Okay, I am really excited. About? I got some great news. About? Well, it's about, uh, it's about today. Oh, what's happening today? We are, um... Well, if you're gonna find out, it's an all-new SmartLess Smart. SmartLess SmartLess That was you guys. Hi, we just had a little connection problem with Will. It sounded like you were HAL from 2001. Yeah. I'm glad you got it all worked out.
I know me too. Was there a ghost in the machine? I guess so. Right? Wasn't that a band? That was an album, the police did. It was by the police. Fairing good album. By the way, the police... Yeah. You know, I just, I used to listen to them all the time. And we don't hear about them in, you know... Well, Casting went out on his own. I know.
Um, it's just a good, good memory. When he went on his own, you could, I could just say that he defunded the police. Wow. I know it's early. It's early. It's really early. It's early. What am I gonna do? They're not all gonna be home runs, David. Jason, so did we miss you on Sunday because we missed because you just weren't feeling it or were you out of town? No, I was, uh, I was flying back to work. I left it new. Oh, that's right. Yeah. I'm an innocent.
Uh, apropos of nothing, Shawnee, I was sent a picture from, um, someone, uh, you and Eric Idol, um, in a picture together. It looked like it might have been a bowling alley. You know, that was a roller rink. It's okay. So I was, I was close. That was yesterday. Pretty close. And that was just sort of just like a date you guys had. Like maybe meet me at the roller skating rink.
Tommy, what you look like. So I know what I'm gonna. I recognize you. First of all, that's crazy. I wonder who sent you that. It was a Kevin Nealine. Uh, Eric Idol and I share an attorney. The great Tom Hoverman. Okay, great. Um, yeah. No, it was a Kevin Nealine's wife, Susan Yegley.
It was a very funny. Actress person. Uh, she, she decided to have her birthday party at a roller derby, like a roller roller. What does that call roller rink? It's a roller skating rink. Roller skating rink. Yeah. Uh-huh. And so I was, uh, Have you been drinking, have you been drinking this morning? You feel like you've been, no, it's too early. He's got a lot to going. We've been eating. Uh, no, no, no, we're not anything yet.
And so Scotty, I was really nervous. No, I don't need anything. So Scotty, I was really nervous. So I didn't get some done at holes. But they did have like pizza and cake. Thank God. All that. It was and popcorn. I described Sean the other day as junk food curious. Uh, Hey, uh, were there any terrible accidents there? Yeah. Yeah. Cause you really, really, really. Yes. Oh, but I have a good, do you have any good roller skate rink accidents?
Yeah. Wait, test the guest. Yes. So Scotty, so I didn't want to put them on because I'm on blood centers. I'm almost done with my blood centers because my A Fibre, right? And it's like, what does a roller skating accident have to do with because if you hit your head or something, you could bleed, like, you could bleed out and die. Oh, way to think about the worst case scenario. So anyway, so I was there. So the first 30 seconds, my friend Kevin, who you both met, Kevin and Carrie, Kevin,
Bam, mashed his head on the, on the fucking wood floor wiped out immediately. And so I ran over to him. I was like, are you all right? You're ready? He's like, yeah, no, I go, are you seeing stars? And he's like, no, what do they get here? That's a bummer. If he looked at you and he says he's not seeing any stars. I mean, that's got to, that's insult to his injury.
You know, well, you really are glad you rebooted somebody slept really well. Yeah, I did sleep well. Anyway, Roller, but good idea for a birthday party, right? For no, sounds like not a good idea. It's up there with an ice skating. You've just described why it's not a good idea. No, Kevin, Kevin's totally fine. Oh, good. Is he, but I, I walked because I didn't want to put the skate on. So Scotty had skate on and I walked with him around the thing while he skated. And that's so dumb.
It's like kind of on brand. You know, now they've got at these, that these ranks, you know, like an old man, old woman Walker that can help you ice skate or roller skate. They didn't have that in my day. You just had. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but so Eric Idol was there. I never met Eric Idol for money Python. I was like, Oh, my God, what a genius. Yeah, really nice guy. Did he, did he ask for like a drink from you? Where's he like, Hey, can I get a diet coke? Bring my car up, boy.
He was really nice. Who's guess is it today? It's my guess. And how do you feel about your choice today? Will I feel really, really good. Really? Yeah, you know why? You know what I like? I like, I like international superstars. Oh, my God. A lot. This is a legit. You don't often see stars. Are we going to see stars? Are we going to see stars?
You're going to see a major international superstar. And I'm embarrassing him, but it's so true. And but on top of it, or sort of not on top of it beneath it, he's a really, really, really great guy that I've had the good fortune of spending a little bit of time with over the years. Super, super good dude. And then you forget that he sold good, Julian records. I mean, I good, Julian records over the years as a member of a rock and roll, Hall of Fame band.
And then as an equally impressive solo career, he's in the songwriters Hall of Fame. He has written multiple massive hits. And he's an actor. And he's an incredible philanthropist. And he's got a new docu-series about the his story. I think it's called Thank You Good Night. Yeah, guys, I once I start getting, if I start seeing specific things, you're just going to guess it. So I'm just going to say, guys, please allow me to introduce you to the one, the only, the phenomenal Mr. John Bonjovie.
