Billy Joel has accomplished a lot in his 50-year career.
With an impressive 33 Top-40 hits, 23 Grammy nominations and an estimated 150 million records sold worldwide, there’s so much that can be discussed when it comes to the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
So, when he went to chat with Howard Stern on Sirius XM’s Town Hall series in New York City, they had no problem getting down to business.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Joel and Stern gabbed about everything from the singer-songwriter’s laudable music career to the depths of his personal life. The personal aspect of the conversation led to one astonishing admission.
The 64-year-old singer opened up about the unconventional source of inspiration behind his 1983 hit single “Scandinavian Skies”. He explained that his experience with heroin is what fueled the inspiration for the song.
“It got me so high, I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Joel said about experimenting with the opioid analgesic drug. “It scared me.”
In the early 2000s, the Nylon Curtain singer openly discussed his battle with alcoholism after being involved in a number of automobile accidents. He also admitted to suffering from depression and using alcohol as a form of medication.
“I was kind of in a mental fog, and it had nothing to do with the booze,” the singer told the New York Times during an interview back in May of 2013. “My mind wasn’t right. I wasn’t focused. I went into a deep, deep depression after 9/11. 9/11 just knocked the wind out of me, and I don’t know even now if I’ve recovered from it… I used booze as medication.”
Luckily, the six-time Grammy winner has overcome his battle with substance abuse, because he still has work to do! Joel is currently holding a monthly residency at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY. He told Stern he has no plans of slowing down, just yet. As long as the fans are all in, so is he! “As long as there is ticket demand and I have the wherewithal to do it, we are going to stay there.”
Image via Billy Joel, Facebook