According to Stereogum.com, there have been a number of projects going around following the life of Billy Joel, both with and without his prior approval, with the latest is likely to cause some commotion. The newest addition is an AI animated film, which has been made based on lost interview a then 22-year-old Joel gave to a college radio station in Long Island, off the back of the release of his first album, Cold Spring Harbor. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adam Ripp is behind the AI film and also happens to be the son of Artie Ripp, who produced Joel’s debut record.
The pair famously parted ways on terms after the singer accused the producer of allegedly causing the album’s commercial failure by mastering it at the wrong speed. In terms of the latest film, Joel’s first manager, Irwin Mazur, reportedly unearthed the tapes of the lost radio appearance alongside his cousin Ed Mann, who conducted the interview in 1971. They subsequently brought the tapes to Ripp, who then used a Canadian AI company to animate photos and sound recordings into the 20-minute movie, 1971: Billy Joel’s Lost Interview.
Joel has not commented on the development of the project since it was first reported on last week but it is the latest in line of unauthorized projects being made about him involving Mazur. The singer’s former manager is set to become the focal point of the biopic Billy & Me, telling Joel’s story from his perspective as well as that of his ex-bandmate, Jon Small.
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