Oh, that's triple a list. Look at me. Oh my God. No one sings higher. Yeah, or better, or better, or better. Oh my God, they're good. I saw John like six months ago or something last summer. And I was like, would you ever considered doing our podcast? And he said, yes. And it took a minute to organize. He's a very busy man. And I'm so happy you're here. John, good to see you, man.
I'm so happy to be here. I'm a huge fan. I listen all the time. And I watch the entire series that you guys did on the whole crazy documentary in the dead of winter. Yes, it was great. Now, listen, we have John Bonjovie from the White House. I mean, you look like you're in the kind of place I would love to live. You're doing well, clearly, right? This is a nice.
I see a lot of things of house envy just in the pre-roll when you were talking about. Look at me. I'm doing a hostage video here. I need to up my situation. But no, and I see a Patriots jersey. Are you a Patriots fan? Oh, yeah, look at I see the background. My office. Yes, they are some a huge Patriots fan. That is Bill Bella checks hoody.
Oh, my God, they're right. The shorts. They why did he wear shorts, leave hoody fashion statement, right? Yeah, fashion. Well, no, he also he might run hot like he wants the thing, but he runs a little bit hot. My question is who cuts them? Do you know John who cuts? I don't know who cuts them. No, knowing that when you look closely, I think he probably I think he cuts them with a butter knife.
I don't know. He just hasn't odd. He's got sweaty forearms and I've never met anyone with that. Maybe Thoreau came over and gave him the snip. It might be a Justin. He's giving Justin throw run for his money. Listen, I think if you're winning that many championships, you know, you're doing something right and he doesn't want to mess with whatever system he's got going on.
Why do you have directors chairs there? Just just to hang out in because I'm a groupie. And when I did my little movie career, I actually stole the entire chair, not the back. You guys make real movies. I took the whole chair. You took the whole chair. Well, you made a bunch of movies. I want to get into that. I mean, you've you've done a lot actually quite a surprising amount of acting.
Yeah, it's a present. It's career. Yeah, I think that, but you started as a singer as a musician and I kind of want to talk about. Yeah, what was that? How you know you could sing? Well, yeah, like how what was that first thing growing up in New Jersey? What was that early music scene? And how did you plug into it? You know, how do you get how do you get started? Yeah. What do you do? Any kid that's all of our ages.
Things of three things when they're 13. You want to be a baseball player or a rock and roll star or an astronaut. You know, you strum the tennis racket and you think you can sing. So when you're playing in the garage is in the school dance with your first band. The benefit of that for me was that the drinking agent New Jersey was 18. So at 16, I could be playing in a bar. And I loved it so much that I didn't have the and I didn't have the responsibilities of a career path.
I had a job of higher education thought, you know, it was like music, music, music. I like music. And because my parents were somewhat supportive. Their attitude was if you're going to be in a bar at one or two in the morning, at least we know where you are. And they saw that I was, you know, really, really wanting to pursue that career path. And then I was also blessed because, you know, I run away when I was 20.
I got a record deal at 21. Yeah, I want that was your first hit in in 1983. I put that out independently without the band. And then got a record deal. And it's been the same record deal for 40 years. Wow. That's great. So you started seeing so young that was it was it was singing uncool at that age, you know, because like when I was a little kid, like I was just thought singing was not was not was not cool because I was so young. What was it like at your age when you did it?
All the centerfolds of circus magazine was pretty cool. In the 70s it was like that when an arrow Smith and Queen and Leonard Skinnerd and Springsteen and all the and then remember that Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny were from 25 miles south of my house. So chances are with 10 asbury juke and seven members of the East Street band by playing in those bars, you're going to see real live rock stars. Right. And when you're 16, that's like seeing Santa Claus.
Yeah, you know, so all of these things were incredibly inspirational and being a lead singer in a rock band is chasing sir. Yeah, pretty fucking good. Yeah, I was going to be more about balance probably in my head. I was to our rock and the balance work. The balance work. I work too. Are you getting of course the balance work? Are you crazy? Maybe think it. But John dude.
Are you are you but here's what blows my mind about your voice. I always comment about how like your your pipes are just incredible. The fact that. I mean, that's like way way way way up there and not a lot of people can do that. And where do you find at such a young age because people already trepidations about opening their mouth and.
I'm going to be able to sing and you're just wailing like where does that confidence come from like to really go for those notes at such a young age and write those songs that are massive. Not now you have a tag it was I was too stupid to know any better. Yeah, I didn't study really you just gotten front of a mic and be helped until it made sense. Yeah, you know, I regret that's a high C Sean that I know is a fucking C. It's crazy. It's like a soprano.
It's not good. You know, when you're so I'm going to be 62 Saturday. 62 years old. I'm hitting a high C. Can you do it? I can hit a I can squeak out of the scene. Yeah, right. So does it does it does it start to leave just like, you know, yeah, big thing about this huge documentary that we just did the parallel story and shown you you relate to this. I went I under went a massive surgery for the first time in my life.
And your throat for your vocal cord. Yeah, a lot of those scary. Yeah, that's what I'm going through right now and hence this. But what not your typical nodule. Yeah, because I really have studied singing for a lot of years. You have what's called now a medialization. And if you're at all familiar with that. No, one chord was atrophying. While the strong one was pushing the weak one around and I wasn't singing well. And it was I couldn't understand it.
