Jon Bon Jovi's HOF acceptance speech

The Hall of fame speeches weren't all that bad. No worse than listening to all the interviews/reminiscing on the Backstreet Boys documentary from a few years ago.

While I've never been inclined to attend a Bon Jovi show or buy a Bon Jovi record.......I've seen JbJ on tv, heard him on the radio, saw him in a movie about trying to break out of life in new jersey (or something to that effect 20 some years ago), saw him with long hair, saw him with short hair, saw him with a cowboy hat, saw him doing some political commercials or something, saw him in glittery clothes, saw him in a suit at a New Jersey wedding (or was it a city council meeting), see his name in print at times/places his name would be the last name I'd expect to see associated with "place subject here".

I can't explain any of what I see or hear. But man, all those JbJ images in my head are a prime example of how most everyone from the east coast scares me to pieces. I don't even want to know what's going on with that guy.

 

This sounds pretty bold, but I started thinking about it, besides Radiohead (and Im not a big fan), what British artist or band coming up in the 80s, 90s, 00s, would rate consideration?

Im sure Ill get waxed pretty good here, especially by one of our cousins across the pond,
but besides perhaps Oasis, and Im pretty much drawing a blank after that.....Spice Girls with the girl empowerment thing?, Prodigy mixing rock with electronic music? Placebo and their shifts? Amy Winehouse for bringing back a retro soul vibe? Muse?

 

vanilla

 

I saw Bon Jovi on the Slippery When Wet tour, Monsters Of Rock festival '87, and the New Jersey Tour......and at that point they were a great rock band, and Jon Bon Jovi a great (enigmatic) frontman........

and then something changed....sobriety? Self importance? I dunno.....but when I next saw him (them) that initial frontman charisma had gone...the music became bland, he'd become bland....and from the HOF performance, that's not changed.

 

I'm not much of a Bon Jovi fan, but I can appreciate their popularity during their era. A small handful of their songs will likely outlast their smarmy, grumpy critics. Their commercial impact alone during their heyday rated serious Hall of Fame consideration. They were the headlining act at the Hall show and were clearly the most rocking of the original acts that took the stage.

It's stunning to me that the haters dig so deep as to why Bon Jovi doesn't deserve serious recognition: their appeal to women (as if men's musical tastes are inherently superior by virtue of hormones and body parts), their selection steals more deserving nominees (Jon Bon certainly campaigned for Thin Lizzy onstage during his speech), etc., etc.
And then the tired tropes of not grasping the connection between rock and rap crawl out from the creaky woodwork. If you don't want to/can't wrap your ears around this offshoot of rock 'n' roll, just leave it alone. Hip hop is here to stay, will long outlast its old-man-shouting-at-cloud critics, and carries the mantle of rock culture a lot more convincingly than most of the guitar-oriented bands of today.
And then the even-more-exhausting "there's no one worthy left" nonsense rolls out, as well. Those who troll this opinion may be right—when it comes to artists whose primary artistic influence/commercial dominance peaked prior to 1978 or so. Let's see more great talents recognized from more recent decades—and there are plenty of them. At the very least, it will likely result in a stronger HBO concert.
Bad Brains, Janet Jackson, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Duran Duran, Mudhoney, Bikini Kill, Ice-T, and Iron Maiden could probably be scientifically proven to be more rocking than the way-past-prime performances of the Cars and the Moody Blues, random artists covering Simone and Tharpe, the weak non-performance of Dire Straits, and Bon Jovi.

The Hall is certainly flawed. Having been there, my personal take on the place is that it is one of the least rock 'n' roll experiences I've ever had with something dubbed rock 'n' roll. It was a disheartening feeling to see so many things associated with rebellion, soul, passion, sex, and youthfulness soullessly trapped under glass. I agree with the prior statement that this may be a museum for those wholly unfamiliar or dispassionate about rock music and culture.
Lastly, the disparity of gender representation shows a lack of scholarship and bias within the Hall's voting members. For those who have griped about the Moody Blues or Bon Jovi's "wait" to get into the Hall (as if it was their divine right), it's shocking that the fans, musical partners, and families of titanic, influential artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Nina Simone would have to wait so, so many years for this type of recognition. Their male peers didn't. The Hall's gender tone-deafness and/or disrespect is exemplified by the entrance of the women's bathroom: a portrait of Nancy Spungen posing with her physical abuser and possible murderer Sid Vicious. It is in incredibly poor taste in regard to the dignity of women and non-grasping that there were genuine female punk talents if they wanted to maintain the punk rock/bathroom theme.

I don't want to get into any roils about PC behavior, et al. The Hall makes a strong point of rock music and culture's multi-racial background. Perhaps the Hall reflects the lack of opportunities for female rock musicians past and present. Maybe it should note that. But if this place wants to hold itself up as the avatar of rock artistry, then it has a duty to even better represent the truly unsung heroes of the past, while also educating music fans of all ages that this culture didn't suddenly run out of talented artists in 1977 so it doesn't feel like a cultural mausoleum but a celebration of something that has a relevant present and future.

Rantingly yours,

Bill

 

Just people from NJ should absolutely scare you - conversely, us NYers are (relatively) harmless.

 

I never cared about Bon jovi and other similar bands. Maybe he's a nice bloke, but his music irritates me.
Corporate predictable muzak IMO

 

That’s the thing: it didn't used to be.

