Jon Bon On Music and Marriage...

From Mirror.co.uk...

Jon Bon Jovi on music and marriage

For millions of women, Jon Bon Jovi is the ultimate lust object - the gilded rock star in denim and leather who barely seems to have aged in three decades at the top.

But when he steps off that sweat-soaked stage and heads home to his native New Jersey, he is only one thing - dad.

The rocker, now 48, is known to have one of the most enduring marriages in showbiz and one of the most stable families.

Ask him the secret of his 20-year marriage to his high school sweetheart Dorothea and he just chuckles and shrugs his shoulders.

"I have no idea," he laughs over lunch at London's prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel. "If you can answer that one you would win a big prize!

"It's horrible when you are away touring - it's terrible. You are away from everyone and it can be for long periods. But so are travelling salesmen and soldiers.

"I have been married a long time, 20 years, and it's great. I am not the only guy who's managed to do that but if I am the poster boy for marriage then I'll accept it. I made the right decision."

The couple and their four children - Stephanie, 16, Jesse James, 14, Jacob, seven, and five-year-old Romeo - split their time between a New York apartment and a home an hour away in New Jersey.

MUNCHING

Although he loves being a dad, Jon is definitely not going for child No5 any time soon. Munching his way through a spring roll, he says: "Dorothea has worked over the years but not now we have four kids. It's a full-time job. No more children for me, no thanks. I got plenty."

Jon (born John Bongiovi) met Dorothea when they were both still at school in New Jersey. She was by his side as he grew from a shy teenager into a world-famous rock god with his band Bon Jovi.

Their 1986 album Slippery When Wet spawned a slew of instantly recognisable punch-the-air anthems.

Since then Jon has overseen the band on a rollercoaster ride of stardom that has taken in addiction, rehab and divorce.

Guitarist Richie Sambora suffered the painful double whammy of seeing his father die just days after he was divorced by wife Heather Locklear. He later checked into rehab for treatment for alcoholism.

And drummer Tico Torres has also been through two divorces during the band's lifetime.

As the group's leader - Jon describes himself as CEO of a multinational business - he has stood by his old friends and helped them through the tough times. He says: "Richie had issues, Tico went through it. They all had problems unfortunately. When you have been together a long time then unfortunately things happen. You grow up, life goes on. You get married, you have kids, you get divorced... The cycle of life goes on.

"When you have been together so long you multiply the number of issues by the number of people in the band."

For Jon, alcohol is his demon of choice. However, he now prefers sipping fine wine to slugging beer.

"I still drink... I don't have a problem with drink," he says, raising his glass of ginger cordial to his lips.

"I drink too much every day but it has never been a problem. I don't have a problem. If you drink anything, you drink too much. If you drink a few coffees you are drinking too much coffee."
Even though the fans cherish his music, Jon is matter-of-fact about his role in Bon Jovi.

"It is a business - it's called the music business for a reason," he says with a shrug. "When you have made your music then you have to run a business.

"I don't want to make it sound like I am sitting behind some corporate desk because that's definitely not the case. But if you haven't learnt the business in 25 years you are a fool.

"How often can you pretend that? You can survive on luck or good looks but then you have to deliver and after you've delivered then you have to back it up. So I am the CEO of this major corporation, but it's not like we have board meetings or anything like that. No way!

"I would be so bored."

Jon is surprisingly laid-back about seeing the band's recent album Circle top the charts - their fourth No.1 album. To many bands - especially one that has been around at the top for three decades - it would be a major achievement. But Jon instead sees it as a validation of his work. Continued success also helps him to avoid what he sees as the nightmare of just relying on the old hits like Livin' On A Prayer and You Give Love A Bad Name.


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