Billy Joel’s biggest revelation after filming his new documentary was uncovering the truth that his absentee father Howard Joel was a driving force behind his music and life.
In the HBO film Billy Joel: And So It Goes, the 76-year-old Grammy winner lays bare a life marked by turmoil — from a rocky start to his marriage with Elizabeth Weber, once married to his bandmate Jon Small, to battles with addiction and, now, a relentless brain disorder that’s forced him to cancel concerts.
But it’s his father’s shadow that looms largest.
In the documentary, Joel recalls Howard ‘knocking me out’ at age 8 over a piano mistake and eventually abandoning the family to move to Europe.
Although they would later reconnect, Joel reflected in a new interview that searching for his father remained a driving force throughout his life.
‘[Co-director] Susan Lacy pointed out that a lot of the things I was searching for were my father in my life, and I recognized that in the documentary,’ Joel told People on Wednesday.
‘I said, “You know what? I think that’s true. I was looking for my dad.”‘
Billy’s father Howard (born Helmut), who died in 2011 at age 87, hailed from a Jewish family in Nuremberg, Germany.
As the son of a successful merchant and manufacturer, Howard grew up in a privileged environment and was educated in Switzerland.
In addition to his business career, he was a skilled amateur classical pianist, a talent that likely influenced Billy’s early interest in music.
In 1957, Howard divorced Billy’s mother Rosalind and returned to Europe, choosing to settle in Vienna, Austria.
The separation meant that Billy and his sister grew up largely without a close relationship with his father.
Though they eventually reconnected when Billy was in his early twenties, the years apart left a lasting impact.
During his life in Vienna, Howard remarried and had another son, Alexander Joel, who carved out his own path as a pianist and conductor.
Billy Joel acknowledged that his 1977 song Vienna’ was about his father during the People interview.
He added of making the documentary, ‘There was some stuff I found out about myself. There was some self-revelatory stuff.’
In the film, Joel opened up about his father in deeper detail, recalling a moment from childhood when he was punished for making a mistake on the piano.
‘One thing I remember, I was supposed to be playing the ‘Moonlight Sonata,'” Billy said. ‘Must have been about eight years old. And rock & roll was around at that point.’
‘He came down the stairs. Bam! I got whacked,’ Billy continued. ‘And I got whacked so hard, he knocked me out. I was unconscious for like a minute.
‘And I remember waking up going, ‘Well, that got his attention.’ And that was my memory of his piano lessons. So, he didn’t teach me much.’
The interview follows an emotional health update from Billy Joel, who recently revealed he’s battling a brain condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
Back in May, the 76-year-old music icon announced his diagnosis and canceled several upcoming concerts after struggling during recent live performances.
The condition has affected his hearing, vision, and balance — symptoms he opened up about on Monday’s episode of Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast.
‘I feel fine. My balance sucks. It’s like being a boat,’ Joel said, noting that doctors still aren’t sure what’s causing the disorder.
‘They don’t know… I thought it must be from drinking.’
Over the years, Joel has spoken openly about his past struggles with alcohol, substance abuse, and mental health — including a suicide attempt brought on by intense career pressure.
‘I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,’ he said.
According to the Mayo Clinic, hydrocephalus is the buildup of fluid in the brain that enlarges the ventricles and puts pressure on brain tissue, potentially leading to neurological damage.
Joel is currently undergoing targeted physical therapy and has been advised by his doctors to hold off on performing during his recovery.
