00:00I know what songs like Livin' on a Prayer or It's My Life have meant to people over the years.
00:05I know what so many of those songs have meant to people.
00:11And I get it because I know what songs mean to me."
00:14Bon Jovi is finally telling their story in the new Hulu docuseries Thank U, Good Night.
00:19Band members Jon Bon Jovi and Tico Torres, as well as director Gautam Chopra,
00:24spoke to The Hollywood Reporter all about the project.
00:27The series, timed to the 40th anniversary of the band releasing their first album,
00:31juxtaposes Jon Bon Jovi working through a vocal injury over the past few years,
00:35with footage chronicling the band's rise to fame.
00:38What really stood out to me is how I felt like you're essentially the same guy. You still have
00:42that drive, that determination that's never really left you. What was your takeaway from watching that?
00:48I was certainly single-mindedly focused, and I think a lot of that had to do with
00:54passion and desire, sure. But a lot of it had to do with being so young.
00:58So, you know, that kind of focus was not unusual. I guess what differentiated me is I wasn't ever the
01:07best singer, the best guitar player, the best songwriter. But I tell you what I was the best at,
01:13hard work. You know, I was not afraid of working eight days a week to make it work.
01:20Tico, when you watched the docuseries for the first time, how did it make you feel?
01:24Old.
01:28It's, you know, again, see yourself grow up on camera, and Jon hit it on the head. I mean,
01:33his drive, all our drives as individuals, that there's effervescence. It's like that
01:38club soda's got lots of bubbles, you know, and that was us at the time.
01:43One thing you can't be in this world is a quitter. So there's no way we're going to slow down.
01:49Chopra, who's also directed documentaries on sports stars like Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady,
01:54weighed in on how Jon Bon Jovi and the band have stayed true to their roots while achieving
01:58four decades of success. He loves to wear that shirt on tour,
02:02New Jersey versus everybody. You know, it's like, that's like him. He's like, New Jersey strong.
02:07And yeah, he's gone on. He's at homes in Palm Beach and East Hampton and all this, you know,
02:14but he's still this sort of blue collar kid from New Jersey. I think that's the chip he
02:19carries on his shoulder. And again, this is very similar. I'm, you know, super close to Tom.
02:24Tom, in his mind, was always the 199th pick, the sixth round guy who every team passed on.
02:30I do think that sense of, you know, work ethic is really like the secret sauce.
02:36Some of the songs I wrote in my bedroom in New Jersey,
02:40I remember the day we wrote November Prayer, not thinking much of the song.
02:43What also stuck out to me while watching the docuseries is how for you from the beginning,
02:48you understood the importance of songwriting and you're like, we got to write a good song.
02:52And it reminded me of a pop artist who's very big today, Taylor Swift. For her,
02:57it all comes down to writing good songs and her fans, like your fans are so about the songs,
03:02you know, no matter how many years later. Your songs are your story. And I think the
03:09same thing can be said about someone like Taylor Swift's songs. These are her stories.
03:15And when they ring true to her, chances are those stories will resonate with someone else
03:21who will make those stories their own. And so that to me is the magic of songwriting.
03:28What can your fans expect from your new music you have coming out this summer?
03:32We have a new record. The first single is called Legendary and it's out now and it's actually
03:36exploding on the charts, which is just fabulous to have a hit single 40 years into a career.
03:43But again, because it rings true, it makes perfect sense that people are going to make that
03:50chorus their own lives. And here we are writing about us and how I'm finding joy again for the
03:56first time in 10 years, post-surgery and post-COVID and post-Richie leaving the band.
04:02When it comes from that pure place, people gravitate towards those songs.
04:06Richie Sambora, who left the band in 2013, was also interviewed for the docuseries.
04:11Was there ever a question as to whether or not Richie would be involved in the docuseries?
04:15There wasn't any question like that we wanted him to be involved. I wanted him.
04:21John wanted him. The question was like, will he want to be part of it and will we be able to get
04:27him? And that ended up surprisingly not as difficult maybe as I envisioned, because John
04:35and him are still in touch and they still correspond. And I think maybe through this
04:38process, they got more in touch with each other than they had been in a couple of years.
04:43But I think once Richie understood what the goal and the vision for this was, he
04:50wanted to be a part of it. And it was like, you can't do it. You cannot tell the story of Bon Jovi
04:57without Richie Sambora. He was gracious. He was funny. He was charming. He was warm.
05:02He was combative. It was all of the above. And it was super fun.
05:07Thank You Goodnight The Bon Jovi Story hits Hulu on April 26.
05:10For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
Comments