Billy Joel Breaks Silence About Brain Disorder: “I Feel Good”

Billy Joel has opened up being diagnosed with brain disorder Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), news that alarmed fans of the iconic singer after he canceled upcoming concerts earlier this year.

“I feel fine. My balance sucks. It’s like being a boat,” Joel told Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, which dropped on Monday (below). Joel, who was seated at a piano during the interview, added that doctors are still caring for his condition, which used to be called “water on the brain” and for which there’s little understanding of a cause.

“They don’t know… I thought it must be from drinking,” Joel, who has since given up alcohol, ventured. “I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling,” he insisted.

When the legendary singer and songwriter first shared his health diagnosis in late May, his representatives in a statement said the condition “has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance.” That led to physical therapy for Joel for a potential full recovery.

Joel’s sit-down with Maher coincides with the debut of his HBO documentary And So It Goes, the first part of which premiered on the premium cable channel on Friday. Part Two will air on Friday, July 25.

The two-parter offers an intimate portrait of the six-time Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. “Our abiding principle was to let the music lead so that people could understand what made this artist tick, and what went into his music, and to get a peek behind his process but also an understanding of how his real-life experiences fed his music and his lyrics,” co-director Jessica Levin recently told The Hollywood Reporter of Joel, who has written 121 songs and of which the film includes 110 of them.

During the Club Random podcast, Joel admitted at one time to considering bringing on board a song-writing partner. “I thought about it,” he said. Joel, who wrote a host of songs about women, including “She’s Always a Woman” and “Uptown Girl,” also recalled with respect his former partners, including wife Christie Brinkley. “I just have this uncontrollable adoration of women,” Joel said.