Billy Joel is, clearly, no Ozzy Osbourne. Although he’s skilled brushes with dying, mammoth success and crushing lows, the Lengthy Island singer’s trajectory isn’t as clearly cinematic as different rock ’n’ rollers’ bumpy journey down the street of mega-celebrity.
Whereas the Prince Of Darkness’ fascinating life has been up to now under-explored on-screen past that actuality TV present, Joel is the topic of a lavish new two-part documentary that quantities to 5 hours on the person who wrote ‘Uptown Woman’. Sure, that’s proper – 5 hours. This sort of immersive remedy will be completely fascinating, as was proved by 2015’s four-hour Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All, which was successfully an in depth historical past of twentieth Century America advised by the prism of Outdated Blue Eyes’ rise, fall and rise once more.
Filmed earlier than its topic’s latest well being struggles, Billy Joel: And So It Goes works to a tighter body than the Frank doc. Administrators Jessica Levin and Susan Lacy have painted a loving portrait of the Piano Man, exploring his hardscrabble ascent from working-class roots to head-spinning fame through detailed breakdowns of each studio album he’s ever launched. Yup, all 13 of them. It’s as exhausting because it sounds although the solid listing is spectacular – Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and even Nas flip as much as pay tribute.
Primarily, it’s a regular point-and-shoot rock doc with speaking heads punctuating footage of Joel in his soft-rock ‘70s prime and onwards. The present’s single best second might be the opening shot of the primary episode, which seems prefer it’s been created by Martin Scorsese. “Once I was younger, I labored on an oyster boat,” Joel tells us through voiceover in his chewy accent. “I’d lookup at this mansion on the hill, questioning what it could take to reside in a home like that.” The digicam then swoops gracefully previous the large mansion he now calls house. The boy did good, however how did he get right here?
It doesn’t actually take 5 hours to reply this query, given the star’s apparent borderline genius for melody and a steely work ethic that belies his ‘aw shucks’ guy-next-door persona. Nonetheless, there are attention-grabbing detours alongside the way in which and Billy Joel’s candour is commendable, if slightly selective. A want to impress his father, a classically educated pianist who confirmed his son little love, is step by step cited as the rationale for Billy’s relentless drive. Equally fascinating is the second episode’s evaluation of his Jewish grandfather’s escape from Nazi Germany to america. The Nazis, Joel displays ruefully, “worn out my household”.
The movie’s aforementioned candour is a blessing and a curse. Joel discusses his two pre-fame suicide makes an attempt with pitiless readability and types himself a “three-time loser” for being thrice divorced – but all this actually solely attracts consideration to what’s been not noted. If songwriting is so instinctive for him, as is recommended, why did he give up writing pop songs in 1993? His struggles with alcohol habit are referenced ceaselessly, however solely in curiously euphemistic phrases; it’s by no means clear precisely how a lot this impacted his practically three-year hiatus from enjoying reside till his wonderful stage comeback in 2012.
A lot of And So It Goes is like ambient telly, with yet one more album breakdown washing over you. Nonetheless, mega-fans will clearly lap it up and also you’ll undoubtedly be reaching for that battered copy of ‘The Stranger’ when the credit (ultimately) roll.
‘Billy Joel: And So It Goes’ airs August 2 on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW