Billy, Bob & Bruce

     Last weekend, Billy Joel’s two part documentary on HBO premiered. Having plans Friday, Saturday afternoon, I sat and watched the entire episode.  It tells the story of William Martin Joel from birth up to the divorce and exit of his manager, Elizabeth.  With an incredible opening that starts on a boat in Long Island Sound, Joel narrates saying that he used to work on an oyster boat as a teenager and he’d look up at these homes thinking (paraphrasing), how’d these guys do it?  Must be nice and an easy life to get here. Well, now I know, and the camera zooms in on his boat, ALEXA, named after his daughter and you see that the big house in the distance, in the tone of an English manor, is his.  From there the screen goes to clips of him in concert over the years and then goes to a rehearsal session before a big venue, talking to the guys, going over and over a segment to get it right.  Reading a review of the documentary, the critic said that the intro clips were ‘too much’ as in why would they be included?  He’s only one of the biggest recording artists of his time and one of the greatest talents in music, a classically trained pianist who writes and performs his own music over his long time, six decade career.  That’s why! With so much material and footage of Billy performing and what a performer, why wouldn’t those clips be included?  (critics are often frustrated artists who couldn’t make it as a performer.  Right? “You do it and see how hard it is”, would be my comment to a critic.  Find something good to say, especially when you are talking about a legend.)

     Anyway, back to Billy. Near the end of the first episode, after seeing the ups and downs, the hard knocks he took as a kid, from being bullied because he took piano lessons from the local dance teacher-who also taught piano-to the impact of a dad who knocked him to the floor when he heard his son taking Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and putting his own ‘Billy Joel‘ flare on it, to being taken advantage by a manager who wrote into a contract that he would get a large percentage of profits for ten years after Joel left him (however, Joel does give the manager, who ruined the album he recorded, speeding up the tempo to make Joel sound like Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks), credit for believing in him when no one else did professionally, you see that getting to the house on the hill over looking Long Island Sound wasn’t that easy and there was a price to pay.  Time and wisdom all these years later, showed that young William Martin Joel working the oyster boat that it wasn’t as easy as it looked to have the success needed to get there.

     That stuck with me.  Often people joke that the life of a rockstar must be so easy, having a staff of people doing things for you, the travel, the fancy hotels, the adoring fans, the first rate musicians in the band backing you up, the beautiful young women available to you, it all sounds so glamorous.  Many songs are written about the attractive side of that life.   Yet then, there is the journey to get there.  The Greyhound bus rides, the cross country drives in the crowded old van, the contract that doesn’t come thru or the contract that does and it well takes advantage of you and you spend years paying a manger that just made a lucky decision to sign an unknown. The wife who can’t handle the absence of your presence, or who gets tired of the boys in the band in your living room, the drinking, the destructive behavior and walks out.  There is a price to pay for all that success and although it seems like a life to be envied, anyone that takes their career to that level, gives up part of themselves along the way.  There is a cost personally for the success in the entertainment field or really any other field where someone makes it to the top whether it is sports, financial, medical, technology, the automotive or manufacturing industry,  running an organization, a company or a country.  Success at the highest levels comes a cost, to one’s self and those they love. 

     Thinking about successful musicians of the same time period with similar genres and how they weathered the storm of fame, the stresses, life and family, I thought of the Piano Man, Michigan’s own Bob Seger and the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, Billy, Bob & Bruce, it was interesting look back on their careers, highlights and rough patches.  These three ordinary guys had a few things in common, most importantly their love of the music in the most simplest forms, how they were inspired and how they absolutely KNEW from an early age that music would be their life. None of them though ever imagining the level of their success. Billy Joel told his Mom, Rosalinda, who so worried about his dropping out of high school, was told by her son, “I may not go to Columbia (University), but don’t be surprised if I get a contract with Columbia Records, one the biggest labels at the time…

