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"Sightings"
By: Richard Johnson
(December 3rd, 2005)


Billy Joel, incognito under a hooded sweatshirt, catching his sweet-voiced daughter Alexa Joel's set at Maxwell's, which included the Beach Boys' song, "Darlin'"...
"Newsmaker: Billy Joel"
Billy Joel's New Four-CD Set, "My Lives," Includes Such Rarities As Tracks With His Early Bands, Covers of Beatles and Dylan Songs, and A Concert DVD

By: Nicki Gostin
(December 4th, 2005)

So this set is a big deal.
I guess. I mean, there's nothing new on this thing. It's only new to people who never heard the outtakes, half-baked ideas and demos.

Do you feel weird about it?
Absolutely. I'm not comfortable with it at all.

So if you're not comfortable...
Columbia has the rights. They're allowed to put out whatever they have, especially considering I haven't given them anything new since 1993. There have been albums that have come out that I didn't put out - "The Ultimate Collection," "The Essentials." I can either get involved in a lawsuit or I can just... You know, I'm tired of being in lawsuits. And you know what? I did sign a deal, and that's the deal. I'll be a man and I'll live up to it.

Do we need four versions of "I Go To Extremes?"
I don't think so.

People will be surprised to learn that you were in a heavy metal band.
Wasn't everybody?

Did you have hair down to your bottom?
Almost. To my waist. I looked like Louis XIV. Actually, I looked like Peter The Great.

Is there any greater pick-up tool than a piano?
Not that I know of. If there is, I wish somebody would tell me. Actually I'm married now, so I don't have to worry.

And you dated Elle Macpherson.
I've had an amazing life. People gave me a hard time about Christie. I was, like, "Why don't you give me a hard time about Elle?" And they give me a hard time about my new wife.

So will I. How old is she?
She's 24.

And how old are you?
Fifty-six. She's very mature for her age, and I'm very immature for my age.


"Billy Joel"
The 'Piano Man' Hates To Love Britney's "Toxic," Dug The Cream Reunion and Wishes He Never Sang In French

By: Austin Scaggs
(December 5th, 2005)

I don't want anybody to see me in my underwear," says Billy Joel. He's not speaking literally - he's talking about the release of "My Lives," his four-disc, warts-and-all box set that features demos, live recordings and previously unreleased tracks that date back to the '60s, when he played in bands like the Lost Souls, the Hassles, and Attila. Though Joel sees much of this material as either half-baked or unlistenable ("There is a huge cringe factor," he says), he concedes that as one of the top-selling artists of the twentieth century, with more than 100 million albums sold, "people might actually be interested in these things." Also on the horizon is his first solo tour in eight years, kicking off in January. With his pug Sabrina conked out on the floor, we talk in the plush office of his Oyster Bay, Long Island mansion.

You grew up with classical music. How'd you get into soul?
New York radio. We didn't really know about formatting back then, so you could hear the Four Seasons, then James Brown, then the Beatles. The first rock and roll show I went to was James Brown and The Flames at The Apollo Theatre. I was about fourteen, and I was just blown away. Jagger's got his thing, Jim Morrison had his thing, but James Brown is a workingman.

Did you name the band Attila?
Yeah. Around '69. I was so enamored with Led Zeppelin. I loved that name. It was so heavy. I thought, "We want a heavy name! Like Attila The Hun! We'll destroy the world with amplification!" The lyrics were reflective of Zeppelin lyrics: mystical bullshit. Robert Plant could pull it off, though. That's how good a singer he was.

How have you gone from writing songs prolifically to not writing a pop song in twelve years?
I compare songwriting to childbirth. How many kids can you have before your uterus explodes? But I didn't stop writing music, I stopped writing songs. I wanted to develop what my music was saying on its own. I started writing a piece of music, which was on "Fantasies & Delusions" [2001], called "Soliloquy." I started writing lyrics, then said, "Why am I writing lyrics? The music is telling me what I need to know."

Whose ideas were all the ground-breaking shows: Germany, the day after reunification; Cuba, 1979; Russia, in '87...?
Mostly my ideas. That was exciting. I'm glad you reminded me of that Cuban show. Everyone playing before us - Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Stills - were doing these speeches in Spanish, like "Viva Fidel!" You could see the kids in the audience going, "Fuck this, we hear this crap all the time." I went on and said, "Yo no hablo espanol" and launched into "Big Shot." The kids went nuts!

