http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../60714001/1031
HEART AND SOUL
Despite stardom, Bon Jovi is still working for a living
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 07/14/06
BY ED CONDRAN
CORRESPONDENT
Bon Jovi is one of the few survivors of the hair-pop metal era of the '80s. Led by Middletown's Jon Bon Jovi, the Jersey-based band remains commercially viable while peers from its salad days live on past hits.
Bon Jovi, whose members also include guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres, is touring behind its ninth studio album, "Have a Nice Day,'' which debuted at No. 2 in the U.S. and the U.K. when it dropped in September. The band, which will perform Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Tuesday, Wednesday and July 29 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, may have abandoned the teased bangs of yesteryear, but it still clings to
the anthemic rock that helped launch the act more than 20 years ago.
Bon Jovi, 44, recently took some time out while relaxing in Newport Beach, Calif., to discuss the relevance of his band, his well-publicized off-stage endeavor as owner of the Philadelphia Soul football team and what he has had to sacrifice in order to become such a success.
Q: So many of your peers are doing package tours and riding the nostalgia wave.
A: It is all nostalgia for them. We're not that. We're as happening and current as we've ever been.
Q: You're headlining stadiums on your own, while showcasing new material.
A: We're proud of that. We work really hard for it. But you take the good with the bad. We've had our up years and down years. I never thought that we wouldn't be big, because every kid has a chip on his shoulder about his band, but I never thought in 1984 what I would be doing in 2006.
Q: During your salad days, your sound was pervasive. Today, it's not as typical. Fewer young American bands craft, big, anthemic songs that you can sing along with.
A: I didn't think of that. It's true. We're just being as true to ourselves as we can possibly be. We've never strayed from what we know. Obviously, some people still like our style of music.
Q: Over recent years, angst-ridden tracks have become ubiquitous.
A: But we're still positive. I think that's starting to change. I think there is more eternal optimism now than there was 10 years ago when the Seattle scene was happening. Now that's long gone. There are bands now that are out there trying to turn it around and make something positive out of those choruses. I can't cite examples other than the band Creed.
Q: But they broke up two years ago.
A: But they tried that and it seemed to be good for them.
Q: Were you ever tempted to jump on a trend like David Bowie and a number of other veteran recording artists have done?
A: No. We've never been about getting a hip-hop guy for a track. You stay true to who you are and people will stay with you. It would be very funky for me to be up there with scratchers and rappers. But it's not what I do. I'm not going to do something to make a few extra bucks.
Q: You've taken considerable shots from the press over the years.
A: We've taken our lumps and survived it. Some people don't like us. But we know there are people out there that like what we do.
Q: Keith Urban has cited you as an influence.
A: I can see why that's so for Keith Urban or Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts. They have more in common with me than Patsy Cline or Willie Nelson. They all have the pop element in their music.
Q: Elvis Costello has not only noted that he loves "Bad Medicine'' but he's also covered it.
A: It's great because Elvis has always been one of my favorites. It's quite flattering. It's also flattering that "Wanted Dead or Alive'' is going to be used in a new (forthcoming) John Travolta movie ("Wild Hogs,'' which is slated for 2007). I was just asked for permission for the film to use the song. During a scene, Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence sing it. And that guy (Chris Daughtry) sang it (on "American Idol'') and made national headlines. It's amazing whenever that stuff happens.
Q: What made you decide to co-own an arena football team?
A: I would get really depressed after the (NFL) football season ended. I'm not into baseball, hockey or basketball until the playoffs come around. It's a fun league and I get to do things for the community under the guise of something I love.
Q: Your team is the Soul and that's exactly what's missing in rock music. It's easy to be cool. It's easy to strum a guitar and look the part but to be truly soulful and vulnerable . . .
A: That's hard to do. I don't think you teach somebody soul. They either have it embedded in them or not It reminds me of when I was a kid. I was told, "Forget your influences. Find out who your influences' influences are.''
Q: Who impressed you the most growing up in Asbury Park?
A: Lance Larson, The Bangs. The Shakes. It was the little guys. Of course, everybody waited for the moment Bruce (Springsteen) had a beer in his hand to come in. (Southside) Johnny (Lyon) produced some of my very first demos. They were the big guys. They were making records.
Q: Do you still go back to Asbury Park?
A: It looks like a war zone. It's got a long way to go before it's going to come back. They're trying. The downtown has some shops and restaurants I like to go to. The community being built there is fabulous. But as far as the Fast Lane and the Pony and all the clubs that used to be there, that era is 25 years ago. That era is folklore now.
Q: You're leading the picture-perfect life. You're married to your high school sweetheart. You have four kids. You're a rock star. You own a football team. What's your secret?
A: It's hard work. It's not easy. Having a family and juggling a life and a career is hard work. It's not as hard as any of your reader's lives out there working for a living. My vocal cords are shredded. My body is exhausted. I was flying all night. I just got up. I got to get it together and do it all again tomorrow. It's tough. You miss birthdays. You have sick kids at home. You're missing holidays. You re missing your kids growing up. The sacrifices are big. Other dads get to go home and see what their kids look like. I get pictures. But that's life.
_________________