     Bob was born in Detroit at Henry Ford Hospital in 1949.  His Dad was a medical technician at Ford Motor Company so the family enjoy a nice comfortable middle class life, eventually moving to Ann Arbor.  When Bob was ten, his father left the family, for California.  The benefits of the life of the auto worker went away. His Mom had to work hard to provide for her boys when her husband left.  Bob was inspired by seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show.  He learned to play the guitar and played in bands he put together. After graduating from Ann Arbor High School, he continued his music journey with local musician and made a name for himself playing local venues around the lower peninsula from Central Michigan University to local bars and even at Mt. Holly, just seven miles from our home in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  If you were a teenager/young adult in Michigan in the seventies, you knew who Bob Seger was.  Bob’s songs were about the same issues we all were going through.  He became friends with Detroiter, Glenn Frye, who Bob put in a good word for when he was out in California trying to make his way, after making a name for himself in the Wolverine state.  Glenn’s Mom said of Bob, when he told her that Bob wanted him to come out to LA as he saw an opportunity for him, that she was skeptical about this idea because she wasn’t too sure of that ‘Bob Seger Guy’.  Good thing Glenn Had Bob as a friend. The two remained longtime friends (“Chief Friends”) until Glenn’s death in 2016 at age sixty-seven.  I thought it was interesting that Glenn had the title song from Beverly Hills Cop (starring Eddy Murphy in 1985.  The movie opens with a big chase scene through downtown Detroit to Frye “The Heat is On”.  The sequel, Beverly Hills Cop II opens with Frye’s friend, Seger‘s song, Shakedown,” equally impressive. 

     Bob’s career produced such hits as ‘Turn the Page’ about life on the road that told the story of loneliness  on tour.  When you listen to the lyrics, it could easily be the life of a truck driver, traveling salesman or anyone else working away from home for a livelihood.  Who could forget “Old Time Rock and Roll” both famous from the Tom Cruise scene in the eighties hit, “Risky Business” and just famous as a hit from Bob. His ode to all of those fans who stuck with him from the beginning, “Rock and Roll Never Forgets.” “Someday Lady You’ll Accompany Me” about the loyal girl who stands by her guy early on and someday she’ll be the wife. Bob’s songs blend lyrics of the ordinary person with tunes that you can’t get out of your head.  If his songs were written today, I wonder if they would be more of a ‘new country’ genre of the likes of Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan or any of the male musicians of their type. Interesting that Bob’s band has been made up of both local Michigan talent and a few from Alabama.. 

     In a segment on the David Letterman Show from early on in both of their careers, Seger spoke of the time away on tour, the benefits of touring and the downside as well, mentioning that it would take a toll on a family and that he would most likely wait to have kids until he could spend time with them.  Seger was married three times and didn’t have children until his marriage to Juanita, an attorney from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His two children are now young adults.  Even though Bob went through a tough time when his Dad left the family, his Mom and brother must have given him a sense of stability and closeness as it doesn’t appear that Bob succumbed to the personal issues that Billy suffered when his Dad left. That experience may have been the reason Seger waited to have kids until later in life when he was more established and had the opportunity to spend more time with them. You never heard of Bob in trouble or an out of control party guy.  His personal life seemed to be his personal life. His life long friendships too may have had a grounding influence on him even though he had legitimate Rockstar status. Retreating to his Michigan life when not turning may too have had this effect. In looking at Bob’s life and career in the Biz, he seemed to manage it to the best of his ability, maintaining his reputation as a respected rocker.  Who doesn’t like Bob?  You might not know all of his music but you won’t hear anything negative about him or hear him embroiled in controversy, bad talking a competitor or giving his take on politics.  He seems to do his job and then goes back home being an ordinary guy.  there’s a lot to be said for that. You see Bob now with his shorter white hair, still the wide smile, and if you saw him at Meijers or at Walmart, you’d think he might be a retired engineer or autoworker.  There is no fanciness to Bob wearing blue jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt with something imprinted on it. The life of a rockstar doesn’t seem to have taken too much of a toll on this old time rock and roller…

