Members of rock band Bon Jovi are revealing the band's 40-year history in a new documentary series, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” according to Reuters.
In its four episodes, the documentary combines archival and personal collection materials with recent interviews and scenes from the band's 2022 tour, writes Agerpres, citing Reuters.
“We want to be honest”
The series documents the success of the American band in the 80s and how quickly they had to adapt from gigs in clubs on the New Jersey coast to gigs in stadiums around the world.
“We didn't make the documentary to feed our pride. It was a tough journey. As with any career, especially when we are talking about over 40 years, there are ups and downs. And we want to be honest”said frontman Jon Bon Jovi.
The confession was made at the London premiere of the documentary, which took place on Wednesday night.
“We make revelations about the band, both individually and collectively,” added the band's drummer, David Bryan.
The documentary also reveals more vulnerable moments, including the vocal problems faced by Jon Bon Jovi due to a condition called vocal cord atrophy.
“He (Jon) was initially thinking that we should simply do a retrospective, review the 40 years. I noticed something was wrong with his voice. And I thought 'That's interesting. Let's talk more about it. It eventually turned into a four-part series documenting, of course, the 40-year odyssey, but also the path he traveled over the past two years to get back on stage”, said director Gotham Chopra, known for documentaries dedicated to elite athletes.
Bon Jovi will release the album “Forever” in June. PHOTO Facebook Bon Jovi
Gotham Chopra and his team interviewed the band members, including former guitarist Richie Sambora, as well as their managers and collaborators over the years and reviewed an enormous amount of recordings.
“Jon is a hoarder, as we have seen. Collect stuff. There were tons of media archives. These guys were hugely successful in the 80's, and with the success of MTV, VH1, they got a lot of materialChopra said.
“It was great to be able to see that, it was amazing. And the amount of materials was overwhelming, and I said to myself 'This is why we are tired'' Bryan stated.
“We wanted people to remember us in a certain way”
The leader of the band was satisfied with the way the documentary came out.
“I think what you leave behind matters. We have always taken pride in what we do. And we wanted people to remember us in a certain way and we worked for this”Jon Bon Jovi said.
The 62-year-old frontman says that after four decades, Bon Jovi still has a lot to offer. Her 16th studio album, “Forever”will be released in June.
“I think it's the best album I've made in 20 years. 'Step by step. Let's simply enjoy the present, release the album and try to be present on the stage again”he said, adding that he is not thinking about a tour at the moment.
“Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” will premiere on the Disney+ platform in the United Kingdom and on Hulu in the United States on April 26.
