AN hour into a conversation with Billy Joel, the pop star who has lately been as famous for bad driving as big hits suddenly brightened – as if he had an epiphany.
Maybe it was relaxing in the warm sun, dockside at a Miami Beach bungalow, or his recent newlywed status. But something inspired Joel – an artist better known for being tortured by regret, smothered by fame and driven to recapture past glories – to suddenly say, “Contentment is really underrated because it sounds like you’re settling. But it’s given short shrift, and it shouldn’t be. Contentment is appreciating that everything is OK.”
How’s that for a change? Billy Joel comfortable in his own skin.
The 56-year-old icon of everyman pop spoke easily about not making a pop record in more than a decade (and not wanting to), about his membership in the Worst Celebrity Drivers’ Club and about whether he wants to stop drinking.
And despite admitting “I was a better singer 20 years ago,” tomorrow night the Piano Man embarks on what will likely be a record-setting, 11-night string of sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden, eclipsing the 10-show mark set by Bruce Springsteen.
Did you set out to beat Springsteen’s Garden record with these shows?
No, I wasn’t out to kick anybody’s butt – it’s not a competition, and I don’t work that way. The reason we’re doing all these shows is to defeat the scalpers. The more shows we add, the more steam we take out of their ticket prices.
With 11 shows, your hard-core fans will probably see you multiple times. Will your set list change?
We’re going to rotate the set from night to night. We’ve been working on lots of songs we haven’t done in a long time – lots of album cuts. This show is as much for the audiences as for us.
You could do probably do “Piano Man” in your sleep. But do the rarities challenge you?
Oh, yeah. We spent a lot of time at rehearsals relearning songs I haven’t done since the ’70s. Like ‘Everybody Loves You Now” from “Cold Spring Harbor.”
Do you have the same affection for obscure song as you do for big hits?
I always like the songs that weren’t hits. They’re like my kids who didn’t grow up to become doctors and lawyers. These are the songs that need more attention, more love.
Wealthy, semi-retired rock star. Is that an accurate description of you?
Yeah. The other day I was wondering where I was at in my life. I’m filthy and I’m rich, but I’m not filthy rich. (Laughs) Am I retired? Not really, playing all these concerts. But I never said I wasn’t going to play – I said I wouldn’t do long tours. And I never said I was going to retire. I stopped writing pop music and rock ‘n’ roll back in ’93, after the “River of Dreams” album.
Why did you stop?
I felt like I had my say. I’ve had more say than most people. I wanted to do new things to keep my own interests going.
Like your classical album, “Fantasies & Delusions”?
That was a labor of love. I never expected anything except my own personal gratification. That’s why I called it “Fantasies & Delusions.”
Sorry it didn’t work out.
I’m not bitching. This is the best job I ever had. I recommend it for everybody. But my intention was always to be a composer. Being a rock star was pure serendipity.
So you never took the rock-star stuff too seriously?
I look in the mirror and think I don’t look like a rock star. I talked about this with Bono, and we looked at each other and decided we look like a pair of bricklayers.
A lot of people say you walked away at the top of your game.
Honestly, I thought I was better live 20 years ago. I looked the part then. I had a lot more hair, I was skinnier, and I was able to hang upside down from speaker cables. I was able to do a lot of crazy stuff I can’t do now. I was more of a fireball performer.
Could you do another pop album?
Sure, but it would be dishonest. Why would I do it if I really didn’t want to? For money? Because I might have another hit? Those aren’t good reasons. I need love and passion to motivate me.
What did you learn about your music when it was adapted for the Broadway show “Movin’ Out”?
That my music was danceable. For a long time I thought my material was static. There is a lot of counterpoint in my music, there’s lots of syncopation, half time, double time. All that isn’t obvious, but [choreographer] Twyla [Tharp] picked up on all that.
Did you think that concept could work?
Its success shocked the hell out of me. What appealed to me was its potential as a major catastrophe. I liked that risk.
You risked marriage for the third time a few months ago with Katie Lee. How’s that working?
Life is great. I’m really happily married, and she’s a wonderful girl. She just got a gig hosting a Bravo TV show called “Top Chef” that airs in March. I’m proud for her and we’re really happy.
Is part of that happiness being sober?
I’m not going on a soapbox about it. I don’t know much about sobriety, but I do know a lot about drinking.
Are you an alcoholic, or did you just like to drink?
I didn’t know, but at this point I’d say I am an alcoholic. But I’m not sure about what anybody tells me, especially after the way they brainwash you in rehab.
It seems like you’re always in rehab.
I’ve only been in rehab once – last year, it was a 30-day program. I tried to go a few years ago, but the press found out about it and there were reporters all over the grounds. They couldn’t do any of their programs with their other clients. I had to leave because we couldn’t get anything done.
Are you happy you went last year?
Yeah, I needed a cold splash of water in the face. The basic premise of rehab is: Don’t drink.
Before rehab, did you ever quit for a week or two to see if you could?
The concept “don’t drink” never occurred to me.
Now that you don’t drink anymore, are you driving or driven?
None of my car accidents were drinking-related.
I didn’t say they were.
I’m not the only person in the world who’s had accidents. They were just bad luck. The first one I was avoiding hitting a deer, the second one was an icy road, and the third happened on a rainy road – I skidded and tapped a guy’s house. Before that, I never had accidents.
Not that it would be an accident, but would you ever have more kids?
Oh sure, why not. Picasso was popping ’em out in his 80s.
dan.aquilante@nypost.com
Who knew? Joel gems
* Billy Joel’s driving record was almost spotless until his flurry of auto accidents. “Back in ’82, I didn’t crack up my motorcycle – a car ran into me. Any motor-cyclist will tell you the same thing: They didn’t have an accident, they were given one. The guy ran a red light and hit me.” Joel sustained serious injuries to both hands, delaying recording of his album “The Nylon Curtain” for two months.
* The title of Joel’s last rock album, 1993’s “River of Dreams,” was an acknowledgment of his songwriting process. Back in the early ’80s Joel told music journalist Joe Smith, “I think I’ve dreamed all the songs I’ve written. I don’t dream regular dreams. I dream stories. I dream in abstractions. I’ve awakened at 4:30 in the morning with a whole symphony in my head.”
* While Joel is an icon in pop and rock, his classical album “Fantasies & Delusions” was less than successful. In the world of symphonic music, Alexander Joel – famed Austrian classical conductor and Billy’s half-brother – is better known.
* Joel doesn’t just make music. The Long Island native has always had a passion for boating and has developed a successful business building 38-foot runabouts. “So far [the Long Island Boat Co.] has sold 40 boats,” Joel says. “When we started, I never imagined having this kind of production run, because it’s a mom-and-pop business.”
