JOEL CREDITS MOVIN' OUT FOR HELPING RECOVERY

Singer/songwriter BILLY JOEL credits his work on the Broadway musical MOVIN' OUT with helping him recover from alcohol addiction last year (05).

The UPTOWN GIRL hitmaker, who spent time in the Betty Ford Centre in California to conquer his habit, was also dealing with the stress of taking legal action against his former manager and ex-brother-in-law FRANK WEBER over accounting irregularities.

Joel is bemused by the media hype surrounding his treatment, insisting addiction is inevitable for most musicians. He says, "I don't know why there was so much fuss about me going into rehab, I was like, 'Well, doesn't everybody?' "The lawsuit was a pain in the a**, that's true, but I've done really well for myself so nobody needs to worry about me. "But it's amazing how nobody in the music industry gets away clean. "It's like prizefighting - you get a shot at the title, but ultimately you always get your a** kicked and then you turn around and all the money's gone."

29/03/2006 17:30