Runaway, almost the entire SWW album and select tracks off NJ are absolutely HOF-worthy.

After that, I agree - it’s radio-friendly corporate rock for moms, handled by music scientists. If BJs entire career consisted of songs like “Have a Nice Day,” we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

 

i worked with a guy that loved them. they're ok, but i'm not going to buy their albums.
anyway the guy i worked with got me a ticket to go see them with him on the "new jersey" tour? i think. they put on a good show, but i still wasn't inspired to buy an album ... if i ever felt the need to get one of their albums i guess it would be s.w.w or n.j. but i don't see it happening

 

as for the hall .. idk .. it is interesting ... nominating would be hard ... i never watch it ... everybody wants their favourite band in there, but everyone says it is stupid ... figure that one out

 

For anyone who just wants to read the text of Bon Jovi's speeches, here's the transcript from Rolling Stone:
Read Bon Jovi's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speeches

So very glad to see Jon give a shout out to Desmond Child who wrote or at least co-wrote many of their big tunes:
List of songs written by Desmond Child - Wikipedia

 

I don't think that's a very fair argument.

The members of the Cars had a great relationship with each other. They had loads of fun as a band. There is a DVD release from years ago called Unlocked that gives a hint at their bizarre energy and relationship.

But the big thing with the Cars has always been that the art was first. It was more important to create something interesting and new than it was to put together a Golden Circle Meet and Greet for wealthy fans (unlike some people).

They all have tremendous respect for each other and their contributions to the group. They all said something sweet about Ben who they do all miss greatly. It was an exciting moment for them and a weird one too. Because unlike many groups they didn't continue to try to grind out record after record and chase audiences (like country music) to cash in. When they were done, they were done. And they all went on to do other things. Some more successfully than others but that's life.

Ric has always come across as aloof or distant... but I think the reality is he's just kind of shy and would rather talk about his work than other things.

The Cars did sound a little rough during the performance... but I'm not surprised. Ocasek and Robinson don't really play music much anymore. Easton and Hawkes are pros for sure and have continued playing with various groups.

And also for the record... there were no Orr written songs in the Cars.

 

I doubt many teenage girls have been into BJ since the mid-'90s or so.

 

Coldplay. Whatever one thinks of them, they've been hugely successful - and will be eligible in another 7 years!

 

Jon actually mentions pretty much all of that in his speech. It's essentially a history of the band with lots of shout-outs to those involved along the way.

As I mentioned earlier, he even thanks the bands who let BJ open for them in the early days - how many inductees do that?

Hard to view him as "grandstanding" and arrogant when he goes out of his way to thank so many people who helped the band along the way...

 

This is a post that simply begs for a comment that will get the SHFite suspended immediately!

 

You make a lot of great points, a couple Id push back on.

There was no meet and greet back in the day The Cars were in business, so I thought that was a bit heavy handed, but I can get behind the fact they probably wouldnt do something like that. Maybe its an odd observation, but with the band continuously cranking out the hits, the audience stayed primarily packed with younger fans, at least thats the feeling I get watching the live clips through the years.

Ill stand by by observation regarding Ric's apparent lack of interest standing apart from the band while others gave their speeches.
It just struck me as wrong, and he certainly wasnt shy talking to Flowers. I wonder what Flowers thought, great introduction, and Im sure he was thrilled to talked to Ric, but it didnt seem like the right place and time. Anyhow, its a blip.

Incredible that Orr didnt write anything. I didnt realize that and learned something there.
I was a huge fan of The Cars first 2 albums right there when they were happening in my early teens.
My tastes started gravitating toward heavier guitar music, and Shake It Up/Panorama appealled to me less.
It was still well produced, written and performed, I just lost my taste for it.
But they deserved, and Im glad they got in there.

 

I have little time for their music, but from what I have seen he seems to be a well rounded, settled and decent chap, I’m not really getting the downers on him.

 

Yeah, I didnt listen to the speech yet, (and am thrilled to hear he mentioned Lizzy) and while I own nothing, I do enjoy more than a handful of his hits.
Thing that bothers me a bit here is folks taking personal shots at the guy because they dont like his music, fans, or the way he presents himself.
I think thats a bad road to travel down.
BJ has always been close to the industry, he's played ball without being a total azzwipe, and if thats his crime, Ive got other axes Id rather grind, like why it took them so long to get Tharpe in there.

 

And Justice for All, please moderators!

 

They went from being a hard rock glam band to adult contemporary which , love it or hate it, probably ended up being a good move for them with the changing climate in music. I’m not a big Bon Jovi fan at all, but I do admit that I own a few of their albums. I actually think that These Days is a really good record by them. He’s definitely changed as a frontman though and I get the impression that it’s not really about the music anymore but that he’s the CEO of a corporation now. It’s to be expected I guess when you sell that many records and make a ton of money.

 

Like Eurovision song contest..

But he is FAMOUS. Probably among the ten most famous musicians of the eighties.

 

Bit off on a tangent but a question to those commenting on Stern's induction speech for Bon Jovi... are y'all commenting on the version that aired on HBO (that Stern was bummed about after the editors cut it up) or the phone filmed uncut version that is (or maybe was?) on youtube (this is the one I saw)?

 

So he's got you fooled too, eh?

 

IMO, it's not "The Cars" without Ben Orr; he had an excellent singing voice, Ocasek is/was more of a quirky alternative vocalist.