Interviews

Thanks, Heidi, and Lily for these :)

First up, a print interview (full article is here).   This is an older one, from when they were in London promoting the record, and some of it was excerpted in other articles, but it some bits of it made me laugh.  Some of my favorite bits:

You’ve been together for almost thirty years, that’s a milestone that most young bands today won’t ever reach...
Richie Sambora: We’ve been together for a lot of years and we’re like a family; we’re like brothers. We have a great job to be able to create together. It’s like a sexless marriage! But in essence, we all enjoy what we do together. Yeah, we have problems but it’s a happy balance. All is good in Bon Jovi world!

Did it bother you back in the Eighties when you were describes as a metal hair band?
Jon Bon Jovi: It’s bothersome for anyone to be lumped into a certain genre because you’re judging a book by its cover. But the only revenge I guess is still being here.

Richie Sambora: Time proves itself right – or wrong. And for the record, Bono had more of a mullet than I did!

A fun read to be sure.

Then there are some radio interviews, all of which are up on the Mediafire.

One is from Mix 100 (Denver's Best Music), another from Mix 94.1FM

One from Jon's birthday (apparently) with Sophie @103.7FM

One from Kelly Urich.

Also a couple from the AJ in the Morning show.

~ Hath

Jon Visits Skid Row

Jon Bon Jovi spent the afternoon on Monday touring the infamous ‘Skid Row’ and it’s housing initiative the ‘Lamp Community’. Jon was accompanied by Steve Lopez, the LA Times writer whose column about a cellist with schizophrenia inspired the film 'The Soloist' (pictured with Jon).

‘Lamp’ is a nonprofit that helps people living with severe mental illness move from the streets to homes. Once settled in their home, new tenants are surrounded with customized services such as mental health treatment, drug recovery, healthcare, budgeting, visual and performing arts, job opportunities, and other supports to help them achieve their goals and become a part of their community.

KTLA TV had a report on this visit:



~ Hath

In These Arms

This is in the rotation now, as the alternate to Thorn just before the one-two punch that is Prayer/Wanted. I would like to make a TEEEEEEENSY request, dear Jon.



At least one of the shows I'm going to :)

Please?

Pretty please?

With a really good red wine drizzled over top?

~ Hath

I Can't Help...

... watching this over and over....

It'll be up on the BJCT (along with some others) in due course, we're working on it!  But, here's a great vid (thanks FM for dropping this in my inbox) that just makes me smile.

Damn...



~ Hath

JBJ on Denver Radio, March 3

Thanks Willow and Catte!

You can listen online here, or you can download it from my Mediafire here.

Let me know if there are issues with this Mediafire file; my PC seems to like it :)

~ Hath

Prayer and Wanted

OK, so I've got messages from some of you that you couldn't get at the Prayer and Wanted versions I had put to the Skydrive. I've been having terrible trouble with that lately.  I've made a "Random Bits and Bobs" folder on my Mediafire site, and have put them up there.  I didn't have any troubles with them, but I didn't have issue w/my Skydrive either :)

Let me know if this is better...

~ Hath

Dammit, Catte

I'm supposed to be updating my goals and education plan for this year for HR. You very nearly had me typing "tap that" on my goals when you sent me this picture!

How am I supposed to concentrate now?

~ Hath

United We Serve

This 2- minute video, currently playing on Bon Jovi's tour, features Bon Jovi calling on Americans to take action and volunteer for something they believe in.




Inspired by music from his hit songs, this PSA Are You with Me? features Jon Bon Jovi calling on Americans to take action and volunteer for something they believe in.



~ Hath

JonBon on Denver Radio TODAY

From my Google Alerts:

Bon Jovi is coming to Denver on March 8th, and BJ, Howie and Erica will have the man himself, Jon Bon Jovi, LIVE on the show Wednesday morning (3/3) at 8:05am.  Tune in!  You definitely don’t wan’t to miss this amazing interview!!!

I may not want to, but I will totally miss it, as that is 10:05am Eastern, and I will be in the next of a long line of meetings.  Anyone in the Denver area, if you could stream/snag this and pass it along, I'd appreciate it!  Hopefully they'll record it and have it available for listening on their website, but one never knows...

~ Hath

Memphis Presents "Inspire Change"

The thrilling new musical "Memphis" will fuel the imaginations of thousands of New York and New Jersey students through the new educational program "Inspire Change." Students from arts-poor schools will experience historical events in a new musical way, through tickets to the Broadway production, an in-school dynamic pre-show workshop led by a "Memphis" cast member and teaching artists, as well as a post-show discussion with the "Memphis" actors.

Ticket to "Memphis," round-trip transportation and the workshop/post-show experience will be provided by the funders of "Inspire Change." The program is run by educational consultancy group iTheatrics.

To date donors have generously provided funding for more than 1,000 students to experience "Inspire Change" at "Memphis," including KIPP: STAR School in Harlem, which was the impetus for this program.

