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TIL that STAR WARS released a Christmas music album in 1980 and the producers wanted a better lead singer for the track "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" so they asked the 17 year old kid who was sweeping floors at the studio, and he nailed it. His name was Jon Bon Jovi.
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To be fair, his cousin Tony Bongiovi owned the studio that was recording the album. Otherwise I highly doubt they would have randomly asked the janitor to sing lead vocals.
He wouldnt be the first janitor to have a brush with success
Yeah, look at Joe Dirt
Or the bleach boys.
Or Noodles from The Offspring.
I went to one of their concerts. No one told me not to wear a black shirt. Now it's white.
And Dr. Jan Itor
Knife-wrench. For kids.
That's Dirté
Stop trying to church it up, Dirt.
Trent Reznor
Kurt Cobain
It’s pronounced Deer-tā
Yeah I was gonna say, there are probably many aspiring singers that would take a janitor job at a studio just to be closer to the action. I highly doubt he would have been like "who me? But I'm just a janitor!". More likely he was begging every day to get in there and show off his voice.
One such singer/songwriter was Kris Kristofferson, who worked in the studio prior to his ascent to fame.
Its not just music either. I know of a few janitors who have been able to get into acting by getting a cleaning job on a set. Dusting Hoffman comes to mind.
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Trent Reznor too I think.
How bout them apples?
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Ford was in Lucas' film American Graffiti prior to his role in Star Wars.
Yep. IIRC he was installing the cabinets in George's house and the two got to talking so George remembered and called him when they were starting auditions.
IIRC he had already had a fairly decent role in George Lucas's first film American Graffiti so he already had an acting in with george aside from just being a carpenter
That's how he got into American Graffiti. For Star Wars, Lucas wanted to use all new actors. He brought in Ford to coach the actor playing Han on having a more gruff demeanor, like Ford had in American Graffiti. Ultimately, Lucas realized that Ford was the correct choice for the role.
He actually continued as a carpenter even after his star wars break. That's why his acting was so wooden.
Trent Reznor
You like apples?
So many folks missing the pun
You mean Master of the Custodial Arts?
Yeah, this wasn’t nearly as happenstance as the title suggests.
The probability is approximately 3,720 to 1
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7440 to 2. Evened that for ya.
Remember when we thought we could all become rich and famous without already having generational wealth or copious amounts of nepotism to fall back on?
Ah, those were the days.
This is a much more honest title. "The studio needed a new singer so the studio owner asked his cousin to do it."
Worth nothing said cousin had a good musical education and already formed two bands, so it wasn’t much of a risk either. It’s more like studio owner asked his cousin, an aspiring young musician, to sing on a track.
Cousin, but yeah.
Yeah, that would be like a Harvard scientist hiring his maid to categorize stars!
And the name of that maid? Iron maiden.
Her name? Stella.
nice.
“Pickering’s harem” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-women-who-mapped-the-universe-and-still-couldnt-get-any-respect-9287444/
In case people don't get the reference.
If I work hard enough, one day I might have the privilege of being a faceless number amongst other successful faceless numbers (i.e. women) and collectively be referred to as someone's harem.
Jesus.
The old "self made" illusion is shattered once again.
Edit: from wiki "By mid-1982, out of school and working part-time at a women's shoe store, Jon Bon Jovi took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin Tony Bongiovi was co-owner. Jon made several demos – including one produced by Billy Squier – and sent them to record companies, though failing to make an impact. His first professional recording was as lead vocals in "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas," which was part of the Christmas in the Stars album which his cousin co-produced.[17]"
"It was different," he said. "Some kids spend all day in front of the tube, but when I was 16, I jammed with Bruce Springsteen. - And people are trying to argue he wasn't given special opportunities based on his connections?
Yep. Damn near impossible to break into the janitoring field without a relative to give you a leg up.
I mean Jon Bon Jovi is insanely talented and a super nice guy too, I'm happy he's successful even if some uncle helped him out.
A lot of these nepo-baby conversations as related to the entertainment industry is really a combination of connections (duh), growing up in a supportive environment with a lot of inspiring creative genius around you, and actual hard work.
I call it the George Harrison effect. George Harrison was a poor songwriter. He was also in a band with two of the greatest songwriters of the time. A few years of hard work later, along with a fair amount of inherent musical talent, and he became just as good as them.
Ringo Starr, who didn't really put that much focus on songwriting, only write a couple of cute quirky songs.
If anyone is ever upset about "nepo-babies" in the entertainment industry, I would suggest that the appropriate response to that isn't to tear down famous people with famous relatives, but instead to put potential geniuses in supportive environments, so they can work hard and grow in skill.
The whole point of the conversation is that those geniuses never get the chance to be in the environment because their uncle doesn’t own the record studio
To go further with it, Ringo had a decent solo career after the Beatles, with a lot of his talent being just knowing other musicians.
I guess, but it's hardly fair when other people are the ones pulling the trick. He's perfectly up front about working there to get the chance to work and being given the job by a relative.
