In 2008, Billy Joel asked American music journalist Fred Schruers to help him write his autobiography. The two spent over a hundred hours intensely discussing Joel's life: his childhood in Long Island, his experiences as a boxer, his failed marriage to Christie Brinkley, and his battle with drug addiction - and of course, his songs and career. They talked about "Piano Man," the song in which Joel processed his experiences as a bar pianist in 1973, which significantly shaped his image. They also discussed the many hits the singer achieved in later years: Uptown Girl, Leningrad, We Didn't Start The Fire, and River Of Dreams - all classics that have made Joel one of the greatest rock stars in the USA, still filling large venues today.