musical focus by reflecting the grit and aspirations of the Everyman with songs such as “Allentown” and “Goodnight Saigon.”
Joel recounts his complicated reunion with his long absent father and discovers the secret story of how his Jewish grandparents survived Nazi Germany which he distilled into his philosophical ballad “Vienna.” Recovering from years on the road, Joel vacations in St. Barths where he meets his future wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley, who would become the mother of his first child and the inspiration behind the hit “Uptown Girl.”
Dedicated to his craft, but uneasy with fame and the spotlight, Joel persevered through romantic and professional setbacks, choosing to reinvent himself time and time again. With the support of wife Alexis Roderick Joel and their children, and through his collaboration with Elton John, a return to his classical roots, and his historic residency at Madison Square Garden, he continues to find a safe space in his music.
The film features interviews with Joel himself, as well as figures who played influential roles in his life and career, including friend and former collaborator Jon Small, ex-wife and former manager Elizabeth Weber, ex-wives Christie Brinkley and Katie Lee, daughter Alexa Ray Joel, wife Alexis Roderick Joel, members of his band, and musical contemporaries, such as Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, Nas, Pink, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, and more.
HBO Documentary Films presents Billy Joel: And So It Goes a Pentimento Production, a Playtone – Hazy Mills Production.
Directed and produced by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin; executive producers, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Todd Milliner, Sean Hayes, and Steve Cohen; producer, Emma Pildes; editors, Kris Liem, James Pilott, and Steven Ross. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.
The HBO Original documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes debuts Saturday 19 July, only on HBO Max.
Media Release – Max
Link to Max HERE
Link to Discovery content HERE
Billy Joel: And So It Goes on Max streaming on 19 July
