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01:45 AM

"The Joel Files"
Winner of The Golden Rose of Montreux 2001

(April 2004)

The story of two families who became foes during the Hitler dictatorship, faced each other in court following the end of the war, and who now, after half a century of silence, sit down and talk. It is the story of the family of the famous rock singer Billy Joel and the German merchant family Neckermann, a name known in all of Europe today.

In the '30s, Billy Joel's grandfather, Karl Amson Joel, owned the second largest textile mail-order company in Germany. Twenty-six year-old Josef Neckermann took over the Jewish business in 1938 for nothing, as Joel was forced to appoint an 'Aryan Commissary,' and Joel could not fight back because the Gestapo and SS were hunting for him.

Years later, Billy Joel is reunited in Vienna, Austria, with the father he has not seen since his childhood, and only then learns that he has a younger brother Alexander, now a musical conductor in Vienna. Josef Neckermann's grandchildren came to Vienna to meet Karl Joel's grandchildren for the first time, one of whom they have recently learned, is Billy Joel.

In gripping flashbacks and touching interviews with members of the Joel and Neckermann families and other witnesses, a story is told, typical of the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany of the '30s and '40s. The unexpected occurs as the members of a generation who do not want to forget, but no longer want to hate each other, instead reach out to each other.


"Un-Authorized Billy Joel Biography"
By: Steven Gaines
(April 2004)

I had a long talk with Billy Joel the other day.

I called him because some guy called me up and said he was writing an un-authorized biography about Billy and he wanted to interview me.

I said that I would need Billy's permission, and even then, I didn't want to contribute to a book about Billy Joel.

"Oh, this book will be published, no matter what," this man told me. "It already has a publisher."

"What's the publisher's name?"

"I can't tell you."

This guy also told be that there are two sides to Billy Joel's life, the story that "he puts out there, and the truth."

So I gave Billy a ring, who was watching Oyster Bay from his living room window while we chatted.

He seemed quite sanguine about this unauthorized biography. "I'm not scared about skeletons in my closet," he said. Everybody has some skeleton or another."

Billy Joel said the man who was writing the book about him was a disgruntled member of a "Save The Fish" group that took Billy to task for supporting the fishing industry. Billy told me that between the Baymen and the fish, he was going to support the Baymen, and reminded me that when he was a young man he took worked on a fishing boat.

I told him that he should take me up on my long-standing offer to write a memoir about his early days in rock and roll. I reminded him that back in 1972 or 1973, when I was an itinerant rock and roll writer for the New York Daily News, he and I first became friends.

I went up to his house in the Hollywood Hills one night to have dinner with him and Elizabeth, his first wife, and we were thrilled because the night before one of Billy's songs had been played on the Miss America pageant, and it was the first time a piece of music had gone "mainstream."

Rolling Stone had reviewed his latest album, I think it was his second, and said something like, "Billy Joel lost his soul in Bloomingdales." (Jann Wenner is now best of pals with Billy Joel, who had forgotten the review until I reminded him.)

After dinner Billy took me to the garage, which was the only room big enough in the modest, rented house to contain the black grand piano on which he was composing. When he opened the garage door, the Hollywood sign was close enough to touch, it seemed.

I told him on the phone this week that was the part of his life that he should write about, not Christie Brinkley or even the Baymen, but about being a kid who grew up in Levittown, the son of a Holocaust survivor who went on to become one of the great musical geniuses of our time, our generations George Gershwin.

But he took a pass on the idea - for now.

So, if somebody calls you up asking to contribute to a mean book about Billy Joel, just say, "No."


"Elton John by Billy Joel"
By: Billy Joel
(April 2004)

Elton John defines himself a a rock star, and he really lives it. More like a Roman Aristocrat rock star. I've notices when we've toured together that backstage you'll see young men with togas, dressed as centurions, with little fig leaves around their heads. Inside Elton's dressing room there are a thousand pairs of sunglasses, a hundred pairs fo shoes and about fifty Versace suits laid out. He's fucking royalty. My dressing room looks like the back of a deli. I have one of those meat platters that sea gulls circle around.

Elton kicks my ass on piano. He's fantastic - a throwback to Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino and Little Richard. His spontaneous, improvisational playing always challenges me. And that is his contribution to rock and roll and pop: his musicianship. Before him, rock was a bunch of James Taylors - guitar based singer/songwriter stuff. Elton brought back fantastic piano-based rock. Elton knows what his instrument is capable of. The piano is a percussion instrument, like a drum. You don't strum a piano. You beat the shit out of a piano. Elton knows exactly how to do that - he always had that rhythm, very African, syncopated style that comes from being well versed in gospel and good old R&B. Elton and Bernie Taupin did some brilliant songwriting during the first part of his career, from "Elton John" to "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

The first time we met we were in Holland, at a hotel in Amsterdam. It was in the mid-seventies and he was at his peak - it was the hight of the Elton John era-and I was just starting out as the "Piano Man" guy. We went into a private room and we just talked. I told him what a fan I was, and he said he knew my stuff. I thought this was so cool: There were a thousand guitar players, but there were only two of us. The English piano player and the American piano player. And, seminally, rock and roll was not just guitar. Elton gave a funny looking guy like me - and so many others - an opportunity to be a singer/songwriter. When Elton was in his first band, Bluesology, he never thought he could be a rock star. Same as me. I didn't look like Mick Jagger or Paul McCartney or Jim Morrison. Sure, we thought we'd be piano players for big rock bands, but funny enough he ended up with big, silly glasses, and crazy outfits and I ended up with my dopey stage behavior, both of us rock stars. To this day we laugh about that. And he keeps going on and on.

I haven't written a song since 1993, and he asks me, "Billy, why don't you write some new songs?" I say, "Elton, why don't you write less new songs?" At $200 a ticket, you can't shove new stuff down people's throats. So much of his stuff is amazing though: "Rocket Man," "Crocadile Rock." "Bennie and The Jets," "Tiny Dancer," "Your Song" and "The Bitch Is Back." That's what they want to hear.

Any melodic songwriter owes a debt to Elton John, the supreme melodist. John Mayer, Five For Fighting, Alicia Keys. Christ, I don't know shit about new bands, but anybody who plays the keyboard and likes melody must give a nod to Elton. Like Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers. Carole King, and The Beatles, he carried on the rich tradition of writing beautiful melodies.