And this is all in the last two years since the surgery. And they put a plastic implant outside the chords to strengthen them. Wow. Still in the rehab stage. And it's disheartening. John, when you first, what was that like when you first noticed that when you when you had that. And you remember having that first thing of like shit. I'm not. Yeah. And what you do is compensate. You know, you're like, well, that didn't work today. So let me do it this way. Let me do it this way.
Finally, you're standing on your head, trying to know. And you would compensate and to a point where. It just wasn't very good anymore. And other things start getting out of whack. And then your how do you how are you feeling now? How is it going? 20 months post surgery. I would say I'm 90% there. And you still got to get the ghost sat in the machine. As you guys are saying, the ones in your head. Yeah. Yeah. Right. For one that are saying now that you're over.
Back to. Let's just say you don't have to compensate anymore. Your mind still has to remind your body that it's fixed. Yeah. I don't have to compensate. So you're right. Right. Right. What about the absolute panic and horror of going into the knife. Yeah. And when I wake up, I hope that a I can I can speak in a world I can still sing like I'm sure your research on doctors must have been intense. Yeah. And this is what I do. Right. This is. This is. I'm a singer. Yeah.
The doctor. I knew the doctor that did Julie Andrew. So we all you and I both know that story and you went to him too and so did I for a lot of years. Yeah. And then but the guy that I found in Philadelphia, the greatest thing he said after I exhaust it, everything every bit of what I call voodoo every eastern medicine every laser every. Dietary singing lessons everything I possibly could.
And I did 15 shows and it just was not working. And I went to see him and I said I can give you 100% of 80% and he says, isn't that good enough? And I said, no, I'm going to quit. He says, now we can talk about this surgery. And he says, and I guarantee you nothing. He says, but if you work hard, this will give you your best shot. So I've been diligent in my recovery.
And hoping that, you know, everything's going to be all right, but I don't know. Are you bullish on being able to get out there and tour again? I'm hoping to be I'm being bluntly honest, you know, if I'm not great, I'm not going. But but but but but but hang on. I mean, like there are plenty of musicians and bands that I would easily pay top dollar.
And if they, but even if they can't make the song sound like it did when they recorded it fucking 30 years ago, I still want to see them doing it and just move the mic away from their mouth a little bit when they reach for that high seat. Like, I mean, but like John's like, John, but you're providing more than, you know, incredible singing. You guys want to see you, John.
I just watch YouTube. I'm not I'm not interested. Not interested. Well, what about your bandmates? What are they? Are they? Are they? Are they understanding of that position? Or are they saying, fucking come on? No, you know, we are we are actively rehearsing. We did a couple of days this week. Everybody was here in New Jersey. Just running it hard for a couple of days and seeing, measuring the progress.
Oh, that's because I have this great new record. I feel optimistic about the record. I love the film. A guy named Deep, Deepak, Gotham show, right? Deepaks son directed it. It's two year four part docuseries that'll air on Hulu, but I'm very happy with it because it's on the band. Yeah, yeah, 40. It's our 40th anniversary right now.
I can't wait to see that mind blowing 40 years. I feel like I became really well, like a lot of people really well aware of you guys with the massive first of all your massive hit living on a prayer, which. Well, there's tons of. Yeah, there's tons of. But that was the 10 difference. Of course, but that's the way I'm sort of like for me. That was the first one that really I was like, holy shit. And that when you guys kind of.
Do you remember the first time playing that when it was a hit and playing in front of an audience and everybody going like fuck yeah, maybe not the first time, but what was interesting about that song is we really didn't know what we had. Because it was so different. It didn't sound like anything on the radio. And you know, it had a Motown kind of a baseline. It had the boy girl story that is almost Shakespearean at the end of the day.
You know, and it's it's it's so. You give love a bad name was the first single on that record and it was a number one song and that was pretty evident and obvious that it would be. But when we put out living on a prayer. I thought yeah, it should be second because who knows what it's going to do. And then of course, you know, it's one of the biggest pop songs about. We'll be right back. And now back to the show. Can I tell you something about you give love a bad name. I guess my first dog.
My first dog was named Busy and when I was when I was. Yeah, when I was potty training him. And he would poop on the lawn. So it changed the words from whatever you know from what they are to right. There's poop on the lawn and your two blame bus you give dog a bad name. I love that. Thank you Sean. This is the family member that you just stop inviting. You know, no, we're not having Thanksgiving this year. Sean, sorry. Wait, but why have other stories?
Sean, tell me more about your music career because I didn't get the chance but door of the soul to play. My wife saw the play and was talking so incredibly about not only your playing, but you're singing as well. How did you keep it eight days a week? Well, that's so nice. It was just a play. I didn't sing, but but I played. You didn't have to sing. No, thank. I'll never do that again. But his voice. She was probably talking about he did a whole different voice for this character.
I remember will and I kind of will we look at each other like when he came out, I think we sold the story to big swing. A big swing looked each other like, oh boy, here we fucking because it's one of those moments time where you're like, it's either going to be great or it's going to be terrible. Yeah, what are we going to say to him backstage and like 30 seconds past that point is like, oh no, we're in good hands. He's. And it was a big, he was a different voice, hold gate and everything.