I mean he was a janitor, it's not like he demanded a production job or something. There's a difference between nepotism and using connections. The latter is universal no matter your status in entertainment industries and many others and it is absolutely not in the same league as CEOs being succeeded by their children or whatever.
It's not like the Star Wars Christmas Album launched his career or anything.
Unless you were talking about his janitorial job, that does look like nepotism.
Any story that ends with “his name was <famous person>” I just assume is completely twisting facts to the point of being BS.
I think I just learned that Jon Bon Jovi's last name is actually Bongiovi.
Also, Chef Boyardee's last name is actually Boiardi
I wanna speak to Mr Bovine Jovi himself !
Thank you! This is the detail that everybody wants to skip over. He just wasn't working at some random place and they decided to take a flyer on a young kid full of spirit, he had the connections that allowed him to get through the door and that kind of connection is critical when it comes to Jon bon Jovi being a local name and an international name.
I saw a documentary on how a janitor did a bunch of math problems though
I saw that. It was called "The Janitor and the Diameter."
You’d be surprised. This type of thing was commonplace in studios back when they would have recorded this. JBJ was probably working there so he could get a shot at some time in the studio on either side of the glass in exchange for being a custodian. Most engineers of this era have a story similar to this, they start as a janitor and record after hours, then when someone calls up sick or whatever, they get thrown to the wolves and if they do well, get to stay behind the boards.
Pretty sure this is exactly how Trent Reznor/NIN got started. Recorded Pretty Hate Machine while working at a studio.
But that's exactly the point. This wasn't a random encounter as the title might lead you to believe.
Edit: added "might"
Friggin nepotism. Lol
I'd love to see what percentage of artists with top 10 songs are related to someone else who has been in the music industry since before their success
I think you mean his cousin, Mr. Bovine Joni.
Reddit is non-stop lies and propaganda
Bon Jovi is the band. You’re thinking of Bon Jovi’s monster.
Knowledge is knowing that Bon Jovi is not the band. Wisdom is knowing that Bon Jovi is the band.
Knowledge is knowing that Bon Jovi is the tomato and not the monster.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad
I say Bon Jovi, you say tomato.
It's only Bon Jovi if it comes from the Middlesex region of New Jersey. It's Bongiovi if it comes from anywhere else.
Sparkling Bongiovi*
Everywhere else it's "sparkling rock"
Yes, Mr Bovine Joni himself
But his name wasn't Jon Bon Jovi. It was John Bongiovi.
Potato Potatovi
Potato, Poe Tah Toe
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew
Potato, Edgar Allan Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe
Bovine Joni
For the record, when you go through chemo, your beard hair falls out too
Well uh…filibuster
How about we go toe to toe on bird law?
I want to make a deal with MR. BOVINE JONI himself!
https://i.imgur.com/h7EWAjm.jpeg
I JUST got that Cows with Guns song out of my head… dammit!!!!!!!!
Huh, so his name means John Goodgood?
One of my friends who was a teacher has a student in his class whose last name was Lobrutto. My friend asked the kid if he spoke any Italian at all, which he didn't.
Which is probably for the best, since "lo brutto" means "the ugly" in Italian.
The kid's name translated to Joseph The Ugly.
Technically, it would be “IL brutto”. “Lo” is the wrong article.
Why is it LoBrutto then? Did the Italian just made a mistake in their own language and kept at it for generations?
More like John Good Youths
Eventually wouldn't he age and become John Goodman?
Jon Jabronei
You keep on using this word "jabroni" and... it's awesome.
He’s not delivery!
Nope, his name was Johnathan Bonithan Joviathan.
Just like Jolkien Rolkien Rolkien Tolkien
Dang it!
I can't say his name without using my hands now.
Ok but there wasn't ever an H in Jon, was there?
I was a massive Bon Jovi fans in my early teens (long haired Jon) and I didn't know he sang a star wars song. I kinda knew about the janitor/tea boy stint but not this.
Should be ashamed of my lack of knowledge. Loved correcting people's pronunciation of Bon Jovi by spelling out Bongiovi. Was such a nerrrrd, lolll
There was, his full legal name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr.
What's his name now?
Albert Einstein! Sound of everybody clapping
Bovine Joni
I'll only speak to Mr bovine Joni himself!
So many jabronis
You fuck one goat…
But…. Bovine means cow
Found the cow fucker
Owns an arena football team that does a lot of charity work with cancer patients.
Nobody cares about arena football teams we’re doing the cancer thing now
it still is, but it used to be, too
Including such classics as:
Grandma Got Run Over by an AT-AT
Frosty the Snow Mandalorian
and who could forget...
You're a Mean One, Mr. Vader sung by James Earl Jones himself
What do you get a Wookiee for Christmas when he already has a comb?
He doesn’t wear a tie clip- and he doesn’t use shaving foam.
You know, I always found that song off? Like, maybe he likes model cars? Do you know nothing about your friend? I mean, clearly your close enough to some extent to warrant buying a Christmas(life day) present, but you don’t know if he likes to settle down with a nice book?
