September 3, 1997
One thinks of "hard rock" as a realm of darkness, a nest of snakes where all heroes are negative. Musicians that live on drug, sex and alcohol, who destroy hotel-rooms when they're on tour, who inject poison into their music and their lyrics, following the laws of the Satanic Fathers of rock: the Stones, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. Diabolic creatures, true monsters: and "Monsters of Rock" was also called the most famous festival of the "hard and heavy" rock, with a little irony, but also with some satisfaction for this prestigious title of the infernal aristocracy.
Then along comes a guy like Bon Jovi, and the formula doesn't work out. This guy ... a monster? A good-looking "macho" in the splendour of his thirties, very polite and even shy, who has always loved the rock of thunder and lightning, but who always scrupulously stayed away from vices and excess: and on the peak of his fabulous carreer, he didn't find anything more "notorious" to do, than to wed his highschool sweetheart Dorothea.
Just once in his career (that has begun since 1983), this tenacious Italian-American, son of a hair-dresser and an "ex-Playboy-bunny", has found himself in the center of "illegal" stories.
It was in 1988 when his manager Doc McGhee was arrested and accused of having imported a certain amount of marijuana from South America. The discussions and polemics lasted a few months, but Bon Jovi got out of them without damages, and at his first chance, fired McGhee, who though had had big influence in his lucky carreer. Now, the business remains in the hands of a few entrusted friends and family members, in accordance to the best Italian-American tradition.
All these virtues have obviously allerted the "extremists" of the hard and metallic rock, who since ages don't consider Bon Jovi as one whom they can trust. To them he's a fake, a traitor, an infiltrator of the "moralists of music", in an upside down world where kindness and moderation are banned values.
But, what did that old Elvis-album say? «50'000'000 fans can't be wrong»: and in this still young career, Bon Jovi did far better than that, selling somewhat like 70'000'000 copies of his seven albums and innumerable singles.
His rock appeals to an enormous number of "non-extremists", who like his music, just because it's not too excessive, bloody and strong but rythmatic and melodic (as the famous "Wanted Dead or Alive", on "Slippery When Wet" or "This ain't no love song" on their last album "These Days").
Maybe it's just a question of cathegories to apply, maybe it's time to NOT judge Bon Jovi anymore according to the parameters of the "hard and heavy" rock, but to apply the scale of the "epic rock", which isn't necessarily hard or metallic. Queen or Kiss were big groups of "epic rock" and, although this world seems to be very far away from Bon Jovi, maybe they aren't as far away as we have always thought. And Springsteen, that's another - preciser - scale to apply. Not the Springsteen of the complicated and polemic "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", but the simple and strong one of "The River" or "Born in the USA", when he used to "grind" rock like a big "buldozer", wetting with galons of sweat his t-shirt of street-boy. Well, in teir best moments, Bon Jovi's music shows the same enthusiasm, generosity, the same ability to "capture" the audience: songs that are a strong file to evade from every-day's life, a magic key to open the worlds of phantasy.
And, again as the Boss, Bon Jovi is a son of New Jersey. He also was born in this big province of New York and he also grew strong swallowing bread and R&B, playing his guitar and pouring out his heart in the small bars, catching the fire of the original rock&roll and the great black music.
Today, they happen to live in the same town in the north-east, Rumson, they know and they esteem each other. Although it may be exaggerated to compare them too closely, there is no doubt that between the two exists a lot of affinities and feelings and that in his public persona, Bon Jovi is the perfect figure of the springsteenian ballad: a young adult with a pretty normal life, but who deep down in his heart hides the flame of rebellion and fantasy, that explode in his music.
A couple of years ago, Bon Jovi made his first step into the world of cinema, opening a completely new horizon and surprising a lot of people who always considered his career being "too stable". Also in this case, he didn't choose the glamorous way, but a cautious approach. He started by writing an album inspired by an untypical western-movie like "Young Guns 2" and on that occasion he discovered Hollywood and the fascinating world of the set. He then accepted a role in "Moonlight and Valentino": and, after having made the wise decision to refuse the too difficult "The Crow 2", he accepted the leading role in "The Leading Man", John Guigan's new movie, soon to be released in Italy. The adventure isn't over yet. Before starting to record albums again, Bon Jovi started a new movie, "Little City", in which he prooves his versatility, going from a hitchcockian thriller to a romantic comedy.
The new album (probably named "Destination Anywhere") is to be released in 1997 and in the next few months you can bet that Jon Bon Jovi will enjoy his domestic life, after two intense years, going from "recording-studios" to "stadiums" and to "movie-sets". He loves being with his family, because familiy is one of his most important values and after having married the sweet Dorothea in a typical american ceremony in a wedding-chapel in Vegas (Graceland Chapel), along came two kids who now are 4 and 2 years old. The youngest was named Jesse James and, giving it a thought, it's a perfecly bonjovian name. Kindness - yes, good manners, thoughfulness - OK: but deep down in his dreams, the myth of the outlaw, the rebel without a cause and a life beyond rules.
- page 139 (big pic of Jon in pin-stripe-jacket): "Jon Bon Jovi was born in New Jersey on March 2nd 1962. He's married to Dorothea Hurley and has two kids. Next year, a new album, titled "Destination Anywhere" is planned. In the picture on the right, Bon Jovi wears a pin-stripe-suit by "Versus". In the following pages he wears leather-pants and black t-shirt by "Gianni Versace Uomo".
- page 141: "He was born in New Jersey, like the "Boss". He lives in Rumson, like the "Boss". He seems to be born out of a ballad of the Boss. A quiet man, with the flame of rebellion that burns on the inside."
- page 132 (sexy Jon-pic): "Bon Jovi has played a role in two movies: "Moonlight & Valentino" with Whoopy Goldberg and Kathleen Turner and "The Leading Man" with Anna Galiena. Now he's filming "Little City" with Annabella Sciorra e Penelope Ann Miller. In the picture on the left, Bon Jovi wears a pin-stipe-suit by "Versus". In the page on the right, he wears pants by "Versace Jeans Couture". The pictures were taken for Versace by Richard Avedon; the producers are Donatella Versace and Paul Beck; the stylist was Joe McKenna; coordinator is Bruno Gugiani and make-up and hair by François Nars e Carlos Merlo.***
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