Now, I don’t often exercise my prerogative in such a way and use these pages to vent my frustration nor spit venom at one person or one group of people in particular, but there is one little clan of people I have developed a severe hatred against.
Bon Jovi.
Yep, that’s right, friends, I hate the ****-rock rubbish that is spouted by the cheesy eighties throwback band, fronted by the demi-waved, broad-grinning crotch thrusting balladeer that is Jon Bon Jovi. And it’s gotten particularly on my nerves recently as a number of fans of this so-called group have been trying to ram down my throat how ‘fantastic’ they are.
Of course, when I’ve tried to answer to the contrary, these ‘fans’, instead of pursuing intellectual argument or discussing it intelligently, have each resorted to childlike sulks or tantrums, rather like their heroes probably would if someone were to point out some home truths to them at any point.
You see, Bon Jovi, as an artistic outlay, have produced very little of note. Their songs (most of which are about that mundane old topic ‘love’) are hardly works of composite genius, the musicianship is standard and far from creative, and their general image (as I have mentioned already) is far from unique, or even visually pleasing. On occasions it has been hilarious. It was, even in its time, a very unoriginal look. Indeed, the tight spandex pants and the huge hair was sported by almost EVERY fourth-rate ****-rock band of the eighties. Fortunately, most of the others had the decency to curl up and die of embarrassment when the nineties rolled in. Not the BJ’s though (an apt acronym, don’t you think, for a set of **** suckers!)
Yep, Bon Jovi have never produced a song or album which could be described as ‘great’, nor officially recognised by any artistic bodies of any note in such a way.
Indeed, in 2003, Channel Four (who are, believe it or not, highly regarded in the modern arts world) compiled a list of the 100 greatest albums ever. The list was put together by a panel of experts from the music industry and the great British public in a nationally produced poll. And guess what, BJ fans? Bon Jovi are not on the list! Here’s your proof:
THE 100 GREATEST ALBUMS
1. RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
2. U2 - The Joshua Tree
3. NIRVANA - Nevermind
4. MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller
5. PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon
6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7. THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer
9. GUNS N' ROSES - Appetite For Destruction
10. THE BEATLES - Revolver
11. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
12. THE BEATLES - The White Album
13. QUEEN - A Night at the Opera
14. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
15. OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill
17. LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV
18. THE VERVE - Urban Hymns
19. JIMI HENDRIX - Are you Experienced
20. THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead
21. JOHN LENNON - Imagine
22. RADIOHEAD - The Bends
23. BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS - Exodus
24. THE STONE ROSES - The Stone Roses
25. SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water
26. BJORK - Debut
27. THE DOORS - The Doors
28. ABBA - Arrival
29. MICHAEL JACKSON - Off the Wall
30. DURAN DURAN - Rio
31. SEX PISTOLS - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols
32. DAVID BOWIE - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
33. THE BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds
34. JOY DIVISION - Closer
35. THE ROLLING STONES - Let It Bleed
36. BLUR - Parklife
37. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Born to Run
38. BILLIE HOLIDAY - Lady Sings the Blues
39. THE WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
40. BLACK SABBATH - Paranoid
41. THE SPECIALS - Specials
42. THE ROLLING STONES - Exile on Main Street
43. FRANK SINATRA - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
44. THE CLASH - London Calling
45. THE PRODIGY - The Fat of the Land
46. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - The Velvet Underground and Nico
