I feel an urgent need to get out the Aqua Net and leopard print spandex. Bon Jovi is back and I feel like a teenager cranking “Livin’ On A Prayer” out of the window of my beloved 1985 Firebird. The band, sans guitar player Richie Sambora, is back with their 14th album, This House Is Not for Sale, which hits shelves tomorrow. The title track was released as the album’s first single back in August. Along with the new album comes a 20-city US tour, which kicks off in February in Greenville, South Carolina.
To help promote the release, Jon and wife Dorothea sat down with People Magazine to talk about their family life and Jon’s career. The couple, who were high school sweethearts growing up in New Jersey (of course), have been together for an astonishing 27 years and have four children together: Stephanie, 23, Jesse, 21, Jacob, 14 and Romeo, 12. In the interview, Jon and Dorthea said that they do their best to keep their kids out of the spotlight. Dorothea said, “We never really drag the kids to things. I never pointed at the TV and said, ‘There’s Daddy!’ We try hard just to give our kids a normal life.”
Well, if they wanted to live like a normal family, they’ve succeeded – with the ups and downs every family has. Jesse is currently playing football for Notre Dame and daughter Stephanie is currently a senior in college. The family had a close call with Stephanie, who, back in 2013, was admitted to the hospital after a run-in with opioids while away at school. That’s pretty normal, if you ask me. Dorothea agreed, stating, “It happens to a lot of families that you would never know. We dealt with it as a family.” Jon said of the incident, “We couldn’t get any closer” and called it “a terrible speed bump we got over.”
Jon, who I still can’t believe is 54, possesses a great deal of humility, especially when it comes to his kids. Let’s just say his younger sons may not be into Dad’s music so much. Jon told People, “I asked if they wanted to go to the show and they said, ‘Um, no. No thanks.’ So that’ll keep you humble.”
That’s funny. I asked my friends if they wanted to go see the band when they hit Atlanta in February and, when they discovered that Richie Sambora was not returning, gave me pretty much the same answer. Unlike lots of inner-band squabbles, Richie just up and left the group in the midst of their 2013 “Because We Can” tour. According to Jon, “There was no fight or money issues, like the reports say. Nobody expected Richie to quit in the middle of the night for no reason. He wasn’t fired; he just didn’t come to work.”
Well, Richie or no Richie, Jon still enjoys seeing a million faces and rocking them all, but getting that initial kick start to get out on the road is still a little difficult for him. When it comes to leaving his family for life on the road, Jon confessed, “I go kicking and screaming. You see my fingernails in the driveway.” But the singer, who claims he’s no “applause junkie” says once he’s on the road, he can get to the rocking, stating, “Once I get to the first hotel I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m here.’”
The interview brings out the human side of a man many perceive as a larger than life rock star. I have always liked Jon and from all accounts, he’s a great guy. His Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation has done a lot to help the homeless, by providing affordable housing and shelter for thousands of people in low-income areas across the country. That being said, Jon still has those rock star pipes and devilishly good looks. All I’m saying is could still lay his hands on me. Meeeow!
Photo credit: WENN.com