"Bloody Beans"
By: Richard Johnson
(April 2nd, 2004)

Billy Joel ended up in the emergency room yesterday morning after he cut his finger opening a can of cannellini beans. Joel's 22 year-old fiancée, Kate Lee, was making soup, and asked Joel to open the beans with an old-fashioned can opener. When he couldn't get the top completely off, Joel grabbed it and suffered a bloody gash on his finger. He bandaged it and went to bed, but got up at 4:30am to find it still bleeding. Concerned, Joel and Lee drove to a Glen Cove, Long Island, hospital. "He received no stitches," Joel's spokeswoman tells us. "They put a splint on it and he's at home resting comfortably."


"Joel Recovering After Nasty Gash"
(April 5th, 2004)

Rocker Billy Joel is recovering at home after a kitchen accident left him dripping with blood last week.

The singer was taken to hospital after cutting his hand on an opened tin of beans.

But the gash looked worse than it was and Joel left the hospital without needing stitches.


"'Movin' Out' Tour's 'Piano Man' Nominated For Music Award"
By: Ernio Hernandez
(April 10th, 2004)

Darren Holden - currently the lead vocalist on the "Movin' Out" National Tour - has been nominated for a New Music Weekly Award alongside names like Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Hillary Duff, Outkast, Josh Groban and Faith Hill. "I was absolutely surprised when I heard the news and I'm thrilled to be nominated for this award," stated Holden from Boston where Movin’ Out performs through April 10th, 2004. "It's an honor to be in the company of such wonderfully talented performers."

Holden will go up against such country names as Tim McGraw and Toby Keith for the Best Country Male Artist award. His album "Live & Learn" was released by Doubledee and has a single, "Wherever You Are," currently in the top 30 of country music charts.

Holden, who performed with the Broadway show sporadically as understudy to Michael Cavanaugh, kicked off the National Tour for Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's "Movin' Out" from Detroit's Fisher Theatre, January 26th, 2004.

The bookless show, currently residing at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre, uses Joel's song lyrics and Tharp's choreography to tell the story of six friends and lovers across three decades through love, war and loss. There is no dialogue and all songs are performed by pianist-singer Michael Cavanaugh, who sings non-stop and heads an on-stage band during the show.

The songlist includes many of Joel's hit songs and even interpolates some of his classical work. "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" functions as a sort of overture, introducing the characters. The story kicks off with "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and moves through other songs as the popular "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot," "Uptown Girl" and "Captain Jack," as well as more obscure early work like "James," "Summer, Highland Falls," and "Prelude/Angry Young Man."

Producers of the Broadway run - James L. Nederlander, Hal Luftig, Scott E. Nederlander, Terry Allen Kramer, Clear Channel Entertainment and Emanuel Azenberg - also present the current tour.


"'Movin' Out' Puts Broadway Spin On Billy Joel's Music"
By: Steven Hyden
(April 11th, 2004)

Once upon a time, "Movin' Out" was just a song off Billy Joel's breakthrough 1977 album "The Stranger." Now "Movin' Out" is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical headed Tuesday through April 18th, 2004 to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton.

Like "Mamma Mia!" drew on the hit-filled discography of ABBA, "Movin' Out" employs more than two dozen Joel songs in a format far removed from their usual classic rock radio trappings. The musical is wall-to-wall dancing, and it places Joel's catchy pop songs in a story about the ravages of war on young men after they return home.

Here are some things to keep in mind before catching "Movin' Out" next week.


Back Story

Joel was approached a few years back by famed choreographer Twyla Tharp about producing an innovative dance production set to his music. While Joel had been pitched Broadway show ideas in the past (including a drama based on the lyrics of "Piano Man") he never took these proposals seriously.

But Joel was hooked by Tharp's idea of taking characters from his biggest hits and integrating them into a single story told entirely through music and dance.


That's Right, There's No Dialogue

The plot of "Movin' Out," which involves a group of six high school friends whose lives are turned upside down when three of them are sent to Vietnam, is furthered by Tharp's expressive choreography and Joel's evocative music and lyrics, not characters talking to each other.

"The movement and the action tell the story - the experience, the emotional resonance, comes from action rather than language," Tharp said in a statement.

So, like, what the heck? It's just a bunch of dancing? How do you follow that? Actually, "Movin' Out" is very easy to watch and enjoy, promised actor David Gomez, who plays Tony. People might get thrown off at first, "but by the second act it's very clear who we are and it's easy just to fall into the show," he said.

Kim Craven, the show's dance supervisor, said "Movin' Out" is a show "that falls between the definitions of most shows," combining ballet and a boomer-friendly story with Joel's Top 40 pop rock.


Song List

There are 26 Joel songs included in "Movin' Out": "Just The Way You Are," "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," "The Longest Time," "Uptown Girl," "She's Got A Way," "We Didn't Start The Fire" and, of course, "Movin' Out" are among the hits.

Gomez was a Billy Joel fan going into the show, but hearing his music put into the context of the show's story gave him fresh appreciation for the songwriter's craftsmanship.

"They were just songs I would sing and I never realized what an amazing storyteller (Joel) is," he said.


Don't Forget Your Lighters

Joel's popularity is a big drawing card for "Movin' Out," so it's no surprise that the vibe in the audience before showtime is more akin to a rock concert than a Broadway show.

"It's a very buoyant feel because a lot of people who wouldn't come to a Broadway show come to this," Craven said. "When they start with 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' - 'A bottle of red/a bottle of white' - people go, 'Woo-Hoo!'"

The music is a good hook for people who might not normally dig show tunes, Gomez said.

"This is the best show to introduce to the husband who refuses to go to the theater," he said. "Men will like the music, and by the time they leave, they will love the show and tell all their friends."


The Cast

The tour is coming off a six-week run in Boston, but much of the cast has been with the show longer than that. "Most of the leads came from Broadway, so we're already in a groove," Gomez said.

The cast is headed up by Holly Cruikshank, Matthew Dibble, Gomez, Julieta Gros, Laurie Kanyok, Brendan King, Corbin Popp and Ron Todorowski as the principal dancer and Darren Holden and Matt Wilson on lead vocals. Opening night will feature Cruikshank as Brenda, Todorowski as Eddie, Gomez as Tony and Holden as the "Piano Man"/vocalist.

There are 40 people in the cast, and most of them perform on alternating nights. "There's almost always dancing for over two hours," Craven said. "Eight shows a week is a lot of work on the body."

