JON BON JOVI
Jon Bon Jovi discussed the upcoming Jersey 4 Jersey fundraiser on SiriusXM satellite radio’s “The Howard Stern Show,” April 15, revealing that he is planning to debut a new pandemic-themed song on it.
The all-star fundraiser for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund will be broadcast on television and radio, April 22 at 7 p.m.
Here is the text of the interview pertaining to Jersey 4 Jersey:
Howard Stern: You’re doing something called Jersey 4 Jersey benefit. I imagine you’re probably, in times like this, everyone is hitting you up to do benefits and charity work, so you’ve got to be pretty careful about what you choose to be involved with. Am I correct?
Jon Bon Jovi: You want to do everything. You do what you can. That’s the bottom line. You do what you can.
HS: And this thing is called Jersey 4 Jersey benefit, and you’re going to team up with a bunch of stars for one night, on April 22, with Bruce Springsteen, Chelsea Handler, Tony Bennett, Danny DeVito, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlie Puth, Kelly Ripa, Jon Stewart, SZA — SZA! — and a couple of other people.
JBJ: Yeah. Halsey, Chris Rock … Chris Rock’s will be on it. Halsey’s gonna be there. So it’s a once-in-a-lifetime … you know, this time it’s for Jersey, by Jersey. It’ll be on ABC. It’ll be on Sirius, the iHeart network and Apple Music. April 22, 7 o’clock, one hour. It’s all acoustic, everybody by themselves at home …
HS: Well, wait a second. Let me understand something. In other words, you guys are all going to be on the ABC network, and you … will tape this at home on, what, your iPhone?
JBJ: That’s the idea, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
HS: Really?
JBJ: Yeah. Nobody has production. Nobody has anything. It’s me, by myself, with my guitar. Yeah, that’s it.
HS: What are you going to play? Have you decided?
JBJ: Yeah. I wrote a new song because of this pandemic, that I’m going to add to the record (Bon Jovi’s upcoming album, Bon Jovi: 2020), now that that’s delayed, and it’s called “Do What You Can.” And I wrote a song about the situation that we’re in, so I’m going to perform that in its entirety for the first time ever. [Note: Hear it in partial form in the video below] And then of course I should do “Livin’ on a Prayer,” because it’s such an important song for, you know, so many people, and it brings us back to happier days.
HS: And who determines … in other words, how does this raise money for Jersey? This will be on ABC. Is it like a telethon … people will call in?
JBJ: Yeah.
HS: Oh, I see.
JBJ: Yeah, correct. This is a telethon, yeah.
HS: Who determines who opens the show and who ends the show? Did you and Bruce … obviously you are the two biggest biggest names on there. Have you said to Bruce Springsteen, “Look, I’ll go on last, you go on first?”
JBJ: I have nothing to do with it.
HS: What do you mean, you have nothing to do with it? You have something to do with it.
JBJ: No, the producer of the show will do all that. Joel Gallen, who I’m sure you know … But to get Tony Bennett to do this was a huge thrill. And to make sure that it was also diverse and young, and so SZA and Halsey and Charlie Puth, made it well rounded. And there are guys who love and live for their roots in Jersey, like we do, and that’s DeVito and Stewart and Chris Rock. Everybody wanted to be a part of it. It’s going to be an hour, and it’s going to be concise, and it’s up to Joel to make the pieces fit. But everybody’s got a window, and you’re by yourself, “Here it is,” you know. I don’t know if anybody else is doing tapes or what have you, but it’s me and a guitar. That’s all I got.
HS: And do you think New Jerseyites like Uncle Floyd and Joe Piscopo will be …
JBJ: Where are they! Yeah.
HS: I would think that they’re screaming to get on there.
JBJ: It’s not too late. It’s not too late. Uncle Floyd, especially. I was on “The Uncle Floyd Show.” I loved that.
HS: We all were on “The Uncle Floyd Show.” That was the best! Where is that guy? What happened to him?
JBJ: I don’t know, man. Floyd Vivino! I was on his show.
HS: Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I remember doing it. I brought on puppets. I brought my own and did a couple of marionette things. It was really a lot of fun, actually. And of course you have to have the “Jersey Shore” cast on there …
JBJ: Yes, yes, yes! (sarcastically)
HS: They can introduce Bruce Springsteen. It’ll be quite a thrill.
JBJ: Yes! (laughs)
HS: Can you imagine?
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