I said, I said to Jason when I saw him right after the show, I said, can I guess your thought bubble when I first came out? He said, yeah, and it was just. Uh oh. Wait, John, did you ever do Broadway? Did you ever do Sean? No, no, you are great. The stage to me is the, you know, the stage. So, of course, I need that. I didn't need that. Even in the learning experience for me, when I went into to try to learn to act and I studied for a couple of years before I ever even went for an audition.
It was the opportunity to grow in the arts. It's just a different avenue in the arts that I could bring that back then to the fold. Different material to write about different humility standing on the audition line, you know, being turned down before you even walked into the room. Yeah. And all of that humility that I brought back while I was learning about the craft was was incredibly.
What was your feeling about that as you were starting to learn about acting and quote unquote study it because I'm always sort of a little pessimistic about if it's something we can learn to do. I think it's all something we all know how to do is just freeing yourself up. But like, did you think it was like, oh, this is a real craft, a real art form that I'm enjoying or were you like, oh, this is just learning how to be full of shit.
Both both are valid, both are true, but there's just just different perspectives on what it is and how to where did it find itself on you. I just have too much respect for you all and I immensely respect the craft and I wouldn't dare think that even Pacino or Denero, if I put a microphone in their face and said, sing me a song, they'd be any good at it.
I think in order to be good at it, you should learn how to do it. And so I studied for two years privately, not in classes, but privately until I was comforted enough to even try to get an audition. Yeah, I had too much respect for it. And what was the one things that you that made you feel like you wanted to take on that challenge of expanding your creative juices from music to acting?
I had had five records by that point and slippery was our third that was a monster New Jersey was a monster. Then I wrote the soundtrack to the Young Guns record and I, you know, I win all the awards with that. So there was this kind of stupid ego moment in the band's history where you're like, you think you're too smart. The incredible thing about starting over with something in the arts that you know nothing about, but you've had so many other life experiences, brings you a great humility.
And so that when you take that back to music, it was, it was an opportunity for me to share that with the guys and for them to then learn from that. You know, and it humbled all of us to go, I think that's a big reason why when we went into the 90s and the grunge movement happened, we didn't even slow down. We still had hits, we still kept going. We had more international growth than ever.
And all of that was, I think, a direct result of my sitting in that basement apartment in Manhattan with Harold Guskin for years, you know, getting held at. And so I really, really loved the process of acting. The bitch was whenever, and you guys know this well, I would go in and they'd say, anytime you get a spark in this town, you take off for a year and go on the road, we don't think you're serious about it.
I said, fucking serious about it. But you pay me two cents. And I'm six on the call sheet. What am I going to do here? There's a stadium waiting in, you know, wherever. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. What was that first film that I remember you did. Moonlight Valentino was a girly moonlight Valentino. Yes. Yeah. Gwyneth and, and we'll be in Kathleen Turner and Liz Perkins.
So do you remember the, so let's talk about that. So you, you, I mean, you talk about it, but like you're a massive international superstar rock star. And then you go on the set of this movie. And it's a new thing that you've, you've just been sort of learning about that first day on set, that first take. Oh, yeah. So I say, I'll never forget it. The director was a guy named David on spot who it's on Fuji and Rudy.
And so he was a guy's guy writing those kind of movies. He's got four ladies as his stars on the cute house painter. He would take two, take three, take four after the girls are giving him like one take a piece and walking off the set. And he's going take two, take three. And I walked over to him. I said, David, I'm sorry. We have to do so many takes a pay for the film. He said, that would make movies. I'll work with the film.
Now we, we must be nerve-wracking though. Yeah. I bet it was nerve-wracking, but I did you find some sort of encouragement and inspiration that there were. You weren't the first of like staying in David Bowie where they did some great performances. Was that, was that inspirational for you? No, because they all by definition, weren't successful. You made the back and think that those movies, you know, were cool. Right.
But, you know, they were, we were as musicians told you do either or, you know, Bowie and Madonna and whatever were, you know, no, there's musicians that want to act. They're not allowed to freely do both the way Sinatra could. But what were your expectations? You weren't, you weren't possibly looking to match your level of success with acting that you had. It wasn't based on success. It was based on opportunity.
So that the opportunities just kept going down and down and down and then suddenly you're making like an indie to an indie. And I'm sitting on the curb outside of CAA like with a tear in my eye. But, did you, did you find that, I mentioned the, in the song letters, all of them, you're such a great songwriter and lyricist and music and everything.
Did you, did you find when you were acting throughout the years, did you find that sort of common thing as an artist, as you're doing it, sort of the beats of it? Was there a commonality between being a performer, being a singer, songwriter, and being an actor? What was that kind of? I think there are commonalities, but again, I think the biggest thing to me was that finding something else in the arts that gave me an opportunity to grow.
It wasn't like I went from singing to building cars, you know, as nothing at all to do with you. This is another way to emotes. This is another way to tell a story. This is more information for me to write about because, you know, all I had to write about between 21 and 30 was life on the road to be honest with you. I was nowhere near as seasoned a man as Bob Dylan or Woody Guthrie.
You know, I was writing pop songs in a rock and roll band, you know, in a very sheltered middle American white suburban life. So, you know, going and learning about, I don't know, Tennessee Williams and coming home and writing something and thinking, oh, you know, why did I get to write plays of glory and the whole young gun soundtrack? When my hands on a script, I know how to do that. Yeah, yeah. Does it still hold interest for you? Where is it sitting out for you at the acting?