     Bruce Springsteen grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  His paternal grandparents came from Dutch settlers who date back to the Mayflower and Revolutionary war. His mother’s side of the family came from Italy, his grandfather was a successful attorney and big personality. Bruce has fond memories of him. His mother, Adele, became the family’s main breadwinner as a legal secretary as his father, Douglas, a bus driver struggled from Bruce’s early years on with depression.  As a young adult, Bruce too had some bouts of depression. He struggled in school went to Catholic school early on and eventually graduated from Freehold High School in Freehold, New Jersey.  He did a short stint at the community college and was rejected from the draft when he didn’t pass the physical due to the affects of a motorcycle crash a year earlier.  When he was a little boy about age seven, his mother rented a guitar for him after seeing his interest in music.  He too was inspired by seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show, like Seger. In his late teens and early twenties he played in local bands. When his parents and sister Pamela moved to California,  His sister, Virginia (married) and Bruce opted to stay in New Jersey. Bruce dated, had a couple of long time relationships, then married actress, Julia Phillips. The short marriage ended in divorce then Bruce eventually ended up with Patti Scialfa who sang/played in his band. In terms of family it was probably best for Bruce to marry someone in the business. This meant traveling and touring would be a family affair. With Patti performing and living the same life, she understood Bruce and his day to day experiences and stressors. Bruce seemed to not succumb to the drugs many associate with the rockstar life.  His strong Catholic upbringing may have inspired this.  Early on in his career, when he didn’t prepare nutritionally for the long concerts, often having to recover after a performance, he realized the benefits of good nutrition and taking care of his health. Of the three, Bruce seems to have physically taken his health and appearance most seriously looking fit and handsome into his seventies. Heeding the call early on must have helped. Bruce’s three children are all successful adults now. His daughter, Jessica, a Duke University alumni, is an accomplished equestrian having competed on two Olympics teams. The Springsteen’s oldest son, graduated from  Boston College. He writes and performs as a singer.  Youngest son, Sam is a firefighter in Jersey City, New Jersey. Incidentally, recently, I read that the career as a firefighter is desirable because it gives one a sense of purpose, job security, a sense of community, a feeling of protecting other.  I did not know this. (From what I have read, All three of these outstanding musicians I have to say, seem to have raised good kids-Joel has two young girls but they seem to spend a lot of time with their dad and most likely are on a good path).

     When I think of Bruce, I think of “Hungry Heart” which must have been a hit when I was looking at the University of Michigan. Many times when we are driving in to Ann Arbor off M-14 onto Main Street, I think of that song. His performance at the Super Bowl in 2009 (he turned down an opportunity in 1975 to perform at halftime) is a very memorable vision as he ran and then slid on his knees at age 60.  It was a high energy performance with his E Street Band. Even watching on Tv, you could feel the incredible energy. Now that I am that age, the thought of that action on the knees makes me wince, but what a stunt (and most likely with knee pads worn beneath the black pants). That is a fantastic performance! It’s the energy, the band, the crowd and some of his best songs. Bruce in ‘Johnny Cash‘ all black, Patti singing with the band, also in black, wearing stiletto heeled boots, Clarence Clemons on sax, and longtime base player, Steve Van Zandt. It’s all just something!

     Bruce comes across as an average Jersey guy.  A friend who grew up in the same area of Bruce, tell of times Bruce played at the local bar in Asbury Park, The Stone Pony (as well as The Wonder Bar).  Marrying a Jersey girl.  Bruce is know as a good guy. He wrote the song “Because the Night Belong to Lovers” didn’t record it and met Patti Smith, an up and coming presence on the New York scene.  She was just starting out, he gave the song to her. Bruce has performed it in concert here and there, but he full out gave her the song and she made it a hit.  He wrote songs early on in his career, also performed by other artists, like Blinded By the Light, later performed by Manfred Man’s Earth Band.  Springsteen seems to have weathered the storm as a rockstar well.  Having a country music song about him, by Eric Church, “Springsteen”, having raised a family with his longtime wife and for the most part, having a good reputation, not falling prey to drugs or being taken advantage of. Really, his only faux pax is dipping his toe into the arena of politics.  His rant across the pond at a concert in England recently has not sat well with some of his fans. Not a great way to end such a successful career, but most likely, time will be a favor for Bruce as his fans will remember his stellar career and his success with his far from perfect voice, and delivery of lyrics of the ordinary person, having ordinary thoughts and experiences with music that helps tell the story of the average American, from Born in the USA (in my opinion, Best album cover for him-he looks great in Levis), “The Rising” his inspiration after September 11, 2021, to “Hungry Heart.”

     Of the three, Billy, seemed to have the roughest journey to get to this point in his life.  The sad childhood after his Dad left and his Mom was left to pick up the pieces for her son and daughter.  Rosalinda struggled with manic depression and her children didn’t know who their Mom would be from day to day.  They were the only Jewish family on the block, no dad, struggling financially and personally, life was tough.  Billy too struggled, himself with depression after an affair with his bandmates wife.  The guilt he felt was so heavy that he obtained sleeping medication from his sister who worked for a doctor and although she told him to take only one tablet at bedtime when he found sleeping difficult, he overdosed and ended up in a coma for a few days.  The depression continued, he tried again and this time with furniture polish. His bandmate and former friend came to help, letting go of the bad feelings he had for Billy breaking up his marriage. Billy checked into a facility for depression and came out with a new outlook and realized how much he had to live for. 