After seeing the show on his own, middle school English teacher Trenton Price of KIPP: STAR School wrote to the "Memphis" producers stating that "I know it's rare to see a show with which my student population in Harlem can identify (through music, racial identities, and civil rights history). While our school runs nicely, we are not, unfortunately, able to financially look at events like Broadway shows for our students. Nevertheless, given the subject matter and the amazingly talented cast and production I was wondering if there were any events you sponsor for New York City public schools."

Initial funds to for this program were provided by the authors of "Memphis" and several of the lead producers of the show, including David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, The Kenneth and Marleen Alhadeff Charitable Foundation, Bill and Linda Potter, Jim and Susan Blair, and Rick and Linda Linneweh.

Donors are invited to join the students at the performance and take part in their post show discussion with the cast about their experiences with "Memphis."

Other schools participating in the launch of "Inspire Change" include Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School in Staten Island and Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School.

To experience "Inspire Change" contact Janette Roush at janette@typeamktg.com.



source

The 10 Best things about Jon Bon Jovi

OK, so I totally expected FHM to be blocked from work, but this was actually pretty amusing.  I bristled at #2, but managed to highlight my favorite parts in blue :)

10. He started a band…after singing a Christmas carol
In what would be one of the best and most rocking bands in the land. Bongiovi, after singing a Christmas carol at a radio studio, discovered that he had the lungs and hip movements to hypnotize women and move scary, strong men with his vocal chords.

And so he went on a quest to pursue this musical dream. Little did he know that he would soon be helming one of the most awesome and long-lasting bands of all time.

9. He changed the spelling of his name
Thank god Bongiovi edited the spelling of his name to Jon Bon Jovi. Can you imagine what keeping the spelling of Bongiovi might have caused? Maybe they would have ended up as a classical group or even opened up a frozen gelato stand.

One of the band members suggested that they name the band Bon Jovi. Bongiovi liked it so much, he changed his own name to fit it. And now it’s such a powerful brand name, some people even baptize their kids as Bon Jovi. Scary, but true.

8. His hair
Forget about the faux hawk. Back in the 80s it was big, unruly hair that made us look like transsexual valkyries from Valhalla. But it was damn cool. And who made this mess of locks so accepted? Bon Jovi!

More so than the other rock contemporaries of that time, Bon Jovi neck twisted and curly-locked their head of hair so that it became an art form. So what if your scalp seemed to itch and people weren’t sure if you were a girl or a guy. You have the mane of fame!

7. He wore the tightest pants
Have you noticed that hip-hop pants are now slowly being replaced by tight fitting multi colored jeans? If you think about it, Bon Jovi and other rocking bands started wearing testicle tightening leather pants, 501s, and jeans way back then.

Space for a hanky? Forget it. Need to squat and pick up some loose change? Get ready to rip your butt. They weren’t very comfortable and they definitely couldn’t hold anything but the skin on your legs and your crotch, but the pants were a sign that you were a rocker. Hopefully you found a rocker chick to take them off for you.

6. He rocked music videos
An overload of close-ups, silhouettes, dolly-shots, headbanging, and screaming female fans. The older batch of Bon Jovi music videos did not have the typical movie scenario or story mode. It was all set up as a concert.

And that’s one of the magic moments that Bon Jovi was able to instill in their fans and first-time viewers. You were instantly captivated. It was like watching a free show. Sure you’re just in your parents living room waiting for your mom to cook you dinner, but in those precious 4-5 minutes, you were in the front row of a Bon Jovi concert. Yeah!

5. He made cowboys  cool
Singing all by his lonesome on a mountain top drive-in movie, Jon Bon Jovi sang "Blaze of Glory," which became one of his solo career hits and a fitting soundtrack for Young Guns 2.

Making a tired movie genre shine again in the spotlight. Who cares if Billy the Kid liked to shoot people up and he was played by Emilo Estevez or that the sequel didn’t do as good as the first—you had cool guitar licks, gunslinging action, and Jon Bon Jovi wearing that leather chaleko again. He made all of us feel like rootin-tootin-cowboys.

4. He became an actor
Jon Bon Jovi was no stage thespian or Robert De Niro, but you have to admit, he played some pretty cool characters. But the one character that stood above the rest was his portrayal of vampire hunter Derek Bliss in Vampires: Los Muertos, that really caught a lot of people's attentions.

Imagine Bon Jovi stabbing one of the undead while belting out a rock song. “This is gonna hurt you, more than it hurts me!” Stab! Vampire explodes. Groupies scream in ecstasy. Closeup of Jon with his eyes looking far, far away.

3. He had the girls
In the videos, at the backstage, during parties, you can be sure that Bon Jovi had their pool of lovelies lining up to be with rockstar legends.

You may not agree with the tight pants and big hair formula, but there was definitely some chemical reaction between Bon Jovi and the rocker chicks.

2. He hangs out with Richie Sambora
Anybody who hangs out with Richie Sambora must have their name etched on a granite slab for all eternity. The guy was able to boink Heather Locklear in his prime, and tap Denise Richards in his current flabby status.

