lies!


Top Of The Pops Magazine, May 1996

We’ve heard more tabloid rumours about Bon Jovi than Jon’s had trips to the hairdressers! But how many of them are true? We got Jon and Richie to separate the truth from the lies!

“Ooooh, excuuuuuuuuse me,” drawls Jon Bon Jovi after his fourth yawn in ten minutes. The recently shorn singer-cum-actor is stretched out on a black leather sofa, his tightly denimed legs splayed across the coffee table and tan leather cowboy boots tapping out an impatient rhythm. It seems TOTP Magazine are keeping Jon Bon Jovi up. Well, it is three o’clock in the afternoon, after all.
Lounging next to him is the Jove’s guitar superhero, Richie Sambora, taking time out from a recording sesh in a West London studio (where one Gary Barlow also happens to be putting the finishing touches to his new single). Though flopping back into the sofa as far as he can without climbing into the stuffing, Richie looks positively awake beside his singer. However, it’s not long before yawning fever hits the guitarist too. Only later does he politely blame their slack jaws on jet lag. Hmm, strange that, considering Jon has been in the UK filming his new movie, The Leading Man, for the past two months...
A knock on the door announces the arrival of some much-needed refreshment. But rather than bearing traces of the Jove’s rawk ‘n’ roll shandy-boozing lifestyle, the tray bears a sombre crisp green salad and two glasses of iced water. And yes, it really is water. In the face of such mild-mannered behaviour, there’s only one thing for it. The only way we’re going to rouse the Joves is to bring up Jon’s most touchy of subjects: the rumours printed about him and the band in our good old British tabloids. “Sure,” smiles Jon (the sweetest of smiles, with not a yawn in sight). “Ask away...” Ahem, right... here we go, then...

Is it true?
You strip off for a full frontal scene in your new movie?
Jon:
Ha! It’s not full frontal - I don’t think that would get past the censors - but there is partial nudity. This is the first time I’ve done an intimate love scene. Was I embarrassed? No, I’ve had practice. (Huge, boyish grin lights up his face) Yep, plenty of practice!

Is it true?
You’ve had your manly chest waxed?
Jon:
Absolutely! I had my chest waxed and, I tell you, it was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. I will never, ever do it again! My chest bled and I screamed the place down. It was worse than having any tattoo done!
Richie: (looks horrified) Really?
Jon:
Completely. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. But it looks good on film.

Is it true?
Bon Jovi are going to do a Take That and split?
Jon:
Let us be the first to tell you... No, seriously. There will be a big break before we record the next Bon Jovi album, partly because we are all doing our own thing - I’m working on the film, Richie’s recording a solo album and the others all have their own projects. We’ve had three albums out in the last four years and we felt it’s time to stop for a break.
Richie:
When we parted for a bit in 1990, it was because we’d reached the point of exhaustion after doing two back-to-back 16-month tours. It was a pressure cooker waiting to blow, but once everyone had recovered there was no problem. Jon: We won’t let ourselves get in that position again. So, no is the answer.

Is it true?
You gave away your MTV Lifetime Achievement Award to a girl standing by the stage?
Jon:
Yep. I came off stage and handed the award to someone who was standing there. I haven’t seen it since. How could we possibly be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award when we’d only released four albums? I think they needed to boost the ratings, so we were brought on the show. I fired our manager that night.

Is it true?
You peed off hard rockers Metallica at a rock festival by buzzing about in helicopters while they were on stage?
Jon:
Erm, yep. We were headlining Donington (black-leathered, super hairy annual rock fest) and flew in while Metallica were performing. We didn’t realise that the choppers were making so much noise and we flew over a couple of times because we couldn’t believe how many people were there. We were just really excited that we were headlining a show that big. We really weren’t trying to upstage Metallica, but I guess they saw it that way. They were pretty upset!

Is it true?
You couldn’t be hoisted up on wires for a live show because you were too heavy?
Jon:
Oh, pur-lease! (We’ll take that as a no then, Jon!)

Is it true?
You were banned from paying records on Chris Evans’ radio show?
Jon:
Yeah, immigration wouldn’t let me. Chris invited me to be a guest DJ on his Radio 1 show, but someone from the immigration office was listening and decided that if I played records then I was working. And I didn’t have a work permit! I wasn’t even going to sit with Chris - I was supposed to stay on the other side of the controls. Not that I like DJing! It’s just that Chris asked me and I thought why not? Immigration - that’s why not.

Is it true?
You’re bezzie mates with top boxer Frank Bruno?
Jon:
Yeah, we know Frankie! We’ve met him several times. His trainer is the father of a guy who works with us. We like Frankie.

Is it true?
You were still living at home with Mom and Pops while having hits with the Jove?
Jon:
Yeah, we all lived at home with our family up until our third album, Slippery When Wet. Basically we had no money. What do I spend my money on now? Oooooh, small countries, the odd island here and there!

Is it true?
Your mom runs your fan club?
Jon:
Absolutely. Yeah, she does a great job.

Is it true?
Having your hair cut short makes you feel less of a man?
Jon:
Nope. I cut it because the movie called for it. Short hair does make me feel different, though. It doesn’t feel like me. As soon as filming is over, I’ll grow it again.

Is it true?
You told your drummer Tico that he had to lose weight or he was out?
Jon:
No way. That’s absolute bull poo (or words to that extent)

Is it true?
You had to change the sleeve of Slippery When Wet because the original pic was too saucy?
Jon:
We did change the sleeve but because of the colour, not the image. The girl did have a T-shirt on. A wet one, yeah. We’d only seen the design in black and white, but when we saw the actual copy, there was a pink border. So we had our record company burn half a million sleeves. We only had a day to come up with something else, so we decided on a black garbage bag sprinkled with water.

Is it true? You can’t stand your album sleeves?
Jon: Yeah, our album sleeves stink. All of them. We’ve never been good with sleeves. Tico is an artist so maybe we’ll get him to do the next one.
Richie:
But I think it would be a bad omen if we came up with a good one. It’d probably be jinxed.

Is it true?
You didn’t earn a penny when you busked in London’s Covent Garden last year?
Jon:
Yeah. Richie and I just wanted to make 20 bucks to buy a record. But we made the mistake of telling the record company. The next thing we knew, instead of us strumming away outside Tower Records, we were playing in front of 5,000 people. And we made nothing!

Is it true?
You were thrown out of The Restaurant (swank London eaterie) by chef Marco Pierre White?
Jon:
No way! I tell you, I went to this restaurant with a guy who could not only buy the place but also the hotel above it. We had dinner and it was OK. It was a very nice evening but the next thing I know, there’s this story in the paper and I’m a little peed off.

Is it true?
You keep your gold and platinum discs in your loo?
Jon:
No, I don’t have one disc in my house. I used to have a wall of them but there were too many so I took the whole lot down. I think Bon Jovi have clocked up more than 125 discs. I’m saving them for a rainy day - or my grandchildren.

So, there it is! Proof that Jon is a bare-chested, chopper-loving friend of Frank Bruno, and the scandal-sniffing tabloids do sometimes tell the truth. A revelation that perks up even yawny Jon ... eventually.