There have been acouple of discussions here recently about the bands decision s to go public with the large donation they made to Oprah last week, and in general Jon allowing himself to be taped while doing philanthropic work.
The following is an interview with Jon and Richie from a US news show on CNN called Showbiz Tonight. I transcribed this interview from the tv and did my best to be exact. In other words these are Jon and Richies words and thoughts not my take on what they said.

Here goes:

INT: What made you give that money to Katrina relief?

JON: Everytime we get a chance to do something good we try to do it. I mean this is the one and only time we have done it publicly, but in light of Oprahs coverage of the aftermath of it all, and the "human" element of it that she reported on, I was so moved. There are 355 thousand people displaced just in Louisiana, during these kinds of tragedies it's important to lead by example, actions speak louder than words. We always get involved in a telethon or performance kind of thing, but in this instance it wasn't to share with the world for the sake of patting ourselves on the back, it was a "here's my money now you put up yours" kind of thing. Do something, whatever you can afford, this isn't about race or class, it's about people helping people.

INT: Would you say the same Richie?

RICHIE: Absolutely. Oprah's coverage was better than the news coverage that I saw. Like Jon said, I think what we are trying to do here is lead by example and make it hip to give.

INT: Do you believe that it is the celebrities responsibility to do this? Because you all have so much influence.

RICHIE: Not neccessarily.

JON: It's not that, let me go back and digress. This isn't the first time we have done this kind of thing. For instance in Philadelphia where I am a partner in this fooball team. We are so successful because of our community involvement, whether it's building houses with Habitat, or playgrounds. The idea here is that people are in need, and like it or not, the system is broken, and the private sector is going to make the difference right now. There are those of us that can lead with the dollars, who have the opportunity to stand in front of the camera and preach about this, But we are not the heroes, the real hero is the average guy who spends his whole Thanksgiving serving meals at the local soup kitchen, for those less fortunate than he is. What we do neeed not be celebrated.
The idea is to make volunteerism hip, and that is reason enough to get me out here doing press. Talking about another record and all that, I've been there, done that. It's a great record, I hope you like it, but there are other things going on too. And in light of what's happening with the hurricanes for example, people out there are in dire need of help.

INT: where do you think the money is best spent??

JON: Well, honestly, when we did have the discussion about this before we wrote the check, we knew that with Oprah stewarding this money, we were sure that it would be well spent!!!

RICHIE: Absolutely!!!

JON: Ain't nobody going to get their hands on it (in this case Jon means bureaucrats and red tape), you have to be sure it gets to the source the people who need it. Now saying what happened on the Gulf Coast which is obviously a tragedy, you can go right down the street here (NYC) and find the same kind of needy folk.

INT: So, if you guys had the ear of the policy makers, what should be the first step to stop this poverty in America??

JON: The truth of the matter is that both sides of the aisle can argue this matter until we are blue in the face; republicans point of view is to give taxcuts so you can purchase more consumer goods which keeps the economy rolling, the Democrats view is bigger government but more social services available, both arguments are valid. Of course I know which side of the aisle I'm on but I'm not here to talk polotics, that is not what this is about, it's really not the issue here. The issue here is really what can you do for your neighbor.



At this point the interview is over. The camera switches back to the interviewer, who ends the segment with the following statement:

INT: Bon Jovi's help doesn't stop with this check. The band is taking the monet from their next video, and instead of making one are going to build four houses for Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia. The new BJ album HAND is in stores now.