You also sang on "We Are The World." Any good gossip?
Michael [Jackson] was constantly applying make-up. And I remember most of us who were there didn't like the song, but nobody would say so. I think Cyndi Lauper leaned over to me and said, "It sounds like a Pepsi commercial." And I didn't disagree.

Is it true that you played piano on "Leader of The Pack"?
I played on a session with "Shadow" Morton for two songs: "Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)" and "Leader of The Pack." We did the recordings before the Shangri-Las sang on them. I'm pretty sure it was me. I saw an interview with Ellie Greenwich [the song's co-writer], and she said it wasn't me. I never got paid, though, so it doesn't make any difference.

What's the last show you went to?
Cream at the Garden in October. When I heard they were getting back together, I said, "Ginger Baker's still alive?" Because he looked like he was dying when he was young. They did a good line-up of songs, but I wanted them to just explode on stage. I don't want to criticize the show, because it was great to see. And I've never seen 20,000 guys play the same air-guitar notes. The place reeked of marijuana! I think my daughter got a contact high - she fell asleep on my shoulder.

Does she turn you on to music?
She loves classical, but sometimes when we're in the car she's like, "Get that shit off." She wants to hear rock and roll. She'll point out stuff to me, like Coldplay and Britney Spears. I love that record "Toxic." It's so bad, it's good.

Have you ever been hammered during a show?
No. Somebody wrote that I was intoxicated at a show at the Garden [2003], but I was sick, and I was overmedicated. I had a steroid shot, and by the time I got on stage I was wiped out. It wasn't from drinking or drugs. I've never done that. [Pauses] Oh, one time I did.

All right.

It was one of the first times I'd tried cocaine, in the Seventies. I went on stage and chatted my head off on these long, loquacious raps. The band was like, "What the hell happened to him?"

What one song do you wish you had never released?
On "Glass Houses," there's a song in French. I don't speak French, so I never should have attempted that. We went to France on tour, and here I go, I pull out this song ["C'etait Toi (You Were The One)"], thinking, "Wait 'til they hear this, they're gonna love it!" I sing it and there's no response, just a few random claps. After the show I asked Columbia's French representative what happened. He said, "They thought you were singing in Polish."


"'Movin' Out' Set To Move In To London's Apollo Victoria Theatre"
By: John Nathan
(December 7th, 2005)

Rock star Billy Joel's Broadway musical "Movin' Out" is movin' in to London this spring before movin' on to a European Tour. The award-winning musical - which will start previews at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre March 28th, 2006, and will officially opens April 18, 2006 - is set to such Joel hits as "Uptown Girl," "We Didn't Start The Fire," "She's Got A Way" and the title track.

The show, which will run at the Apollo until July 17th, 2006, differs from other back catalogue adaptations, such as Queen's "We Will Rock You" and ABBA's "Mamma Mia!," in that the narrative is driven not by dialogue, but dance, with choreography by the Tony Award-winning Twyla Tharp.

The music is performed by a ten-piece onstage band who, in total, perform no less than 24 of Joel's songs. The show spans three decades starting on Long Island in the 1960s and follows the fortunes of five friends and lovers separated by war.

Joel has had 33 Top 40 hits, 23 Grammy nominations and with "Movin' Out" jointly won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations with Stuart Malina.

Tharp, who also won a Tony for Best Choreography, has choreographed five Hollywood movies including "Hair" and "Amadeus." Her résumé also boasts two Emmys and 17 honorary doctorates.

"Movin' Out" grossed over $100 million on Broadway during its three year run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, playing more than 1,300 performances. It ends its Broadway run December 11th, 2005.

The musical received 10 Tony nominations and has toured across North America playing to 50 cities since February 2004.


"We Would All Go Down Together: 'Movin' Out' Ends Broadway Run December 11th, 2005"
By: Ernio Hernandez
(December 11th, 2005)

Broadway's long-running dance musical "Movin' Out," which sets Twyla Tharp's choreography to Billy Joel songs, ends its three-year run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre December 11th, 2005 after 28 previews and 1,303 regular performances. "Movin' Out" boasts most of its original lead cast - who have taken breaks here and there, but returned - including Tony Award nominees John Selya, Elizabeth Parkinson, Keith Roberts, Ashley Tuttle, Michael Cavanaugh as well as Scott Wise, and Benjamin Bowman.

"I am so proud to have been a part of this landmark production. As important as the creation of the show, a wonderful family has been created here," lead producer James Nederlander stated in a release. "Long after the final performance, the memory of this show will live in the new standard of excellence and commitment they have set."

