Jersey rockers unplugged: Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen go on 100-mile drives — with no cellphones!
They were born to ride.
Apparently that is part of the very special Jersey-boy bond between two of the Garden State’s patron saints: Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.
In the new Hulu docuseries “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” the “Livin’ on the Prayer” singer reveals an endearing ritual that he and the Boss have when they want to unplug from it all and get back to the simple life — after decades as rock gods.
“Now we go out of our way to take drives,” Bon Jovi, 62, says of quality time that he shares with his 74-year-old friend. “The two of us get in a car — no phones, no radio — and drive for 100 miles. It means the world to me, [spending time with] someone who’s a step down the road on their journey.
“One time a few years back — when we were comparing where we were in our lives as it pertained to life, journey, career — he brought up the word ‘mortality,’ and that never crossed my mind at that time. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, mortality — that’s still on the horizon.’ ”
But after founding Bon Jovi bassist Alec John died at 70 in 2022, Bon Jovi says, “I have a different perspective now. It’s in my face.”
Bon Jovi says that he and Springsteen have grown closer as they’ve both moved beyond their glory days as ’80s superstars, with the two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers having “many get-togethers.”
“We’ve become good friends, and we can talk openly, honestly, deeply,” he says.
“We’ve become much closer, probably as we’ve gotten older here, you know?” adds Springsteen in the doc. “We’re two guys in the same game here.”
But Springsteen’s impact on Bon Jovi goes all the way back to the younger rocker’s high school years, when he began to perform in the Asbury Park, NJ music scene and even covered Boss songs.
“Thank You, Goodnight” recounts how once Bon Jovi was performing “The Promised Land” — from Springsteen’s 1979 album “Darkness on the Edge of Town” — when he got a surprise appearance from the man himself.
“He jumps up and sings his song with me,” Bon Jovi recalls. “I looked up, and there’s Bruce onstage with me.”
While Springsteen’s ’70s success would open record-company doors for other New Jersey artists — with Bon Jovi making their self-titled debut 40 years ago in 1984 — that night was a teenage dream come true.
“You go to high school the next day,” recalls Bon Jovi, “needless to say, you look at the teacher and you look at the kids, and you go, ‘I got a story to tell you — and it’s a lot better than history class.’ ”
