NEW JERSEY

It didn't bother Jon if people accused him of writing corny songs. At least he said it didn't. "Hey, I've read it a hundred times over the years," he says, stem-faced. "I pick up a magazine and someone is saying we write these cliched adolescent lyrics about friend­ship. And I think. ‘Shit, friendship's always been pretty important to me, maybe even more important in a kid's life. I mean, these social issues people talk about… I know when I was 16 or 17 years old I was more worried about getting a car, getting laid and making my first buck than I was about who was gonna be the next President of the United States, you know?

"Maybe that sounds a little self-indulgent, but on the other hand, it's true. That's a lot of what growing up as a teenager in America is all about. And that's what I write about in my songs, because that's what I experienced. I've never run for President...”

And this tour, he added meaningfully, he would be staying off the booze and doing his best to keep a clear head. "I can't bum it any more, “he said. "I want all this to still mean something to me when I wake up the next day. The saddest thing about all the excitement that surrounded 'Slippery...’ taking off like it did is that I actually have very few real memo­ries of any of it. The rest just flashed by me In a whirl, Like, what was THAT?!?"

The reason he had called the album 'New Jersey', Jon said, was because “I want to feel connected again. I want to talk about where I've come from, not just where this band might be going next. “And of course, recognizing the musical influences was important, too.

"Sure, you have to cite Bruce and the whole Jersey scene I grew up in as all being a heavy influence on my career. It was because of those guys I played guitar. It wasn't because of The Beatles. I was only three years of age when they came to America. My mother listened to The Beatles.

“You've got to figure, in '75 when 'Born To Run' hit. I was 13! That's when I first got into rock and roll. That was one of the first albums I ever bought... that and 'Caribou' by Elton John and all the Thin Lizzy albums, all that kind of stuff. I thought I was cool because I dug The Animals In 1975 when nobody in Jersey my age had ever heard of them...

“So, all those guys, particularly the New Jersey bands, were a big, big influence on where I come from, musical”. When I might get hit on for it by critics, I have to own up and say, yeah, I’m guilty of being influenced by some of these people like Southside Johnny or Little Steven - both of whom were as important to me as Bruce. But, really, so what?

"They never bother to point out that Bruce copped a lot of his early inspiration from listening to Bob Dylan records. Or that Dylan lifted one or two of his big ideas from Woody Guthrie... I mean, where do you draw the line? The fact of the matter is everybody grows up wanting to be someone else, one of their heroes. Keith Richards grew up wanting to be Chuck Berry, and look what happened to him. All Little Steven wants to be when he grows up is Keith Richards! And Bruce wants to be Dylan and we want to be Bruce…

“It's all so ridiculous. Ultimately, I don't really want to be anybody other than who I already am. But those influences remain con­stant. I prefer to look on it as added spice in the pot. No more, no less...

"I've already read reviews where the reviewer says some new band sounds just like Bon Jovi! Can you imagine? These kids must be puking. I remember when we got signed everybody was comparing us to Van Halen and Journey and I was puking ... We all walk in someone else's shadow at the end of the day. But that's not such a bad thing. I see it more 'in the tradition of'. “

A highlight of the tour for the release of 'New Jersey' was the band's explosive perfor­mance when they headlined their own outdoor show before 65,000 people at the Milton Keynes Bowl, in England, in August 1989. They were supported by Skid Row - the band featuring Jon's old pal, guitarist Dave 'Snake' Sabbo, who Bon Jovi had taken under their wing (writing songs with and paying them a wage when they were first starting out and were now beginning to set the world's charts alight with their single, '18 And Life’.

It was a memorable day; prove positive that Bon Jovi were a class band built to last. And yet within six months it seemed as though the band might never play together again…