return to Ida

“We want another 100 million!” David Bryan, Bon Jovi’s keyboardist said with a smile when asked about the expectations for their new album, ‘Have A Nice Day’. “Well, we’re at 100 million records already, so another 100 million would be really nice! But seriously, we make the best record that we can, something we’re proud of, and now we’re at the next level where we take it to the people, and go on tour,” Bryan said at the band’s Park Hyatt suite in Tokyo.

Bon Jovi were in Tokyo for a couple of days, to play an exclusive showcase in conjunction with the advance Japanese launch of Have A Nice Day, when Buzz caught up with Bryan and drummer, Tico Torres.

“The biggest thank you we can get from this is that people enjoy the tour,” Torres said. “That’s very personal, that’s when we know you like it (the album).

“We don’t play music for ourselves. If we did, we’d be in a room and no one would hear us. We put it out there so that people can hear it, so if they like it, and they show that, that’s the most important thing for us.”

In a day and age when relationships are volatile, Bon Jovi have been together not only longer than most bands survive, but longer than most marriages too.

“We enjoy each other’s company, and we respect each other,” Torres said of the band’s relationship. “We keep coming out with music that’s current to us, without changing our musical values.”

“Yeah, and we love what we do and we do what we love, and that’s the thing about being an artiste – it’s about not going to the office reluctantly!” Bryan said.

“The lucky thing about Bon Jovi is that the chemistry in the band allows us to do what we do, while selling so many records, and only a handful of bands get to do this, so we’re really thankful for where we are,” Torres explained.

Over 20 years after their debut album, 1984’s self titled Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi have proven that longevity seems to be what they do best.

And making music that stays true to their original identity is also an important element in the whole Bon Jovi mix.

“We’ve retained our sound while embracing what’s going on currently,” Bryan explained.

“But we never followed the trends of punk rock or rap, and we’ve stayed true to our identity, this is just who we are. We don’t ignore what’s going on outside, but we just interpret it differently – we make it our own,” Torres said.

The adage that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, certainly applies to Bon Jovi, as the reaction they’ve received so far for Have A Nice Day, is reminiscent of the band’s constant appeal to their fans through the years.

However, a gift of Bon Jovi which not many bands have is they seem to appeal to both the kids of today, and the mothers of the kids of today.

“Well, the mothers were the kids once too!” Torres smiled.

“I guess they just stayed with us, and with It’s My Life, it just got us a whole new generation of fans. So, in the audiences, we see the parents who know our old catalogue of songs, and the kids who know the new stuff.

“I think it’s worked, being able to go through the generations,” he added.

“Again, it’s one of those things we’ve been blessed with. We can’t figure out why really, but it’s a wonderful feeling being able to capture all ages.”

Though styles have changed a little since Bon Jovi first hit the scene, the one thing everyone can blame them for is popularising that ‘big hair, tight pants’ rock look of the ’80s. “We still dress like that! Just without the high heels and the hairspray!” Torres laughed.

“Seriously though, we just evolved since then. There are some guys that still stay in the ’80s, but we evolved. But, if they want to stay there, that’s up to them. But some people want to still see that particular time in place, like Kiss, for example. Kiss will always be Kiss, they tried to evolve, but they revert to that look because it’s what worked for them.

Luckily, Bon Jovi could still dress like that now, and still be successful!

“It was fine in the ’80s, you know, it was just where you were at then, and back then I couldn’t imagine doing it the way I’m doing it now either,” Bryan added.

There was some controversy surrounding the recording of Have A Nice Day, with people saying the album was a reaction to the recent US elections.

“Yeah, you know, it’s amazing how that came about,” Torres said.

“Well, Jon went on the campaign trail for Kerry, and I think it influenced the way he felt while writing this album, but this album is not about politics, it’s about humanity,” Bryan explained.

Torres said that lots of it has got to do with the tsunami, or with Katrina down in Louisiana.

“You know, the world is getting smaller in that we all have to help each other,” Torres added.

“If we can get pass the politics and become common people worldwide, that’s what we need to do. It’s important the world realise that’s the essence of the United States because it’s made up of all kinds of cultures, there’s a homogenisation but at the same time, there’s a close mindedness there that needs to be fixed.”

Bryan said that Bon Jovi’s whole message is that it’s not what divides us.

“It’s what brings us together, and we hope the album reflects that,” he said.

The first single, Have A Nice Day, is already challenging its predecessor, It’s My Life, for the next big worldwide Bon Jovi hit, but does the title of the album have anything to do with the current mood the band’s in?

