Jon Bon Jovi's HOF acceptance speech

You mean like Lite Beer is for people who don't really care about beer? I have no issue with Bon Jovi (the dude or the band) but the music is not my cuppa tea. They've done fine without my support and lot of folks love them, they seem like some pretty good guys and they've carved out a successful career in the music biz. I will say that Jon's speech was a bit "motivational speaker-ish" to me. Those sorts of speeches seem disingenuous to me even when it's coming from a motivational speaker.

Agree that Howard was hilarious, the Cars were dreadful, and I need to pick up some Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

 

I'm surprised Bon Jovi doesn't get more love on this forum. Bon Jovi and The Beatles have a lot more in common than differences. I'd assume that would be enough for most on this forum. Or maybe that's the problem?

 

2 classic pop metal albums. Some scattered stuff after that that deserves its due. The early stuff is really not very good. Oh well, I’m still going to see them tonight in Washington, DC.

 

I guess you had to be there...

 

Ric is an example of a man whose star in life was helped immeasurably by having a super hot girlfriend/wife.

 

You could (and I will) argue that Bon Jovi managed to connect the lofty worlds of Corporate Rock and Hair Metal in one fell swoop, which is no mean feat.

 

Bon Jovi: mediocre rock band with one frontman. Never did anything new or innovative - sold a lot of records but failed to make a real creative impression.

Beatles: arguably greatest rock band ever with 4 viable lead singers and 3.5 viable songwriters. Changed the face of rock music and pop culture.

Both appealed to a female audience, too - though the Beatles became just as popular with males, and probably more so, whereas BJ are still preferred by females.

So what are these commonalities that mean the SHF should embrace BJ more than we do?

 

They were selling uppers for $20 "all in" and I almost bit. Not a fan, but for $20, I thought the show might be worth a look.

However, those tickets were really pretty terrible - even for $20, I didn't think they were worth it!

 

I think they're still "the Cars" without Orr - as long as they've not replaced him, which they've not. The reunion album was really very good!

 

Ben Orr was always the guy in The Cars who could sing. Ric Ocasek was more known for the his quirky delivery/songwriting/production than straight up vocal talent, and The Cars were more of a good radio/bad live band.

Ocasek is, I believe, 74 years old now.

 

Given how much trouble so many have telling the difference between Orr and Ocasek, I don't think it's that cut and dried. If Orr was that much better, it would've been easier to distinguish the two voices!

 

Bands like Bon jovi and Poison represent the worst of the 80s..horrible production values, stupid attitude, hyper commercial bland and predictable songs with trite bubblegum-ish hooks..

 

If you wonder why Nirvana took off, there you go.

 

Not a fan, but it's called the Hall Of "Fame", not the Hall Of "Critical Accolades".

 

I dont know about embrace, but there should be a certain level of respect, an acknowledgement that BJ connect with somebody, in fact a lot of somebodys. I never got the particular arguement of, I dont like those guys because just about everybody else likes them.

Thing Im curious about is that BJ gets dinged for his passionate female fan base, but The Beatles get a pass on that because they took lsd and created Sgt. Pepper?

Agree they werent groundbreaking, but Sambora can play, and Im alright with the "dont bore us, get to the chorus" style of songwriting, kind of in the style of Tom Petty. There were no 20 minute guitar-keyboard solos, just a band working hard, consistently, night after night to connect with their fans.
And not for nothing, them boys seem to do a lot of repeat business. I dont quite get why that is, but its hard to deny it happening, especially considering they're 34 (sheesh) years down the road. If they sucked, that wouldnt be happening.

It was interesting in BJ's speech where he noted that Doc McGhee told they could become bigger than their idols, McGhee pushed them (to the chagrin of Motley Crue), the band worked hard, ignored the criticism, and damn if that didnt happen. The guy made his dream happen, respect to him.
From a song written with another studio employee, begging to put it on a radio station compilation album, to stadium headliners in 5 years?
Thats pretty good in my book, regardless of what I think of their music or fan base.

 

I'm 60 years old so I had to Google Jon Baughn Jhovi.

 

I have over 5000 LPs and CDs. None by this fish.

He has no soul.

 

How's this: Neither have middle-aged women.

 

There are certainly different ways of looking at popular rock acts. Most of the time for everybody it is going to be a question of simply do they like the music. Sometimes it goes deeper in that a person will really connect with something... lyrics, sound, style, what the act represented to a listener's life at a certain time in life, or whatever. Sometimes it is a question of how the act fits into the overall arc of popular culture or what they did to change things or move things in certain directions. Or sometimes it's a question of honoring an act for being the first or an innovator or a champion of something that makes people respect an act.

But I think it's a very rare case where a music fan will look at sales numbers and decide an act deserves respect on that alone. I mean I get that some people really are oriented into the idea that success or sales must mean quality or importance. I think it plays into the whole 'working class' vibe of local boys made good through hard work and they deserve to have won Best Car Dealership of the Year...I mean inducted into the Rock Hall.

Some people though might actually take issue with the fact they are so popular as a sign of what went wrong. It might be an elitist attitude. It might have some merit. But, popularity or massive sales alone isn't going to move the needle for most hardcore music fans and may actually create disrespect rather than respect.

If Bon Jovi had one fairly big album but instead of becoming a huge band they were mostly stuck in clubs or small arenas opening up for acts... like say bands like Kix or Y&T or Zebra... they have been more respected for what they did.

 

I don't think people here dislike BJ because they're popular. There are many exceedingly popular bands that get praised here.

I think a lot of people just view BJ as a mediocre - at best - band and not one worthy of much praise.

I don't dislike them - as I mentioned, I actually thought about going to tonight's concert for the heck of it - but I think they're pretty meh. Some catchy songs but nothing great.

As noted, the difference is that BJ never expanded beyond that female fan base, whereas the Beatles did.

Not that there's anything wrong with having a fan base dominated by one gender or the other. No one sneers at Rush because their concerts are sausage fests.

There's more than a little arrogance/smugness/misogyny in the comments that pooh-pooh BJ due to their female fan base - ie, "if they're mostly popular with girls, they must be lame"...

 

He deserves whatever accolades come his way for this belter:

 

It should be called "The Popular Music Hall of Fame"

To me, Jon Bon Jovi is the French Poodle of rock and roll. He's a silly lightweight. But he sold a ton of records and a lot of people like him. So he got in. Big whup.

 

I don’t get these Bon Jovi-only-appeals-to-chicks assertions I keep seeing. I saw them a few times back in their heyday and there were plenty of guys at the concerts. Meanwhile I’ve seen early clips of Beatles shows and there are only females present. Do the early-era Beatles get hazed like Bon Jovi?

Anyway, I’d like to see actual data, survey results, etc. that show the majority of fans are female, not just conclusions based on resentment b/c so many women thought Jon Bon Jovi was/is hot.

p.s. I bet more than a few here belt out and sing along to “Living on a Prayer” if and when it comes on the radio.

As far as the speech goes, I thought it ran about 10 minutes too long.

 

Can't watch Bon Jovi without thinking of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's visit to a Bon Jovi show. It's juvenile, stupid, crass . . . and hilarious.

 

JBJ is a clown, but I always respected the good humor he displayed in getting absolutely flamed by that dog (which was laugh out loud hilarious).