1. I don't think Billy Joel has ever been honest with anyone - at least not those who have ever worked with or been in a relationship with him.
There are four people who have been in his band for over 30 years, and one of those has been with him for over 40 years, and 2 of them 36 years, and the other since 1993. The others have been in the band since 2001, 2006, 2006, and 2013. They don't seem to have a problem with him. During Covid in 2020 when nobody could play live, he paid his band their full salary for the year. If you are speaking of early past members, Javors and Stegmeyer weren't supportive of BJ wanting to go in a different direction musically. Javors also wasn't giving much effort. When they isolated the track on his playing, all he was doing was plucking the guitar. Stegmeyer was in a depression, and he had withdrawn from everyone. He wouldn't come out of his hotel room on tour or speak to anyone when he came out. He didn't want to be there or anywhere. The band was on a break when they were let go, and BJ admits he should have told them in person, especially Stegmeyer. BJ was going through his own battles with depression around this time. He found out his manager/BIL had defrauded him of $30 million dollars. His lawyer stole from him too later on. Liberty, who was let go after 30 years with BJ, was fired for personal reasons. BJ has repeatedly said he won't say why he was let go, and that it would ruin Liberty if he disclosed it. He has stuck to that all these years. Anyway, Liberty sued BJ for some royalties, and said although Billy was the sole songwriter, he (Liberty) gave some creative input. They settled the lawsuit. Liberty reached out to Billy back in 2020 wanting to make amends, and BJ agreed to meet him, and they made up. Liberty asked Billy to write the foreword for his book, and BJ agreed to it. Anyway, I don't think that BJ is a saint at all, but I don't think he is bad seed either.
Regarding his relationships with his wives, according to his friends and bandmates the first wife was controlling, manipulative, and rude. They said she always tried to take advantage of BJ, and one example is he wrote a few songs about her, and at one point she wanted some publishing rights, because she said the song was about her. She convinced BJ that her brother, Frank, should be his manager. Frank ended up stealing millions from BJ. His second wife was Christie Brinkley. She wrote a book this year called
Uptown Girl, and she is doing the book circuit thing. She says that some of the happiest years of her life were with Billy, and she thinks he was her soulmate, but his drinking became too big, and she couldn't live with him anymore. She said he is sober now, and they are close friends. He says he used to always use alcohol to self medicate. He has depression, and in 1970 he tried to kill himself by drinking furniture polish. His bandmate found him, and he pulled through and spent some time in a mental hospital. He said he is usually happy, but he does have bouts of depression, and he has learned through treatment and therapy how to manage it. He cited different times when it was really bad, and 9/11 being one of the worst. He wrote the song
"Tomorrow is Today" after his suicide attempt. It is on his 1971
Cold Spring Harbor album. It's a sad song, and he refers to it as his suicide note. He has written some other songs about depression, and one may show up on my list later. He said the condition has actually helped him in writing songs. His third wife was young enough to be his daughter, and according to their friends the age difference and just having different interest made it not work out. His wife he has now is near the same age as the previous one. Maybe they have more in common. Who knows or cares. Anyway, Like I said earlier, I don't think he is saint, but I also don't think he is the bad guy you make him out to be.
Maybe BJ can give you the number of his therapist, cause I hope my next song pushes you over the edge.
Enjoy the festival, loner!
that I row, Lulu
, Eric Clapton