The cast also has a rigorous rehearsal schedule. The dancers already are slotted for rehearsals at the PAC on Tuesday and Wednesday, and "depending on how it goes from there they might do one on Thursday," PAC marketing director Maria Van Laanen said.


"Ranging From Jerome Kern To Billy Joel"
By: Michael Kuchwara
(April 11th, 2004)

Nancy Lemenager is returning to Broadway.

Lemenager starred earlier this season in "Never Gonna Dance," a short-lived homage to all those Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movies that used some of Jerome Kern's loveliest melodies.

Now the performer will find herself dancing to the sounds of "Uptown Girl" - and more - in "Movin' Out," the Twyla Tharp musical featuring many of Joel's biggest hits. Lemenager joins the show May 9th, 2004 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. She will play the role of Brenda, replacing Karine Plantadit-Bageot.


"Billy Joel Has Unique Look at Jewish Roots"
By: Robert Kahn
(April 14th, 2004)

When Billy Joel met descendants of the man who pushed his Jewish grandfather out of business in Nazi Germany, he took pains to remember that the sins of the father were not the sins of the children.

"I only expected understanding on their part that something very bad happened because of their grandfather," Joel said yesterday, recalling the frosty Vienna meeting that is the basis for "The Joel Files," a 2001 documentary having its American TV premiere at 10 o'clock tonight on WNET.

Karl Amson Joel, Billy's late grandfather, ran a successful mail-order operation in pre-war Germany, but was forced into exile by Josef Neckermann, who took over the business under the Third Reich's Nuremberg laws.

Austrian filmmaker Beate Thalberg uncovered Billy Joel's family history while making a film about his half-brother Alexander, a celebrated conductor in Vienna, and helped set up the meeting with Lukas, Markus, and Julia Neckermann.

Joel said his desire to stay even-tempered with the grandchildren was challenged by the memory that their family had kept his grandfather's money and continues to prosper.

At one point, Joel recalled, one of the grandchildren tried to justify Neckermann's actions by explaining that "in those days, that's how business worked."

"She said something like 'My grandfather was making clothing so that the German troops didn't freeze outside of Stalingrad,'" Joel said. "And I thought to myself, 'Well gee, that must've been really comforting for the Russians.' There were moments where I just bit my lip and thought 'I am not going to turn this into Jerry Springer.'"

Even now, Joel said, "I'm not saying I harbor any ill will toward the Neckermanns, but I don't think they really see what happened for the evil it really was."


"'Movin' Out' Music, Dance Numbers Score Hit at PAC"
By: Carrie Gruman-Trinkner
(April 14th, 2004)

Go now to the PAC. Call the box office. "Movin' Out" cannot be missed.

The work follows the lives of five high school friends through relationship troubles, the Vietnam War, and the painful aftermath during which four of them deal with the heroic death of their friend.

However, this is no play or musical with dialogue neatly flowing into musical numbers. The music is the play. The lyrics, the tunes, the instruments and the dance. Especially the dance.

Twyla Tharp writes movement as though the melody has become fully embodied - the perfect union of the melodic, rhythmic and lyric elements with the physicality and staging of the numbers.

An onstage band including stunning pianist/vocalist Darren Holden who looks smilingly down upon the dancer/actors like a benevolent Billy Joel-god performs the songs. Those who love effortless purity of sound and freedom through various vocal timbres will love this man's performance.

The dancers are also equal to the task at hand. Each brings a definite personality to his or her movement. Swing Charlie Hodges stepped in for the Appleton opening as James, the war hero. He brought warmth to the role and strength to his numbers.

Julieta Gros played James' lover, Judy. Gros is good. However, her movement seems interrupted rather than smoothly flowing, resulting in a sometimes-choppy performance. Her characterization seemed the least true of the cast.

David Gomez dances the role of Tony who falls in love with Brenda (Holly Cruikshank) after she breaks up with the fifth member of the core cast, Eddie (Ron Todorowski). Gomez is possessed of high energy and an intensity that is thrilling. He is a great match for the lyric movement of Cruikshank. They are both passionate and athletic while displaying a beauty of movement that is at once breathtaking and lovely to watch.

Cruikshank in particular is deserving of kudos. She embodies the joy of dance with a sincerity and grace of movement. Her height and extension gives her incredible long lines, which she displays with a seeming effortlessness.

Todorowski is brilliant. His savagery and feral interpretation brings to life the pain, torment and rage of the character. We see Eddie in performance pieces that are masterful. While he seems to be flailing and throwing himself across the stage, his control and mastery of his craft is evident.

The ensemble dances frenetically and wonderfully. Their numbers are hallmarks of Tharp's style, seeming chaos, which is as seamless and asymmetrical. A standout of the troupe is Lynda Sing who dances a feature in Eddie's flashback to Vietnam ("Goodnight Saigon" - one of Joel's most poignant and beautiful songs.) Sing gives the piece the heart of its painful beauty.

The only real annoyance comes in the last major production number (Scene XII) when lighting designer thinks it clever to continue flashing lights toward the audience. The dancing seemed awesome...what I could see of it after the white dots disappeared.


"Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel Show Steps Off Broadway and Into The Benedum"
By: Jane Vranish
(April 18th, 2004)

Twyla Tharp has spent a lifetime movin' on, up and sideways. Perhaps it's no coincidence she designed the hit Broadway musical that took her in another direction: "Movin' Out."

"This is not your ordinary book musical," she says of the Billy Joel-inspired show that has been rockin' its Broadway house for more than a year. During that time, Tharp also put out a book called "The Creative Habit," in which she chronicled the process that produced mainstream show magic for a choreographer who has spent life on the edge.

"Movin' Out" is a crossover phenomenon that seems to have legs, and that's not just referring to the high-powered dancing that attracts the terpsichorean crowd. It also has 24 songs from Joel's repertoire for rock and roll fans. And while Tharp most often has been seen on the upward trends of dance, this show has attracted an unexpectedly large middle-aged audience, the ones that remember the '70s and Vietnam War protests.

And they all love it.

While Joel has been a well-known pop-star commodity, Tharp has been creating her quirky blend of modern dance that takes the technical discipline of ballet and sends it shooting like fireworks through a deceptively casual, jazz-inclined body.

Working with the classical principles of choreographer George Balanchine, the intensity of Martha Graham and the abstract methods of Merce Cunningham, she eschewed barefoot or pointe work and slapped her dancers into tennis shoes.

