"Person to Person": Jon Bon Jovi
(CBS News)
Jon Bon Jovi grew up a working-class kid in New Jersey. Today he's one of the most successful artists in music history
Special section: "Person to Person"
Bon Jovi fills stadiums with his fans and sells albums by the millions... yet he's a down-to-earth family man and dedicated philanthropist. He's still in Jersey... but across the river in Red Bank now, and has a slightly bigger house. Lara Logan and Charlie Rose go "Person to Person" with Jon Bon Jovi.
CHARLIE ROSE: Hey, Jon.
JON BON JOVI: Hello, America, come on in. (LAUGHS) Hi, Charlie. Hi, Lara.
CHARLIE ROSE: This is Charlie Rose. Lara Logan is with me. Where are we?
JON BON JOVI: This is our -- humble abode in beautiful New Jersey. ...and welcome to it. I'm gonna show you guys around.
CHARLIE ROSE: How long have you lived here?
JON BON JOVI: Wow, let's see. We got the land in 1995, designed and built the house and moved in in '99.
LARA LOGAN: (GASPS)
JON BON JOVI: So it's been -- 13 years that we've been in. This is the formal living room. I'll give you a little bit of a look-see.
This is -- well, a bunch of family portraits, my family, Dorothea of course, that's Romeo, our youngest, that's Stephanie, Jacob and Jesse, the kids--
LARA LOGAN: So you have four kids?
JON BON JOVI: Four kids, same wife.(LAUGHS) That's my folks...
LARA LOGAN: Those are your parents?
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, yeah, my dad, John; my mom, Carol.
LARA LOGAN: So I was curious to learn that your parents were both Marines.
JON BON JOVI: True, that's how they met. My mom was -- not only a Marine, she was-- a Playboy bunny and uh...(LAUGHS) So I'm the product of two Marines.
CHARLIE ROSE: We're in the living room and -- and this is where the family comes together. Where do you watch television?
JON BON JOVI: Well, we don't necessarily watch a lot of television. But what happens here in this house is -- we watch a lot of movies. So it's a 35 millimeter projectionist that we keep hidden behind a tapestry.
The tapestry comes down & the giant TV screen rises out of the floor
JON BON JOVI: It's a little more than a TV. (LAUGHS)
CHARLIE ROSE: That's a TV, isn't it !
LARA LOGAN: That's pretty amazing.
JON BON JOVI: So we screen whatever's in theaters here. Yeah, it's good fun.
LARA LOGAN: Do make your children watch your own movies?
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, (LAUGHS) only when they're bad, only when they're in trouble.
CHARLIE ROSE: Take me to the place where you keep your awards.
JON BON JOVI: In this room, this is where I guess you'd call the office. This is where I come sometimes to write, sometimes to play, just sometimes to keep memories around, little gifts that people have given me or awards. ...Here's somethin', for instance. Richie Sambora gave me this, but it's-- it's signed by Bob Dylan. And it was given to me on my birthday.
LARA LOGAN: There's a lot of stuff in this office, Jon.
JON BON JOVI: This one's very, very special.
CHARLIE ROSE: The Songwriters Award.
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, well,
The Songwriters Hall of Fame...I mean when you are mentioned in the same kind of breath as so many of the greats that were there before you, uh, it's wonderful. Because any kid who's ever strummed a tennis racket or a broomstick that aspired to be in a band, how many of those were lucky enough to ever make a record deal? How many of those were able to write a song? And how many of those were able to be honored with something like that?
JON BON JOVI: We've been really blessed, Lara. I mean, there's 130 million-plus albums at this point, it's (LAUGHS) that's a lot of platinum discs around the house.
LARA LOGAN: You're still a hard-working musician now, you mentioned being on tour a lot, but that's more than 500 shows just in the last few years alone. You've grossed almost $1 billion at this point
JON BON JOVI: Um, yeah. Hallelujah, amen.
I feel very lucky to be able to do what it is that I love to do and also have the adoration that we get that comes along with it. It's really humbling, it's great.
JON BON JOVI Let me show you around some. Yeah, we'll go down this family hall.
CHARLIE ROSE: Kinda looks like an Oval Office desk, doesn't it?
LARA LOGAN: It does. It does. (LAUGHS)
JON BON JOVI: I have pictures of the boss sitting at that desk...Many a senator has sat at that desk and I have to sit on the side like the assistant whenever they come here.
CHARLIE ROSE: So where are we, Jon?
JON BON JOVI: Well, this is a pass-through hallway to the family wing of the house, but something that we call the 'Herb Ritts' gallery.
LARA LOGAN: So this whole hallway -- is, like, almost a tribute to your family and to your children?
JON BON JOVI: It is. Yeah, it is. ...It's really a special place for us.
CHARLIE ROSE: Is it difficult, with the kind of public presence you have, to be the kind of father you want to be?
JON BON JOVI: Well, it is and it isn't. I mean, look, I -- I miss a lot of birthdays, I've missed a lot of school plays over the years. But then you also have the benefit of having a lot of time off when I'm not on tour, when I'm not makin' a record.
LARA LOGAN: How do you keep it real for them? How do you-- what do you tell them to try and get them to understand how fortunate they are?
JON BON JOVI: You first of all have to lead by example as a parent. Case in point, we're in this beautiful kitchen, we know how blessed we are. But where we spend most of our time these days when we're here at this house is at our community kitchen, The Soul Kitchen.
If you were to come there and you could pay for your meal you do. If you cannot you volunteer. There are no prices on our menus.
CHARLIE ROSE: And it's not just your money. You go there, you work?
