Good evening rawkers. Sorry for missing a few days.... I'm quite sure i'll get some negative reaction to this post, but i have to give props where they are due and defend my tastes rather than hide from them. And my tastes very definitely include one of the best fun-rawking bands of all time, BON JOVI. You won't find me aplogizing for this as a guilty pleasure. No, i am unashamed in my appreciation of the lads and their musical spin on hot chicks, life on the road, partying with your bros and struggling to make a good life.
Say what you will about these New Jersey boys and their pop metal, but they simply write great songs -- great lyrics, great hooks, great melodies -- played by extremely talented musicians. They just LOOK like rock stars, and for a time they were as big as it gets.
If you have attitude about Bon Jovi, please give another honest listen to songs like Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, You Give Love a Band Name and Bad Medicine. Yeah, these are the "hits" and they have been overplayed on flash-back radio. But if you can get PAST the fact that they are BON JOVI songs, i think you'll recognize that they were amazingly crafted songs that stand up to the test of time. These were not flash-in-the-pan tunes, and the band features unbelievably talented musicians with actual musical pedigrees, rather than being high school drinking buddies of the lead singer and band namesake.
Unlike so many of their "Hair Metal" peers, Jon and his Bon Jovi's put out great material in the height of the genre's flowering, yet were able to remain vital and interesting in the years following the very welcome demise of their contemporaries.
I saw Bon Jovi in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago and i'm here to tell you that they kicked ass. They were GREAT performers who put on a well-executed and fresh show, and they absolutely rawked the House. Can't say the same about other bands i have seen in recent years (e.g., Poison opening for Kiss sucked....an embarrassment).
So, agree or disagree, but i say Bon Jovi is the real deal and likely the BEST survivor of the Hair Metal wars. And they continue to make music that makes every party at least a few degrees hotter....
Go in peace.
G.O.T.
Jeezus Thunderfish -
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the Rawk Show just jumped the shark!
Maybe your next column can focus on the Dianne Warren period of Aerosmith.
Or maybe some of the sweet slick overproduced cheerleader rock of Def Leppard, or is it Shania Twain? I can't tell the difference.
I can certainly appreciate Bon Jovi and Sambora for both their songwriting and playing, but gimme a break on that weak ass '80's crap. I heard Bad Medicine the other day on Hair Nation and realized all I wanted to do was to take a Bad Shit!
TF
Yay! Usually GOT is writing way above my musical level (which is not that high) but this one I am definitely on board with! And Bon Jovi used to spend his summers in my hometown with his grandparents. Came back in 1988 for first outdoor concert at the local high school football field. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteTurd - you beat me to the punch. Bon Jovi sucks. Why? They just do. I had such a visceral reaction to reading this last night that I needed to calm down before putting together a coherent response (and frankly, had bigger priorities to take care of). Now, coffee in hand, let's dance.
ReplyDeleteMy Top Five Reasons Why Bon Jovi Sucks (to paraphrase Nat X – an old school character from SNL – ‘cause the man would never give a sister like me a whole Top Ten):
1. Right place – Right time. In an earlier post, you dissed Madonna for not having any "rawk credibility," which I agree with. However, the core reason for your deductions is because she was at the right place at the right time. Sorry, but this is the same reason Bon Jovi became popular. They were a nice, easy, smooth way for people who weren’t into heavy metal in the 80s to be credible and not lame because other bands were too much for them to take.
2. Playing to the lowest common denominator. Yes, they can still sell tickets at arenas. However, most of these people are the same types who go apeshit if they miss their weekly dose of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, and a ton of other crap that pop culture pushes upon us as a quality way of spending an evening. Sure, their songs sound just as great now as they did back in the day. Great because they were generic back then and still sound just as sweet when played in the same rotation as other slick and overproduced songs that fill our airwaves today…the same slick and overproduced songs and artists that you, G.O.T., express great dislike for on a regular basis.
3. Weak sauce songs – Honestly, all of their songs sound the same. Exactly the same. OK, except for the sweet (not) keyboard riffs at the beginning of “Runaway.” It’s all cookie cutter, formulatic crap. What legitimate “rawk band” writes and sings a song called “Have a Nice Day?” No one, that’s who!!!!! These songs are not crafted well. There is nothing unique about their music – playing or lyrics or singing style.