Where other choreographers were dissecting the intellectual properties of dance during the '60s and '70s, Tharp embraced all things American - Jelly Roll Morton, tap dancing, even the Beach Boys.

Using her whiz-bang, laser-like approach, Tharp shocked and delighted balletomanes by choreographing "Deuce Coupe" for the Joffrey Ballet in 1972, serving notice that the world would be her stage, a creative path that was rewarded later with the MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the "genius" award.

While maintaining her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance, she created more than 125 ballets worldwide - for The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet - and established a partnership with American Ballet Theatre.

She paired with Russian superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov a number of times, including the Emmy-winning "Baryshnikov By Tharp," and collaborated with David Byrne in her first Broadway venture, "The Catherine Wheel," followed by "Singin' in the Rain." On film, Tharp's work can be seen in "Hair," "Ragtime," "Amadeus," "White Nights" and "I'll Do Anything."

Tharp also had been listening to Joel's music for years. "I always used the new albums in the studio and found them very danceable," she says in her peremptory, no-nonsense style. "And as I listened to them, I thought Billy had a tangible sense of the world...a sense of the pulse of this country at that moment in time."

Like many others, she began to feel that his music had the range to support a full evening in the theatre. Joel had heard it all before but rejected the slim, "cornball" plots. To Tharp, the key would be his classical album, as yet not released. She knew that because of this material and Joel's musical growth within it, he might be attracted to the project.

So she put together a videotape of several Joel selections, using six members of her company who would later star in the Broadway version of "Movin' Out." Joel was suitably impressed, but agreed to participate only when he heard how Tharp would weave the songs together.

The premise for the show came from the story behind "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." Tharp pondered, "What happened to Brenda and Eddie after they broke up?"

Using names, moods and emotions from Joel's songs, Tharp devised a story that centered on the Vietnam War, following five characters through love, heartbreak, hope and maturity. A live band with a lead singer would share the stage equally with the dancers.

She chose songs that would support the dramatic hypothesis, but "Piano Man," one of Joel's most popular songs, was not among them. "This wasn't a signature evening of Billy Joel," she explains. "It was extending Billy into a bigger agenda."

Tharp had always worked to many types of music, but ordinarily in an abstract way. This would be a new challenge for her.

"I thought I had to structure a narrative and give the characters life, something that would amount to a beginning, a middle and an end," says Tharp. "It would have a heartbeat at the center, which was the vets. The men's ensemble got me through [the show]."

She had choreographed "Hair," which involved a lot of research for the training sequences, including movies about the Vietnam War, books and period films on the era, even army training films and mementos. But Tharp also decided to bring in a Green Beret soldier, a veteran of Vietnam, to talk to dancers who had not lived through that time.

"He shared some of the deep emotion of that experience and taught everyone how to salute," she says. But there was a difference. Tharp begins to cite warring nations - the Huns, the Visigoths, the Romans - where soldiers were heroes. She argues that America, during the Vietnam War, "drafted its men and sent them away and then brought them back as if they had been work for hire."

The Green Beret soldier gave Tharp his hat. In return, she doesn't want "Movin' Out" to be a protest or serve as a memorial.

She simply wants it to say, "Thank You."


"Scene & Heard"
By: Robert Kahn
(April 19th, 2004)

One big project at a time, thanks. That's what Billy Joel said when INY nudged him about making another album.

The Oyster Bay "Big Shot," who performs Wednesday at the Rainforest Foundation benefit at Carnegie Hall, repeated his oft-heard mantra: "I'm not saying I won't do it. But right now I'm very comfortable just writing sketches. They could become songs, or another Broadway show, or a movie score or music written for somebody else entirely. I'm just not putting myself under the gun."

Anyway, there's already a big project on the horizon: his wedding to Kate Lee, which will definitely be "this year." "That's a really big megillah," Joel says. "I've learned to try not biting off too many things at once."


"Billy Joel's Stunning Filly"
(April 23rd, 2004)

Pint-Sized singer Billy Joel shows off his latest "Uptown Girl"...stunning fiancée Kate Lee, 22.

She is tall and elegant, just like his former misses Christie Brinkley - who inspired his greatest hit.

Kate appeared at Billy Joel's side at a charity concert in New York.

Billy, 54, performed with Sir Elton John - actor Antonio Banderas and "Back To The Future" star Michael J. Fox.

They were raising money for rock star Sting's Rainforest Foundation.

Sting is to play a second benefit concert in London on May 16th, 2004.


"Billy Joel Suffers Cut In Long Island Car Accident, Police Say"
(April 25th, 2004)

Rocker Billy Joel was involved in his third car accident in two years Sunday when he slammed into a house on a wet road in a residential neighborhood. No one was seriously injured.

There was no evidence of alcohol or drug involvement and Joel was not suspected of any criminality, said Nassau County police Officer Joan Eames, a police spokeswoman.

Joel suffered a small cut on his left ring finger but refused medical attention, Eames said.

Witnesses said the accident occurred at about 4pm, when Joel, driving a burgundy and black car, crashed through a row of bushes and banged into a small beige home located at Bayville Avenue and Third Street, one block from the beach.

Accidents occur at the site "more often than at other places" because of a sharp bend in the road, Eames said. Rainy conditions Sunday made the road more dangerous.

The accident left a crack in the house's foundation and 6 foot-long skid marks in the sand in the street, witnesses said.

Thomas Phillips, Jr. was on his front lawn when he heard the crash and went over to see what happened.

"He (Joel) seemed embarrassed that he lost control of the car," Phillips said. "He said, 'I can't believe I got in another accident.' He was just going out to get a pizza."

No one was in the car with Joel, and no one in the house was injured, police said. A private company towed Joel's car from the scene.

A call to Joel's publicist, Claire Mercuri, was not immediately returned.

Last year Joel was hospitalized after smashing his car into a tree along a highway on far eastern Long Island. No summonses were issued, and Joel was not given a Breathalyzer test.

Joel, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, escaped serious injury in a crash in East Hampton in June 2002.

He later checked into a New Canaan, Connecticut, substance abuse and psychiatric center, reportedly after becoming depressed when a respiratory infection forced him to cut short a tour with fellow piano player Elton John.

Joel was involved in a motorcycle accident on Long Island in 1983.

He and model Christie Brinkley have a teenage daughter, Alexa Ray. The couple divorced in 1994.

Following last year's car accident, Brinkley expressed concerns about their daughter riding in a car with him.

