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6/17/07
Bon Jovi Or Bust
 When
you fly to a location for a shoot, a number of things can go wrong. Flight
delays, equipment malfunctions and problems with security are expected. In
fact, I pretty much expect that the one thing I haven’t planned for will
happen. Expect the unexpected. Be ready for anything. It’s every
producer’s motto.
So, needless to say, I seldom
get quite enough sleep the night before and almost always set off to the
airport with the nagging feeling I’ve forgotten something. Then the
madness begins.
I love airports, I hate
airport security. I love the frenzy but hate the lines. I love to
fly, but I hate the take-off. I pack like a pro, jam everything I need
into a small carry on bag but I almost always forget something important. Like
toothpaste. Or tampons.
Passport, check. Itinerary,
check. Immigration letter, check. Research, check. Comfortable
shoes, check. When I travel with a group, I’m responsible for every
body else’s stuff, too.
“Do you have everything? Equipment
list, per diem, cab chits, money, sunblock? Did you bring your
passport, medication, camera, laptop, phone, fill in the blank? Do you
need to go to the bathroom?” Insert eye roll from the big burly
cameraman, here. “I have a good feeling about this. The
weather’s going to be great! I spoke to Ron, Tony, Sara, Cheryl, Joe,
Al and Karen and we’re all set! Alright, gang, time to go!” Big
confident smile, here. “Where is Paul? You. Go find Paul.”
This time, I traveled alone. Elissa
Lansdell, our Nashville correspondent, would meet me at the Hudson Hotel
while the crew was set to meet us later that day at the interview site. My
journey to the airport was uneventful – I only lost a tube of hair gel to
security – and I was on the plane and in the air in no time. And yes,
I remembered to pack toothpaste this time. In fact, I’m fairly
certain I took the only tube. I’m sure my significant other was less
than impressed with that.
Once there, I stepped out
into the hot New York air and hopped into the first cab I saw. The
driver sped like a madman from LaGuardia to Manhattan, and 30 minutes later
I stepped out of the cab a little disoriented and nauseous. So far so
good.
Moments later, Elissa
arrived. We had lunch on a lovely terrace, and after another dozen or
so phone calls, and a call time change, we hopped in another cab and headed
for CBS Studios.
Getting into the CBS Studios
is like trying to get into Fort Knox. When we arrived, a very serious
looking security guard took our names and checked his lists. Then,
after a few more phone calls, Elissa and I were given name badges and
escorted to the 46th floor. The doors opened and there he
was. Jon Bon Jovi. Just hanging out in the recording booth giving
an interview while various members of the press waited in the lobby for
their turn.
Once I recovered from my
initial open mouthed admiration, it occurred to me that my crew was missing. More
phone calls. The guys were stuck at the loading dock. Security
wouldn’t let them in. You can’t just up and bring in equipment into
these places. There are procedures to be followed, forms to be filled
out, phone calls to be made and egos to be stroked.
As it turns out, someone
should have filled out paperwork and submitted it, along with insurance
certificates and God knows what else, for approval days in advance to
possibly be granted the high honor of stepping into this building, cameras
in tow. We hadn’t done that and judging by the look on the large
security guard’s face, he was in no mood to do us any favors.
Truth be told, there’s a
part of me that loves it when things go wrong. That’s when I’m
needed. If everything went well all the time, there’d be no need for
people like me in the world. I smiled sweetly at the security guard. “Hi.
I’m really sorry about all of this. What can we do to fix this? How
can I help?” And, a dozen or so phone calls and two and a half hours
– yes, two and a half hours – of negotiations later, my crew was allowed
to enter the building.
So at 10 minutes to seven, 10
minutes before Jon was set to hop on his helicopter and leave, we got off
the freight elevator with our cameras, lights and gear.
“Jon’s in a good mood,”
the record rep told me. “Can you be set up in five minutes?”
“Sure,” I said. “No
problem.”
