I just finished reading the book "Billy Joel The Biography" by author Mark Bego that was published in 2007, whom has wrote many other unauthorized biographies. I've always been a fan of Billy Joel, but didn't really know a whole lot about him. So when I saw this book for cheap, I picked it up. I now know why this book was so cheap. While I did learn a few things about the man. The book comes off as a cut and paste type of book, with lots of quotes from other interviews and publications. I mean he even uses stuff from National Inquirer, ya, there's a good resource.
The second half of the book seems to really focus on ex-band members, but especially Liberty DeVitto who played drums for Billy Joel for decades then to only be left out of the band for no reason. Billy seemed to do this to a lot of his old band members. After becoming very successful, Billy never did pay his band members appropriately, taking most of the riches himself. Billy comes across as a very grumpy guy who never took the time for the people whom helped him become so successful in his music career. If it wasn't for the ex members of his band speaking out, there wouldn't be a whole lot to write about here.
The book is poorly written, with the author repeating himself not only through out the book, but he often does it in the same chapter, but he does it on the same page too. Seems like the book wasn't proof read or had an editor. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you can find it for dirt cheap. There is only one other book I know about, written about Billy Joel "The Life and Times Of An Angry Young Man" by Hank Bordowitz. Be nice if Billy himself would just write a book, hell it would be even better if Billy Joel would write a new album and put out some new music. It's been since his 1993 album "River Of Dreams" that he has put out an actual album with vocals.
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