"I'm worried about Billy," she said, "but like any mother would be, I am alarmed and concerned about my child's safety by this frightening pattern of accidents."

Joel has had more than two dozen Top 10 hits in his career, including his signature 1974 song "Piano Man." His music, including the title song "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," is currently the subject of a Broadway musical.


"Billy Joel In Long Island Car Accident, Refuses Treatment for Minor Injury"
(April 25th, 2004)

Entertainer Billy Joel is still rockin' and rollin' despite a traffic accident.

Witnesses in Long Island, New York, say Joel crashed through a row of bushes and hit a small beige house.

A police spokesman says there was no evidence of alcohol or drug involvement.

No one was in the car with him, and no one in the house was injured.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had a small cut on a finger, but refused medical treatment.

It's his third wreck in two years.

Joel has had more than two dozen Top Ten hits in his career, including his signature 1974 song "Piano Man."


"Billy Joel Unhurt In Car Accident"
By: J Jioni Palmer & Bill Bleyer
(April 25th, 2004)

Rock star Billy Joel crashed a vintage car into an unoccupied house in Bayville Sunday afternoon, Nassau County police said. It was Joel's third accident in about two years.

The crash occurred at about 4:00pm, when Joel was driving westbound on Bayville Avenue and his 1967 Citroën veered off the road and hit 409 Bayville Ave. The occupants of the home were not there at the time, police said.

Police said Joel suffered a small laceration on his left ring finger and minor damage to his car. He refused medical attention at the scene and had the car towed, police said. There was "no criminality" so no charges were filed, police said.

Neither Joel nor his publicist could be reached for comment Sunday night.

Neighbors who rushed to help Joel said he emerged from the car shaken and sheepish that he was involved in another car crash.

"When we found out it was Billy Joel, we were like holy cow, this is Billy Joel," said Tom Phillips, Jr., who helped Joel out of the car and with other neighbors helped push the vehicle away from the house and off the lawn.

He said Joel told them he had just left his $22 million Centre Island estate and was on his way to pick up a pizza. "He said 'I can't believe I'm another car accident,' " Phillips said. "I think he was embarrassed he lost control - that's why I think he was trying to be a joking guy and laugh it off."

Neighbors said there is a bend in the road near 3rd Street and Bayville Avenue close to the accident scene that can be tricky to navigate. They said a motorcycle crashed into the same house last year.

Nassau County police said no field sobriety test was conducted at the scene because there was no indication of any type of alcohol or drug use involved. In June 2002, Joel was treated for alcohol addiction after a car accident in Sag Harbor.

Sunday's accident marks Joel's third since 2002. His previous two bang-ups were on the East End, where he owns a home. In June 2002, Joel crashed his 1999 Mercedes-Benz into a fire well and post after losing control of the vehicle while attempting to make a turn. He refused medical attention and no charges were filed.

A week later he voluntarily entered Silver Hill Hospital in New Canann, Connecticut, a drug and alcohol facility favored by celebrities. Joel's publicist at the time said the accident and his hospitalization were "100 percent unrelated."

Six months after the first accident, in January 2003, Joel drove his 2002 Mercedes-Benz into a tree in Sag Harbor, and had to be extricated from the vehicle. He spent a night at the hospital being treated for head injuries. No charges were filed in that incident either.


"Witness Says Billy Joel 'Seemed Embarrassed' After Third Wreck In Two Years"
(April 25th, 2004)

A witness says singer Billy Joel "seemed embarrassed that he lost control" of his car on Long Island, New York, today.

Joel was on a wet road when he crashed through a row of bushes and slammed into a house.

He suffered a minor cut on his finger but a police officer said Joel refused medical treatment.

Thomas Phillips Junior heard the crash and went over to see what happened. He says Joel said, "I can't believe I got in another accident." Phillips says, "He was just going out to get a pizza."

Police say there was no evidence that alcohol or drugs were involved.

It was Joel's third wreck in two years.

Following last year's accident, ex-wife Christie Brinkley expressed concern about their daughter riding in a car with him.

He was alone today.


"Police Say Long Island Rock Star Billy Joel Drove His Car Into A Bayville Home"
(April 25th, 2004)

Nassau police say Long Island rock star Billy Joel drove one of his cars through a row of bushes and into a Bayville home on Sunday afternoon.

Police say there was minimal damage at the house, located on the corner of Bayville Avenue and Third Street. The residents were not home at the time of the crash. Cops say the "Piano Man" probably skidded off Bayville Avenue because of wet, slick road conditions from light rain at the time.

Joel was alone in his car. Police say he suffered a minor laceration to his hand but refused medical attention at the scene. No one else was hurt.

News 12 Long Island tried to reach a spokesperson for Joel, but phone calls were not returned. Cops say alcohol and drugs were not a factor in Sunday's accident. It was Billy Joel's third wreck in less than two years.


"New Smash Hit"
By: Lisa Pulitzer & Dan Kadison
(April 26th, 2004)

Singer Billy Joel was in no mood for a melody yesterday afternoon when he crashed his car into a Long Island home, damaging both the house and his classic roadster, cops said.

The "Piano Man" had hopped into his 1967 Citroën to drive to a mom-and-pop pizza joint in Bayville for a slice at around 4:00pm when he encountered "slick" roads less than a mile from his home on Centre Island, police and witnesses said.

His European-made, maroon and grey car skidded, jumped the curb, crashed through the bushes of the house at Bayville Avenue near Third Street and then struck its foundation, leaving it cracked, and a 6 foot skid mark in his wake, cops and locals said.

"I said [to Joel], 'Are you all right? Is everything OK? Do you want me to call an ambulance?'" recalled Joan Albano, who lives in the house next to the crash site.

"He said, 'No, no, I'm alright, I'm alright,' Albano said. "He looked really shaken up. He had a small cut on his finger."

When police arrived minutes later, Joel, 54, told them: "I'm OK, don't worry," Albano said, adding that he then said, "I was just going to get a pizza. I'm tired. I just woke up."

No one in the house was hurt.

It was the third car wreck for Joel in two years.

"[He] seemed embarrassed that he lost control of the car," said Thomas Phillips, who lives nearby. "He said, 'I can't believe I got in another accident.'"

Police said there was "no criminality involved" and no evidence alcohol was involved.

Joel has battled alcohol problems in the past.

The crash brought droves of locals rushing from their homes to the scene.

