I don’t know. He’s a hometown boy around here but in my crowd Jon Bon Jovi has always been kind of a joke. It’s not that we have any ill-will towards the guy. He’s a very nice man who does a lot to give back to the community. It’s just his music that sucks. In any case, I do have to laugh when I see that Bon Jovi has been appointed to the president’s White House Council for Community Solutions. Someone over at Michelle Malkin’s place had some good snark.
The “community needs” these days are jobs, so the best thing Bon Jovi could do would be to add several million good-paying percussionist positions to his band.
But, of course, we can’t expect anyone on the right-wing to show any respect for the idea of ‘community,’ let alone ‘need.’ The president knows better:
President Obama said, “These impressive men and women have dedicated their lives and careers to civic engagement and social innovation. I commend them for their outstanding contributions to their communities, and I am confident that they will serve the American people well in their new roles on the White House Council for Community Solutions. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
In addition to providing advice to the President on solving specific community needs, the White House Council for Community Solutions has been tasked with three key functions: enlisting leaders in the non-profit, private, and philanthropic sectors to make progress on key policy goals; providing strategic input and recommendations to help the federal government promote greater innovation and cross-sector collaboration; and honoring and highlighting those making a significant impact in their own communities. The Council will be composed of leaders from non-profits, corporations and foundations who are committed to social innovation and civic engagement.
This is a council that will be quickly abandoned by President Palin. Or, perhaps, she’ll fill it with tongue-talking moose-oil salesmen. In the meantime, however, it’s an innovation on the Executive Branch that is worth noting. The council will be chaired by an impressive woman.
Patty Stonesifer currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian Institution. As the former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (1997-2008), Ms. Stonesifer continues her involvement with the Foundation as a Senior Advisor. Prior to helping establish the Gates Foundation, Ms. Stonesifer had a two-decade career in technology, with her latest role as Senior Vice President at Microsoft Corp. Ms. Stonesifer serves as a private philanthropic Advisor and sits on the boards of The Broad Institute and the Center for Global Development. She has also served on the boards of the Seattle Foundation, the GAVI Fund, Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA), and ONE. Ms. Stonesifer is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Council on Foreign Relations and was a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on AIDS. In July 1996, Time Magazine named her as one of the 25 Most Influential People in America. Ms. Stonesifer holds a B.G.S degree from Indiana University and honorary degrees from both Indiana University and Tufts University.
I might laugh a bit at Bon Jovi, but I hope his star power helps the Council’s recommendations get a little more support. Now, excuse me, I have to invest in hair spray.
o/t I guess the way to be cured of AIDS is to get leukemia, too.
Waylon Jennings and Mel Gibson weren’t available.
Bon Jovi is to convince entertainers to put together shows to entertain the unemployed, sort of a Bob Hope for the out-of-work.
And how much are we paying for this meaningless commission?
Richie Sambora rocks and I grew up with Garcia,Clapton,Betts, Hendrix etc. try to get past the hair.
“It’s my life and it’s now or never,
I don’t want to live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive,
It’s my life….”
Bon Jovi song
OTOH, one of his best-known songs is a suburban New Jersey boy pretending to be a Western desperado. Nope. Joke.
The words stand on their own whether spoken by Bon Jovi or the Dali Lama. Be in the moment.
“He’s a hometown boy around here but in my crowd Jon Bon Jovi has always been kind of a joke. It’s not that we have any ill-will towards the guy. He’s a very nice man who does a lot to give back to the community. It’s just his music that sucks.”
…said the hippy who think Jerry Garcia’s a genius.
I’m surprised to see you criticize a guy who worked in folk, blues, ragtime, rock, jazz, bluegrass, calypso, R&B, and even classical.
it’s very easy for me to criticize him, because I DON’T THINK HE’S VERY GOOD. I don’t care for grisman either, although for different reasons. (grisman, by the way, stole all of his licks from Frank Wakefield, and acknowledges such).
I will give Garcia this: his contributions to “old and in the way” are the only two decent tracks on the whole album. But by the “reunion” album, he sounds awful, as usual.
Not that Bon Jovi’s a prize either, i hated his stuff when it came out. Sissy-ass hair lite-metal.
Jerry Garcia vs Bon Jovi? Jerry in a landslide. Has Jon Bon produced an album worth listening to in 20 years or is his audience at concerts anyone other than 35-60 year old women romanticizing about the 80’s?