Celebrities, Take Your Cue from Jon Bon Jovi

I’m sure most of us are familiar with Jon Bon Jovi, but if you’re not, let me give you a quick refresher:

• New Jersey native
• Rock and roll star
• Longtime heartthrob
• Object of Rachel S’s unrequited love from the age of 12-18
• Dedicated philanthropist

And while I could spend days discussing this entire list in slightly off-putting detail, it’s the last item I really want to address. Because JBJ has been kinda KILLING it in his celebrity response to COVID-19.

Instead of recording a too-close selfie video of him covering a wildly overrated song, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a song called “Do What You Can” about the pandemic. Well, he wrote part of it, anyway. The rest he left up to fans:

“I did what I do best, which was to sit down with my guitar and try to put something to words, for you, maybe to brighten up your day. Here’s my idea: We write this one together. I’m gonna give you the chorus, I’m gonna give you the first verse. I’m gonna play the second verse, but you tell me your story. Tell me what you’re going through. Tell me how you’re feeling.”

Then he recorded the song with fan-submitted lyrics.

Sure, it’s no “Wanted Dead or Alive” or “Dry County” (90’s Bon Jovi is the best Bon Jovi–change my mind), but it’s a fantastic message. Instead of preaching down his nose at us like Hollywood is prone to do, he literally flipped the roles: “You tell me.”

But it got better.

Mr. B, an elementary school teacher, brought JBJ’s assignment to his students, and the rock star himself joined the class via Zoom to sing the verses they wrote. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! And how telling is it that all the kids are like, “Yeah alright” while the parents are the ones freaking the heck out?

I don’t care what you think of the band, that is some wholesome-ass sh*t right there.

And meanwhile, in the midst of it all, Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen restaurants are still hard at work. What is the Soul Kitchen, you ask? JBJ started a chain of community restaurants, where people pay what they can for a healthy, fresh meal. That means donations are paid forward, and people who ordinarily couldn’t afford high-quality food are able to sit down and enjoy a meal. The restaurants are staffed by volunteers, including JBJ himself.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B97LB2rFRnz/?utm_source=ig_embed

The most un-glamorous job in a kitchen is the dish pit, and that’s where Jon Bon Jovi can be found. Quietly making a modest difference in the amazing charity he set up and bankrolls. That’s what I call a rock star.

No lectures from his mansion (which I saw on 60 Minutes one time, it’s lit), no politicization, no flaunting his unholy hoard of chocolate ice cream in a $20,000+ freezer. Just power to the people.

Also no lavender leather pants, but hey, you win some, you lose some.