Jon Bon Jovi The Businessman
Jon Bon Jovi appeared early this morning on CNBC with Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. Bon Jovi is many things, but according to an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," here are a few things he isn't (right now):
*owner of an NFL team (though he does own an Arena Football team
QUICK: DOES THAT MEAN YOU MIGHT EVENTUALLY BE INTERESTED IN AN NFL TEAM AS WELL?
BON JOVI: THAT'S -- YOU KNOW, I'M NOT --KRAFT: WE WANT HIM. BELIEVE IT. WE WANT HIM. WE WANT HIM. THIS GUY, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS HIM AS A GREAT ENTERTAINER, AND HE'S SMART. HE'S CONTROLLED HIS OWN MUSIC. HE'S RUN -- BUILT A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. PEOPLE IDOLIZE HIM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
*an oversleeper (unlike Ritchie Sambora)
...
QUICK: CAN YOU TELL US ONE THING ABOUT RITCHIE SAMBORA THAT NOBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD KNOWS?
BON JOVI: WELL, NO, OTHER THAN -- BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A GREAT HUMAN BEING HE IS, WHAT A GREAT GUY HE IS. HE'S A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE, AND MY SONGWRITING PARTNER. YOU KNOW, I CAN TELL YOU AND THE REST OF THE NATION KNOWS, HE'S NOT AWAKE.
*interested in party politics
QUINTANILLA: YOU'VE BEEN ACTIVE IN POLITICS. I COVERED THE '04 CAMPAIGN. YOU WERE ON THE PLANE WILL A LOT BACK THEN AND YOU'RE ACTIVE AGAIN THIS TIME. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? IT'D BE EASY TO HOLD A FUND-RAISER AND WALK AWAY, BUT YOU SEEM MUCH MORE COMMITTED THAN THAT.
BON JOVI: I MEAN, LOOK, PARTY POLITICS DIVIDES FRIENDSHIPS SOMETIMES, AND THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR PLACE FOR ME TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK THAT IN ALL HONESTY, I JUST FIND WAYS OF GIVING BACK, AND I BELIEVE THAT WE'RE ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR NEIGHBOR IS, AND THE IDEA THAT, I'M MY BROTHER'S KEEPER WORKS FOR ME. AND I'M ONLY AS SUCCESSFUL AS THE GUY THAT LIVES DOWN THE STREET FROM ME. AND WITHOUT THINGS LIKE HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING, IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO STAND BEHIND THE WALLS OF THE GREAT MANSION AND PLAY ROCK AND ROLL STAR. I FEEL THE NEED TO GIVE BACK.
Full transcript below:
Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of the CNBC interview with Jon Bon Jovi on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
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QUICK: OUR NEXT GUEST HAS BEEN BURNING THE CHARTS AND TOURING THE WORLD WITH HIS BAND, BON JOVI, BUT JON BON JOVI HAS EXPANDED HIS ROCK STAR STATUS TO ARENA FOOTBALL OWNER. HE'S ALSO HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE PEOPLE BUILD HOMES, AND JON, WE WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
BON JOVI: MY PLEASURE. GOOD MORNING.
QUINTANILLA: GOOD TO SEE YOU.
QUICK: YOU ARE A GUY WHO KNOWS YOUR WAY AROUND THE FOOTBALL FIELD. IN FACT, WITH THE ARENA FOOTBALL, I HAVE TO THANK YOU. MY BROTHER SAID THANK YOU FOR MAKING HIM BRING AT LEAST SOME CHAMPIONSHIP HOME TO PHILADELPHIA.
BON JOVI: THAT'S RIGHT. WE'VE GOT A RING NOW. IT'S QUITE AN HONOR, YOU KNOW? I'VE HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH IT, AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO BE IN THE GAME OF FOOTBALL, YOU KNOW, ON THE OWNERSHIP SIDE, WITH GREAT MENTORS LIKE MY FRIEND, MR. KRAFT, YOU KNOW, GOING TO SCHOOL, LEARNING THE ROPES.
