| January 4th, 2006 04:53 AM |
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| bon jovi |
Jersey boy does good
Jon Bon Jovi. Rock icon. Doting father. Married to his high school sweetheart. Devoted to helping others. Can life get any sweeter?
By Dennis McCafferty
Jon Bon Jovi's kids are ticking him off. It's just not right, the way they're hooked on these darn iPods.
His band's new single, "Have a Nice Day," is out now, and a new album debuts in September.
"My kids have no desire to go to a record store," laments the rocker, at home in Middletown, N.J., about 20 miles south of New York. "They appreciate music, but they only download individual songs. They're not getting the album experience.It's a shame.I had to go to the store to get the Stones' 'Sticky Fingers.' And it was the seventh song on the album -- not the singles -- that made me want to write like that." (For you music trivia heads, that track is "I Got the Blues.")
"Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!" was another classic disc from those years (that's Jethro Tull, trivia heads), and, unfortunately, the title could serve as an anthem for all but a few rockers of a certain age. Not Bon Jovi: At 43, he has carved out a unique niche as a renaissance rocker, complete with a French chateau, albeit in New Jersey. While his 1980s arena-rock peers serve as nostalgia fodder on VH1, Bon Jovi's strutting his stuff for the fans at this month's Live 8. His self-titled band's new single is out -- "Have a Nice Day" -- with an album on the way. To date, the group has sold more than 100 million records and remains a top-10 concert act. When he's not on the road or recording, Bon Jovi pursues acting, including a former sexy/sweet stint on TV's "Ally McBeal" and the upcoming movie "Cry Wolf," due in September. He co-owns the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League team that he bought two years ago. And the rocker-actor-team owner father of four continues cultivating yet another promising gig: giving back (see below).
Not that he's bragging about it all. Bon Jovi, keen on maintaining his rocker persona, is not fond of advertising his credentials as rock's Family Guy, preferring to distance himself from the doting daddy image. After all, this fall he'll be going on major-league rock-star duty, and when you're a hard-rocking heartthrob selling out stadiums, you don't want audiences to realize that you've spent the past year changing diapers at 6 a.m. (Yes, Bon Jovi changes diapers.)
"How did I become a poster boy for parenthood when Bono and Bruce [Springsteen] have been married as long as me?" he pleads, reclining in his study. "Why am I singled out? I'm not going to deny it, but I'm not playing it up."
OK, Jon, you may not be the poster boy. But for a middle-aged guy who can still make his original 1980s groupies -- and their daughters -- swoon, you're doing something right. Bon Jovi has been married to his high school sweetheart, Dorothea, for 16 years. They have four children, ages 1 to 12. He's an involved dad who volunteers for school-, recital- and sports-chauffeuring duties.
Still, don't expect to see pictures of Bon Jovi car-pooling. He's apparently persuaded the paparazzi to play by his rules, meaning no pictures of his children. "I have a relationship" with the photographers, he says. "When they show up, my kids go to the left and I go to the right, and they take their pictures of me. One of them told me they do this because I'm good to them, and they respect my wishes. So even those guys have a code. I appreciate that."
Given the Bon Jovi code, you can imagine how rarely he welcomes a camera crew and interviewer to his home. Still, ever an engaging host, he gamely offers a tour of his 19,000-square-foot mansion: the movie- and music-career mementos in his mahogany-furnished study, the breathtaking view of the Navesink River along his dock. And given how guarded he is about his kids, it's surprising how easily he morphs into the proud papa when he shows off a rare display lining his hallway -- a dozen stunning photo portraits of his children basked in natural light, shot by Herb Ritts, the famed celeb photographer who died in 2002. "We were good friends," Bon Jovi says. "He promised me that he'd take a new picture every time a child turned 1, and he kept doing it. But he told me, 'Don't tell anyone that I'm doing this for you. After all, I don't do baby photos.' "
The garage is packed with the cardboard boxes in which his guitars were shipped, but it's also home to a plastic basketball hoop; a lacrosse stick belonging to his 12-year-old daughter, Stephanie; and a book titled "The Tao of Pooh." He walks into an elegant living room with ornate, traditional European trim and furnishings, then flips a switch. An 18-by-18-foot movie screen emerges from the floor. "We have our movie nights, and, yeah, it's OK to eat popcorn in here," Bon Jovi says. "My wife and I watched 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith,' and the kids wanted to see it. But the film wasn't appropriate for them."
He's just as watchful when it comes to the Web, which can lead to classic "my dad is so clueless" moments. "One day, my daughter is instant-messaging one of her friends, and I'm looking at what she's doing," he says, laughing. "Man, with all the shortcuts they take, it looked like it was written in code! So I asked her, 'What does that line there mean?' She said, 'Do you really want to know? It means: Dad looking over shoulder. Gotta go.' "
Ahh, he's slipping into "daddy at home" talk again. The conversation veers back to Bon Jovi the band, not the person. "It very much sounds like us, doesn't it?" he says of the new single. "It's who we are and who I am right now." In it, he gives the music industry a sneer about its obsession with conformity. But the song's sarcasm is offset with great hooks and pleasing power chords.
Bon Jovi's instincts usually pay off. Says Lance Gould, the "New York Daily News" deputy managing editor in charge of entertainment: "He capitalizes on his looks and his charm and translates it to staying on top. He's a nice guy. And he has a working-class Jersey sensibility that he's never lost. People warm up to that -- regardless of the music."
