Again my mom translated the article in Bulgarian from German and I translated it in English from Bulgarian. If something isn't O.K. please tell me- I'll correct it.
Bravo- 05.07.2000
We played Big Brother in the studio
Hanover, Copthorne Hotel, King George Suite. Jon
appears exactly in 17 o'clock. He's hiding his tired eyes behind the sunglasses
but he doesn't run away from this question in our conversation. And although he
is tired he bares his soul.
Bravo: You disappeared from the horizon for 5 years. Did you want to be on the
stage again?
Jon: Yes, and if I got to be honest I was missing all this in the end. In BJ
pause I played in movies but as an actor I was very little noticed, because I
didn't have a blockbuster in Hollywood till now so far.
Bravo: Why are you talking like that? Your movie U571 was a big hit in the USA.
Jon: But it wasn't me. Still I played with big actors as Mathew McConaughey and
Harvey Keitel and also the story was good. I'm very proud that I am in this
movie.
Bravo: Which business is harder- the music or the movie?
Jon: The movie business! When shooting of the movie ends the actor is without a
job, the movie crew is separating. As a musician I always have my band and the
deal with the label.
Bravo: How long can you still do both- shooting movies and making albums?
Jon: It's doing good for now. I can choose when it's time for Hollywood and when
for Bon Jovi. Now the whole time is for Bon Jovi- the new album, the tour. But
before that I shot another movie- Pay It Forward.
Bravo: I heard that you get bored very quickly. Isn't it a hell for you the long
waiting when you are shooting a movie?
Jon: (laughing) Oh, I can be very patient. You can sit with hours in the
dressing room waiting for your turn to come. You drink much of coffee, smoking
many cigarettes and you can't do anything else. The only place where I don't get
bored is the stage.
Bravo: The album Crush is recorded in your home studio in New Jersey and the
fans watched its recording live on the Internet (webcam). Are you a computer
freak?
Jon: (laughing) Oh God no. I don't know how to begin and probably I'll never
learn. The keyboardist David Bryan is our computer expert. When our manager
suggested us to make a webcam for the fans first we were very skeptical.
Bravo: Why?
Jon: We didn't want to be observed all the time. But then we agreed that it was
just one modern idea. But we took one free corner in the studio where there was
no camera in case there were differences in the band. If there was something
like this and the camera broadcasted it I wouldn't have been amazed to start
rumours about splitting of the band.
Bravo: The first series of Big Brother just began in Germany.
Jon: I heard about it. The audience was huge. Soon it begins in the USA too. If
I can say that Bon Jovi played Big Brother too and get America ready for it. The
difference was that we were in the studio and don't live in a container.
Bravo: In one of the new songs- Save The World- you sing - "I never went to
college, Lets say I went to night school" What do you mean with that
"night school"?
Jon: That line is absolutely autobiographical. At 16 I already played with the
amateur band Atlantic City Express Way in New Jersey Clubs. We rocked till late
at night and in the clubs I always had to stay near the backdoor because I was
under age. On the next day I was always late for school because I was sleeping.
But I already knew that I want to be a professional musician and that all these
club appearances, these "night school" will help me more than any
lessons. But with these lines I don't want to disgust the kinds from the
colleges. I am just happy that as a rocker I didn't need a diploma from the
university.
Bravo: You said that your "greatest hits" are your children. How are
they?
Jon: Good, Stephanie is 7 years old and she is in the primary school and Jessie
James is 5.
Bravo: Do you spend much time with Dorothea and the kids?
Jon: As much as I can. I find time for them. For example soon I was with Bon
Jovi in Monte Carlo for the "Laureus Sport Awards". As soon as got off
the stage I was flying to New Jersey where Stephanie had a birthday. I just
didn't dare to miss it. We had a birthday party in our garden. But the jetlag
was worth because of the happy faces of my children. On the next day I had to
take the plane back to Europe.
Bravo: Do you know Pikachu?
Jon: I didn't hear of it. Maybe it's new rock band or something to eat?
Bravo: Pikachu is the star from Pokemon.
Jon: Oh, yes, Pokemon is short for Pocket Monster- that little Japanese funny
monster. Do you I have to confess? I fell asleep at the very beginning and slept
till the end of the movie when Stephanie woke me up. I believe I had to wake up
to understand the meaning of Pokemon.
Bravo: At the end- put your hand on your heart and say - have you ever had any
doubt in the success of your comeback?
Jon: It's very fair question. Of course you think: " What if the album
doesn't work, and you have to play on an empty stadium?" In our intense
time the bands appear and disappear faster than before, the choice is bigger.
For the kids today 5 years are the eternity. But somehow we succeeded not to
disgust the kids- and that's great!