Press 7-14-06
 

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...0317/-1/NEWS01

Jon Bon Jovi has plenty on his plate
His band is still going strong, but the rocker has filled up his life with more than just the music

By SHANNON MULLEN
Asbury Park Press

07/14/2006
It was the year he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea, now the mother of his four children. It was also the year his band, Bon Jovi, rode the top of the charts with its "New Jersey'' album and the hit single, "I'll Be There For You.''

On June 11, 1989, Bon Jovi marked another watershed event: the band's first-ever concert at Giants Stadium.

For Jon Bon Jovi, the band's then 27-year-old lead singer, a diehard Giants fan who grew up a few exits south of the Meadowlands, in Sayreville, the sold-out "Homecoming'' show was something to savor.

"Playing Giants Stadium is a dream come true,'' Bon Jovi said in an interview before the concert, "because of all the years of playing with a band and all the years you would be driving up the turnpike knocking on [record company] doors with a tape and begging them to listen. And every time you'd drive up the turnpike, you'd look to your left and see the Meadowlands and ... you'd say to yourself, 'Someday.' "

The band, which dominated and largely defined the latter half of the 1980s with its rock anthems and "big hair,'' is, 17 years later, as solid and successful as ever. And Bon Jovi himself, now 44, is still dreaming big dreams as he travels the turnpike from his mansion in Middletown, N.J.

These days, though, he's heading south a lot, toward Philadelphia. He's playing at Citizens Bank Park this weekend. And the football team that's foremost in his thoughts isn't the Giants, though he's still a huge fan. It's the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League franchise he has co-owned with real estate developer Craig A. Spencer since its inception in 2003.

The 18-team league, which finished its 20th season in May, probably has its share of absentee owners, but Bon Jovi is definitely not one of them.

Since ponying up $8 million for his share of the team, he's brought all his star power and marketing savvy to bear to help both the Soul and the AFL succeed.

He and his bandmates -- keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres and guitarist Richie Sambora, who has a 2 percent stake in the Soul -- are regulars at the Wachovia Center, the team's home field in South Philadelphia, where they often entertain and mingle with fans.

To raise the league's profile, Bon Jovi made two movie shorts with Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, an owner of the AFL's Colorado Crush, that have been shown in theaters nationwide.

He's also something of a mover and shaker in political fund-raising circles. In 2004, he and his wife hosted a fund-raising party for Sen. John Kerry that garnered $1 million for the presidential candidate. And, Bon Jovi and his band participated in the Live 8 concerts last year that raised awareness of the plight of people in Africa. Bon Jovi also did an episode "The West Wing'' this year during a break while on the road.

"It's all about pacing,'' he says of his many undertakings. "I think I've got a pretty good handle on it, but it's a team effort here, too -- I've got a wife and four kids who contribute to it. I'm also not one of those kinds of guys who can sit around and just rest on the memories of what he's accomplished in the past. It's old news. Who cares?''

Staying power

But let's not forget about the music.

The band has been one of the top-selling rock acts for nearly two decades, dating from the release of its breakthrough 1986 album "Slippery When Wet." More than 25 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide. The band has toured relentlessly around the world -- all in the name of getting their music out to the masses, Bon Jovi says.

"We earned our living playing live, and we weren't afraid to go to places like Africa, Asia and South America. The old adage was, 'If you don't have electricity, we'll bring our own,' " he said. "That's how we built our reputation and sold 100 million albums."

On top of that, their song, "Who Says You Can't Go Home," from Bon Jovi's 2005 release "Have a Nice Day," landed at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in April.

Country? It was a first for any rock band. Ever.

"I appreciate that because ultimately it's a testament to a good song that defies formats," Bon Jovi said.

The song shot to the top thanks in some measure to a smart collaboration with country singer Jennifer Nettles, who fronts the country band Sugarland. Initially, Bon Jovi and Sambora, his writing partner shopped the video to Country Music Television to see if they could make it fly without any associated promotion. Then they approached Nettles and ultimately made history.

Making team different

Making history is becoming commonplace for Bon Jovi and the Soul.

What set this team apart from others in professional sports is its willingness to give back, not only money but also manpower, to the community.

With its philanthropic work, the team serves as a model for the AFL, according to Bon Jovi.

Buying the team wasn't strictly a business move. "For me, it was something that would satisfy me as a football fanatic, and more importantly, as a philanthropist,'' he says. "I get a lot of pleasure from it. It's like anything else in my life: If I wanted to try it, I tried it. Some win, some don't. Regardless, you have to take some risks sometimes, and this one seemed to make sense to me.''

In the Soul -- Bon Jovi came up with the name, which refers to the city's musical vibe -- he said he saw an opportunity to have a big-city platform that he could use to promote worthy causes.

"I knew that if I could get the media behind it, I could play Robin Hood, and if I could play Robin Hood, every year I could ... take a hundred grand, 200 grand, and find people that need it.'' The Soul has donated at least $750,000 to Philadelphia-area charities.

