Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community

Quote:

Originally Posted by DestinationJovi (Post 1246516)

Do you honestly think Jon and David would each say (more than once) that Richie's "habits," "drug addiction," and "demons" are the reason if it wasn't? Why do you need for them specially say something like 'Richie partied his ass off drinking booze and doing drugs during the two week break and he was too hammered to get on a plane for the show' for you to believe them?

The last thing I need is for somebody to tell me what he (or she) assumes happened. ;)

And, unless I missed it, the phrase “drug addiction” hasn’t crossed David's or Jon's lips. Nor has “alcohol” or “substance” or “abuse”. Not in this interview, or any of the promo interviews they did in 2016-17, or in any of Jon’s responses in 2013. I might have more faith in what they’re insinuating if they didn’t seem to be working so hard to imply something without saying it flat out. Or if just once, when Jon is asked point blank to confirm it, his reply wouldn't be non-responsive. If that IS the “personal issue” that led to Richie not showing up, a simple "yes" would settle it.

It might also help if Jon would stop changing it up.

In 2013, up until Vienna, it was “personal reasons” or “personal issues”. Then:

May 16 (https://youtu.be/psnm40AcuC0?t=99 mark 1:39): “… We’ve been through this before. And when he works through his personal issues, then he can talk about what date, if at all, he chooses to come back... the guy who filled in for him last time he had issues was available. ...”

May 19 (http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrit...-drugs-1899663):

Quote:

... and [Paul] said guess what, and he didn’t even have to finish the sentence. I said, you’re kidding. We went on that night. I haven’t seen Richie since... because we had been through it before we performed that night.”

May 20 (http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/ce...s-8623519.html):

Quote:

Jon hinted that the reason may be the same as in 2011, when Sambora missed dates to go into rehab for alcohol abuse. He said: “...all I can say is this — it’s for personal reasons. He’s been through it before, fortunately for us the same guy who filled in last time was available this time. ”

May 22, Richie apparently got tired of Jon’s insinuations because The Daily Mail posted an article in which Richie was quoted as saying (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/usshowbi...alcohol.html):

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“I don't have any major problems in life right now, I love my fans and I feel bad for them at the moment… Enough with the trash talking. Jon needs to stop talking about me publicly. I am fine working very hard on my fashion company Nikki Rich and this is a private matter.”

After that, in the next interview with Jon, posted May 29, lo and behold, Jon said the issue wasn’t alcohol and there was nothing more that needed to be said. (http://www.mariskalrock.com/index.ph...-se-solucione/):

Quote:

Q: What has happened with Richie? Is he struggling with alcohol again?

JBJ: No, the only thing I can say about that, is that he's facing personal issues, that he's talked with us, and there's nothing more to say [right] now. We love him, I'm trusting that everything will [re]solve, and I hope he is well.

Q: I've read some statements where it gets implied that he's out of the band...

JBJ: I’m not going to allow this conversation to add more fuel to the gossip. No more rumors, there’s nothing else to say, all that was needed to say has already been said. He’s a great man, we love him, and that’s all.”

Did you catch that? No, [he isn’t struggling with alcohol again (also translated as he isn’t having drinking issues again)]; that he’s facing some personal issues and that he's talked with us, or [that he talked with us about]; and there’s nothing else to say . EVERYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID.

So why is it that, 3 years later, when the promotions for THINFS started, Jon thought he needed to elaborate further? And why did it seem like, suddenly, it WAS about alcohol again; when in 2013, he said clearly that it wasn’t? Why did it even MATTER? It was old news when Jon brought it up in 2016, and again in 2017, and now, in 2018. Why mention it? It's not like he clarified anything or gave more information than he did before. He didn't "come clean” in that interview, any more than he did umpteen times in 2016-2017.

Here’s another question: In 2013, Jon said Richie HAD talked with him AND the band (assuming that is the “us” he referred to), such that everybody knew what was going on and there was no need to say anything more. But by 2016, Jon was saying (not once, but on constant f'n repeat) that Richie didn’t call to explain why he wouldn’t be in Calgary, and no one had heard from him since. Even in THIS interview, he said “he didn’t come see us for 5 years.” Technically, you could say that’s not the same thing, but that’s what Jon does. He says things that may be technically true (or not); but he implies more than what he actually says. Just like he’s been doing with the whole “last time Richie had issues–Richie’s demons/issues/habits-Richie went off the rails” shtick that he’s been on for 3 years now. But again, unless I missed it, he hasn’t once said it’s alcohol or drugs or substances. He’s just insinuated it out the wazoo; and left it up to the fans to jump to that conclusion. So, you tell me, was it alcohol and drugs, or not? Did those conversations with Richie never happen or did they just suddenly go “POOF!”?

To answer your question, no, I don’t think that Jon or David would say, even once, much less more than once, that it was substance related if it weren’t. They're smarter than that. But I have to say that I do think they would imply the hell out of it, whether it's true or not. Jon has implied it was, it wasn’t, it was, it wasn’t, and now that it was again. So which “truth of the truth of the truth” is it?

IMO, David’s saying what he’s told to say; because ever since his first promo interview, you could almost see him ticking off Jon’s talking points, verbatim (probably because Jon got wind that people were sick of hearing him say “Being in a rock band is not a life sentence, and he just didn’t show up, and he didn’t want to share his art in this forum any longer, and we have a great guy filling in, thank God he’s still available….”, so he turned that over to David.)

Jon’s ever-changing story, and tap-dancing around calling Richie’s issue by any name that he might have to back up, is one reason I doubt the truth of the statement. The other reason is explained in my comments a few posts back. From 2012 through most of 2014, Richie looked better than he’s looked in years. Before, during, and after Calgary. I don’t deny the possibility that he could have fallen off the wagon in the 3 days before, and as you suggested, been so hammered that he couldn’t get on a plane; but then, by golly, he musta got right back on the wagon and straightened his ass out before anybody except Jon or David knew about it! Because from the first time we saw him after Calgary until the shows in late 2014, where it seemed that he might be under the influence, he looked and sounded healthy. And those shows were almost a year and a half after "he just didn’t show up."

So, nope, I'm still not convinced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DestinationJovi (Post 1246516)

Something else entirely like … ?

I suppose it could be the things you listed (other than jamming with fabric, which he categorically denied); but I doubt it. My guess would be something that we haven't heard, or maybe even thought of. More along the lines of “the backstory” that he said he’s not gonna talk about; or what he referred to, in Chicago, when he said that people were mad and wanted to know what happened, and then said, “and I ain’t telling.” Or maybe it was whatever he seemed to consider sharing, in the Gen Luxe interview you shared (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAnl...ature=youtu.be @2:07), after the guy asked what the stumbling blocks were, and Richie paused before he said, “I can’t say...”

Quote:

RF: … different people are saying different things are stumbling blocks. From your mouth, what’s the stumbling block?
RS: (pause…) I can’t say.
RF: OK
RS: It’s not for me to say. Actually, you know what? Family issues are family issues and the band’s a second family; so, there’s no reason for me to actually say anything, so y’know… that’s all I’m saying…

You could be right; “something else” could be that he was drinking and drugging. Or it could be one big thing, or the culmination of a lot of small things that just mounted up until a straw broke the camel’s back. Maybe Richie realized that going back out on the road might have pushed him back into substance abuse, and he was smart enough to head that off, even if it pissed off a whole bunch of people. It could be any number of things.

Bottom line: We. Don’t. Know.