In his study, Bon Jovi is proud to show off some of the spoils of his success, with his American Music and People's Choice awards displayed on a coffee table. There's an autographed football, too. But it's not from the Philadelphia Soul. It's from his 10-year-old son, Jesse, and his rec-league football team. Which reminds Bon Jovi that being a rock-star dad has its trade-offs.
"You miss birthdays and graduations and holidays," he says. "From the time our kids were born, we told them that there are going to be times when your dad is there every day and times that he's going to have to miss the recital. When I'm home, however, our family life is very separate. I want them to grow up in a very ordinary environment. Living in New Jersey allows that."
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How Bon Jovi makes a difference
Jon Bon Jovi takes pride in making a difference -- and keeping it local. In a neighborhood near his New Jersey home, the rock star has contributed and helped raise funds to build a health care clinic for working families. He's a constant presence at community Special Olympics events.
And since he became co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, an Arena Football League team, he's been focusing on the team's hometown. Bon Jovi and the Soul have donated $500,000 to local causes, including the Police Athletic League, AIDS prevention awareness and a youth helpline.
But, wait. Don't the Philly fans give Bon Jovi the business, given that he's a big fan of the New York Giants? "They razz me all the time," Bon Jovi admits. "But I always tell them, 'At least we have something in common -- we both hate Dallas.' "
On Thursday, he'll speak at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington, D.C., a gathering of national leaders in volunteer service (for more information, go to pointsoflight.org).
-- D.M.
Copyright 2006 USA WEEKEND. All rights reserved.
A Gannett Co., Inc. property.
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| January 4th, 2006 04:59 AM |
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| speedfreakjive |
No surprises. Bon Jovi suck horribly. |
| January 4th, 2006 05:04 AM |
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| Jumacfly |
this single and this video are a tsunami of bad taste!!!
[Edited by Jumacfly] |
| January 4th, 2006 06:11 AM |
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| Dick Bush |
Jon Bovine?
Listening Stones?
He was kidding, right? |
| January 4th, 2006 07:37 AM |
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| Gazza |
I love this guy |
| January 4th, 2006 07:37 AM |
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| Gazza |
You fuckers almost believed me for a minute, didnt you? |
| January 4th, 2006 08:19 AM |
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| marko |
YEA,and now you will buy ALL BJ cd´s,just because the twat
likes the stones...right mate? |
| January 4th, 2006 08:19 AM |
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| Jumacfly |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
You fuckers almost believed me for a minute, didnt you?
Not a single second Gazza....except if it's your new year's resolution!! |
| January 4th, 2006 08:34 AM |
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| Jumacfly |
quote:
marko wrote:
YEA,and now you will buy ALL BJ cd´s,just because the twat
likes the stones...right mate?
next Tree will be "Pirates of the Wolfpuss"  |
| January 4th, 2006 09:02 AM |
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| marko |
LOL |
| January 4th, 2006 09:39 AM |
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| The Wick |
As much as I love Sticky Fingers, I wonder how much better the world would have been if it had not been made and Bon Jovi would thus never have began his career. |
| January 4th, 2006 09:58 AM |
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| UGot2Rollme |
it's kind of pitiful that Mr. Bon Jovi himself feels compelled to post on Rocks Off to improve his image among Stones fans. However, I will never forget his classic song, Living on Sprayed Hair:
...Once upon a time
..Not so long ago
Johnny used to work on the docks
but his hair got all messy
he was down on his luck...it’s tough, so tough
Richie bugs his barber all day
Gimme a mullet, whatever.. I’ll pay
For love - for love
He says we’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
’cause it doesn’t make a difference
If our band’s good or not
We’ve got our hair and that’s a lot
For love - we’ll give it a shot
Chorus:
Whooah, we’re half way there
Livin’ on sprayed hair
Take my brush and we’ll make it - I swear
Livin’ on sprayed hair
Tico’s gotten fat as a pig,
Can’t play his drums, so he eats taco’s instead
mouth too full to talk - it’s tough
Johnny dreams of being so gay,
When he cries in the night
Richie whispers baby it’s okay, someday…
We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
’cause it doesn’t make a difference
If our songs good or not
We’ve got our hair and that’s a lot
For love - we’ll give it a shot
Chorus
We’ve got to hold on ready or not
You live for the spray when it’s all that you’ve got
Chorus
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| January 4th, 2006 10:06 AM |
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| Gazza |
I hope you're not trying to suggest those arent the REAL lyrics? |
| January 4th, 2006 10:19 AM |
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| Saint Sway |
I now rue the day that Jon Bon Jovi picked up a Stones album |
| January 4th, 2006 10:25 AM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
bon jovi wrote:
On Thursday, he'll speak at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington, D.C., a gathering of national leaders in volunteer service
hold on a fuckin' second..in the midst of all the BJ-bashing re: his liking for the Stones, we managed to let THIS pass without comment??? |
| January 4th, 2006 10:26 AM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Saint Sway wrote:
I now rue the day that Jon Bon Jovi picked up a Stones album
MSG NYE sold very poorly and was wide open, I am sorry.
Good thing Gazza corrected himself, i was all set to post the "You Shall NOt Be Greeted" picture of Eric Estrada! |
| January 4th, 2006 10:30 AM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
Good thing Gazza corrected himself, i was all set to post the "You Shall NOt Be Greeted" picture of Eric Estrada!
I wouldnt have even greeted myself, Pug! |
| January 4th, 2006 10:33 AM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
I wouldnt have even greeted myself, Pug!
This is exactly why I would like to share a pint of lager with you! |
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