4. Pompous – From the New York Post by a pissed off, whiny Jon Bon Jovi: "You know what pisses me off? I was reading this British rock magazine this month and there was a story about Axl Rose and the $13 million Guns N’ Roses record that was never made. That motherfucker hasn't made a record in 13 years and he gets all that attention. You know what I've done in 13 years? A lot. But they have continued to write about the freak show aspect of him. Because he's a recluse. That makes him interesting, right?"
While one can easily take up the debate of how weird Axl Rose is, let’s focus people…yes, Chinese Democracy was a flop. However, no one can deny that Axl is a dynamic, cutting edge and iconic figure in late 80s/90s rock and roll history. And that when Guns N’ Roses blew up, they blew up big, pushed their music stylings to the edge while they were still actively playing/recording, and are still influencing new and emerging bands. As much of a recluse as Axl is, Slash is still a big player in the hard rock scene thanks to Velvet Revolver. Have you heard of any band/artist who has named Bon Jovi as an influence? ‘nuf said.
5. Poseur Supreme - because he’s not in it for the music; he’s doing it just for the tail and the $$$. OK, as we all know, the former is the main reason a lot of musicians started and continued in bands, but they also have a deep passion for the music. However, I bring you the following words Jon said on the Graham Norton show: "Truthfully, I got into it for the girls…. We could have been AC/DC, but I didn't want 10,000 ugly headbanging guys at my shows. I wanted their girlfriends. So the girls came to the show and then the guys came to check out the girls." Stay classy, Jon Bon Jovi. At least you admitted that your music isn’t for true rockers….
Furthermore, he has been known to compare his (and Sambora’s) songwriting and creative tensions to Lennon and McCartney. Huh??? Really??? It’s reality check time!!!
In short, no, Mr. G.O.T., they do not RAWK, rawk, or rock.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, one more thing...if you don't want to read my diatribe, just read this: A large part of rock and roll is about rebellion and originality. Bon Jovi has a negative capacity of both.
ReplyDeleteWow. Sounds like someone is wearing angry pants.... lol! Nice comeback. Loved every minute of it! :-) Lotta fair comments in there....
ReplyDeleteGOT
Whether they rock or not, I have excellent memories from high school utilizing Bon Jovi. Is it talent or just what was on the radio at the right time? I don't know... But I love 'em. I won't say they are amazing or remarkable talent as compared to say Springsteen or ZZ Top or ACDC, but they strike a chord with me.
ReplyDeletenpa
WOW TVW has some very intense feelings about JBJ. I'm ony going to respond to the "in it for the chicks" portion though because I feel like maybe you should cut JBJ a break on that? I'd be willing to bet that any teenage boy who started/joined a band did it for the love of the music, of course, but come on, what's first and foremost in mose 15 year old dudes' minds?? CHICKS!! I think it's fair to be honest about that. Guys, do you agree?
ReplyDeleteI will give Jon a break in the fact that at least he speaks the truth - guys start bands to get chicks. However, I am still stand strong on my opinion that he is a poseur. Music and passion go hand in hand. Pretty sure the greats, and a lot of the not-so-greats, also enjoy playing music and conveying that passion through their instruments and/or their voices. It's widely quoted amongst those who have seen Jimi Hendrix live that he "made love" to his guitar when he played (not talking about his performance at the Monterey pop festival). Same thing can be said with a lot of other musicians...even the bands that appeal to the "10,000 ugly headbanging guys." I feel zero passion coming from the Bon Jovi arena....
ReplyDeleteFor the record, G.O.T. (somewhat) warned me of this post in advance, so I had time to ponder a response beyond, "they suck." Because, again, they do. Thousands of Google hits for "Bon Jovi sucks" don't lie. My favorite example thus far - while watching the "Dead or Alive" video -
Beavis: "These guys are on the edge."
Butthead: "Yeah, the edge of wuss cliff."
Damn TVW- for a guy that doesn't like Bon Jovi you sure know a lot about them and have studied them quite deeply. You sound kind of like a stalker chick that keeps denying that she is still in love with her old boyfriend. Do you and Jon have some unresolved issues?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that chicks dug this band was useful to me so I'm going to give them a little rawker cred but they lost it all when Jon landed a recuring role on Ally McBeal.
ReplyDeleteWow that's like saying you lost all Rock respect for Bruce Sprigsteen when he was on General Hospital
ReplyDelete