“It’s obvious, it’s just the first single, that’s the main reason behind the album title! We had a whole bunch of other titles like K.O.S, which was Kings Of Suburbia. We liked it, but everyone else thought it sucked, so it got voted off the island,” he said.

“It ended up being Have A Nice Day just because of the first single.”

The band still rates touring as the best thing a rock band can do, even though the music scene has changed so much since they first began.

“I think to me it’s the information age that’s made the most difference. In 1984, you only had MTV, that was it. And when we were on a bus and we came into town, you saw the bus roll into town and that was the biggest thing.

“There weren’t computers back then, there wasn’t anything, there wasn’t a million, billion choices. I think that’s the hardest thing to deal with, there are so many choices, without having to even leave your couch,” Bryan added.

Torres said that the band did a yahoo webcast the night before.

“So there’s always something new, and we’re touching people who will never ever see the band live. It might make the music more impersonal, but at the same time, it’s the only venue for certain people in certain parts of the world,” Torres said.

“It’s a double edged sword really,” Bryan said. “There are so many choices that there are too many choices, and life was a little bit simpler before. But like Tico said, we’re getting to places that many never go, and people can see us on the computer.”

Torres laughed and said that things like downloading singles is good, because he hates everything except vinyl!

“You look at a vinyl album back then, and you kind of dreamed about it. I loved the artwork, it was big, the creativity was there, nothing beats that.

“Progress is important, and now I turn on the computer and I find out about a new band, or a new album, which otherwise I’d have to go to a store to find out about, or read a Rolling Stone magazine, or something like that, like you do in the old days, to find out what’s new.”

Bryan agreed.

“Yeah, that’s the double edged sword I guess. Which is good, I think, that you can download an album. But I’m not so keen about downloading pieces of an album.

“I don’t like the idea that you can take a Picasso and just choose to look at the eyelashes, you know? When you make a record, it’s not just about the single. So when you just download a single, you’re limited to a three-minute format – so the artistry of the album suffers. I never buy singles, even if I like the single,” Bryan said.

He confessed that Kasabian was the last thing he bought, and he liked the band’s single.

“So I thought let me check out the album, because I’m not going to know the band by just their single, I’m going to know a band by the whole album.”

Torres said a listener needs ‘all the ingredients’.

And they lead by example, having been influenced by a wide range of musicians.

“I grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, but mainly it was lots of jazz, John Coltrane, Miles Davies,” Torres said.

Bryan, on the other hand, grew up classically trained.

“I played piano since I was seven, but I always listened to the radio. Back then it was the Monster Hits Of The 70s (radio show)... bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Deep Purple, the Dukes, the Doors... I love the Doors.”

Torres said that he actually watched the Doors perform!

“Yeah, I’m that age!” Torres said.

“I used to date a chick named Joanie, and her sister was married to Robby Krieger (the Door’s guitarist), so that was my ticket in!”

Both Bryan and Torres agree that rock has finally come full circle, and has reverted to its original, simpler blueprint.

“The current trend in the rock scene takes the old sounds and strains it through a new generation’s eyes, and I think that’s why we’re hearing better music now. That’s why in the ’90s we didn’t hear much; we had Kurt Cobain and the whole grunge thing, and it was really selfless, and didn’t project versatility. Now I listen to stuff today and I think I heard that 40 years ago, but in a different way,” Torres said.

Although the rock scene continues to re-invent itself to keep fresh, that’s one problem Bon Jovi doesn’t seem to have.

They’ve managed to secure their position by just staying themselves, and not altering much from their course of musical action.

But, what would they do if they woke up one morning and discovered their musical superpowers had mysteriously disappeared?

“I’m a painter, so that’s what I’d be, I do impressionist paintings,” Torres said.

In Bryan’s case, he was actually in school to become a doctor.

“I loved medicine, and surgery, the idea that you can actually fix a human body. But I think there’s too much pressure there, thinking you could actually kill somebody, so I’ll just surf instead! Nobody kills you for making a mistake in rock and roll. In fact, it makes you more human, but not when you’re a doctor!” Bryan laughed.

“When you make a mistake in music, that’s creativity, that’s how you get to understand where you are. If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not progressing. That’s when you find the new stuff, when you start to go down an uncomfortable road,” Torres added.

Bon Jovi’s journey appears far from over, and the last thing they’ll be doing from now on will be travelling uncomfortably.

COVER STORY: No longer living on a prayer