Business partner Spencer, 44, says he was impressed from the start with Bon Jovi's business acumen.

"He's one of the most serious businessmen I've ever come across,'' Spencer says. "He's very, very bright. He absolutely gets it.''

With the Soul, Bon Jovi can draw on the skills he's honed since taking over management of the band in 1992.

"There is a great misconception about somebody who's in a rock band,'' says Bon Jovi, a self-described control freak who has had to delegate more with the Soul. "If you think Bruce [Springsteen] doesn't know everything that's going on, you're wrong.''

One thing is for certain: There are a lot of less entertaining ways to spend $8 million.

Ari Bendersky of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

It's his life
Jon Bon Jovi is not your run-of-the-mill rock megastar

Friday, July 14, 2006


By CHUCK DARROW
Courier-Post Staff

Jon Bon Jovi's suite at the ultra-posh Trump International Hotel and Tower on New York's Central Park West speaks volumes about the lifelong Jersey native who, for the past 20 years, has been one of the world's biggest pop music stars.

For starters, the word "suite" barely applies. Rather than a posh Lifestyles Of the Rich & Famous-style playpen, the rocker -- whose eponymous band headlines Saturday at Citizens Bank Park -- is ensconced in temporary headquarters comprised of a compact, unremarkably furnished sitting area barely big enough for a sofa, chair and writing table, and separate, equally utilitarian, bedroom and bathroom.

More significantly, the space is totally devoid of publicists, managers and the cadre of other roadies, toadies and flunkies that are de rigeur for a star of his magnitude.

Barefoot and dressed ultra-casually in olive cargo pants and a gray-and-white, tie-died-style T-shirt, he is the only one in the suite. The first words out of his mouth offer sincere thanks to his visitor for making the trip from Cherry Hill just to chat with him.

No matter how you might feel about Bon Jovi or his music, there's no denying he is not your run-of-the-mill rock megastar.

"I don't understand the idea of the entourage," he says picking up a sheet of paper from the table.

"Here's the rooming list -- eight people. The band and (road crew). I don't need the rest of the b------t.

"All the trappings and cliche stuff (of stardom) I either got over long ago, or never embraced.

"This country has been so programmed to (celebrity culture). It just seems like such a shallow existence to play that game.

"It's a never-ending cycle that I don't want to be a part of. I have too many things to do to be part of the pseudo-celebrity club."

The 44-year-old Sayreville native -- whose real name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr. -- isn't just whistling "You Give Love A Bad Name" when he speaks of all he has to do. As leader of Bon Jovi, he is also the CEO of a multi-million-dollar corporation. And when he co-founded the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football League franchise, he signed on not as a celebrity investor, but as a very-hands-on managing partner.

"If you're not gonna run your business who is? You've heard the stories for 50 years. There are many a casualty," he says of the countless musicians who wound up destitute because of bad or dishonest financial advice or planning.

So how did the kid from Sayreville learn to be a business tycoon?

"Experience," he says matter-of-factly. "Living through a variety of experiences.

"There was no manual when I got a record deal. And no college courses. But you get an education day-to-day, year-to-year. You get it by keeping your eyes and ears open. It's that simple."

He adds he has always viewed his profession with practicality. "I'm in the music business," he says. "And I'm very aware it's the music business."

That grounded approach to his career has obviously served Bon Jovi well. But, says one local music industry insider, there's more to the formula.

"Jon is a master businessman in many ways. He has exceptional business prowess," says Fred Deane, CEO of Cherry Hill-based Friday Morning Quarterback, a radio industry trade publication and Web site (www.fmqb.com).

"But when you think about the band, you think of Jon and (guitarist) Richie (Sambora). They're two of the best songwriters of contemporary pop music of the past 25-30 years. They have powerful songs that connect with music consumers.

"Jon is also a showman. You can see the kind of shows they put on. (In return), they have probably the most loyal (fan base) that any band can claim."

Until the end of the month, Bon Jovi will get to concentrate on that aspect of his career as he and his long-time bandmates -- Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres -- do a series of dates from Hollywood, Fla., where, last Monday, they opened the current leg of their global Have A Nice Day tour (named for the unit's most recent hit CD), to Citizens Bank Park to Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, where they have three shows scheduled.

Those with tickets can rest assured they'll hear many, if not all, of the hits that have made Bon Jovi a chart-topper for two decades.

"We do about a 27-song set, with one-third brand-new (songs), and two-thirds songs people know," explains Bon Jovi.

"We're still comfortable playing the hits" like "You Give Love A Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Livin' On A Prayer and "It's My Life."

"I still like them, and they have stood the test of time."

And, he adds, they'll be played the way fans want them to be played -- as they were when they were originally recorded. That, explains Bon Jovi is a promise borne of the less-than-successful This Left Feels Right DVD project of 2003, which saw the group rework their catalog of signature hits.

