Veteran musician Billy Joel has revealed he’s been banned from performing and he’s selling off his beloved collection of motorbikes because he’s “not allowed to drive” anymore since being diagnosed with neurological condition hydrocephalus.
Billy Joel has been banned from performing and is “not allowed to drive” anymore.
The 77-year-old musician has revealed he is selling off his beloved collection of motorbikes because his doctors have warned him against getting back on the road since he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a neurological condition that occurs primarily in older adults, and they have also ordered him to stay away from the stage because the “stress of the show” could be too much for him.
Billy told The Hollywood Reporter: “Well, my health is good. I have this thing called hydrocephalus. It used to be called water on the brain, so it affects your balance, it affects your memory, it affects your vision, your hearing. But I’m OK.
“They call it a brain disorder, but it’s not that serious. It’s just something that affects your balance mostly.”
When asked if he will be able to tour again, Billy explained he’s waiting for more tests to find out whether he will be allowed to perform any more shows.
He said: “I don’t know. I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive.
“And I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion …
“[It’s] the volume. Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man. Rock ‘n’ roll made me deaf already. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance.
“There’s a lot going on when you’re onstage. And they said: ‘Well, you really shouldn’t be doing that right now.’ So they have to test me further to see if I can go back and do performing again, which I would like to be able to do.”
Billy admitted he’s selling off his motorbikes partly because of his health condition but he also accepts he doesn’t want to “die like a bug on a windshield”.
He added: “I ended up having over a hundred motorcycles, and the truth is you can only ride one at a time. I’m into my 70s now, and I realized I can’t ride as much as I used to.
“I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield. So I thought I’d put a lot of them on auction.”
Billy is putting over 70 bikes from his personal collection up for sale at Rétromobile New York in November, with proceeds going to his own Joel Foundation.
In a statement to TMZ, Gooding Christie president David Gooding said: “We are truly honoured to present the Billy Joel Motorcycle Collection, and with what better location than New York City itself, a place so strongly associated with Mr. Joel and his celebrated legacy as one of the most beloved musicians of all time.”
Lots set to be featured in the auction include the Piano Man hitmaker’s 1978 Triumph T140 Bonneville, a 1982 Ducati Mike Hailwood 900, and a 1975 Ducati 750 Sport.
Billy Joel is ‘not allowed to perform any more’
