Josh Reviews Billy Joel: And So It Goes

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is a two-part documentary, running about five hours in total, exploring Billy Joel’s life and career.  It’s directed and produced by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin.

I loved every minute of it!  Those five hours blew by (I watched about four hours in one sitting.  I’d have finished the whole thing had not various actual real-life responsibilities gotten in the way), and I’d have happily watched several hours more.  This is a credit to how well-made this documentary is, how much I love Billy Joel’s music, and how great a raconteur Mr. Joel is.

I’ve been a fan of Billy Joel’s music for as long as I can remember, but two moments stand out that elevated him in my esteem.  The first was his 1999 appearance on Inside the Actor’s Studio.  Billy Joel is not an actor, so I’m not sure how he qualified to appear on that show, but I’m so glad he did, because the hour and a half interview with him is magnificent and captivating.  (It’s sadly not easily available today, but you can find it on the internet — click here; I’ve done the work for you!)  I was blown away by Billy Joel’s skills as a storyteller — it was cool to explore the depths behind his songs, and it was as much fun, if not more so, to listen to Billy Joel tell various yarns about his life and his songs.  (Many of those stories are also included in this wonderful new documentary.)  The second came soon after, with the release of 2000 years: The Millennium Concert.  That’s an incredible double-album, and it took songs I’d already loved (like Anthony’s Song and Only the Good Die Young and Summer Highland Falls) and shot them into the stratosphere with these rocking live versions.  It’s well-worth a listen if you’ve never heard it.  (And holy cow, some internet searching just turned up this video version of the live show that contains a number of songs not included in the double-album.  I think I know what I’ll be doing for the next three hours…!)

This documentary captures everything I’d hoped it would.  First off, there’s a tremendous amount of time and focus spent, as it should be, on Mr. Joel’s many albums and notable songs.  I loved the time spent exploring Mr. Joel’s deep catalogue.  It was enjoyable to hear many stories I knew well, along with many I’d never heard before.  The documentary also digs deeply into Mr. Joel’s often-complicated personal life.  I liked that personal touch, and I was interested to explore who Billy Joel was as a human being (as opposed to the rock star persona).  The film managed to do that without ever feeling like it was getting too salacious or too soap-opera, or pulling focus away for too long from the music.

Our main guide through this documentary is Billy Joel himself, seated at a piano (and usually chomping on a cigar, which made me laugh).  Mr. Joel is a terrific storyteller (and he seems particularly comfortable seated at a piano!), so it’s a great choice to allow so much of his story to be told through his own words.  He’s still rambunctious and funny, unapologetic when he feels he’s right, but also for the most part generous when speaking of those with whom he’s feuded during his life or career.

I thought it was interesting that the early going in part one spent time giving a voice to Mr. Joel’s friend and early musical collaborator Jon Small.  Mr. Joel separated from Mr. Small soon before he made it big; that was clearly painful for Mr. Small.  But Mr. Small was clearly an important player in Mr. Joel’s early life and career, so I’m glad the film spent time with him.  I was also extremely interested in how Mr. Joel’s first wife, and early manager, Elizabeth Weber, got a huge amount focus — and a lot of credit — in part one.  I knew very little about her story or her involvement in Mr. Joel’s early rise to fame.  I’m glad the film didn’t gloss over her part.

Frankly, it’s fascinating that all three of Mr. Joel’s ex-wives participated in the film, and I thought it notable that they seem to still think well of Mr. Joel, and he of them.  The emotional, frank interview with Christie Brinkley about the end of her marriage with Mr. Joel was extremely compelling.

I was surprised and delighted that Mr. Joel’s Judaism cones up several times in the documentary.  The high point of the documentary for me was a powerfully moving sequence at the start of part two, in which we see footage of Mr. Joel’s wearing a yellow star after the Charlottesville Nazi rally, and then we hear him telling the story of his family’s experiences in the Holocaust.  I had no idea of this aspect of his family’s past, in which his grandparents miraculously escaped Europe but most of the rest of his family was murdered by the Nazis.  In this age of rising Anti-Semitism, it’s especially powerful to hear a big famous rock-and-roll star talk so emotionally about the centrality of his Jewish roots. 

Mr. Joel famously stepped away from writing new rock-and-roll music about a quarter century ago.  I was curious to see if the film would address that, or if, like the recent Paul Simon documentary, it would basically just skip over the past few decades.  (I quite enjoyed In Restless Dreams, despite that flaw.)  I was pleased that the film did not jump over that, though I’m still not entirely sure I understand how someone who was such a genius at writing rock-and-roll songs could basically stop cold turkey.  But this film probably provides the best answer to that question that we’re going to get.

If you’re a fan of Billy Joel’s music, I highly recommend this documentary.  Unlike many documentaries (for which one viewing is enough for me), I have a feeling that this is a film I’m going to enjoy revisiting down the road, just as I keep returning to Mr. Joel’s music…