Richie Sambora was a god, and whoever hangs out with a god must be very important or at least have a huge credit limit. But seriously, Jon Bon Jovi prides himself on being a good family, so obviously he won’t party so hard. That’s when you pass the ball to Richie who likes to head straight to the goal.

1. He made beautiful karaoke music
If you loved it or hated it, you have to admit that everyone knows their songs. From the videoke bars of people screaming their lungs out to "Living on a Prayer" to the strippers strutting their stuff to "Bed of Roses," Bon Jovi’s music was very addictive and made people rock out in their cars to "It’s my Life" and made taking a shower so much more fun for me while singing, "I’ll be There for You."

The magic of Bon Jovi isn’t about how many cars they have, or how many groupies they conquered, it’s not even the platinum albums hanging in their mansions, it’s the music that makes you feel alive whenever you hear it.

source

So, what do YOU consider the top three things? (Ass, hair, and smile don't count)...

~ Hath

JonBon's Birthday Fooferall

There are a couple of things you can do (clean things, you dirty birdies) to celebrate Jon's birthday.

First, you can make a donation (or gift a donation in Jon's name) to the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.

Second (and I wonder how fast the voicemail mailbox filled up lol) you can call 1-201-984-5711 and leave a message. It will prompt you to join the Bon Jovi Mobile Force (which means you'll get texts from Bon Jovi). This was not set up specifically for JB's birthday, but is a number you can call (at least in the US, not sure about abroad) and leave messages about anything.

Now, I don't want to advocate erotic solicitation on this line. BUT, it would be kinda cool if everyone going to the show tonight (and you know who you are) would call from the show (which is no big thing; I know some of you call friends to let them hear songs -- thanks!! -- and text consistently thru the show -- thanks again!!) so one more call won't be an issue.

Call during your favorite song. Hold up the phone while Jon's singing, then say "And this is why we love you. Happy Birthday, baby!" or something to that effect.

Let's see if we can't bring down that phone system (then Kiwi, maybe they'll call you to come fix it).

~ Hath

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Oh, and that Jon guy too has a birthday I guess lol
One of my devotees sent me this parody of Green Eggs and Ham in celebration of Dr. Seuss' (and JB's) birthdays. It made me chuckle, and hope it does the same for you. Thanks V!

Here goes:

I am Sam. Sam I am.

That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am!
I do not like that Sam-I-am!

Do you like Bon Jovi man?

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not like Bon Jovi man.

Would you like them here or there?

I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like Bon Jovi man.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you like them in a house?
Would you like them with a mouse?

I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like Bon Jovi man.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you listen to them in a box?
Would you listen to them with a fox?

Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not listen to them here or there.
I would not listen to them anywhere.
I would not listen to Bon Jovi man.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you? Could you? In a car?
Listen to them! Listen to them! Here they are.

I would not, could not, in a car.

You may like them. You will see.
You may like them in a tree!

I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be.
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like Bon Jovi man.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

A train! A train! A train! A train!
Could you, would you, on a train?

Not in a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not listen to them with a mouse.
I will not listen to them in a house.
I will not listen to them here or there.
I will not listen to them anywhere.
I do not like Bon Jovi man.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Say! In the dark?
Here in the dark!
Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not, in the dark.

Would you, could you, in the rain?

I would not, could not, in the rain.
Not in the dark. Not on a train.
Not in a car. Not in a tree.
I do not like them, Sam, you see.
Not in a house. Not in a box.
Not with a mouse. Not with a fox.
I will not listen to them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere!

You do not like Bon Jovi man?

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Could you, would you, with a goat?

I would not, could not, with a goat!

Would you, could you, on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not listen to them in the rain.
I will not listen to them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not listen to them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE!
I do not like Bon Jovi man!
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

You do not like them. So you say.
Listen to them! Listen to them! And you may.
Listen to them and you may, I say.

Sam! If you will let me be,
I will listen to them. You will see.
Say! I like Bon Jovi man!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would listen to them in a boat.
And I would listen to them with a goat...
And I will listen to them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!
So I will listen to them in a box.
And I will listen to them with a fox.
And I will listen to them in a house.
And I will listen to them with a mouse.
And I will listen to them here and there.
Say! I will listen to them ANYWHERE!

I do so like Bon Jovi man!
Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am!

~ Hath

Online Updated

Richie and Jen are now wondering "What now?" 

The next installment's been posted.

~ Hath

Hey God!

Damn, lookee what they got in Cali last night!



I am SO looking forward to my shows coming up in Philly (and CT, and NY, and MA)...

In BJCT Blog News, we've launched a YouTube channel, where we have playlists per show with all the videos linked on the blog. Thanks, Catte, for the awesome idea, and thanks to D for giving us the code to put the playlists in the BJCT posts :)

~ Hath

O2 Venue Magazine

Thanks, R for dropping this in my inbox :)


Full magazine is here if you can't read it from the pictures.

~ Hath