     California was calling he signed with the manager who would eventually take advantage of him, made the recording that was edited poorly and Billy was disappointed.  That disappointment led to the gig that made him with his first big hit, Piano Man.  Playing under the name, Bill Martin, so as not to be found by the disappointing manager, he and his now wife, his former bad mate, Jon Small’s wife, Elizabeth, working as a waitress, he took a job in a piano bar. “Piano Man” is a song about those who sat around his piano in the bar.  Clive Davis from Columbia Records heard Billy and that was beginning of the upward trajectory that would make Joel’s career.  Although disappointed that he was still bound financially to the former manager, he could see that success was coming his way.  After turning down the Beatles manager that Columbia and Clive recommended, because Billy’s would not depart from his loyal band members when the manager wanted him in the studio with his suggested band, his wife, Elizabeth, now managed the band. 

      Elizabeth excelled at management.  She could negotiate a good deal and she kept the band on track.  At one point, she almost became the ‘Mom and adult in the room’.  You can sense the tension between her and Billy on The Stranger album. This week after watching the documentary, the lyrics and songs makes sense.  52 Street the album with Stiletto tells some of the story as well.  Big Shot tells the story of the morning after partying and misbehaving the night before, “So you had to be a Big Shot didn’t you”…The band gets a little out of hand, they are on the NY party scene, Billy gets a motorcycle (even though his contract with Columbia did not permit it), he has a couple of accidents while under the influence and Elizabeth has had it. She tells him that she will not be caring for him when he goes home from the hospital, she has hired a nurse. He hits a low.  We all know the rest of the story from the Uptown Girl, Christie Brinkley to the birth of his dear Alexa, hence the long, “Lullaby”, his Allentown where he connects with the average American trying to make a living, to his trip to Russia. Billy and Christie divorce, he marries Katie Lee and it lasts for five years.  Following the divorce he meets then marries Alexis Roderick, a former equestrian and Morgan Stanley executive. She was thirty-three and Joel was sixty-six at the time. They now have two daughters, Della, now age ten and Remy age seven. 

     Billy’s life has settled down now.  It was a wild ride to get to this place, but he seems settled and comfortable with where he is. He has a good relationship with his oldest daughter, Alexa Ray, an accomplished singer, who has performed with her father over the years. His relationship with Christie is that of a close friend.  Although recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus-sometimes called water on the brain.  He is receiving treatment for this. 

     Three icons in the music industry.  Seger recently turned eighty while Springsteen and Joel were both born in 1949, Joel turning seventy-six in May and  Bruce joins him in September. All had an interest early on in life and knew that music would be their future.  Their experiences early on in life affected their later years both good and bad.  Billy’s absence of his father during his formative years could have resulted in being taken advantage early on in the industry (as in not having a father as a sounding board to help guide the ship of his career) and likewise, lack of a father or strong father figure in his life, could have led to his poor behavior early on in his career. Also, the depression he suffered from could have been something inherited from both parents. Bob also had to deal with the divorce of his parents as a child. Seger seemed to handle it a little better. Possibly the love and strong bond with his Mom and brother and the close friendships.  As well as Bob’s interest in music as a teenager, he also participated in track in high school, so it sounds as if he had a positive teenage experience.  The absence of his father may have led him to waiting to start a family until he could devote more time to being a dad.  For Bruce, his faith, instilled by his Catholic upbringing, may have kept him on a good path, away from the temptation of drugs, often prevalent in the rock and roll (as in the saying,  “sex, drugs and rock and roll.”)  He eventually married the Jersey girl he forged a career with and together they raised a close family. 

     Billy, Bob and Bruce all succeeded and survived the music industry that has swallowed up many along the way.  Here are my observations on what the three have in common. They all have incredible talent as musicians  and singers.  Each has their own unique voice that is not formally trained, far from perfect, but that rawness is maybe what is attractive in it.  All have a drive to create and a gutsy confidence to put theirselves out there, as well as a desire to stay relevant-in a good way. Each seem to have a love of performance and  great bands with loyal players to back them up. All three must have had a strong dedicated Mom, to have navigated through a divorce (Rosalinda Joel and Charlotte Seger) or a depressed spouse (Adele Springsteen). Possibly having a strong Mom, inspired these men to have strong, talented and independent women in their lives. To  live to the ages three have, must mean that they have some good genetics, they must take good care of themselves at this point and they must just embrace their role as a “Rockstar.” All realized that success at anything, comes at a price and it wasn’t easy. I’m wondering if they look back feeling it was worth it. As an observer, I’m thinking they may have. Who gets a chance to do what they did at such a level. Wow! What a life to look back on with gratitude. Sounds like a life of some ups and downs but numerous…Great Days…Wishing Billy, Bob and Bruce even more ❤️