"At first, I didn't know who he was," Albano admitted.

"I was asking him if he needed any help. One of the neighbors came up and said, 'Billy, are you OK?' And that's when it registered who it was," she said.

One neighbor who lives near the accident site heard the crash while working on a school project with his daughter.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said the bend in the road at that particular spot has caused numerous accidents.

The owner of Gus' Pizzeria down the road from the crash site said the "Piano Man" is a regular there, usually grabbing a single slice during off hours and then quietly hanging out while eating it.

Early last year, the "Big Shot" wrapped his Mercedes-Benz S600 around a tree in Sag Harbor after rounding a dangerous bend. Joel also crashed a car in June 2002 in East Hampton and, in 1982, he fractured his wrist and broke his thumb when his motorcycle hit a car in Huntington.


"Billy Joel: Really Bad Driver"
By: Josh Grossberg
(April 26th, 2004)

Billy Joel: great piano player, lousy motorist.

What began as a Sunday trip to the pizza parlor ended with the "Piano Man" parked in the side of a Long Island house.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had taken out one of his vintage cars, a 1967 Citroën, to fetch the pie from a Bayville, New York, pizzeria, but the accident-prone pop-star lost control of the vehicle on a rain-slicked road and plowed in to the residence of a 93 year-old woman.

Joel, 54, reportedly walked away from the crash relatively unscathed, suffering only a cut on his left ring-finger. He declined medical attention.

Sunday's mishap marks the third time in less than two years that Joel has crashed a car.

The "Innocent Man" was not cited for the accident. Police said there was no evidence that drugs or booze was involved, instead blaming the wreck on bad weather.

"What you got here is basically a simple accident," said Nassau County Police Lieutenant Kevin Smith. "He lost control on slippery pavement...there were no signs that it was anything other than a minor accident due to slippery road conditions."

Police said Joel was driving solo on a tricky stretch of Bayville Avenue, when he lost control and ran off the road at about 4:00pm, cutting through some bushes before smashing into the residence.

His car was towed away with only minor damage. The owner of the house, Maria Dono, was not at home at the time of the accident. Long Island's Newsday quoted witnesses saying the impact left a gash in the small house's foundation wall and siding, as well as 6 foot skid marks across the sand by the road.

A publicist for Joel could not be reached for comment. But a witness says Joel, a longtime resident of Long Island, was not exactly in a happy state of mind afterward.

"He said, 'I can't believe I'm in another car accident,'" one Tom Phillips, Jr. told Newsday. "I think he was embarrassed he lost control - that's why I think he was trying to be a joking guy and laugh it off."

Jokes aside, Joel's driving prowess has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.

In June 2002, the ivory tickler was driving late at night in the Sag Harbor area of Long Island when he lost control of his Mercedes-Benz and slammed into a fire wall. He sustained minor injuries.

No charges were filed in that incident. Days later, Joel checked himself into the Silver Hill rehab clinic in Connecticut to deal with an "undisclosed personal problem," which his reps claimed had nothing to do with the crash. He later said the rehab came after "a prolonged period of overindulgence."

In January 2003, the "Movin' Out" composer was hospitalized briefly after banging himself up and totaling his Mercedes-Benz when he ran off the road and swerved into a tree not far from the site of the earlier accident.

Following the second accident, Joel's ex-wife, Christie Brinkley, said she was concerned for the welfare of their daughter Alexa Ray, in light of Joel's driving record and rehab stint. "I'm worried about Billy, but like any mother would be, I am alarmed and concerned about my child's safety by this frightening pattern of accidents."

Police released a statement saying there was no evidence Joel was under the influence at the time of the crash.

When not ruining his car collection, Joel has been enjoying life with his new "Uptown Girl," 22 year-old fiancée Kate Lee. The couple, who got engaged in January, have yet to set a date.


"Joel Produces New Smash Hit"
By: Tamer El-Ghobashy & Richard Weir
(April 26th, 2004)

Billy Joel, no stranger to car crashes, smashed his sedan into the home of a 93 year-old Long Island woman yesterday.

"I can't believe I got in another accident," the "Piano Man" moaned as he exited his 1967 French-made Citroën, according to Thomas Phillips, Jr., who saw the 4:00pm accident from his parents' front lawn in Bayville and helped Joel push his car back to the road. "He seemed embarrassed," said Phillips, 33.

"It was a small car, so the damage made it seem a lot worse than it actually was."

Joel, who was alone, suffered a minor cut to his left ring finger but refused medical attention.

It marked the 54 year-old singer's third driving mishap in less than two years. Police said there was no evidence alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.

Joel was headed west on a winding stretch of Bayville Avenue, near Third Street, when he lost control of the collector car.

"There were slick road conditions and a curve in the road. He veered off the road and hit the house," said Nassau Police spokeswoman Joan Eames.

Maria Dono returned from a grocery run to find her house swarming with cops and firefighters and her shrubs in tatters. The accident also caused damage to the wall and siding.

"I had been working on the yard all morning," said Dono, who had no idea who the famous singer is. "It was nice and clean, then I came back and saw all this mess."

"I'm 94 years-old and I still drive," she said. "I've never had an accident."

Joel's driving problems have made news in recent years. On January 25th, 2003, he smashed his $121,000 Mercedes-Benz into a tree in Sag Harbor but was not hurt seriously.

Three days later, his ex-wife Christie Brinkley was seen at that crash site - documenting what she called his "pattern" of car accidents, saying she feared for the safety of their daughter, Alexa Ray.

After a June 2002 car accident, also in Sag Harbor, Joel checked himself into rehab.

Earlier this month, Joel wound up in an emergency room after cutting his finger opening a can of cannellini beans. In September, Joel broke his wrist at his new Centre Island manse.

Joel's spokeswoman did not return a call last night.


"Road Warrior"
By: Scott Galupo
(April 27th, 2004)

Since Billy Joel stopped writing rock songs, his frequency of car wrecks has increased dramatically.

The singer-pianist lost control of his car on a rain-slicked road on Long Island and crashed into a house - his third car accident in two years.

There was no evidence of alcohol or drug involvement and Mr. Joel was not suspected of any crime, Nassau County police officer Joan Eames told the Associated Press.

Witnesses said the accident occurred about 4:00pm Sunday, when Mr. Joel, driving a burgundy and black car, crashed through a row of bushes and banged into a small beige home one block from the beach.