I would have to stop doing music and go back to really working hard on the craft. You know, when I have far too much respect for it to think, sure, send me a role. I'm ready to go. Well, is it sitting there sort of in second position to second position? What, as you start to see, like, let's see how the voice does. And if they're, yeah, and if the voice is not to your standards, maybe we can look forward to seeing more acting from you.
I wouldn't say no for sure. I would just make sure I did it right. What about producing music or producing other art? I did all that early on. I don't need it. I don't need any more egos. I got a big enough one myself. Okay, well, Sean, you can log off. Hey, did you forgive me? Did you see that we are the world documentary? Yes. Yes. Yes. Wasn't that. Yeah. Incredible. I want to see all those people coming together. Wow. I'd never even thought about that they were there through the night.
Yeah. I know. It's in the morning. They're waiting for their solo line and like, you know, Bruce and Cindy Lauper are just cock-eyed still just being good sports about it. I mean, I, you were missed in that. I was like, where is that? I was just a little too young. I had two albums out by that point. I wasn't big enough. Oh, all right. I wasn't big enough yet. Go back to the performing like in big arenas and shows and stuff and fans and dealing with fans and stuff like that.
Is there any kind of was there any kind of moment? Have you ever had like any kind of crazy happening on stage with the fan that was just completely through the show? Sure. I mean, all the cliche, you know, people screaming and that kind of stuff is pushing the stage.
Girls throw you their underwear. I mean, you're like, I know. I know. I got to be, yeah, that's not, that's not even original because, you know, I mean, it's sort of every kid got to be Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake all the way back to Elvis, you know, it just, it's sure. I would, the Harry Styles, you know, all that. Yeah. And how do you or any of those people you just mentioned avoid the intoxication and complete transitioning into, well, I'm God.
And it's never going to be anything different. And you end up buying the ego that you in retrospect should have been renting. But like, how do you avoid that big pitfall of it's never going to be any less than this because you're, you're in a, you're in a four six or three 60 of, of idolization that is got to be impossible to not. Or to make right size jump into. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, for me, it was, you seem so balanced, not being there where y'all are. For me, that was one thing.
I bought the house in Malibu. I bought the house on the beach in Malibu. And my wife and I looked at each other and said, not for me. You know, I could, but I, because I knew what the lifestyle was. And we, we were caught up in it. A lot of those people, you know, we had a house right on the beach. Right. We're all at the height of everybody's craziness. And that was one of the things that we said, let's go back to New Jersey where there's no Jones is to keep up with.
Right. Okay. Let's go back to what we know. You mentioned it, John. Your wife, Dorothy, who I've also had the great pleasure and honor of spending a little bit of time with getting to know a little bit. And she's such an awesome person. And I was thinking like, yeah, you didn't, you didn't fall to any of those pitfalls. You grew up, I mean, and when I say grew up, I mean, like, sure, you're 20s, those formative years, you were a massive star.
Was that was you and Dorothy are kind of, were you guys in it together? Did that help keep you grounded? Absolutely. We've been together since high school. Yeah. So for us, that was, yeah, we grew together. Yeah. So she's seen the whole ride. And then, you know, she didn't have to buy into something or I didn't have to doubt her commitment to it. And then I could fall in the gutter throughout the course of it. And she could say, okay, I got it. I know why.
And, you know, let's pick it up and go from here. So, yeah, I give her the credit for so much of it. How lucky, how lucky are you that you have that you had this partner with you? Oh, I know. Right. I mean, we're married 35 years already. You know, it's like, it's a bond of when through the same thing. It's what, like, it's just incredible. So, John, I was, you know, we always talk about two people who are in the music world about like chicken and the egg.
Do you write the lyrics? Do you write the music first? Talk about your process. Like what inspires you to write a certain way, as opposed to whether and do you like your voices? Lens itself to balance so much more than the other stuff and it's all great. It's come both ways, but for me, I would like to say the slim majority of it comes from a title first, because for me that dictates the feel of the music. And then I wrote something that you like that.
You know, wanted to inter-alive is that kind of a feeling of an open record. It just, it calls for that. And better roses would call for something else. So that was, it was sort of meant to be written on a piano. But the process depends on the situation. And we had a record out in the midst of COVID called 2020. There was a topical record.
So it covered everything from gun control to George Floyd to COVID to an introspective topical record, released into a black hole of COVID that I couldn't promote, it couldn't tour. And it's good that I was able to do that. I was very proud of it. This record, post-surgery, and the process, because there's no happy ending yet, is that I'm finding joy for the first time in a decade. Oh wow. Truly finding joy. I haven't had joy in a decade. Why, why? In that style? Because of the voice.
I couldn't make it. Yeah. Yeah. I was honored just recently at this music cares event two weeks and three weeks ago, Nellie. The Grammys pick one person to celebrate their catalog. And in my case, the philanthropy. The MacDonald's involved with that, yeah? Yeah. And I was this year's not an honorary. And on the Saturday morning after the night, I woke up and I was like, something's weird and I went, I know what it is. It's the first time in ten years the only voice in my head was mine.
