Jonny says 28-31

[Mine]

Jonny says... XXVIII

"We have always been aware of the future coming, when some radio conglomerate says you're not relevant anymore, we went to a lot of places that no one else would go, like Asia and Central and South America, knowing we'd always have some place to play."

(talking about the band's career-long decision to hold the line on ticket prices)
"I do know how to run our business, there are so many other (entertainment) options today - and I remember very well what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck."

Reuters, July 2006

[Mine]

Jonny says... XXIX

- How tough is it to stay happily married as a rock star?
- You know, that’s one of the great fallacies of the business. It’s just what I do for a living. It’s not like I make my kids applaud when I come down the stairs in the morning. There’s no theme song that plays when I walk into the kitchen.

- Why do so many rock stars want to act? Why leave a world where you’re a god and move into one where people’s first reaction is often cynicism?
- I never had any desire to get into acting until I was on the set of Young Guns II. I liked the idea of learning something else in the arts that I knew nothing about. And ultimately, it was like starting over again. It would be like picking up the guitar now and learning to play left-handed. Starting from scratch [with acting] added a great humility to everything I did musically.

- If you were a teenager today, would you try out for American Idol?
- No. I’ve never watched that show in my life. Until you write a song, you’re nothing more than a glorified lounge singer with a cover band. Without a song, even if you’re lucky enough to be on American Idol, a year from now, you’re back in the lounge. You’ve got to write a song. That’s it. Without going down to the bar, and learning how to entertain an audience and opening for people, it’s all disposable.

Time Out New York, July 2006

[Mine]

Jonny says... XXX

"Finally, we went to do this MTV awards show. They were giving us a lifetime achievement award. What had we done? Four miserable albums and we weren't getting along. I realised that all we were there for was to help the ratings. So we show up and I won't sit with them, they won't sit with me. I get loaded. I collect the prize, walk off stage and give it away to a girl I knew."
(And that was the moment the revival began. Somehow, depressed and drunk, Bon Jovi took control) "In the limo afterwards, the manager said, there should be some changes round here. I said, great idea! And I fired him."

(Having turned down their first, premature award for their life's work, could he foresee, in due course, a gracious acceptance speech at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?)
"I like the idea in theory, but I don't know if we'd ever get nominated, we've never been into any good ol' boys' clubs. I guess I'll probably care when we've done our 25 years on the road to qualify and they don't pick us. You bast*rds! But at least by then we'll be able to say we're the only band that sold 150 million records and didn't get in."

Q Mag, July 1996

[Mine]

Jonny says.... XXXI

- If you could give awards for the best invention and most important
person of this millenium, what and who would they be??
- Without Thomas Edison there would be no records, no movies and no
light bulb for me to be writing these answers at 4:00 in the morning.

- What's the best thing that music gives you?
- Freedom, I can create something, have control of every aspect of it
and can get paid for it.

- What is the best advice about life you've ever received?
- Be true, be loyal, forgive but don't forget and don't order anything
on the menu you can't pronounce.

Q&A at backstage with JBJ, 2002