I want the real story told, and I was hoping it would be done by someone like you that I trust - Billy Joel

Billy Joel's long-time friend, veteran writer Bill Smith has unprecedented access to the singer who has moved millions with his music and heartfelt performances. With hours of taped interviews with dozens of friends, lovers, ex-wives, industry executives and managers, he has all the material to write the consummate Billy Joel book.

From Joel's early love of classical music and the first professional music jobs he took to supplement the family income, to becoming a multiple Grammy Award winner and being named by Columbia Records as their biggest-selling solo artist of the 20th century, 'I Go to Extremes' is the most comprehensive account available of Joel's remarkable career. Among the highlights are new insights into Joel's marriage to the supermodel Christie Brinkley and the birth of their daughter, Alexa Ray, collaborations with Ray Charles, Steve Winwood and Cyndi Lauper, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Joel's thoughts on being a favourite of former US president Bill Clinton.