No doubt, no fear, no second thoughts, you know, it's just, I had fun this. Would you have not, despite your, despite the surgery? I would have beat myself to shit for the last decade. But I would have beat myself. So I do it daily anyway. Yeah. And I don't have anything wrong with it. I don't like that, Sean. I'm fucking tired of it. Yeah, yeah. Tell me how you stopped doing it because you're still on the phone. What, beating yourself up?
Yeah. But you know what I always say, like we were talking about this a while ago, like, if, if beating yourself up, but putting yourself down, if that cured you, then we'd all be fixed, right? It doesn't work. It just doesn't work. Oh, right. And, you know, it's hard to, yeah, it's hard to, you know, stop that voice in your head that probably, you're probably perfectionist. And so anything less than you, you start beating yourself up.
I always beat myself up when I leave any social event at all. I'll, I'll get in the car and be like, how is that okay? And I said, I said that to that person. Personality hangover, we call it. Personality hangover, yeah. Yeah. And so it's me once, I remember you and you said, nobody's harder on me than myself. Yeah. And I said, give me a shot. Yeah. That's true.
But John, what was John, what was bringing on the beating yourself up just that you weren't having access to do your stuff, you know, like you were just, yeah, yeah. It was like, you know, I, I, I, I, I was saying that, you know, the only thing that's ever been up my nose is my finger and now suddenly God's taking away my tools and I'm like, I'm at my wits end. And, and the crazy doctor says, I don't know what it is. And, but I just gave you all my trust. Right.
You mean you don't know what it is. Now I'm aimlessly out there. Take more drugs for it. Take another shot for it. Right. Sean can relate, right? And I'm going down this. I mean, I, when I did, I should not, the recent brother show, but I did another music, I did a musical once. What was it called? Processes, promises. Oh. And yeah, thanks. And, and I was on Prednisone the four year. Yep. Yep. Just because you had a, it's always conflamed, always inflamed. It's no life. It's no life.
No. And it gets you puffy, which makes it look like. Oh, there's Jason. Yeah. I thought your mic was not working for us. And we will be right back. And now back to the show. Sean, with the, the, the, the frustration of not being able to, you know, perform and, and go out there and do, you know, throw your fastball was probably at the same time that you were probably more loaded with quality ideas and inspiration for stuff to write. Yeah. And it's fine.
The older we get, the smarter we get, the better we are at everything. And so are you now sort of approaching, but possible, where they match, where, you know, I'm hoping. I think I'm on the verge. I think I'm on the verge of that. Yeah. These last couple of that attitude that I couldn't fully celebrate these last couple of records. I'm hoping and, and, and believing that I'm going to have that opportunity again when we do get to go out. Yeah. That's, that's, that's the hope.
Yeah. Honestly, John, that attitude, you, you have that, you kind of ooze positivity. I will say, I didn't realize that you were going through all this. And anytime I see you, you've always got such a great attitude. You, you come into room, you shine light, you ask people how they're doing. I love that about you. I think it's really great. And, and I also know you do a lot of, you do a lot of philanthropy as well, right? You, you started, you got the, the John Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.
Is that what it is? It's the foundation and the kitchens. Yeah. And the kitchens, I mean, this is great. Talk to us a little bit about what you do. These guys don't know about this stuff. It's awesome kitchens. Um, a thousand years ago, 20 years ago, I used to own an arena football team. My aspirations were to someday own an NFL team and it was me cutting my teeth. Yeah. But in order to win in the, in the community in Philadelphia, I said, we got to be more philanthropic than everyone.
So that's sort of was my first four ray into this. We started to find something that any and one everyone could relate to, which was a affordable housing and hunger. And so I started to do that. And everybody was like, yeah, Bravo. Good job. You know, habitat for humanity does this every day. Right. When the economic downturn of 2008 happened to a Thia said, now you got to feed the people in the houses you've built.
And it's like, hmm, and then stream of consciousness, she just lays out a plan for this thing that we now call the JBJ Soul Kitchens. And put, if any of you guys came and laid 30 bucks on the table, it would cover your meal and the meal of somebody else who can't afford to pay. It empowers people because we asked them if they can't pay anything to volunteer.
And if you guys were to come and didn't volunteer, you'd sort of think you're missing the party because everybody's working in the garden or busing a table or washing a dish, folding napkins. It's not difficult labor, but when they feel empowered and they've earned the certificate to not only pay for their meal, but perhaps it's a kid. He comes back with his entire family and he's got that pride in a teenager bringing his family back and feeding them. It's all farmed to table.
We take no government subsidies. So we did our first one in an auto body shop that we converted into this restaurant. The second one we built after Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey here and we have all this service providing around at a food pantry, a food bank, culinary program. Then the third one and the fourth one, this blows people's minds, are on college campuses because we were aware, but most people think, wait a minute, I just sent my kid to the university. Well, guess what?
They're not necessarily eating ramen by choice. They don't have any money. So we came to that realization many years ago and we put one on two different university campuses here in New Jersey. So we currently have four of those restaurants. And then myself, for our foundation, fund the shortfall. And we've been doing that for 12, 13 years. That's so cool.