"He seemed embarrassed that he lost control of the car," one witness said. "He said, 'I can't believe I got in another accident.' He was just going out to get a pizza."


"Non-Fan Learns of Billy Joel The Hard Way"
By: K Heller
(April 27th, 2004)

Greetings, and a traffic tip to you all, dear readers. Perhaps you best watch yourself on Long Island when tunesmith Billy Joel is behind the wheel, provided that not all his cars are in the shop. Joel had his third crack-up in two years Sunday, crashing his 1967 classic Citroën into the Bayville, NY, home of a 93 year-old woman. She's fine, having been at the grocery store at the time. Joel's fine. The car is another matter. Joel has had recent troubles with the bottle, though police say there was no evidence of substance abuse. He was not charged. To add insult to vehicular injury, the woman hadn't heard of Joel.



"Cra$h Dummy Will Pay A 'Premium' For Latest Slip"
By: Kate Sheehy
(April 27th, 2004)

Billy Joel should be in an Allstate of mind right about now.

The car-crazy crooner will likely see his already astronomical insurance rates skyrocket, thanks to his crash into a Long Island home Sunday - his third smash-up in less than two years, insurers said yesterday.

"Judging from his past record, it looks like his insurance premiums would at least double," said insurer Art Kaplan, who owns the Linart Agency in Hicksville.

"I would say he definitely fits into the high-risk category," Kaplan said. "People do get into accidents. Some are more prone than others.... [But] he's a pretty reckless guy. He has a lot of money, and I think he has a disregard of the privilege of driving."

Joel's spokeswoman, asked yesterday if the singer was bracing for having to shell out more megabucks to insure his fleet of pricey wheels, chuckled and then only said, "No comment."

Joel's vehicles have included Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and even a Ford 4x4 pickup truck. He had a $120,000-plus Mercedes-Benz sedan that he totalled in the summer of 2002, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that he crashed in 1982.

His latest car to take a hit was a vintage 1967 Citroën.

The fact that the vehicle is a classic means Joel's insurance policy on it would likely be high, since such cars are more costly to fix, said State Farm spokeswoman Karyn Garsky.

"If you have something rare and you have to replace a front fender, it's not something that's so readily available," Garsky said.


"Hits Keep Coming"
It's His Third Crash In 2 Years, But Experts Say Police On The Scene Had No Reason To Give Him A Sobriety Test

By: Robert Kahn & Erik Holm
(April 27th, 2004)

A dangerous pattern of accidents, or just bad car-ma?

Billy Joel's most recent crash - his third one-vehicle mishap since 2002 - fueled speculation yesterday whether the latest incident may be connected to drinking by the rehabbed rocker.

It also raised the issue of whether police should have taken his history into account when they decided not to give a field sobriety test Sunday.

Criminal justice experts and drunken driving activists said yesterday that police would have needed evidence that Joel had been drinking before they could conduct a sobriety test.

If there had been a death or serious injury, a test would have been required, said Eugene O'Donnell, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Otherwise, police look for slurred speech, disheveled clothing, bloodshot or watery eyes, the smell of alcohol, open containers, or unsteadiness.

Nassau police and witnesses said yesterday that Joel, 54, exhibited none of those indicators after he lost control of his 1967 Citroën, drove through some shrubbery and banged into the wall of a Bayville Avenue home less than a mile from his Centre Island mansion.

"At this scene, there was no sign of alcohol use," said Nassau Detective Lieutenant Kevin Smith, "and no odor of an alcoholic beverage." Police attributed the crash to slick road conditions.

Homeowner Maria Dono, 94, was away grocery shopping and Joel suffered a small cut to his left ring-finger.

Joel was unavailable for comment yesterday, but spokeswoman Claire Mercuri said, "Billy's main concern is the damage to Mrs. Dono's property, and he's taken immediate steps to make sure it's repaired as quickly as possible."

John Pacifico, who lives across the street from the home Joel hit, said there have been at least three mishaps there in the last three years.

Joel entered Silver Hill, a rehab facility in Connecticut, a week after plowing into a post in Sag Harbor in June 2002. Six months later, he drove his car into a tree, and ex-wife Christie Brinkley released a public statement saying she feared for the safety of their daughter, Alexa Ray, because of Joel's "pattern" of car accidents.

It probably would not be illegal for police to consider that information, if they had it, in their decision making at the scene of Sunday's accident, O'Donnell said.

"There's no real textbook answer on that," he said. "I mean, how often do you come across Billy Joel after he hit a house with an antique car?"

Police who responded to Joel's earlier crashes did not perform sobriety tests either.

"Police shouldn't give the test every time there's a crash," said Denna Cohen, president of the Long Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "Sometimes, you could just be a bad driver."

Neighbors in Bayville rallied to Joel's defense.

Joel's barber, Michael Binyaminov of Michael's Barbershop in Bayville, said locals are familiar with the road and understand how a crash could happen under those conditions.

"Some people say it was alcohol, but I think the road was slippery," said Binyaminov.


Billy Joel's Catalog of Hits

Some of Billy Joel's Recent Cuts & Scrapes:

June 12th, 2002: Crashed his 1999 Mercedes-Benz into a post after losing control of his vehicle while making a turn in Sag Harbor. He checked into a Connecticut rehab facility a week later.

January 25th, 2003: Drove his 2002 Mercedes-Benz into a tree in Sag Harbor and had to be extricated from the car. Spent a night at the hospital being treated for head injuries.

September 27th, 2003: Shattered his right wrist after falling down the steps while inspecting construction work in his Sag Harbor home. At the time, his spokeswoman said he reached for where the light switch used to be and found an alarm box instead.

April 1st, 2004: Cut his finger opening a can of beans. He went to the emergency room for a splint, but needed no stitches, his spokeswoman said.

April 26th, 2004: Lost control of his 1967 Citroën in Bayville and crashed into an unoccupied house. He was relatively unscathed, escaping with only a cut to his finger and minor damage to the vintage car.


"The Same Ol' Song"
The Hits Just Keep On Coming For The 'Piano Man" - In His Cars, That Is - But Pals Doubt He's Fallen Off Wagon

By: Robert Kahn
(April 27th, 2004)

A dangerous pattern of accidents, or just bad car-ma?

Billy Joel's most recent crash - his third one-vehicle mishap since 2002 - fueled new questions about whether the crashes may be connected to drinking by the rehabbed rocker.

Despite the unusual circumstances, friends and neighbors stood by the singer.

