Sun Sentinal- Nov. 1, 2000
It's their life
As the 1980s drew to a close, it was no
surprise to the members of Bon Jovi when they found themselves written off by
critics -- pegged as little more than a good-looking hair band that would never
amount to much. This was, after all, the age of "important" rock bands
like R.E.M., U2, Guns N' Roses, even Van Halen. And that was before the
critically worshiped procession of flannel-wearing alt-rockers exorcised every
last bit of merriment from the American music scene.
But now, after nearly 18 years together and 14 years since hitting it big, it is
indeed the handsome men of Bon Jovi who are still here, still cranking out hits,
while bands of past eras struggle with revolving lineups and their own musical
irrelevance.
With the hot single It's My Life, a huge new tour kicking off this week and
their critically praised CD Crush doing platinum business, Bon Jovi seems more
together now than ever, both emotionally and musically.
"Obviously there's a strong bond," Jon Bon Jovi says of his long
friendship with fellow frontman Richie Sambora, and band mates David Bryan and
Tico Torres. "That's why it works so well. Yeah, we've had our
disagreements. But that's life in a band."
The group's founder and namesake is on the phone from his home in New Jersey,
talking about the band's first album and tour in nearly five years, and what
it's like to defy industry odds.
If he is deriving huge satisfaction from the demise of others amid his own
triumph, he won't say. But proving he can still operate an old-fashioned,
cohesive rock band that writes its own songs and can sell them in a
teen-obsessed market does make him very happy.
"It's nice to have praise heaped upon you," he says of the critical
plaudits for Crush. "But you know, I didn't worry when anyone pointed a
finger and said you won't be here a year from now. The lows didn't get me low
and the highs don't get me higher."
A few days later, in a separate phone call from his home near Los Angeles,
Sambora says years of such ups and downs is what gives this band its edge.
"It's a rock 'n' roll kind of family. We went through some tough times and
some dysfunctional times -- absolutely," Sambora says.
"But when you're fatigued and you're partying too much, that's gonna send
you into an irrational place. That happened back in the late '80s when we were
on tour for 16½ months. It's not surprising that we had our differences.
"But once we were mature enough to get to the point where we could look at
each other and say, `Hey man -- I understand,' that made it OK.
"That's what being in a band is all about. And Jon and I, as I guess the
premiere weight-carriers in the group, do debate, and that's what makes us
successful. If you got somebody kissing somebody's a-- all the time, you know,
you're not gonna get anywhere [musically]. There's gotta be some kind of healthy
debate going on."
But at the height of the group's raucous mid- to late-'80s Slippery When Wet and
New Jersey heyday, there was little room for anything resembling good health.
Living hard day and night, touring the world non-stop and indulging in all the
usual rock excesses left band-members exhausted and cranky.
By the time they left the road in 1990, Jon had wisely sensed the pop market's
changing tone and was already stretching as a soloist, writing and singing the
No. 1 theme song to Young Guns II, while playing a cameo role in that movie. The
following year it was Sambora's turn with Stranger In This Town, the first of
his two solo albums.
And so it would continue through the '90s, as band members went separate ways.
Keyboardist Bryan released two albums of his own. Jon began a movie career in
earnest, but not before taking time out to fire bassist Alec John Such for
transgressions he still doesn't like to discuss. Drummer Torres launched a
successful side career as an artist and sculptor, while Sambora emerged as an
engaging tabloid presence during high-profile romances with Cher and then
Heather Locklear, who later became his wife.
Though the guys did come together periodically for albums, TV appearances and an
extensive world tour in 1996, so much time apart kept the break-up rumors
fueled.
Compounding all this was the pull of family life and the balancing of new
priorities. Jon had married longtime girlfriend Dorothea Hurley in 1989 and
later had two children. In 1997, Sambora and Locklear had a daughter. Soon
after, he released a new solo album while she signed on with ABC's Spin City,
requiring the family to leave California for a year in New York. (Now that
Michael J. Fox has left the series, the show has relocated to Los Angeles, and
the Samboras are back home).
Meanwhile Jon's acting career had taken off with the small, well-received film
Moonlight and Valentino in 1995. Since then he has appeared in seven movies,
including The Leading Man, the submarine blockbuster U-571 and the current Pay
It Forward.
"I'm certainly not the first to balance movies and music. It's a difficult
process," he says. "But it's easier when you've had success. I'm able
to choose what I want to do when I want to do it. And I'm fortunate to be able
to do both on a grand scale."
The band's new tour, which began overseas and kicks off in the United States on
Friday in Charlotte, N.C., before hitting South Florida on Sunday, will offer
Jon several breaks to make more movies. He may start shooting the first of two
new films in January, but he won't say much about them. Only that "one is
little and one is big."
"It's finding that equilibrium," he says of knowing how long to stay
out on the road with the band, when to make movies and when all of it is too
much.
But one thing is certain, says Sambora -- Bon Jovi is here to stay. "As Jon
has said many times, this band is so past the point of ever breaking up. It's
just about learning how not to burn out."
To that end both are diligent about the gym. They also eat and drink
"smarter," they say -- ("better wine," says Jon) -- and they
travel with someone they call a "holistic chiropractor" to keep them
in one piece.
Their good habits haven't been lost on fans. Recent appearances on talk shows
and at a concert for VH1's Storytellers had female fans panting as if it was
1987.
"I wouldn't want to look bad no matter what I did for a living, even if I
was an auto mechanic," says Jon, 38. "It's not vanity. I wanna feel
good. Today I got up at 7. I went to the gym. But it's not like I go to bed
early. There are still things I could be better about."
To Sambora, 41, the harsh reality of show biz is that "you just can't eat
everything you want. If you want to stay in this business, this is how it
is."
Both seem musically in tune as well, so much so that they aren't beyond likening
their long partnership to legendary rock teams such as Robert Plant and Jimmy
Page, or Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
"Richie's got more god---- talent than anyone I know, but I'm the one with
the record deal and so it's up to me," Jon says of when they write, record
and tour.
Sambora says that's fine: "Right now it's Bon Jovi time. But if Jon does
two movies in a row, then that means it's time for me to do a solo project. It's
up to destiny."
Jon wrote 60 potential songs for Crush -- half alone and half with Sambora, who
flew out to the Rome set of U-571 to do some of the songwriting.
What they came away with was an entirely hummable album that takes the band
forward musically, but not so much that it no longer sounded like vintage Bon
Jovi.
Some of the credit belongs to their young new producer, Luke Ebbin, who Jon says
pushed them in ways they hadn't intended. "It was like, why not go left?
And we said, `Left? Oh yeah, left.'
"This kid just lit this spark and Richie and I turned it into fire."