"It's like they said, "Don't mess with our memories,' " says Bon Jovi. "I thought that was interesting. Very interesting."

When you deliver a faithful rendition of a tune, he reasons, "There's a moment between you and the audience. The power that these songs mark is something to share. (You see) a look in a kid's eyes that reminds you of the power of music." Reach Chuck Darrow at (856) 486-2442 or cdarrow@courierpostonline.com

Bon Jovi: Rocking out, doing goodThese Jersey guys show staying power.
By A.D. Amorosi
For The Inquirer
We come to praise Jon Bon Jovi. Not to bury him.

Because after selling a gazillion albums, owning a football team, acting in films, and partnering with a guitarist now in the limelight for his dating skills and not his six-string ones, the New Jersey native deserves some respect. Right now.

"Start a revolution, man," Bon Jovi says, holding back a laugh while heading onto a plane to Miami. "Make the respect start with you."

Maybe he's joking.

But, why not?

Even if you wanted to make light of the anthemic rockers' retinue of blue-collar pop-metal hits, from "You Give Love a Bad Name" to "It's My Life," you'd have to admit that Bon Jovi - the singer-songwriter and his namesake band of brothers - has found weightier themes to go with a heavier sound. On a more serious trajectory, 2002's Bounce and 2005's Have a Nice Day found Bon Jovi writing about broken lives and busted romances lost in the landscape of imprisonment and homelessness, real and imagined.

Not so much because he's angry, disgusted and old. But because that's what it means to grow up.

"I'm not necessarily angrier," Bon Jovi says matter of factly. "But I've been doing this for so long. I was once a boy. Now I'm a man. You go to Africa, Asia, India and beyond. You see what's going on. You act as an ambassador of pop culture. You travel and meet people who embrace that culture. Your opinions should change."

He doesn't want to just be a finger-pointer against the Bush administration, as he has heard himself labeled. Or a singer dedicated to gay-marriage rights, as go the lyrics of "Welcome to Wherever You Are."

But his opinions have so changed - in conversation, in new songs like "Bells of Freedom" - that Bon Jovi feels as if he has disappointed listeners and journalists looking for rock-star cliches. "If you don't get arrested for biting a security guard at a hotel or have a drug habit, what is there to talk about with those people?"

He must be thinking of guitarist Richie Sambora's recent bad spate of divorce-and-dating press. Bon Jovi himself and his wife of 17 years, Dorothea Hurley, have managed to stay clear of those pitfalls - new songs like "Wildflower" are dedicated to his bliss.

"Richie don't like it. I don't like it - it all just happened," Bon Jovi says. "But it doesn't help or hinder what we do. At the end of the day, if you don't write a collection of songs that people care about - year after year, tour after tour - they ain't coming back.

"We've definitely grown together as a team - as players and songwriters."

Take, for instance, "Who Says You Can't Go Home," the twangy Bon Jovi-Sambora rocker (featuring Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland) that made Bon Jovi the first rock band to have a No. 1 hit on the country charts.

Talk of competition and brotherly gamesmanship brings us to his co-ownership of the Philadelphia Soul, the Arena Football League team. It is a group of guys that, like Bon Jovi, is striving to make a difference in the community by aiding Habitat for Humanity in creating and funding homes, playgrounds and other building projects in this region.

"I've sold the records and filled the stadiums," Bon Jovi says. "We're good at it. But when the eulogy comes down, those houses will still be standing."

Bon Jovi, with Nickelback, at 8 p.m. Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, 1 Citizens Bank Way, off I-95 or I-76. Gates will open at 5 p.m., except right field. Tickets: $55-$125. Day-of- show questions will be answered at the ballpark. Phone: 1-800-298-4200 or e-mail at customerservice@neweratickets.com for advance information.

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.
_________________

Wow, boy has Jon been busy giving interviews. Thanks Becky for posting all of them. Interesting that he brought up the "not messing with memories" regarding TLFR.

deb

he has been busy, thanks for posting Becky... I love this quote... very interesting !!!!!!!!!!! lol next time he should ask us before he tries to mess with our memories lol, actually I like TLFR now...

That, explains Bon Jovi is a promise borne of the less-than-successful This Left Feels Right DVD project of 2003, which saw the group rework their catalog of signature hits.

"It's like they said, "Don't mess with our memories,' " says Bon Jovi. "I thought that was interesting. Very interesting."

Thanks Becky - some positive interviews for a change.

And even Jon learned something about TLFR that apparently he didn't figure on. And, he's honest enough to admit it.

Kathleen

Too bad he hasn't figured out that they mess with your memories every time Richie sings IBTFY.

Thanks for posting these Becky!

"That, explains Bon Jovi is a promise borne of the less-than-successful This Left Feels Right DVD project of 2003, which saw the group rework their catalog of signature hits." --- yet it didn't stop them from playing certain songs on this tour LOL