This post contains the letter from Jon that is in the paper issue of the last ever historical blah blah…whatever of the Backstage Newletter.

I know some people haven’t gotton this yet so if you don’t want to know what it says….don’t read any further.











Sometimes I feel like I write these letters just to have a venue to lie. Yes folks, that’s right, I said it, lie…Because if you think about it, I always say we’re doing this, finishing that, touring here and filming there etc, etc. But the truth is I really don’t know the future until it’s in the past. When I look back, we’ve kept things pretty well on target for the past 20 years so maybe I shouldn’t change the way I put on my socks. Let me roll those dice in every combination of luck, sweat and determination that allow me to type to my heart’s content on this endless highway.

As I wrote you last, I tried to say that the record was done. It was all missed and ready for a Spring release. Well honey’s, I tired, but I lied. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean to, it wasn’t premeditated. Don’t go calling your lawyers on me. I didn’t mean to cause anyone any emotional distress. Anyone but me, that is. Sit down a minute and I’ll try to explain.

See, I left Los Angeles in mid December, having delivered all Santa’s treats to my west coast confidents and boarded the plane with lots of toys for the girls and boys and a nice little something for me. It was all mine and it fit too. What I got was peace of mind. I had the record in hand and it was ready to go. Mixed and sequenced, ready to wrap. Not rap, wrap. I even had a bow on it.

What happens next is something like the John Lennon quote “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”. I was making loads of plans for the band including a tour when I sat down to listen to our new baby. It was something out of a bad movie. (Bad movies, we’ll talk about those later). What I jokingly like to say is the band left me the masters and I fumbled around a bit, but that’s like saying Joan Rivers went to the plastic surgeon and was just fumbling around a bit. Before you knew it was rewriting lyrics, adding things for Richie to do and ultimately writing 4 other songs.

After the holidays I tried to get John Shenks to do them but he was booked, so we enlisted Rick Parashar who had produced Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Nickelback, etc. to do the 4 new songs. The results turned me on, we turned it out and the record had to be held. If I told you it was being held until September and it came out sooner or later I know you’d call me a liar, so I’ll just say that it’s coming soon. I like it. I hope you do too. If I told you the song titles, I might end up changing them and you’d call me a liar. If I told you I’m thinking of “Drive On” as the title, you’d call me on it and, if I told you I grew 4 inches and was recently dating Elle McPherson and Liz Hurley you just might believe me (or not).

We did play in Vegas last weekend. That is not a lie. It was at the Hard Rock Hotel’s 10th anniversary party. It was a good time. We even played a new song Richie and I wrote called “Who Say’s You Can’t Go Home”. I can tell you that because it already happened and I can’t take it back. Cool place that Hard Rock, you should check it out sometime. I could tell you about the movies but they don’t seem to be going all that well these days. “The Trouble With Frank” didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped. It’s o.k. though because it was a great experience and a pleasure to work with Matty Simmons and Arthur Hiller. Take the good with the bad. It makes you appreciate the big ones more.

The football team is closing in on the end of the season. I saw an NBS poll that said Soul was the biggest disappointment on the field to arena fans. No on wanted to win more than I did. But that sad, I did win, bigger than I’d ever have imagined. We have give away over $500,000 to charities who need it more than I’d have ever known and we’ve made a hell of a difference in the community. I love the team more now than I did a year ago and I hope you’ll give us a shot to convince those who have lost the faith to hang in there. Not every record can be Slippery When Wet, not ever movie can be U571, not every season will be a trip to the arena bowl.
It’s the journey…right?

I don’t know where the journeys taking me past the walk up the stairs into my bed, but even if I did I couldn’t tell you, cause I wouldn’t want to lie…