The work surpassed previous dance-heavy long runs on Broadway edging its mark in theatre history past "Fosse" (which stands at 1093) and "Contact" (1010). "Movin' Out" - along with "Mamma Mia!" and the recent "Jersey Boys" - are among the few musicals which feature a score from an existing catalogue to have outshined or outlasted the continuing "jukebox" onslaught. Tharp is currently at work on another piece in the same vein "The Times They Are A-Changin'" - which uses the work of Bob Dylan.

Producers of the Broadway run - James Nederlander, Hal Luftig, Scott Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Clear Channel Entertainment, and Emanuel Azenberg - also present the still-running National Tour which launched January 26th, 2004. The New York show returned its $10 million capitalization in late 2004, according to production spokespersons.

The bookless show uses Joel's song lyrics and Tharp's choreography to craft a story of five friends and lovers across three decades through love, war and loss. There is no dialogue and all songs are performed by the pianist-singer, who sings non-stop and heads an on-stage band during the show.

Following a tryout at Chicago's Shubert Theatre, "Movin' Out" officially opened on The Great White Way October 24th, 2002 following previews since September 30th, 2005. The new show took home the Tony Awards for Best Choreography (Tharp) and Orchestrations (Joel and Stuart Malina).

The design team includes Santo Loquasto (sets), Suzy Benzinger (costumes), Donald Holder (lighting) with Brian Ruggles, and Peter Fitzgerald (sound).

The song-list includes many of Joel's hit songs and even interpolates some of his classical work. "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" functions as a sort of overture, introducing the characters. The story kicks off with "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and moves through other songs as the popular "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot," "Uptown Girl," and "Captain Jack," as well as more obscure early work like "James," "Summer, Highland Falls," and "Prelude/Angry Young Man." As a final curtain coda, Cavanaugh belts out the apropos "New York State of Mind."


"Billy Joel Surprises Audience With Performance at 'Movin' Out''s Final Curtain"
By: Matt Windman
(December 12th, 2005)

The Broadway musical "Movin' Out" ended with a bang December 11th, 2005 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. After numerous rounds of rapturous applause for the musical's cast of dancers and its onstage orchestra, pop songwriter Billy Joel - whose songs provided the musical score of "Movin' Out" - suddenly and unexpectedly took the stage.

The audience roared with surprise and gratification. With a big smile on his face, leading "Movin' Out" vocalist Michael Cavanaugh immediately vacated his piano bench in deference to the original "Piano Man."

Joel agreed to play and treated the crowd to a rendition of "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)," which included an ad-libbed lyric that referred to producers James L. Nederlander and Emanuel Azenberg as the men who lit up Broadway again. Meanwhile, the musical's cast sat together downstage in a semi-circle formation in what seemed to be a collective state of idolized appreciation. Upon the song's finish, Billy Joel then led the band in a second and final song, "You May Be Right."

"Movin' Out," which sets Twyla Tharp's choreography to Billy Joel songs, ended its three-year run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre December 11th, 2005 after 28 previews and 1,303 regular performances.

"Movin' Out" boasts most of its original lead cast - who have taken breaks here and there, but returned - including Tony Award nominees John Selya, Elizabeth Parkinson, Keith Roberts, Ashley Tuttle, Michael Cavanaugh as well as Scott Wise and Benjamin G. Bowman.

"I am so proud to have been a part of this landmark production. As important as the creation of the show, a wonderful family has been created here," lead producer James L. Nederlander stated in a release. "Long after the final performance, the memory of this show will live in the new standard of excellence and commitment they have set."

Tharp is currently at work on another piece in the same vein, "The Times They Are A-Changin'," which uses the music of Bob Dylan.


"Inaugural Champion Award In Music Education Presented To Billy Joel"
Celebration Marks The 30th Anniversary of The ASCAP Foundation

(December 14th, 2005)

The tenth annual ASCAP Foundation Awards Reception was held tonight at The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The invitation-only event marked the 30th Anniversary of The ASCAP Foundation, and honored a wide variety of Scholarship and Award recipients, all of whom benefit from programs of The ASCAP Foundation.

The evening was highlighted with the special presentation of the inaugural Champion Award in Music Education to Billy Joel in recognition of his outstanding support of music education. Joel first began holding "Master Class" sessions on college campuses more than 20 years ago, and has shared his musical knowledge with aspiring musicians and songwriters at colleges around the world. Earlier this year, he launched an ongoing educational initiative to provide seed money, musical scholarships, and endowments to a variety of East Coast colleges, universities and music schools.

