By: E&P Staff While the political utterances and activities of his fellow Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen get more attention, Jon Bon Jovi is no slouch in this area either, a lengthy article by Jeremy Peters in The New York Times points out today.
He is especially tight with Celine Dion-loving Sen. Hillary Clinton but has also done work for some of her rival candidates, along with plunging into various other political causes. But the Times largely takes the local angle, focusing on his image in New Jersey as a kind of Garden State "Bono." Here is an excerpt. The whole article is at www.nytimes.com.
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His political hobnobbing began in the 1990s, when he started popping up at events during the Clinton years: a state dinner here, a White House Correspondents? Association dinner there. Mr. Bon Jovi even sang to Mr. Clinton, whose 1992 presidential campaign piqued his political sensibilities, at Radio City Music Hall for the former president?s 50th birthday celebration in 1996.
Yet his political side came as somewhat of a surprise to people who know him.
?Who would have thought?? said John S. Wisniewski, a Democratic assemblyman who graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School with Mr. Bon Jovi. ?I?m probably one of the few people in my graduating class who was involved in politics then and involved in politics now. And most of my friends looked at me like I had two heads.?
In the 2000 presidential campaign, Mr. Bon Jovi held a fund-raiser at his Middletown home for Mr. Gore. And at campaign rallies, Mr. Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, a member of his band, performed acoustic renditions of their hits. He remains friends with Mr. Gore, and when the two got together this month in London, their conversation quickly turned to the 2008 election.
Mr. Bon Jovi said Mr. Gore asked whether he had endorsed anyone for president, and he replied that he had not. ?My deepest hope was that he was going to put his hat back in the ring,? Mr. Bon Jovi said. ?I?ve been waiting for that for eight years.?
In 2004, Mr. Bon Jovi jumped back into the role of rock star Democratic fund-raiser and held an event for John Kerry at his home. Mr. Bon Jovi also joined Mr. Kerry and his running mate, Mr. Edwards, on the road. He and Mr. Edwards found they had a common interest in poverty issues.
Mr. Bon Jovi and Mrs. Clinton have been known to delve into issues like affordable housing and his work building homes with Habitat for Humanity in Philadelphia. But their conversations are not always so heavy. ?She seems to really like to hear me play,? Mr. Bon Jovi said.
Mr. Bon Jovi donated $2,300 to Mrs. Clinton this year, as much as he is allowed to under the law. ?I have no issue with a woman in power,? he said. ?My life has always been run by women. If it wasn?t my mother, it was my wife. And if it wasn?t my wife it was my daughter.?
While Mr. Bon Jovi rubs elbows with some national political stars, he has been involved locally. Last year, when the state was looking for a catchy advertising campaign to stimulate tourism, Mr. Bon Jovi agreed to donate the rights to his hit ?Who Says You Can?t Go Home,? and the state made it the theme of a national television commercial. Now there is a bill before the Legislature to make it the state?s official song.
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