I have always wanted to know more about Billy Joel because I know nothing about him other than I love his songs. I searched for a book about him and ran into Fred Schruers’ book.
The prologue chapter opens sets the mood by describing the crew and Billy Joel getting ready for his concert. He describes the hockey ice is covered and the stage is set while the instruments are warming up the crew is setting up the last minute chairs and sound gear all while Billy Joel is sitting in his dressing room getting ready to perform.
The first chapter, talks about Joel’s family’s tremendous journey to America. His paternal grandfather, Karl Amson Joel who came from a family in Coburg, in Bavarian Franconia, in Germany. By the time Billy’s father, Helmut, later anglicised to Howard, was born in 1923, Karl started a household linens business called Karl Joel Linen Goods Company. His business was booming even with post-WWI woes of hyperinflation and the communist uprising. With the worldwide financial crisis, Billy says, “everybody started looking to the Nazis for salvation.” In May 1933, Der Sturmer, ran articles accusing Karl of underpaying and sexually harassing his employees. He was arrested three times but was freed each time upon word from Tillmann, who had plans for the family business. Karl finally realized he had to take immediate measure to save his family. It goes into a little more of how they got to America. This chapter set the tone.
It didn’t really go into too much detail of what his childhood was like. Schruers went into quickly went into his high school days. Billy Joel was in a lot of different bands during his 16th -21st birthday. I surprised to find out he didn’t graduate high school, not because he wasn’t smart but because he didn’t have enough credits. His band had an important gig so he decided that was more important.
The book takes you on his journey of the ups and downs in the music industry. I didn’t realize how many people took advantage of him and screwed him over. I was surprised to find out that Elton John wasn’t very nice to him. As well as Oprah Winfrey giving him a such a hard interview his daughter cried while sitting in the audience.
It also goes into details about his relationships. His first relationship being Elizabeth Weber who became his manager to his last relationship Katie Lee. It briefly talked about his struggle with being an alcoholic.
I can’t say if Fred Schruers did a great job with covering over Billy Joel’s major or even minor events because I have no clue about him other than liking his music. I did have a hard time following Schruers way of putting the events. He seemed to try to do it chronically but there was a lot of jumping back and forward. One minute we are in 1993 and the next back in 1986. I understand sometimes it called for it, but I can’t say it wasn’t confusing at times. There were points in the book I felt Schruer spent way too much time on. For example, the part about the bands he was in in the beginning. I would be fine with it if he told more stories about being in the band but it was more of the business side of it. This would be fine, but it would have been it more interesting, as a fan, to hear some fun stories mixed with the business stuff.
I loved how Fred Schruers’s explained how Billy Joel came up with a lot of the songs and what the true meaning of them were. For example, Laura was inspired by the Beatles. The song was emblematic of how serious Billy took the task of writing his songs. In those lyrics, he put feelings about his mother that had seldom been heard, even among his longtime intimates. “I must have been pretty fed up with some of my own mother’s manipulation by the time I wrote the song, as evidence by the F-word in the lyrics”:
Here I am feeling like a F*** fool / Do I react the way exactly/ She intends me to?/ Every time I think I’m off the hook/ She makes me lose my cool/ I’m her machine / And she can punch all the keys/ She can push any button I was programmed through. p.151
During the Reagan Era his songs were about people, whether it was a love song, a song about a relationship, or a friend. Billy said, “If you try to write for an audience or to a concept, I don’t think you’re really writing for anybody, but if you’re writing for a specific person and a specific situation, a lot of people might be able to identify with that.” p.152
There were some moments in the book that made me laugh. The one that stands out the most was when he talks about having to perform even when the mood is down or not feeling good, he explains it, “When you are not getting a good response from the audience- especially when coming off a few dates of being spoiled in cities where the fans are fervent. Whether you work the audience into a frenzy or they psych you up into one– it works both ways– the effect is kind of like sex. There’s this exchange of energy and enthusiasm: you make them feel great, and so they make noise, then it’s your turn to feel great, and you make noise. By the end of the show, it’s just, boom, there’d be the big orgasm of applause, and everybody is going Ahhh. Then it’s it’s over.”p. 237
Then there was the Super Bowl XLI incident when the monitors were turned off and he couldn’t hear himself. It was raining and he didn’t do a pre-recording because he doesn’t believe in that.
During the 12.12.12 concert, Billy followed Kanye West. Kayne caused the audience to leave. While the audience was leaving Billy said to himself: oh shit, thanks a lot. I’m going on to play a half a house. But when he stepped on stage and started playing the audience quickly came back in.
There are some quotes in the book that I feel are very good.
- “A lesson I try to bring up is, don’t be turned around in seeking what you want out of life. Don’t be talked out of what you know is right, or as I’ve put it on occasion, don’t take shit from anybody.”- Billy Joel (p.308)
- “Sometimes your limitations become your greatest gifts.”- Billy Joel (p.335)
I would recommend reading this book. I would give Fred Schruers’ The Definitive Biography Billy Joel 4 out of 5 stars. 
About the Author:
Fred Schruers enjoyed a successful high-profile career as a writer at Rolling Stone, chronicling an impressive body of musicians and actors including Feetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Nicholson, Sheryl Crow, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, and Chris Rock. His writing also appeared in Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, Men’s Journal, GQ, the Los Angeles Times, and Columbia Journalism Review. More About the Author
You can purchase the book through Penguin Random House at: Purchase the Book Here
“I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.”
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