Today Show transcript and video

Hi!

This is the link for the video: Today Show interview

And my transcript, maybe there's some mistakes.

Richard Wilkins: Well, over the past 2 decades Bon Jovi have sold over a hundred million albums, they played to more than 30 million fans in forty something countries. Not bad for a bunch of guys from New Jersey who've managed to maintain their hard-core fan base while still getting new material on the airwaves.

Recently they played Live 8, which was the first we’ve seen of them in quite a while. I had the pleasure of catching up with front man Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora on the eve of their new album release Have A Nice Day.

Welcome to New York City on a typically sweltering summer's day. The famous Radio City Music Hall building was the location for our interview. The guys were there to record some radio promo. They took the time out to update Australian fans on their plans.

RW: You guys have worked long and hard to create this brand, were you at all apprehensive that, you know, maybe the fans have gone off and some other fans found someone else to fall in love with.

Richie: You know every record you have that apprehension. You know you always anxious about what you’ve created. This record, we held it back, so the apprehension is even a little bit more intense but its reacted so well at this point.

RW: These days Jon and Richie are very much family men. Jon's got four kids, Richie just one with wife Heather Locklear.

Jon: You can’t really share this information with the younger bands because until they live it themselves, they don't know how its going to affect them. But you need to go and do other things, individually, so when you come back to the fold you have new information. And that is what fuels your desire to go on.

RW: So how do you feel when Jon goes off and makes a solo album..You don’t want it to be too successful.

Richie: No, no, no... you know what...I hope every movie the guy makes and every solo record the guy makes is amazing. I think that’s what we wish for, for all of us.

Jon: That’s true.

Richie: You know, it's just add to the thing that this band is beyond breaking up. All that’s going to do is push it along forward, and that’s an important thing.

RW: Those guys in Matchbox 20, they got to be sweating...

Jon: Yeah but that’s a different scenario

Richie: Yeah the evolution is different. That's a different element.

Jon: You know what.. if I was those guys I'd be sending my mum Christmas cards and birthday presents. "How you doin' baby"…Yeah I love that track! (I didn't get this part about Matchbox 20)

RW: Recently the band headlined the Live 8 show in Philadelphia which is something of a second home for Jon.

Jon: We go out on the steps of the Art Museum which I have to admit I have never been trough. But everyone knows the Museum steps because of Rocky. They set the stage up on the middle of the steps and you look out. So we were told there’s gonna be 600,000 people there and this is exciting cause we were the big band. I walk out on the stage and 50 yards in front of your face is the biggest bronze statue of Washington on his horse back. So from the microphone perspective all I can see was a horse's ass. I couldn’t see 600,000 people! I had to play for TV cameras and Washington horse's ass!

RW: So, what about Australia? Are they coming or not?

Jon: And I have to say that Australia’s not on the map right now.

RW: But Jon..

Jon: I know we got an issue here.

RW: We have a major issue. We have conducted this online petition. We have had thousands, thousands of people signed...and you're aware of this right?

Jon: Yeah.. from now until next June I've checked twice and it's still not on the schedule…so unless something comes up...

RW: But who makes up the schedule? You... Last time I checked...

Jon:...You're looking at him...

RW: Can you come to Australia for the warm up tour. A couple of little gigs at the Enmore Theatre?

Jon: Yeah that would be good. I'm thinking about the schedule...

Richie: We're going through it now man.

RW: 2 weeks in October...

Jon: Let's see where your petition goes.

RW: You can come here in Spring. That's nice...It's getting chilly here, the sun's going down…you need that tan for the tour!

This part really p!ssed me off when Richard Wilkins said that...they [the Today show] conducted exactly nothing re the petition....a member of a group I belong to here in Oz [BonJoviDownUnder - BJDU] put that petition together, petition online hosted it and the members of BJDU slogged their guts out to try and get that petition happening. We had emailed the Today show weeks ago about it...it was only in the past week and a bit that they *jumped* on board...simply because they already had the interview stitched up with JBJ and RS...and for the aussies here who may not know this - last week, the Today show made a big deal about the petition...told people to go sign it...told them the link was on their website...last Thursday they removed the link from their website [and told no one on the BJDU list, despite the fact they were in contact with various members of the group up to and including today]...ONE day before the first part of the interview with the guys...if they were helping us, that's not how you go about it.

S.