QUICK: DOES THAT MEAN YOU MIGHT EVENTUALLY BE INTERESTED IN AN NFL TEAM AS WELL?
BON JOVI: THAT'S -- YOU KNOW, I'M NOT --
KRAFT: WE WANT HIM. BELIEVE IT. WE WANT HIM. WE WANT HIM. THIS GUY, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS HIM AS A GREAT ENTERTAINER, AND HE'S SMART. HE'S CONTROLLED HIS OWN MUSIC. HE'S RUN -- BUILT A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM. PEOPLE IDOLIZE HIM ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE DID 100 CONCERTS IN HOW MANY DAYS?
BON JOVI: OH, I DON'T KNOW. THIS YEAR --
QUICK: THIS YEAR.
BON JOVI: THIS YEAR, SO --
KRAFT: BUT HIS FAMILY, HE'S GOT A GREAT FAMILY, AND HE'S BEEN TRUE TO HIS FAMILY. HE KNOWS HIS ROOTS. HE KNOWS WHAT'S IMPORTANT. AND IF HE'S YOUR FRIEND, YOU'VE GOT A REAL FRIEND. ANYONE WOULD WANT TO BOND WITH THIS GUY.
QUICK: IT'S A TOUGH THING TO PULL, TO WEAR ALL THOSE DIFFERENT HATS. HOW DO YOU JUGGLE BEING A
BUSINESS OWNER, BEING A CREATIVE ARTIST? WHICH COMES FIRST?
BON JOVI: WELL, THE CREATIVITY IS JUST SOMETHING THAT, I DON'T KNOW, YOU WORK VERY HARD AT, BUT PART OF YOU SAYS THAT YOU WERE BORN WITH IT. IT'S A CRAFT LIKE EVERY OTHER, YOU HAVE TO KEEP SHARP AND YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. BUT WITH REGARD TO THE PHILANTHROPY AND WHAT'S TURNED INTO TEAM OWNERSHIP, THAT JUST CAME WITH GROWING UP IN PUBLIC, IN ALL HONESTY. I'VE BEEN MAKING RECORDS SINCE I WAS 21. I'M 46 NOW, AND IF I WERE JUST THAT GUY THAT WAS MAKING POP RECORDS FOR 25 YEARS, YOU'D BE LUCKY ENOUGH. BUT YOU KNOW, GROWING AS A MAN, JUST GROWING AS AN INDIVIDUAL HAS LED ME DOWN OTHER PATHS, AND ONE OF THEM'S, YOU KNOW, THE PHILANTHROPIC WORK IT IS THAT I DO.
QUICK: AND WITH THAT PHILANTHROPIC ARM, YOU'VE BEEN GIVING MONEY TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES -- NEW ORLEANS WHERE PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING IN PHILADELPHIA, IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY NOW. WHAT'S YOUR NEXT STEP? I MEAN, SEEMS EVERY TIME I TURN AROUND --
BON JOVI: WELL, WE'VE BROKEN GROUND NOW TWO DAYS AGO IN NEW JERSEY IN A 51-UNIT BUILDING AND RECENTLY IN DETROIT. WE'VE GONE AS FAR AS LOS ANGELES, HOUMA, LOUISIANA. BUT THE FOCUS OF THE PHILADELPHIA SOUL FOUNDATION IS TO BRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO THOSE IN NEED. AND WE WERE SORT OF AHEAD OF THE CURVE, UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE SUBPRIME LOAN, THERE'S A LOT MORE PEOPLE IN NEED OF HOUSING. BUT IT'S NOT THE OLD ADAGE OF GIVING A MAN A FISH, IT'S TEACHING A MAN TO FISH. BECAUSE MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE JOB TRAINING AND SERVICE ELEMENTS INVOLVED SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO KEEP THOSE HOUSES FOR A LONG TIME AND TO BECOME PART OF THE COMMUNITY AROUND THEM, AND IN TURN, GIVING BACK TO IT. SO, OUR THEORY AND OUR THINKING IN THE FOUNDATION IS ONE STREET AT A TIME, ONE CITY AT A TIME, ONE STATE AND, YOU KNOW, COUNTRY AT A TIME.AND WE'RE BUILDING THAT. PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING. WE'VE DONE 140 HOUSES SO FAR, AND FOR THE ARENA FOOTBALL TEAM, THE LITTLE FOUNDATION, PHILADELPHIA SOUL FOUNDATION, IT'S WORKING.
