Billy Joel: And So It Goes, From the Inside, Part 2

How does a theater kid who never finished high school end up beside Billy Joel for 50 years?

Steve Cohen grew up in Canoga Park, California, cut school to sneak onto Hollywood studio lots, and learned to run sound and lights at the Starwood club on Santa Monica Boulevard. At 20 he started a lighting company with a couple of partners, cold-called every manager listed in the back of Billboard, and landed Billy Joel and Earth, Wind & Fire in the same day, with only one lighting rig between them. At his first rehearsal, the band played "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," and Steve heard a story he could light.

In Episode 257, the second of two parts, Christian Taylor sits down with Steve Cohen, Billy Joel's creative director and an executive producer of the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Last time the conversation was about the film. This time it is about Steve: how he grew from lighting into directing Billy's early music videos, designing tours for other artists, and producing the documentary Last Play at Shea, and what has kept him in Billy Joel's world for half a century.

Steve gives a plain list of what lasting takes: a work ethic that matches Billy's, keeping your mouth shut, never getting too full of yourself, and knowing when to leave the room. He explains why Billy wears a jacket on stage, why every one of the 56 musicians who played in the band is listed in the film's credits, and how the music was remixed in 5.1 for the film. He and Christian share the same wish, Billy Joel's return to center stage at Madison Square Garden, and Steve sums up what the four-year project taught him: "We're put on this earth to be of service."

WATCH THE FILM

Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO, 2025), directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, is streaming on HBO Max: https://www.hbomax.com/show/2abc1a61-f4ac-4b0e-ae84-3cc5a3b53d03

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How a California theater kid found his talent for lighting music
• How cold calls from a Billboard list led to Billy Joel in 1974
• What "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" taught Steve about telling a story with light
• What it takes to last 50 years in a creative partnership
• Why the film's credits list all 56 musicians who played with Billy Joel
• How Steve went from lighting to music videos to producing documentaries
• Why Billy Joel wears a jacket on stage
• How the music for And So It Goes was remixed in 5.1
• How archival producers and editors shaped the film
• Why Steve says the film made him new lifelong friends at 71

CHAPTERS

0:00 From Canoga Park to the Starwood

4:10 Cold-Calling Billy Joel's Manager

8:51 How Do You Last 50 Years in a Band?

13:15 From Music Videos to Last Play at Shea

18:20 Hoping for One More Night at the Garden

25:03 Why He Wears a Jacket on Stage

28:59 Editors, Sound and a 5.1 Remix

33:15 We're Put on This Earth to Be of Service

37:27 The Archival Team and the Mean Brothers

44:32 The Kid Stays in the Picture and More

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did Steve Cohen start working with Billy Joel?

In 1974, Steve Cohen and a couple of partners started a lighting company and cold-called every manager listed at the back of Billboard magazine. Steve landed Billy Joel the same day a partner landed Earth, Wind & Fire, with one lighting system between them. He rented gear, went to rehearsals, and has worked with Billy Joel ever since.

How do you last 50 years in a creative partnership?

Steve Cohen credits a work ethic that matches Billy Joel's, knowing when to keep quiet, never getting too full of himself, and knowing when to leave the room. He also kept a career of his own, designing for other artists, which he says Billy enjoyed hearing about. His role grew over time, and Billy encouraged it.

Why does Billy Joel wear a jacket on stage?

According to Steve Cohen, Billy Joel started wearing a suit coat and tie on stage because the audience had paid money to see him, and he wanted to show them a little respect. It also gave him a simple style that never had to chase trends. Steve says it reflects Billy's belief that you show up and do the work.

How was the music remixed for Billy Joel: And So It Goes?

Steve Cohen says the team brought in recording engineer Bradshaw Leigh, who worked on Billy Joel's records with producer Phil Ramone, to remix the songs in 5.1 surround sound for the film, rather than faking a surround mix. Pieces of Billy's music were also reworked as score for the section on his family history.

DOCUVIEW DÉJÀ VU PICKS

Steve's picks:

• The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002), about film producer Robert Evans: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303353/
• Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (2015), told without on-screen talking heads: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3838978/
• David Foster: Off the Record (2019), directed by Barry Avrich: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10655608/
• Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note (1998), Susan Lacy's American Masters film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199708/

SPONSORED BY ARTILLERY SPORTS

This episode is brought to you by Artillery Sports, which makes durable sports equipment and uses a portion of its profits to help care for the nation's veterans. Use the code DocFirst for 10% off your first order. https://artillerysports.com

LISTEN AND FOLLOW

Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts: https://pod.fo/e/4a7fa2

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@documentaryfirst

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DocumentaryFirst

CONNECT WITH DOCUMENTARY FIRST

All platforms: https://linktr.ee/doc1st

Christian Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetchristiantaylor

ABOUT THE GUEST

Steve Cohen

Creative Director for Billy Joel; Executive Producer, Billy Joel: And So It Goes

Steve Cohen grew up in Canoga Park, California, and started a lighting company at 20. Billy Joel was his first major client, in 1974, and Steve has been his lighting designer and creative director ever since. He has designed tours and television for many other artists, directed Billy Joel's early music videos, produced the documentary Last Play at Shea, and was the executive producer and lighting designer of the special on Billy Joel's 100th show at Madison Square Garden.

ABOUT DOCUMENTARY FIRST

Documentary First is a weekly podcast about the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom, talks with filmmakers from Ken Burns to first-time directors. Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Billy Joel: And So It Goes (IMDb): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36458116/
• Part 1 of this conversation, on the making of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4S-XT5UM4g