47. DIRE STRAITS - Brothers in Arms
48. PIXIES - Doolittle
49. ARETHA FRANKLIN - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
50. THE LIBERTINES - The Libertines
51. HAPPY MONDAYS - Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches
52. PATTI SMITH - Horses
53. THE WHO - Tommy
54. LOU REED - Transformer
55. BOB DYLAN - Blood on the Tracks
56. PRINCE - Sign 'o' the Times
57. DIDO - No Angel
58. AIR - Moon Safari
59. ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
60. THE JAM - All Mod Cons
61. JEFF BUCKLEY - Grace
62. FLEETWOOD MAC - Rumours
63. MOBY - Play
64. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
65. THE POLICE - Synchronicity
66. JONI MITCHELL - Blue
67. CURTIS MAYFIELD - Superfly
68. ELVIS PRESLEY - The Sun Sessions
69. OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
70. PULP - Different Class
71. KRAFTWERK - Trans-Europe Express
72. MASSIVE ATTACK - Blue Lines
73. BECK - Odelay
74. STEVIE WONDER - Songs in the Key of Life
75. KATE BUSH - Hounds of Love
76. TALKING HEADS - Fear of Music
77. EMINEM - The Marshall Mathers LP
78. MARVIN GAYE - What's Going On
79. GEORGE MICHAEL - Faith
80. SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - The Original Movie Soundtrack
81. PRIMAL SCREAM - Screamadelica
82. JOHN COLTRANE - A Love Supreme
83. LOVE - Forever Changes
84. PAUL SIMON - Graceland
85. NICK DRAKE - Five Leaves Left
86. MEAT LOAF - Bat Out of Hell
87. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - Dusty in Memphis
88. DE LA SOUL - 3 Feet High and Rising
89. THE STROKES - Is this It
90. MADNESS - One Step Beyond...
91. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - I've Been Expecting You
92. NEIL YOUNG - After the Gold Rush
93. PUBLIC ENEMY - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
94. BLONDIE - Parallel Lines
95. THE EAGLES - Hotel California
96. JAMES BROWN - Sex Machine
97. THE STREETS - A Grand Don't Come for Free
98. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
99. ROD STEWART - Every Picture Tells a Story
100.The HUMAN LEAGUE - Dare!
Source: Channel 4
Of course, there are many other ‘Top 100 Albums’ lists, but I have yet to find ANY which have a Bon Jovi album on them (perhaps there may be a Top 100 Albums by third-rate unoriginal ****-rock bands, but I haven’t come across it). If anyone knows otherwise, please send me a link.
But is anybody actually shocked by this revelation? Does anybody truly believe that Bon Jovi have produced ANY kind of work worthy to join with all the other pieces of creative originality in this list. Of course not.
Don’t get me wrong- Bon Jovi are very competent, standard balladeers, but they have NEVER done anything remotely groundbreaking. They are not politically active, their songs are not anthemic or a call to arms, nor even that original.
The arrogance of the fans who think they are one of the greatest bands ever needs to be knocked out of them. They’re not. Not by a long shot. They are mundane and unoriginal. They are nothing fresh, they don’t sound very unique, and their concerts exude more cheese than the Wensleydale Dairy. They are a very standard band, and I just wish their fans who go on about how great they are, would realise this.
Here’s proof of how unoriginal they are; the following is an excerpt from an article on www.answers.com (simply type in Bon Jovi in the question bar).
“Bon Jovi skilfully employed professional songwriters to give their songs, especially their power ballads, an appropriately commercial sheen.”
Yes, they employed professional writers- so don’t come telling me that they write all their own material because that is WRONG! If this isn’t the case, then why haven’t the band sued answers.com for publishing misleading information which is derogatory about them? And if you want to check further, one of the professional songwriters they hired was called Desmond Child. Look it up.
Oh, and this plastic, pathetic excuse for a ‘band’ even needed a vocal coach for the lead singer when they toured in 1986- it seemed Jon Bon Jovi couldn’t manage the songs without further professional assistance! How much more embarrassing can a band get?
The article on answers.com then goes on to mention two of the band’s biggest selling albums, ‘Slippery When Wet’ and ‘New Jersey’ (don’t bother looking for them in the list above, you won’t find them!) and says of them; “Both records were criticized for being more pop than metal, as well as being targeted toward teenyboppers, yet the group managed to subtly change its image in the early '90s, moving away from metal and concentrating on straightforward arena rock and big ballads.” Wow, what a fantastic band! I bet the truly big acts of the time like R.E.M., U2 and Nirvana were terrified as the BJ’s were making this remarkable metamorphosis. Not.
And just when you think this garbage act’s unoriginality can get no more tedious, check out their videos! I can’t even get into describing them on here, but it does seem that this band’s cheesiness knows no bounds when they get in front of a camera. It is truly laughable!
But we shouldn’t demoralise the BJ fans that truly idolise this shower of ****. They obviously know no better, and are blinkered to the truly talented, groundbreaking acts out there. But the next time one of them comes up to you and starts spouting off about how ‘great’ they are, simply refer them to this article. And if they have any problems with it, give them my email address.
Bon Jovi are total GARBAGE!
I welcome intellectual discussion and debate from ANYONE who dares to differ!