The Untold Truth Of Billy Joel

The year 1971 was not a good one for Billy Joel, according to a 2006 profile in The Times of London (via Medium). He released his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971, but it was a commercial flop and Joel hated it (for one thing, a mistake in the mastering process gave him

The year 1971 was not a good one for Billy Joel, according to a 2006 profile in The Times of London (via Medium). He released his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971, but it was a commercial flop and Joel hated it (for one thing, a mistake in the mastering process gave him a comically high voice on vinyl). He ran out of money, and to pay the bills, he took a job in a factory, right around the time that Elizabeth Weber dumped him. And so, Joel decided to end his own life. He first tried to overdose on the barbiturate Nembutal, taking a large dose before calling Jon Small to apologize for ruining his marriage. Small saved his life, getting Joel to a hospital for an emergency stomach pumping. 

Soon after, Joel attempted suicide once more, this time with furniture polish. "I looked in my closet and said, 'Okay, I'm going to do myself in — what have we got here?' There was chlorine bleach and there was furniture polish," Joel told The Times. "At the time I was thinking, 'Hmm ... which one will taste better? Well, the furniture polish said that it was lemon-scented, so I figured it had to be that one.'" Joel survived the attempt, but says he "just farted furniture polish" before seeking professional help at a mental health facility.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9k25ta3FfqbWmedSnq6iklGLBs8HToWSonl2Xtq242GahqJ2cZA%3D%3D

 Share!