Billy Joel Once Tried Heroin

Larry Busacca/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Billy Joel was spilling secrets at a star-studded gathering Monday to celebrate his upcoming 65th birthday.

The rocker admitted that he once tried heroin in the late 1970s in Amsterdam, and the result was the song, "Scandinavian Skies" from his 1982 album, "The Nylon Curtain." He made the admission during an intimate town hall moderated by Howard Stern and Robin Quivers and broadcast on Sirius XM's Howard 100 and Billy Joel channels.

"It got me so high, I didn't know how to deal with it," Joel told the crowd of 100 guests, including Matt Lauer, Rachael Ray and pre-approved fans, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. "It scared me."

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Asked if he had any regrets, Joel, who turns 65 on May 9, replied, "If you have no regrets, what kind of life did you have?"

One regret he had was leaving Woodstock before Jimi Hendrix's performance. Joel said he left early because the portable toilets were inadequate.

Monday's event, held just over two hours at New York City's Cutting Room, also featured live performances by Pink, Melissa Etheridge, Boyz II Men, Idina Menzel and Tony Bennett. Joel performed a cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.

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Asked if he planned to write any new pop songs, Joel quipped, "I just don't want to. You have to want to write new songs. Elton John asked, 'When are you going to make another album?' I say to him, 'Why don't you make less albums?'"

But Joel is toying with the idea of forming a band with fellow artists Sting and Don Henley.

"I liked being in a band," he told the crowd. "Someday, we might put together a silly super group."