My mom started a, she was one half who started a food bank for people in the Chicago and Northern Illinois food bank, very similar to what you're doing and that's kind of her legacy and she's still remembered there. It's part of second harvest, which I'm sure you have. Yeah, and I bet you it gave her hard work, but great joy. No, no, no, Will, I want to go first. So she's just sort of half honored. She's just kept an eye on, on part of it.
I was going to say she got, she got, if she could have called it, eye on hunger. Yeah, you know, Sean's mom, Sean, I'm telling you. It's just, it's a huge one of them was wouldn't, no, it wasn't, it wasn't. It was glass. It was. We actually brought it out on stage and we held it. The eye, yeah, it's in the night. We held it. Yeah, it's a nice guys, nice guys. You call them your friends. But wait, so John, what the hell, what the hell's bond, Jovi, is that what nationality is that?
What the hell is bond? We're going to question. Sean, can I talk to you for a second? What the hell is going to be? No, I mean, I, it's Italian. It's Italian. Okay, since I was a kid, I thought you made that name up. Listen to me. The O N G I O V I. Oh, really? The O N G I O V I B O N. Yeah, the same way. G I it, which in Italian phonetics is the J sound. Yeah. So it's pronounced the same way, but it's B O N G I instead of a J. And it's always been two separate words.
No, no, no, no. It's, it's the silly American that couldn't figure out. And in, in truth, when I got the record deal and I had gotten the band together to help me play, run away, because I had it on the radio all over the country. I went to the record company, said, we got an idea. It should, you know, it should it be you. And I went, how about if it's we, and if you remember Van Halen, I was like, we make it two words. Oh, very good. This is good. That's great.
In truth, it was a little bit of the, it was a little bit of that in the 80s because I didn't want to be a solo artist. They really knew that that's too much heat. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, because when I was a kid, I thought it was you guys were all related. The worst guy on the, and that the worst fair weather fan will come up to you on the string and go, Hey, Bond. I'm Bond, motherfucker. You're not a very big fan.
Hey, on the, on the, on the, on the music industry business sort of end because our industry is going through a bit of a transition. Now your business was started much earlier with the transition. How do you feel that that the industry is, is doing and adapting? Are you a fan of, of the current state of things? I think we've at least hit a place now where there's stability.
You know, the week, I've, I've said it before, we, my band and I at this time and that those around our period were there for what was called the gold rush, you know, when CDs were invented and everybody bought their record collection again and you could sell 20 million copies of an album. So I was fortunate enough to have been in the, in the heat of that. Yeah. Nowadays, because they finally settled on streaming, I'm okay with it.
You know, I, I wish and I blame Apple for breaking up the CD, the work of art, the book. They sold you one chapter of the book at a time instead of the entire book. I was always pissed off about that and their attitude was we're going to sell you one song at a time so you don't have to buy the whole album. Well, wait a minute, I just wrote the whole album. I'm excited about the whole album. I want to present it as a whole.
So I've always been pissed off since that the advent of the iPod, but I think we've, we've reached a stable place with streaming and in this current state of affairs for the young talent. What was also daunting was that the record companies now aren't signing you because you just wrote a great song. They want to know how many likes you've got on social media, which is a sin.
Yeah. But on the other hand, it affords the world, the opportunity to have another Bob Dylan because there was a period in time where unless you sounded like you could sing on American Idol, you weren't going to get a record deal. Right. So the internet allows for a Bob Dylan, the streaming allows for some stability, even though it's a low rate, but it's, it's something. And this is the new world order.
So it's obligating you guys to go out and do a bunch of touring in order to make a bunch of money and that's kind of the essence still as criminal as it ever was. It's, it's, it's harder on the young band and how are they going to support themselves on the road if they don't have any record money or their tour support and all the things that we had 40 years ago that they're not going to have now.
I, I, I've heard and have been in on conversations, but it's obviously not something I can directly relate to. It's not as big a business for the young kid coming up. It's like I get to do that, but I'm also going to have to do this and this in order to make a lot of the same with all entertainment, you know, it's like you have to learn how to do it.
I think, I think about all the time, it's like starting as a young actor today as opposed to when we started out and you could go out and you get job, you audition for stuff, you're in the mix, you audition for pilots, you get a movie, do all that because now it's such a free-fraile. You know, or you could do a commercial and you could expect $30,000, but it's done and run. Like now it's all non-union and, yeah. Yeah, you could do a golden Graham's commercial, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah.
Has anybody ever done a golden Graham's commercial? I'm going to go kart in that one. My son is a young aspiring actor and he would have that magic when he walked into a room for an audition, but because he came up during COVID and now everything is on these zooms and I think that all those casting agents are missing out on the personality of the young actor or actor is coming in and winning your heart, not just reading their lines. I will tell you. I will tell you though.
I'm in the middle of casting something right now and none of these casting sessions are in person. They're all on Zoom. And I am so jealous that the actors are not stuck in what was always for me. The most stressful thing I could ever do was walking. Yeah, it was true. Was waiting in the lobby, hearing the actor before me doing it, killing them being late, being going over my sides and over my sides and then going and having to do the bullshit talking with them.
And now I'm sweating and I'm having to be and then I got to switch into acting gear and then I got to just then they get like it was so nerve-racking. The fact that they get to do it on Zoom now to me is like it's I think that but I think there's always been a flaw in that, Jay, because you shouldn't just put all the actors up for the same role in one room. It's just you know, is there another way to do it? Like schedule them like torture?
