After 40 years, 130 million albums sold, thousands of stadiums filled and many a musical fad dodged, Bon Jovi is still standing.
Along with Jon Bon Jovi, 62, fellow original members drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan chime in frequently, as does guitarist Richie Sambora, who abruptly departed Bon Jovi in 2013 and finally offers somewhat of an explanation.
Jon Bon Jovi: It’s becoming therapeutic because I’m speaking about it for the first time and it’s been a two-year project.
At this juncture, as people are seeing the film, they think I’m as I was in the film.
Obviously Bruce is the Mount Rushmore of rock ‘n’ roll and the king of rock ‘n’ roll in New Jersey.
Being in a rock band is not a life sentence.
Even though Alec left Bon Jovi in 1994, I think fans will be touched to see how you honor his memory.
When he left the band he jokingly said if I can’t be in Bon Jovi or The Rolling Stones, I’m quitting the business.
Bon Jovi is still going strong forty years later, having sold 130 million albums, filled thousands of stadiums, and eschewed many a musical fad.
Rock’s most enduring hits, including “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Bad Medicine,” “It’s My Life,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and “Wanted Dead or Alive,” have long since attained icon status. Another recent addition is “Legendary,” which is taken from the band’s upcoming “Forever” album.
In “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” Bon Jovi’s history is presented with unwavering honesty, spanning from their days of performing in seedy Jersey Shore clubs to their peak in the 1980s, and continuing through decades of artistic experimentation and sold-out tours. Launching on Hulu on April 26, the nearly five-hour documentary consists of four episodes.
Under the direction of Gotham Chopra (“Man in the Arena: Tom Brady,” “Greatness Code”), the movie travels from the days of Jon Bon Jovi’s ripped jeanshorts and frosted-tipped mane in his 20s to the painful vocal problems and gray shag that came with middle age.
In addition to the sixty-two-year-old Jon Bon Jovi, other original members drummer Tico Torres, keyboardist David Bryan, and guitarist Richie Sambora—who left the band abruptly in 2013 and has since provided some closure—also frequently contribute. Alec John Such, the original bassist of the band, was honored during his eulogy. He passed away in June 2022, having left the group in 1994.
Jon Bon Jovi discussed several of the most important aspects of the movie in a recent video chat. He was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and was drinking from a white mug. He talked about his friendship with Bruce Springsteen for decades, watching the documentary with Sambora, and the “mental anguish” he’s gone through while fighting his vocal cord issues.
Also: Mary J. and Cher were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. along with Blige.
What are the main topics of the documentary? Legacy and mortality. After going through it, did you feel happier that everything is out there or depressed that aging doesn’t stop for anyone?
Jon Bon Jovi: It’s starting to feel therapeutic because I’m talking about it for the first time after working on the project for two years. According to an old folktale, when you pass away, your life appears to flash before you. Fortunately for me, this hasn’t happened to me. I’m glad we took the chance.
You had surgery in 2022 to try to repair your vocal cords, but we never learned about it until the documentary. What is the current sound of your voice like?
It’s still being worked on. I adore my wonderful Philadelphia surgeon since he has never led me astray during this process. “I’m going to do a medialization,” he declared. In order to improve upon your current state, a Gore-Tex implant will be placed in the front of your throat. We will work to strengthen the cords and restore their suppleness. For the past 22 months, I have been working on it every day. People now believe that I am the same as I was in the movie because they have seen it. I’ve come a lot further.
What do you think will surprise people the most? For me, it was finding out that Alec and Tico spent time in rehab for drug addiction and that Hugh played bass on the song “Livin’ on a Prayer.”.
Ultimately, I wanted to portray the complete truth, nothing but the truth, with all of life’s imperfections—not just as a band member, but as a member of a team and a family. This wasn’t going to be a puff piece; there are small wins and significant losses along the road. A 40-year vanity piece was not what I wanted to create. My hair turned gray and I haven’t had a needle in my face for a long time.
You and Bruce Springsteen have a long history together, which may surprise some people.
Of course, Bruce is the rock ‘n’ roll king of New Jersey and the Mount Rushmore of the genre. Look, the Asbury Jukes, Southside Johnny, and the E Street Band made the seemingly unachievable seem doable. You were going to meet them in a bar, which is significant because you weren’t going to meet the guys from Mott the Hoople, Led Zeppelin, and Queen on the Jersey shore, according to the posters on my wall.
You’ve revealed the secret of your lengthy drives through New Jersey with Bruce now.
Our neighbors were next door. The kids attended the same school. We didn’t have to tell anyone that we spent a lot of time together in private. I’ve been outspoken about it as we’ve gotten older because I didn’t feel like I had to conceal the truth. The man is like a big brother to me, and we’ve only been friends for 45 years.
What Richie has to say about his reasons for leaving the band will be of interest to fans. Was it hard to persuade him to take part?
No, he played a crucial role in the band’s first 30 years of existence. In August, he and I watched the first three episodes together.
How did you feel about his remarks regarding his reason for leaving?
I didn’t find it uncomfortable to watch the movie with others that evening, even though everyone has their own truths. He traveled to my New Jersey home to see it. Seeing him in it makes it difficult to believe that 11 years ago he quit and never paid us a visit to discuss it. There were numerous factors that contributed to that, including anxiety, substance misuse, and single parenting. There was no altercation or hostility, which is something that the public needs to know. It’s not a life sentence to play in a rock band. Many people were devastated by Richie’s decision to stop performing, but the band had to go on.
The fact that you paid tribute to Alec even though he left Bon Jovi in 1994 will likely move fans. When he passed away, was he aware that the documentary was being worked on?
When he died, we were just getting started. 2018 saw us witness his incredible induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When he joined us for a song, he played well and had a very clear voice. He was genuinely content. He joked when he quit the band, saying, “I’m quitting the business if I can’t be in Bon Jovi or The Rolling Stones.”. He stuck to that, and I really respected that. He didn’t try to make the most of his time with us, join a band, or write a tell-all. He expressed his gratitude profusely for the time he spent with us and for us spending time with him.
View All of Phish’s songs from their Las Vegas opening night performance at the Sphere.
Given the release of the new album, how do you envision touring in the future? Would you ever consider doing a show akin to the Sphere in Las Vegas?
I was asked if we could think of that as the tour because I had attended U2’s opening night. I believed the Sphere to be extraterrestrial. I cherished it. That’s not an option for me right now, though. Although I had a great time, the desert is not my friend, and producing that material for an X factor of how many shows you could or would be able to do—not to mention that we don’t live on the West Coast, so there would be no sense in any of it—would be absurd.
“If I cannot do it at 102 percent, then thank you and good night,” you say as you wrap up the documentary. That’s not where we are yet, is it?