"I'm not worried that he's been drinking at all," said Peter Needham, co-owner of C H Marine on Shelter Island and a friend of Joel's. "I would say it's just bad luck."

Joel, 54, was out for a late-afternoon pizza run Sunday when he lost control of his maroon 1967 Citroën, drove through some shrubbery and banged into the wall of a Bayville Avenue home, less than a mile from the Centre Island mansion he's settling into with his fiancée, Kate Lee.

Homeowner Maria Dono, 94, was away grocery shopping, and Joel suffered a small cut to his left ring-finger.

In June 2002, Joel entered Silver Hill, a rehab facility in Connecticut, a week after plowing into a post in Sag Harbor. Six months later, he drove his car into a tree, and ex-wife Christie Brinkley released a public statement saying she feared for the safety of their daughter, Alexa Ray, then 17, because of Joel's "pattern" of car accidents.

Joel was unavailable for comment yesterday, but spokeswoman Claire Mercuri said, "Billy's main concern is the damage to Mrs. Dono's property, and he's taken immediate steps to make sure it's repaired as quickly as possible."

Neighbors in Bayville rallied to Joel's defense.

Joel's barber, Michael Binyaminov of Michael's Barbershop in Bayville, said most of his customers were familiar with the scene of the accident and understood how it could happen on slick roads.

"Some people say it was alcohol, but I think the road was slippery," said Binyaminov, who cut Joel's hair April 19th, 2004, two days before the singer performed to rave reviews at Sting's Rain Forest Foundation benefit in Manhattan.

In a recent interview with Newsday, Joel talked about how excited he was to be decorating his $22 million home with Lee and how his next big project would be planning their wedding, set for "later this year."

"I've learned you can only take on one big project at a time," Joel joked.


Billy Joel's Catalog of Hits

Some of Billy Joel's Recent Cuts & Scrapes:

June 12th, 2002: Crashed his 1999 Mercedes-Benz into a post after losing control of his vehicle while making a turn in Sag Harbor. He checked into a Connecticut rehab facility a week later.

January 25th, 2003: Drove his 2002 Mercedes-Benz into a tree in Sag Harbor and had to be extricated from the car. Spent a night at the hospital being treated for head injuries.

September 27th, 2003: Shattered his right wrist after falling down the steps while inspecting construction work in his Sag Harbor home. At the time, his spokeswoman said he reached for where the light switch used to be and found an alarm box instead.

April 1st, 2004: Cut his finger opening a can of beans. He went to the emergency room for a splint, but needed no stitches, his spokeswoman said.

April 26th, 2004: Lost control of his 1967 Citroën in Bayville and crashed into an unoccupied house. He was relatively unscathed, escaping with only a cut to his finger and minor damage to the vintage car.


"Woman Expects Joel To Pay For Home Repairs"
(April 27th, 2004)

A 93 year-old woman whose house was damaged when Billy Joel slammed into it with his car had never heard of the Long Island singer until the accident, but now she expects him to pay for repairs.

Maria Dono of Bayville returned from a shopping trip Sunday afternoon to find Joel speaking with police outside her house.

"He hit my bushes and the wall. He'd better come fix it," Maria Dono told the New York Post for Tuesday's editions. "I'm sure he has money."

Claire Mercuri, a spokeswoman for Joel, said the 54 year-old singer's "main concern" was to repair the damage.

"He's taken immediate steps to make sure it's repaired as quickly as possible," Mercuri told the Post.

Joel had been driving on Bayville Avenue when his 1967 Citroën skidded on the wet road and hit Dono's house. There was no evidence of alcohol or drug involvement and Joel was not suspected of any crime, Nassau County police said.

He suffered a small cut on his left ring-finger but refused medical attention.

The wreck was the third car accident in two years for Joel. Last year, he was hospitalized after smashing his car into a tree along a highway on far eastern Long Island, and he escaped serious injury in a crash in East Hampton in June 2002.


"Billy Joel Out of Control"
By: Jaclyn Arndt
(April 28th, 2004)

New York "Piano Man" Billy Joel was recently involved in a car crash. The singer was driving in Long Island when he lost control of his 1967 Citroën and swerved off the road, eventually smashing into a house. Joel was not injured in the accident, and no other passengers were in the car with him when it happened. This is the artist's third car crash in only two years.

Billy Joel is a Grammy award-winning artist and calls himself a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joel first debuted in 1971 with "Cold Spring Harbor" (sporting a very fashionable afro and moustache on the cover), eventually going on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. Some of Joel's best known tunes include "Uptown Girl" and "New York State of Mind." The singer was also married to supermodel Christie Brinkley at one point in time.

Not quite the force he used to be in the music world any longer, Joel had no qualms releasing his latest album "Fantasies & Delusions," more than eight years after 1993's "River of Dreams." While recording and releasing new material may not be Joel's strong point anymore, he is finding new ways of carrying his legacy
onwards. Broadway, in the form of "Movin' Out," is the new home of Billy Joel's talent. The musical tells the story of Vietnam veterans' experiences after they return home from war, with twenty-six of Joel's songs as the backdrop.


"'Piano Man' Makes Little Old Lady Swoon"
By: Kieran Crowley
(April 30th, 2004)

Billy Joel ran over her shrubs and flower bed when his car skidded into her Long Island house in the rain, but the "Piano Man" did the right thing - he plied 93 year-old Maria Dono with flowers, lawyers and insurance adjusters.

"I have a beautiful bouquet here and a beautiful vase," Dono told The Post at her Bayville home, where Joel ran over her lawn and cracked her home's foundation on Sunday.

Along with the flowers was a note from Joel:

"My sincerest apologies. I will make sure that any damages I have incurred will be repaired, and again, my sincerest regrets. All the best, Billy Joel."

"I think he intends to come around and see if I need to have anything done," said Dono, beaming.

She put the spray of flowers on a table where it could be seen from outside.

Her son, Joe Dono of Pennsylvania, got a call from the "Piano Man."

"He's a great guy," said Joe Dono. "He expressed his regret for what happened. It was just an accident and he skidded. He's really a standup guy."

A spokeswoman for Joel said lawyers and insurance adjusters have been dispatched to make everything right as quickly as possible.

The accident occurred as Joel drove along Bayville Avenue to get a pizza.

Joel's vintage 1967 Citroën suffered front-end damage in the crash, but he suffered only a cut on his finger. Police determined alcohol was not involved.