Commenting on the award, ASCAP Foundation President Marilyn Bergman said: "Everyone knows Billy Joel as the quintessential 'Piano Man,' a great songwriter, performer, and musician. What have not been as highly touted are his extensive philanthropic activities in connection with music education. For these reasons and more, we are proud to present Billy with the first-ever ASCAP Foundation Champion Award in Music Education."

As part of the inaugural Champion Award in Music Education, The ASCAP Foundation will establish a special fund in Billy Joel's name that will be earmarked to support the Summer Music Camp at the Manhattan School of Music. This flagship program is a partnership between The ASCAP Foundation, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New York City Department of Education that provides the opportunity of a free musical summer camp experience to talented kids from all over New York City who couldn't otherwise afford to attend a camp or have private music lessons.

In celebration of Joel's illustrious career, singer-pianist Johnny Rodgers performed selections from the superstar's pop catalogue, and pianist Molly Morkowski played two movements from Joel's "Opus 1-10: Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo Piano)."

Billy has enjoyed an extraordinary musical career. He has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1972. In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, Joel was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization's highest honor, in 2001. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and has received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award, presented for albums that have sold over 10 million copies. Among Billy Joel's numerous hit songs are such memorable classics as "Piano Man," "Just The Way You Are," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," "My Life," "Tell Her About It," and "Uptown Girl." In addition, Joel has made his mark on the Broadway stage - Movin' Out, the long-running musical based on his songs, received two Tony Awards. A new Billy Joel career retrospective titled "My Lives" was issued last month by Columbia/Legacy Recordings.

The evening also marked the 30th Anniversary of The ASCAP Foundation. Established in 1975 after the estate of Jack Norworth, writer of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," left a bequest with instructions to create a program to honor and support young composers, The ASCAP Foundation honors this legacy by continuing to support more than 150 music education and talent development programs in all musical genres that are national and regional in scope.


"Side Dish"
By: George Rush & Joanna Molloy
(December 14th, 2005)

Divorcees Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley came (with their spouses) to support their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, at her first live New York City gig last weekend. Performing at the Cutting Room, Alexa played piano and sang mostly her own songs. (She's back again Monday.) Meanwhile, we hear Papa Billy is headed back to the studio with Phil Ramone, who produced eight of his albums. After years of experimenting, Joel is said to be ready to return to the pop sound that made him a star...


"No 'Pressure' For Billy Joel As He Begins Tour"
The 'Piano Man' Talks To 'Today' Host Matt Lauer About Getting Back On The Road, The Hit Songs That Inspired His 30 Year Career and More
(December 16th, 2005)

More than three decades ago, singer/songwriter Billy Joel released "Piano Man" and by the end of the '70s he was a "stranger" no more. The hits continued into the '90s, through his last pop album. "Today" host Matt Lauer caught up with Joel and his band at their rehearsal space in Oyster Bay, Long Island as they gear up for a series of gigs.

Matt Lauer: How do you like the prospect of getting back on the road?

Billy Joel: I'm kind of putting my toe back in the water and seeing how it feels and we're going to be doing stuff we haven't done for years and years and years. So I'm looking forward to seeing how this stuff flies.

Lauer: "My Lives." I mean, these, your musical lives, your other lives? Why did you call it that?

Joel: I was listening to stuff and I realized [that] I've had a lot of different lives. You know the theory about every seven years, you have a different life? I think that's true.

Lauer: So of the snippets of the songs that haven't been heard by your fans before, what are your favorites?

Joel: I would say the songs that have different lyrics. Because I always write the music first and there's a couple of songs on this box set that have different lyrics that ended up being on the final recording.

Lauer: Give me an example. What...

Joel: "Prime of Your Life" became "The Longest Time" and it was a completely different kind of song. But it just shows how malleable a lot of the material is. It can go a lot of different directions.

Lauer: Let me do a little Billy Joel word association, all right? Song association. Let me give you the title of a song. Just give me what comes to your mind first, okay? "The Ballad of Billy The Kid?"

Joel: Move to California - my first impression of the Wild West.

Lauer: What year?

Joel: '73.

Lauer: Didn't seem so wild anymore, does it?

Joel: No. Not after having lived there for a while. All the lyrics are nonsense. I had "Billy The Kid" coming from Wheeling, West Virginia. He was from Brooklyn. I had him being - hung. He was shot.

Lauer: You also say from a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Joel: That's right.

Lauer: "Rode a kid with a six-pack in his hand."

Joel: Yeah. That was actually written about a bartender, not me. There was a guy named Billy - who was the bartender in a bar right up here in Oyster Bay.

