Saturday, November 15, 2014

Breaking the silence

First of all, I'm not dead; I just haven't been blogging. More on that later.

Today seems like a fitting day to break my silence because, as far as the internet is concerned, Jon Bon Jovi broke his on Richie Sambora in an article published on Showbiz411 overnight, which has since been picked up/interpreted by other sites including Ultimate Classic Rock.

Anyway, here's the key part of Roger Friedman's article:
I did ask Jon what the story was with lead guitarist Richie Sambora. He left Bon Jovi’s Because We Can tour in April 2013 and never looked back. Again, Jon seems a little perplexed: “He quit. He’s gone. No hard feelings. Being in a band isn’t a life sentence.” Fans will always hope that somehow all of this will work itself out. And it might: Bon Jovi, as a band, is 10 years younger than most of the legacy groups playing right now. And, to quote a song, who says you can’t go home?

I'm not sure Jon reveals anything we didn't already know, though if you analyse the language it does suggest a subtle shift from "Richie quit the last tour and who knows what the future holds?" to "Richie is out of the band, it's over, full stop". What do you think?

The other grab is that Jon poured a lot into his failed attempt to own an NFL team -- which he copped plenty of flak for over rumours that his group planned to move the Buffalo Bills to Toronto:
Bon Jovi told me he’s getting over a serious depression after losing his bid (with partners) to buy the Buffalo Bills football team. “I devoted two years to that project,” he said with a shrug of shoulders. “But I’m coming out of it now.”
A few Bon Jovi fans whose opinions I respect have said if Jon was so devoted to his NFL bid, he should have focused on that instead of half-arsing the Because We Can tour with static sets and lacklustre performances. It got me thinking about why I've taken an unintentional three-month hiatus from this blog, and why, up until my shows in Australia I hadn't had the same unbridled enthusiasm as I had for previous tours. I'm not the only fan who was a bit jaded last year. For some, it's as simple as Richie's absence or their dislike for the What About Now album, but for me it's hard to pinpoint a particular reason or reasons.

Although Bon Jovi as a band has been relatively quiet this year too, Richie has been doing solo shows, Jon has been doing fan club shows, David has his musicals, etc. It's not like there hasn't been anything to blog about. It's just felt like a chore to do so.

But Bon Jovi was the first band I was passionate about, and therefore my gateway into so many other great artists. Most people I know know me as the Bon Jovi lover and I still cite them as my favourite band when someone asks (although Australian band 1927 is a close second and I proudly play the same guitar as Ed Sheeran, albeit badly). I had some personal crises to deal with this year, and one of the things that helped was going to a gig by Perth Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet and remembering why I fell in love with all those songs.

So I don't want to abandon the blog.

But it shouldn't simply function as a curator of Jovi news. After all, you can always set a Google alert for "Bon Jovi" and follow Bon Jovi or Richie Sambora or whoever on social media. Blame It On The Love should do something more, or different. What I wanted to achieve when I started the blog back in 2008 was present my unique perspective on Bon Jovi's music and let that perspective kick off a discussion with other fans around the world.

I just need to consider how I can best do that again in a way that serves both my readers and my sanity. :)