JON BON JOVI: Oh sure. I'm the best looking dishwasher, you know, this side of the Mississippi. (LAUGHS)
JON BON JOVI: Let me take you outside.
CHARLIE ROSE: Wow. What's the river?
JON BON JOVI: This is the Navesink River...Just over here over the bridge, that's the Atlantic Ocean.
LARA LOGAN: That's really beautiful.
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, it's great. The estate's 16 acres, it's all waterfront. We have a nice little boat that I -- I really drive poorly.
CHARLIE ROSE: When you were growing up in New Jersey could you ever imagine this?
JON BON JOVI: No (LAUGHS). I don't think any kid ever imagines this.
CHARLIE ROSE: What else is on the property?
JON BON JOVI: There's a lot of -- outer houses on the property.... I'm going to show you a couple of them. One is the recording studio -- if you'd like I'd take you over there--
CHARLIE ROSE: Let's see it.
Boy, this is an incredible house, Jon. We can see it as you walk over to the studio how magnificent this place is.
JON BON JOVI: This is our home-- this is the studio, this is where we've done every record since "Crush."
LARA LOGAN: So is this your commute to work, Jon, a five minute walk from the house?
JON BON JOVI: Exactly, this is it. I pack a lunch and then I get out of the house
JON BON JOVI: This is it, this is where we make the records! This is uh...
LARA LOGAN: Is this hallowed ground for...
JON BON JOVI: ...it really is a world-class studio.
LARA LOGAN: ...Bon Jovi Fans?
JON BON JOVI: (LAUGHS) Yeah, this is our Graceland, right? But, it's very practical because by the time I go to a commercial studio somewhere, it's really freeing to be able to come to a place that's your own.
CHARLIE ROSE: When do you work Jon?
JON BON JOVI: I really am a morning guy. I think a lot of it had to do with these kids. But they get you up anyhow, so I like to start around noontime and--
LARA LOGAN: A morning guy, I like to start around noontime.
CHARLIE ROSE: He's up at the crack of noon.
LARA LOGAN: I hate to break it to you, Jon, but by noon, morning is officially over. (LAUGHS)
JON BON JOVI: Where? No! (LAUGHS)
LARA LOGAN: Jon...is it really true that you're the one that's always been signed with the record company and the other members of the band essentially work for you?
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, but in truth it's -- it's a team effort. It may be my name on the top of the sheet, but these ideas are implemented by a team. So without Richie Sambora, the sound wouldn't be the same. Some of the great collaborations...would not be unless the team were intact. And -- I've been with the same band for nearly, well, it is 30 years this year.
CHARLIE ROSE: What is it you think defines your connection to your fans?
JON BON JOVI: It's hard to say because it's multigenerational. ...But I'd like to think that it's the underlying optimism of the lyric that's brought people together.
CHARLIE ROSE: Think about all the work and all the songs and -- and all that you have done. I mean, where do you put "Living on a Prayer?"
JON BON JOVI: It would have to rank really high. ...people related to those characters.
LARA LOGAN: You're like the anti-rock star, right? There's no drug problems, 32 years married to the same woman, no scandals, no skeletons in your closet, successful --
JON BON JOVI: I couldn't run for political office, let's put it that way.
CHARLIE ROSE: Well said. Suppose you come to this recording studio and you've got an inspiration and you're able to put the song together and you feel great and you want to go have a beer where do you go?
JON BON JOVI: (LAUGHS) We've got that problem solved, too. There are no drunk driving tickets in this perfect -- you know, utopian world in which we live. Lara, come with me if you will.
LARA LOGAN: OK, wait, before you get out of here I am told that there is a photograph from the 80s. I know that fashion-wise, the '80s were not kind to any of us. And as I hear it you were no exception.
CHARLIE ROSE: Where is this photograph?
JON BON JOVI: Alright, there are some pictures along the wall here that date back but this one in particular is a shot that was probably taken around 1980. (LAUGHS) That was me as a young boy -- just startin' off. (LAUGHS)
LARA LOGAN: Can I say you've improved with age Jon?
JON BON JOVI: Well, you're very kind, thank you. But that's -- pretty funny.
CHARLIE ROSE: So you're gonna show us now where we can have a beer if we've had a great day.
JON BON JOVI: I can do that. Come on, I'll take you.
JON BON JOVI: This is trouble, Charlie.
CHARLIE ROSE: All right. I like trouble. (LAUGHS)
JON BON JOVI: It's called The Shoe Inn. This is-- this is a place-- we come and get a beer when we're done recording.
LARA LOGAN: This is quite a pub.
JON BON JOVI: Yeah, this bar came from Paris. I found it in a flea market. It was one piece believe it or not.
LARA LOGAN: Have you had good nights in this place?
JON BON JOVI: Yes, we've had many a good night in this place, but they're all in the memories now.
CHARLIE ROSE: What are you writing about now?
JON BON JOVI: Observations really... There was one I sang in the studio for-- for the cameras the other day called "What About Now."
Bon Jovi sings the lyrics in his studio: "Shout out for the restless and the lonely... Stand up and be proud, what about now..."
JON BON JOVI: Who's gonna finally stand up and be that voice? Who's gonna make that difference?
CHARLIE ROSE: Thank you very much for letting us come share this place-- and this conversation.
JON BON JOVI: Well, I-- I want to thank you both for comin' and-- for lettin' the rest of the country in, as well. (LAUGH)
Richie today in NYC is taking a meeting for his clothing line before hooking up with Jon, Big and Jon Rich to do some writing over the next couple of days
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