Heaven in Hard Times

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article622422.ece

A nice article.

Mostly about Jon, and one sentence in particular set me to bristling, but it is most definitely the best recent article about them I've read.

My comments on first reading it:

At first I read "luscious blonde curls" instead of "ludicrous blonde curls" and I got confused because I know I didn't write this article.

"Indeed, despite the bonhomie, the songwriting collaborations, and public declarations to the opposite, Jon Bon Jovi is Bon Jovi." - I almost stopped reading it right there. Jeezly.

"filling the silence with pre-cooked statements" - the best way of describing the way Jon does interviews ever.

"And Richie, always the man with the beautiful woman on his arm" - Tico's women are always hotter

"presumably for those times when only a light, fruity Italian will provide adequate mid-performance refreshment." - But Jon's right there.

There's a four-part interview with Jon from some Japanese something-or-other up on YouTube. From early in the fourth part:

"Yeah I mean, you know, Dave I - you know. He...was there. I wrote it, it was just something that I had. He wanted to write a song on the record, and..you know. So...But, you know, I had an idea and I wrote it and he was there. But it was good, you know, to help him work through it."

*sigh*

I just...you giant pompous ass. How charitable of you to allow David to sit in on your writing session so he could "work through it". You sweetheart, you. And what a good friend, letting him put his name on it when he apparently didn't do anything. Oh Jon Bon Jovi, you are just a big ol' sweetie.

You giant ass.

If you want to watch the interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT8VvtkzMDI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXo0EprVv78
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ_CP1CdtEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8K7xEY8os

And when you watch that fourth part, just listen to how he says it. He's so fucking quick to dismiss David.

This is just what I needed to wake up to this morning.

Oh, and he also mentioned the song "Novocaine" from HAND, which is about divorce. Which, as far as any of us have known (and Jon's done everything short of outright SAYING it to keep us thinking this) is about David's divorce. But in the interview he said it was about Richie. My thoughts:

"I was under the strong, strong impression it was about David. And if it wasn't, I don't really think he had any right to say anything (unless he and Richie discussed it, which they might have, but from that interview it didn't sound like it was something he and Richie had talked about beforehand). But as far as I know, he never specifically said David.

I had a feeling when Richie's divorce went public Novocaine would turn into a Richie song. At the very least, the casual fans would think 'Song about divorce. Richie got a divorce. Oh, okay, it's about Richie.' because most of them wouldn't even know about David's divorce. And I thought maybe in concert Jon would switch from talking/singing to David during Novocaine to talking/singing to Richie because that would make more sense to more people. I just didn't want Jon to say it, because I was perfectly happy thinking that not only did David finally start writing for the band again, and not just b-sides even, he inspired a song too. And I like that a lot, because you know how I feel about David, and a lot of times I feel like the only one who actually thinks he's important, and this was 'no, no, look, the band think he's important too, really!'

And now he did neither. And it's the Jon and Richie show again. Because that is the way of the world."