The documentary is divided into four episodes that will be released on streaming platforms week by week. The film is directed by Gotham Chopra, the same director who made the documentary about Kobe Bryant. The story of Jon Bon Jovi premieres in the United States on Hulu on April 26 and will be followed internationally on Disney+ and Star+ in Latin America.
The docuseries will feature all current and former members of the band, who are credited with blending the genres of rock, metal, and pop. In Pasadena, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, we had the opportunity to speak with rock legend Jon Bon Jovi.
P: There is a new trend in documentaries to tell the life of musicians in a friendly way, we can expect this documentary to talk about the darkest days of Bon Jovi's legacy, such as drug mishaps.
JON BON JOVI (JBJ): I am excited to have had the opportunity to work with Gotham Chopra on this film. In fact, the documentary coincides with the 40th anniversary of the band. I wanted to document what had happened in my past with a vision of what the future is. One thing we agreed on from day one was that this was not going to be a VH1 piece. That, in any case, I was not going to kick and demand: "I have the final word." Gotham has been the director. This documentary had to tell the truth and have all the flaws that come with us in order to tell a real truth. So I am proud of the film. The deepest, darkest, and craziest things happen in episodes three and four.
P: Will we see your process as a composer?
JBJ: Surely that has been the magic of 40 years of career. At 20, when I got a record deal, I didn't have much to write about and I wasn't breaking up with people like Taylor did all the time. In my notebook, I wrote about the world around me. But as I grew in public, evolution happened and to grow with your audience, I think you have to tell your truth and not pretend to be something you're not, that's how you improve. In the worst case, you will live your truth in public.
P: It is rare for an artist to look back on their life and recognize the truth of what happened. Has yours been a well-lived life?
JBJ: I am proud of who and what I am at this moment in my life. Sorry, I've had very few headlines. I was lucky to fulfill a dream and be able to pursue it, and I am still pursuing it. I believe that so far it has been a well-lived life, but it is a work in progress.
P: Have you ever dreamed so big?
JBJ: No. Not even in my wildest dreams. I am a family person who still gets excited when he sees his wife accompanying him to events. Last week I was named 'Person of the Year by MusiCare', and I was the 18-year-old guy thrilled to have Paul McCartney on my left and Bruce Springsteen on my right. If I could have told my 18-year-old self that this was going to happen to me, I would never have believed it, no.
Q: When you have such a prolific career as yours, change is inevitable. The industry has changed. What is your attitude towards change?
JBJ: I haven't gotten nervous. There have been many milestones along the way and everything has changed. We must remember that we were born in an era where there were no computers, mobile phones, social media, or any of these things. In our first album, we used cassette tapes, shortly after came the CD, and so on until today's streaming. I can withstand all the blows. I've seen buildings come and go. I've seen record labels change names. The only thing that hasn't changed is that I've been with the same label for 40 years. I'm excited about the idea that the next Bob Dylan could exist thanks to streaming, the Internet, because they have other avenues besides radio to make themselves known. Accepting the blows is giving opportunities to new talents who are true artists.
Q: How did the idea for the documentary come about?
JBJ: This film travels into darkness, knowing that there is light after the night. The ambiguity of the title is also what awaits me and my band in the future, and that is a health-related issue. I am now taking big steps, facing an unexpected situation like this vocal cord surgery, and although things are going very well and I sang in public for the first time recently, while filming the documentary there was no definitive answer to my condition.
Q: Was there anyone who surprised you by wanting to participate or not wanting to do so?
JBJ: We are not looking for talking heads in this film. We agreed that it was really about us and therefore the story should be told by us. The only two very brief interviews are with Southside Johnny and Bruce Springsteen because they were my mentors and older brothers and are two icons of New Jersey. They knew me when I was a child. This documentary is my truth, there is no record company behind it. There is no press. There are no ex-girlfriends. This is not a sophisticated piece. None of that.
P: One of the strong points of your band is that they have never really been rebellious...
JBJ: There are truths from other guys that are in the movie because I wasn't going to ask for them to be removed. Being able to speak the truth without fear of reprisals or hurt egos makes you appreciate it more. The Gotham tape hits me, and it hurt; however, I overcame it because Richie sitting down or Alec, unfortunately, not being interviewed, was very tough for all of us because his death was dramatic and because it was the first time we faced mortality as a band. One of us left. He was one of the guys.
Q: Why was Gotham Chopra, the filmmaker of the Kobe Bryant documentary, chosen for the film?
JBJ: He was my first and only choice. I had seen 'Man in the Arena' and I thought he was very unique. Then, when I interviewed him, I felt comfortable with him.
Q: Age always takes its toll. Is it difficult for a rock star to fight against that reality from an emotional perspective?
JBJ: Yes. It hasn't been easy. Because the parallel story, and now I am ready to talk about it, is this vocal surgery. I pride myself on having been a true vocalist. I have sung with Pavarotti. I know how to sing. I have studied the craft for 40 years. I am not just a stylist who barks and howls. I know how to sing. When God was taking away my ability, and I couldn't understand why, the only thing I had ever put in my nose was my finger, and there was no reason to lose my voice, but one of my vocal cords was atrophying. Your vocal cords are supposed to look as thick as a thumb. One was as thick as a thumb and the other as a pinky, and I couldn't sing well anymore. Fortunately, I found the surgeon who could perform an innovative implant to reconstruct the cord and I am still in the process. I tell all this in the movie. I have been in rehabilitation for 19 and a half months. Last week was the first time I woke up without multiple voices in my head. It was just me. And that was the best feeling. I am a work in progress. If I get the last piece of this puzzle, it will be a pleasure to get back to work.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a true artist? Sometimes music can be used for other purposes, political or personal.
JBJ: Music has always influenced culture in general. If you go back to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, with ‘This Land Is Your Land’ and ‘Blowing in the Wind’, where would the world be without those songs or the influence that social and political songs had? Culturally, what The Beatles did to pop culture, up to this day, has been irreplaceable. In our current situation, artists have the opportunity to reflect the world around them if they wish. Then, sometimes, as has been the case with many composers, not just us, songs are composed that resonate across borders, languages, decades, and generations of people. I received an extensive, handwritten two-page letter from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he told me what ‘It’s My Life’ has meant to the Ukrainian people. For him to write that, coming from who he is and where he was at that moment, made me realize the effect that some of my songs have had on other cultures and that has been a lesson in humility. But that’s also what makes me a fan and the reason why I listen to other composers all the time.