Lauer: "Piano Man?"

Joel: That was a real gig. I did that for about six months and while I was doing the gig, I got to write a song about this because this is a real slice of life song.

Lauer: "Big Shot."

Joel: "Big Shot?" Oh, did a lot of research for that song. (Laughter) A lot of people think it’s about somebody else. It's actually a combination of other people and myself. Looking in the mirror in the morning, going, "oh, you had to be a big shot."

Lauer: What do you think is the most recognizable first snippet of music from a Billy Joel song?

Joel: The beginning of "Piano Man."

Lauer: Take me back...it's what I was hoping you'd play. It's the most recognizable to me.

Joel: I actually wrote the song first as a "well it’s 9 o'clock on a Saturday." That bit. Then I said, "You know? It needs some kind of an introduction to kind of set the mood and set the flavor." So I just played this kind of cocktail lounge thing the hustle and bustle of waitress going by - that kind of thing.

Lauer: You know Jimmy Buffett pretty well.

Joel: Yeah.

Lauer: He kids with me sometimes. He says, "You know what? Whenever somebody comes up to me and says, 'Play 'Cheeseburger In Paradise,' I cringe on the one side. But these are the fans on the other side. They want to hear it." What's your "Cheeseburger In Paradise" song?

Joel: Probably...

Lauer: …when somebody comes up?

Joel: …"Just The Way You Are."

Lauer: Why is that your cringe song? I mean you’re too tired of playing it? It got too much play on the radio? What bugs you about it?

Joel: Well it was written about somebody who said, "I said I love you and that's forever." It lasted about 10 years.

Lauer: (Laughter) Which segues me into the next word association - "Uptown Girl."

Joel: I was thinking of the Four Seasons, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and when I was thinking..."Uptown Girl!" I was trying to sing like Frankie Valli. They had a song called "Rag Doll" which was about a poor girl and a rich guy. So I just flipped it around and made it about a rich girl and a poor guy.

Lauer: What's the thing you're most proud of, over the last year?

Joel: I'm most proud of how my daughter is doing with her music.

Lauer: Brag a little because Alexa is what, going to be 20?

Joel: My daughter's going to be 20 in about two weeks and she's now out doing gigs. She's a really good pianist, she's got a great voice and she's writing really good songs. Of course I sound like the typical father bragging about their kid. I'm very proud of her.

Lauer: So that's the thing you're most proud of? (What’s your) biggest regret over the last year?

Joel: The biggest regret? This may be one of those years I have no regrets.


"Boozy, Woozy Joel"
By: Maureen Callahan
(December 18th, 2005)

Bitter divorces, pummeling by critics, battles with substance abuse, one too many car crashes in the Hamptons: all and more documented in the fun, trashy, yet compelling new book "Billy Joel: The Life and Times of An Angry Young Man."


"Miami Beach 'Villa' Too Quaint for Joel"
By: Joan Fleishman
(December 18th, 2005)

"Movin' Out" and Trading Up: William Martin Joel, better known as Billy Joel. The singer/songwriter, who bought a three bedroom waterfront home on Miami Beach's North Bay Road in March for $3.28 million, already wants to sell. He just listed it - for $3.95 million.

The house, in the 4600 block, is a "quaint Mediterranean villa" but too small for Joel at 2,041 square feet, says Esslinger Wooten Maxwell's Nelson Gonzalez, who brokered the sale.

Joel, 56, wants something else on the Beach - in the $8 million to $10 million range. He plans to house hunt when he's in town for a couple of concerts next month. Joel performs at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise on January 7th, 2006 and January 15th, 2006. The show "Movin' Out" - a musical based on Joel's hit songs - plays January 3rd, 2006 - January 15th, 2006 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, and Jackie Gleason Theatre of the Performing Arts in Miami Beach from January 24th, 2006 - January 29th, 2006.

Joel's South Florida getaway, built in 1935, has cypress beam ceilings, fireplace, dock, pool and one-car garage. Latin pop-star Chayanne lives on the same block. Fashion icon Calvin Klein has a residence in the 4400 block.

Joel married wife number three last October - Katherine "Katie" Lee, now 24. He has a daughter, Alexa Ray, 19, with model Christie Brinkley, his second wife.

Joel will look elsewhere on North Bay, and the Venetian Islands.
Gonzalez has a major listing at 5020 North Bay - the one-time estate of Carl Fisher, Miami Beach's founding father. But that mansion is priced at $40 million - more than Joel cares to spend.