Yeah, I don't know, but there's something to also going through that experience. You know, after as somebody who I grew up in New York in the 90s in my 20s and went on a million auditions and bombed a bunch and I learned so much from that process. And then also conversely, when I did have start having success, I really appreciated, it wasn't until my 30s that I had any success and I really appreciated it because I had gone through that.
So many years and we starving and I also made some friends during the process. So they're missing out on that. I mean a lot of friends. Yeah, right. A lot of friends. I just think that they missed the personality. Yeah, I agree. Sean, I who wing that casting agent's something that I see that's. And knowing whether they're going to be a problem on set, do they have pretty nice people? Yeah. John, I think that that's I think that you're totally onto something.
I think there I was also just thinking about what you were saying before about Alms and when you would write an album and I was just thinking like, you remember that feeling? You really hit on some that feeling as a kid of getting an album and taking it home and taking the plastic off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Taking the sleeve out and reading the lyrics and listening to every fricking song. Yeah, yeah. Is it start and then the third song?
Is it my imagination or is the third song always one that kicks you right? That's the single, right? Yeah. Okay. All right. Was that way? I didn't know. It's a sort of common place. Yeah. Start slow and then you nail them and then yeah, and then there's a balance in the second. Moving on to the third track on set. Was it really? Yeah. Hey, give me the first note. Are you by piano or a guitar or anything? Give me the first note of the chorus. Sean, are you going to sing? I'm going to try it.
Oh, please. Thank you. Come on. Well, we're out of time, everybody. I'm on that close. Thank you. Stay tuned for Smartless Extras. I'm going to give him an enjoy. I'm going to sing. Smartless Extras, if you can enjoy some of Sean's. Okay. It's that. It's minor. Yeah. Can we hear that? Yes. I had to run across the room and bang on the piano. Well, we're going to move on to the seat. Well, well, not the first note, but it's up and active. Yeah, it's a G. Yeah. Yeah, go on. No. It's so high.
It's crazy. You know what you do then is your whole mic is on it. Oh, this sounds like a mic. Right. You got it. It's like your furious. Let the audience do it. You hold the mic over the audience. You go to the mic. Buzzzy, you give. So bad. But John, you know, whenever your songs come in the radio in the car, I will pretend I'm you and I will scream my head. Love you. It's impossible, impossible not to just absolutely belt out one of your songs. John, when they come on, it's just the best.
Dude, we've taken up too much of your time already. You're so much fun. John, when you're coming to town, let's hang out. I would love that. Nothing. We're never coming back. You're never coming back. Very brave. Don't give me a number. No, let's do it in New York. Let's do it in New York. That would be awesome. And then we'll do it. JB's in New York for the next six months. Do it. Yeah, please. Let's get to the other. Cool, guys. This was really a joy. Thanks for joining us. Thank you.
You're such a great dude. You're such a cool dude. Yeah, and such a great artist. And thank you for taking the time and wish you all the best, man. Can't wait to see you again. Thanks, guys. Thank you. All right, have a good one right now. You too. The great John Bon Jovi. He's great. So fucking easy. Yeah, I'm going to be a great fan. Yeah, I'm going to be a great fan. Yeah, I'm going to be a great fan. Yeah, the great John Bon Jovi is great. So fucking easy.
They don't make them like that anymore, you know? I mean, great, the great John Bon Jovi is just sounds like the little I need one. We need a better word than great. Yeah. JB, you were just. Yeah. Yeah. What do you, how do you. Yeah, I just said the great John Bon Jovi, but you're right. It doesn't seem like it's enough. Right. Well, cause I mean, well, and who's doing it? What, what they did, who's doing that today? That. of a band today, like that it's all sort of like been diluted a bit.
I didn't even ask him about like the prep for a show at the hairspray and the hair and the outfits and the energy. And always, always. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, no. Yeah, no, super easy to hang out with. Yeah, such a good time. Yeah, where did you meet him? Well, I met him. We have a bunch of mutual friends in obviously Long Island. And just, yeah, just over the years and he is one of those guys every time you see him, he's just, he's very sort of warm and very generous with people.
Actually, one time I had lunch with him years ago, we were down on vacation and Archie was maybe a year old. He is. He could be a St. Bart story. Go ahead. Yeah. And down on vacation. Yeah. Right. And he got, and he got, Archie got like all these little bites all over him. We didn't know what was going on. We were freaking out. You got a one year old. You're like, what's going on? We're in the middle of nowhere.
And John helped us sort of call a friend who had new, you know, goddess and, you know, to get him looked at it was great. He was very sweet. I love that. He's a very sweet guy. Yeah, he's super cool. Yeah. You know, that slippery, win-what album was so huge. That's where that living on a prayer song went. But there was another song on there. Oh my God. Here we go. It was called, and it really, it's a real song. I know. I'm sorry. Do you have another appointment?
No, it's called, whatever say what good. Bye. Bye. It's a real song. We're going to, you know, you're going to make sure you're not using the name is shu horn. Could you just say the shu horn? You're always looking for a way out. We always got you in the tail. Are you late? No. Smart. Smart. Smart. Blast. Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted by Michael Grant Terry, Rob Armjav, and Bennett Barberco. Smart. Blast. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart.
Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart. Smart.