Jon Bon Jovi, 62, on New Documentary: ‘It’s Each of Our Individual Truths’
New Hulu series addresses Bon Jovi’s voice issues and Richie Sambora’s departure
David Bergman/Hulu
“Everything is exposed.” That’s the word from Jon Bon Jovi, 62, about a new four-part documentary on Hulu that debuted April 26.
And by “exposed,” he really means everything — his personal struggles, the band’s highs and lows, his split with songwriting and singing partner Richie Sambora.
This show about the feel-good pop-rock band Bon Jovi has an unexpectedly elegiac title: Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. Isn’t that what bands say (“Thank you, Cleveland — and good night!”) when they are done performing? Turns out that as well as tracing Bon Jovi’s rise to worldwide multiplatinum fame from the gritty bar scene of the New Jersey Shore, the documentary also tells the recent tale of how bandleader and founder Jon Bon Jovi faced potentially career-ending trouble with his singing voice.
It’s hard to say which of the two stories is more compelling, thanks partly to the thoroughness of director and executive producer Gotham Chopra, who seemed determined not only to dig up every significant photo and film clip dating back to Bon Jovi’s birth in 1962 but also to speak to everyone of significance in his rise to stardom, including current bandmates; his wife, Dorothea; a notorious ex-manager; friends; and even former lead guitarist Sambora, who left the group abruptly in 2013 during the first leg of a lengthy world tour.
Sambora, who has spoken a few times about his mysterious departure, appears as a wonderful teaser at the end of the first episode, grinning into the camera and asking mischievously, “Are we telling the truth or are we gonna lie — what are we gonna do?”
Like everyone else in the documentary, he strives for the truth, although his is a complex one that’s equal parts addiction struggles and ego clashes with songwriting partner and close friend Bon Jovi.