Between you and me, there’s
no way to set up three cameras, lights and audio in five minutes. It’s
physically impossible. But, I’m proud to say that in less than15
minutes, my guys accomplished what normally takes about an hour and set up
two cameras, audio, lights and a monitor while Jon nonchalantly typed on his
PDA. It was a thing of beauty.
 We
spent an entire half hour with Jon and he gave us more than I’d ever dared
hope for. So, here’s the skinny. Bon Jovi’s upcoming album Lost
Highway is the band’s first country offering. Or rather, as Jon
put it, “it’s a Bon Jovi record influenced by Nashville.” Jon
says he loved working in Music City. “People from Nashville work just
a little harder. It’s that country kinda thing that’s so excited me
about that record.”
That record, a haunting set
of 12 new and original sounding songs, is a stunning, multi-layered look
into the nature of love and life in all its glory.
Writing for Lost Highway
was a profound time for the band – profound because they rediscovered the
simple freedom and fun of writing songs. “Without a song, it’s nothing
but a poster,” Jon said with a smile. “It’s gotta be memories for
people and bookmarks on their lives so that when they look back and say
‘when I had my first kiss it was Livin’ on a Prayer. It
marked memories for them.”
 Collaborators
on this album include Big & Rich (right) who Jon affectionately refers
to as his “country cousins and they call us their rock n’ roll
relatives” and LeAnn Rimes (below left) with whom Jon recorded the duet
"Stranger". It’s not unusual for artists to collaborate on
a track without ever meeting face to face. When asked whether that was
the case with him and LeAnn, Jon says he was “adamant about being in
studio with her so they could really sing together and connect.”
 In
my humble opinion, the solos on this album transcend everything the band has
done to date and the vocal and musical harmonies are amazing. So, after
10 studio albums, 120 million albums and 2500 concerts in over 50 countries
later, does it ever get stale? No way. “We want to move forward. One
thing I’ve never done is rest on the past. I don’t try to rewrite
"You Give Love A Bad Name". I think it’d be good cover for
Jason Aldean or Billy Currington to do out there.” Laugh.
Now, for the stuff you really
want to know. Yes, Jon is a really nice guy. In fact, he is one of
the coolest people I’ve ever met. He’s sexy, charming, articulate
and funny. No, he hasn’t had any work done and unlike many of
today’s pop icons, he doesn’t lie about his height. He is
definitely 5’10”. He was wearing a black t-shirt and a nice pair of
shades. And, no he doesn’t just wear them to look cool, he wears
sunglasses all the time because he has sensitive eyes. He’s reserved,
almost tight-lipped about his wife and kids, and passionate about being a
good husband and father. But don’t expect to see pictures of his
family all over the tabloids. “There are those in my business who
flaunt their kids to get their pictures in the magazines,” Jon says. “I’d
rather not have my pictures in the magazines. That’s all.”
So will there be another
generation of Bon Jovi kids to take over when dad hangs up his guitar? Jon
says he’s not going to push his children into music but prefers to let
them come to music on their own if and when the muses call. He does,
however, hope they will learn to play an instrument “because of what joy
it gives you.” And, ladies, you’ll be happy to know that Jon’s
son Jess recently found the guitar and has begun taking lessons. Personally
I’m just waiting for the day Jess turns 18 to deploy my feminine wiles. What? If
it’s okay for Demi Moore…
Bon Jovi's new album Lost
Highway will be in stores on June 19th and the boys from
Jersey have several performances planned in support of the upcoming album,
including the first ever advance ticket and digital album package pre-sale.
Check out www.bonjovi.com
for details.
Until next time remember,
“it’s not what they say about you, it’s what they whisper.”
~ Goldie
Goldie James works for CMT
Canada where she occasionally gets to hang out with today’s hottest
country stars. She splits her time between Toronto and Los Angeles
where she enjoys photography, writing and hunting for vintage cowboy boots.
Goldie@CountryStarsOnline.com
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