Bon Jovi

How many of you all know the full lyrics of “Living on a Prayer?” The correct answer should be all of you. It’s a prerequisite for knowing me personally, and rest assured, there will be random on the spot testing of your knowledge should you ever set foot in my car. Because it’s on every mix CD and iPod playlist I put together. Just so you know. And reciting some choice lines from “Wanted Dead or Alive” is an easy way to get a free drink out of me should you ever run into me at, like, a Paramore show or something. Point being, of my many shameless ’80s rock indulgences, Bon Jovi is at the very top. Well, neck in neck with Mötley Crüe. It’s a constant power struggle between the two for my affections, I think. Like a Jane Austen novel, only with more leather and hair spray. While literary aficionados everywhere are likely having brain aneurysms at that blasphemous analogy, one thing about JBJ is undisputable: The dude knows how to put on a show. Considering the band has been playing together for nearly three decades now, and JBJ himself is old enough to be my father, these guys can work the heck out of a stage with an epic power ballad. And really, who wouldn’t want Bon Jovi as their dad? - Brien Overly