Billy Joel Doc investigates struggles with money, alcohol and critics

In the two-part HBO docuseries “Billy Joel: and So It Goes”, directors Susan Lacy (“Spielberg”) and Jessica Levin dive into how the complex and often tumultuous life-inspired songs of the singer who turned him into a rocking legend turned.

Joel, a six-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, was initially not interested in making the 248-minute documentary. But according to Lacy, Joel’s management convinced him that “it was the right time.” It turned out that his team was right. Last year Joel’s 10-year-old residence ended in Madison Square Garden and in May 2025 the singer, 76, was determined with a brain disorder known as normal printing hydrocephalus.

Despite his initial reluctance to make the doctor, Joel does not shy away from the dark parts of his personal life and career in the film. His three failed marriages, money crimination and the vuited past of the singer with alcohol are all in -depth, so that the series is a refreshing postponement of the abundance of shiny music documents that are published today.

Lacy and Levin together weave archive images, implementing clips from Joel’s concerts and interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Pink, NAS and all four of the women of the singer to tell the story of a boy from Long Island who never dreamed of being a rock star at the level he became.

Although the critical response to Joel’s pop success was negative, the employees and colleagues of the singer explains in the doc how his music and exceptional talent were often overlooked by the media. Joel’s creative gifts are marked throughout the film when he talks about his profession, that the creation of various hit songs such as “Piano Man”, “Just the way you are” and “We don’t start the fire”.

Pre-Fame suicide attempts, Joel’s alienated father, the depression of his single mother and alcohol addiction, and the Jewish grandparents of the singer are all also part of the open two-part documentary who will rely on Joel’s fans and non-fans.

Variety Speaked with Lacy and Levin about “Billy Joel: and So It Goes”, who will premiere on Friday at HBO.

How did this documentary come about?

Sides: I came to this film at the request of Playtone – Tom Hanks’ company. I didn’t know much about Billy Joel. So for me this film was about learning and discovering all these incredible things.

Jessica, you have produced the documentaries of Susan for the past 25 years. Why did you decide to direct this together with her?

Levin: The origin of the project was with Susan, and it was very based on her reputation as a truly masterful filmmaker of artists. I was lucky that Susan saw that my knowledge of the music was an asset to this specific film. We share real artistic steno because we know each other so well. This film was a beast to tackle. I mean, it’s a big, long career, so it was really nice to have two spirits to apply it because there was much to find out.

Has Joel produced this film or say anything about the last cut?

Lacy: no. We received full and extreme independence. When I first asked him if there were sensitivities, he said, “Tell the truth.” He was hands-off of this movie and he didn’t see it until it was ready.

A problem that comes up in the entire doctor is the problems of Joel around alcohol. His ex-women spoke about it, but he didn’t seem to want to work out much about the subject. Was that a sensitive issue for him to talk about?

Sides: I would say that alcohol was difficult to talk to him about. I don’t think we pretend he didn’t have an alcohol problem. He had an alcohol problem. It is very clear, and he says he has drunk too much, and he talks about rehabilitation. He didn’t want to go to rehabilitation, but he did. So it was a sensitive subject, but I feel that we have treated it as honestly as possible.

All four of Joel’s Wives can be seen in the film, including Christie Brinkley, Katie Lee, and his first wife and manager, Elizabeth Weber, who played a crucial role to help Joel become a star. Was it difficult to convince the former women to participate in the film?

Sides: We knew we wanted to interview them all, but the heavy was Elizabeth. She did not talk about Billy Joel for 40 years – not mentioned his name. I mean, her son, who was with Billy for the first 16 years of his life, had friends who didn’t even know he had ever had a connection with Billy Joel. That is how divorced they were from that life. So it was not easy to let Elizabeth participate. I had to work really hard on that. I told her that I wanted to tell her story. I said, “I think your story wasn’t told. I think you were wrong on social media. I think you are a big part of why Billy Billy became.”

Many famous musicians such as Pink and Bruce Springsteen talk about Joel and his musical influence during the docuseries. Why was it important for you to record those interviews?

Sides: Bruce Springsteen is someone who is always compared to Billy. Both are of the working class and its bridge and tunnel artists, but (Springsteen) has always received more attention and much more approval from the critics than Billy. So, to have someone like Bruce Springsteen addressed and say: “I think they missed a lot of Billy’s really good work because he didn’t fit in a certain form” mattered. Musicians know musicians and they understand how good Billy was. So I thought it was important to record.

The film becomes political when you tell the story of Joel who carries the yellow star of David on his lapel during a concert in 2017 in MSG in New York after the deadly white-nationalist protest in Charlottesville, VA. And Donald Trump’s controversial comments after the incident. Was there any hesitation in the processing about recording Trump, a polarizing figure, in the film?

Sides: The moment I saw the images of Billy walk on stage with that yellow star, I knew that we had to get that story in the film. I wondered if Billy, when he saw the movie, would say, “I don’t want (Trump) to attack me,” but Billy didn’t say a word.