QUINTANILLA: YOU'VE BEEN ACTIVE IN POLITICS. I COVERED THE '04 CAMPAIGN. YOU WERE ON THE PLANE WILL A LOT BACK THEN AND YOU'RE ACTIVE AGAIN THIS TIME. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? IT'D BE EASY TO HOLD A FUND-RAISER AND WALK AWAY, BUT YOU SEEM MUCH MORE COMMITTED THAN THAT.
BON JOVI: I MEAN, LOOK, PARTY POLITICS DIVIDES FRIENDSHIPS SOMETIMES, AND THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR PLACE FOR ME TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT, BUT I THINK THAT IN ALL HONESTY, I JUST FIND WAYS OF GIVING BACK, AND I BELIEVE THAT WE'RE ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR NEIGHBOR IS, AND THE IDEA THAT, I'M MY BROTHER'S KEEPER WORKS FOR ME. AND I'M ONLY AS SUCCESSFUL AS THE GUY THAT LIVES DOWN THE STREET FROM ME. AND WITHOUT THINGS LIKE HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING, IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO STAND BEHIND THE WALLS OF THE GREAT MANSION AND PLAY ROCK AND ROLL STAR. I FEEL THE NEED TO GIVE BACK.
QUICK: JON --
KERNEN: I'M SORRY. YOU KNOW, WE BROADCAST 6:00 TO 9:00. I KNOW YOU WERE IN JERSEY THIS MORNING --
BON JOVI: THIS MORNING, YEAH.
KERNEN: YOU'RE HERE NOW. NOW, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A JET AND EVERYTHING, BUT WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT A NUMBER THAT -- I MEAN, IN THE 25 YEARS, DO YOU EVER REMEMBER, WHAT WAS IT, 5:00 A.M. THIS MORNING?
BON JOVI: YEAH. I WAS UP AND READY TO GO!
KERNEN: IS THAT TYPICAL FOR YOU? COULD ANYONE ELSE IN THE BAND BE HERE RIGHT -- I MEAN, IS THAT WHY YOU'RE ALONE? NONE OF THESE OTHER GUYS.
BON JOVI:YOU KNOW, YES, THEY COULD VERY WELL --
KERNEN: THEY WOULD HAVE MADE IT. THEY MIGHT HAVE STILL BEEN UP AT 5:00.
BON JOVI: NO, NOT TRUE.NO CLICHÉS IN THIS ORGANIZATION.
QUICK: CAN YOU TELL US ONE THING ABOUT RITCHIE SAMBORA THAT NOBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD KNOWS?
BON JOVI: WELL, NO, OTHER THAN -- BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A GREAT HUMAN BEING HE IS, WHAT A GREAT GUY HE IS. HE'S A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE, AND MY SONGWRITING PARTNER. YOU KNOW, I CAN TELL YOU AND THE REST OF THE NATION KNOWS, HE'S NOT AWAKE.
QUICK: NOW, YOUR LAST ALBUM WAS COUNTRY MUSIC. IT HIT THE TOPS ON BOTH AREAS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF MUSIC?
BON JOVI: WELL, THE TOUR JUST STOPPED. A WORLD TOUR CONCLUDED IT ON JULY 16TH, AND I JUST REGROUPED AND REINTRODUCE MYSELF TO MY FAMILY. SO I'M JUST REGROUPING RIGHT NOW, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. A COUPLE OF THINGS, AND I'LL FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING. I'LL START WRITING A RECORD. IT WILL COME. I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT IT.
QUICK: THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
BON JOVI: MY PLEASURE.
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CNBC | September 5, 2008 11:48 AM