New Richie Interview

Originally Posted by Beaky

Three things…

Jon’s hair – he clearly wants to be a political mover and shaker in some shape or form but this isn’t why he’s not reaching for the Just For Men. Even if he announces he’s running for Gov’ in the next elections, this won’t prove that theory. He’s off tour, he’s relaxing and he’s not thinking about it. All the things I’ve said about Jon in the past, one thing I will admit – he stays in shape and keeps a certain look about him because he sees it as part of his job but he likes what he likes and as much as he chases fads with his music, he doesn’t do it with his image. He is pure ‘Dad rock’ and he doesn’t give a sh*t. He is going to chase his political dream whether his hair is blonde, grey or frikkin’ ginger.

On the ‘Richie is SUCH a b$tch, he has no class’ front – RS is clearly frustrated with how he has been treated. He is a man scorned and he is biting back here and there in interviews. I won’t judge him as I have no idea what his beef with Jon is. However, I can imagine that for someone who took so much pride in a band he helped build, who spoke in the past with such devotion to it and how great it was; that he is being very careful NOT to libel himself by coming out and saying what happened behind closed doors but he’s also being foolish talking about it at all. From the people I know who have met these guys, Richie is not a bad guy, he’s a simple fella. Not speaking in terms of the tour or his wanting to be with his daughter but more about the friendship these guys had - for him to be saying what he’s saying and for him to have given up what he gave up, he’s hurt that whatever it was wasn’t resolved between them and that Jon didn’t want to resolve it when he had the chance – instead choosing to say ‘we’ve been here before’ and ‘It’s not like if U2 didn’t have The Edge’ – now Jon, ever the businessman, was in the middle of a tour and his guitarist left him, so he was acting on that. But he’s admitted since, that the tour and album were rushed.

The conclusion on this is; it’s a f**kin’ mess. The band are now mediocre at best, without a decent album in over ten years and now they aren’t even a good live act. So, as many have said previously, maybe this is the kick in the arse they needed. Let’s wait and see.

Thirdly – Richie probably isn’t drunk. Don’t discount the fact that he’s always been a juvenile imbecile who can barely string a sentence together. It’s just that when this band was good, when he was young and in shape and he was sitting next to Jon and making him laugh, you all loved him for it. Now he’s older and looks like a hobo, you all think he’s weird. So he’s older, so he looks like his mother with a beard… who cares. If you believe the press, he spent the entire 80s high on coke and no one batted an eyelid. Everyone just wants to point out what a liability he must be so they can say ‘look at what he put Jon through… what a b*stard!’

They did this to themselves and they are both douchebags. When they realise that, they’ll come back. Let’s hope they do it properly.

Originally Posted by JackieBlue

Have I told you lately that I luff you?

Originally Posted by CKatz

I always found it interesting that Jon keeps talking about giving Runaway to the "loneliest person in the music business. It's quite an innovative idea, but it wasn't his. It was the assistant engineer's from The Powerstation named Ray Willard:

"I heard of this contest out in Long Island for WAPP called Rock to Riches, so I called them up, got all the information, and went out to meet the people. There was a person in charge of promotion by the name of John, and Chip Hobart was working there. I submitted Jon's tape along with one by another band by the name of Monomania to the contest. It was a good thing because it wasn't like I went there with one thing. I was pushing both. We started going out there every week visiting these people, developing a relationship with them, hanging out, letting them know we wanted them to help us. We were saying 'WAPP and Jon Bon Jovi. Let's have WAPP break Jon Bon Jovi.' We were giving the station the grip in the marketplace to say 'We found this artist.' And we were giving Jon the chance to get a station that would play his record without a record deal."

(Published in "Bon Jovi by Ramona Jan. 1988. Pages 45-47)

Originally Posted by Beaky

Ah JB... in another time, another place...



... I would have still been fat and old