Spoiler alert: a brush!
I got this album as a gift in 1998 and I still play it every year. It’s the best. My favorite track is “Merry Merry Christmas” because it’s freaking adorable to hear the droids making toys for the kids.
been playing this every year since like 1980. my sis and i like to jam it when doing the tree decorations
And of course "I saw mommy kissing her twin brother"
He's making a list
He's checking it twice
He's going to find out
Who's supporting his new Empire
Anakin is coming to town
He sees you when you're meditating
He knows when you're awake
He doesn't care if you're a master or youngling
So don't get cocky for goodness sake
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i didnt realize the entire comment was false until i looked up that song to hear it myself and found that it didnt exist :/
this reads like a who’s line skit, literally could hear collin and ryan saying it in my head
See, this is a bit, but the actual songs include titles like "What do you get a Wookie for Christmas (when he already owns a comb" and the lyrics "the odds against Christmas being Christmas are 365:1"
I know this because I torture my friends with this album every holiday season
You are evil.
Clever. Funny.
But evil.
Rudolph the Red-Mawed Rancor.
Silent Alderaan
Vader Claus is coming to Hoth
Rocking around the Ewok Tree
Oh Little Town of Mos Eisley
Little Jedi Boy
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
if Ani had only seen
Leia kissing her brother last night
David Prowse was devastated when he saw it on MTV and it wasn't his voice in the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljoR6-D-f_E
R2-D2 is Santa?!?!!?
I saw mommy kissing R2D2
That was so much worse than I expected. I listened to it all though.
It is now one of my favourite Christmas songs.
Also, I was expecting the actual song, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Nope, a copyright-free ditty written for the album.
Sweet Jesus.
This will be great to put on at Christmas for people who hate their families and want them to suffer
Boy, that was... something
Thank you, it feels like I’m listening to something illegal
This sounds like one of those fake "remember this kid?" memes
if this is a real fact, its one of those that sounds like complete bullshit..and is worthy of being a reply in one of those r/askreddit 'whats a true fact that souds like bullshit' questions.
asdsadsadsadsa
As a long time Star Wars fan, I'm surprised that I've never heard of this album before in my life.
Right, I even had the damn album when I was a kid and never knew that. Of course I didn’t care who sung the songs back then. If it was Star Wars, I wanted it.
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I’m the same age. I bought the Star Wars soundtrack on double pack cassette. Was just 2 hours of classical type music. Still listened to it a lot. Later got the Meco Star Wars album with the Cantina song. Good times.
My local college station played the album in its entirety a couple years ago. I had never heard it either and was too fascinated to turn it off.
Personally, I’m a fan of the song What can you get a Wookiee for Christmas when he already owns a comb?
I still have my copy of it. Seriously. It's in a box with all my other records from the 70s/80s.
And R2 repaid Jon’s efforts by contributing to Bon Jovi’s vocals
Don't need to have sound on to hear that clip.
That's crazy he was named the same as the rock star Jon Bon Jovi.
Why should I change my name? He’s the one who’s wanted dead or alive!
I just want you to know that I get the reference, and I'm proud of you.
And that Bon Jovi’s name? Albert Einstein.
Mr. Bovine Joni
Question: is this a laser pointer?
Can I have it?
.. No.
I’m gonna go ahead and take it anyway
I wanna talk to Mr Bovine Joni himself!
Christmas staple in our house. Doesn't get any better than "What Do You Get a Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)"
Let’s get him a brush!
The janitor said about the opportunity: "We've gotta hold on to what we've got. It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not. We're got each other and that's a lot, for love. We'll give it a shot."
He went on to state, "It's my life, it's now or never. Cause I ain't gonna live forever."
Oh ho
And that man's name? Lynyrd Skynyrd
There is way more to it, he was infto music and his uncle owned the studio. He was only cleaning because he uncle believed in hard work no matter who you are. He would of never had the chance otherwise.
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RIP Mitch
Today he wears a brown robe and calls himself Ovi-Bon Jovi. He's a strange old hermit who lives beyond the Jersey Shore.
I read that in Casey Kasem's voice.
I read your comment in Casey Kasem's voice
I have this album. I don't think I've ever listened to it, but perhaps I should give it a shot.
Give it a shot?
This reads like an "... And that student was Alfred Eimsteim" memes lmfao
Were you trying to say Albert Einstein?
No they said Albin Mainsteen
Bovine Joni himself
Music exec: “We need a way to shoehorn Star Wars into a Christmas album. Something like “R2-D2 we wish you a merry Christmas” but not as crappy.” leaves room
Producers: “So track one is “R2-D2 we wish you a merry Christmas” everyone agrees
This is a cool (and true) story, but it's worth noting that John Bongiovi was already onto his fourth band at the time, opening for larger acts at local venues. His cousin Tony also owned the recording studio where this happened. Tony specifically recommended John to sing for the R2-D2 song. Yes, he happened to be sweeping the floors there (presumably to pick up a bit of extra cash between gigs, and/or to help out his cousin), but this wasn't one of those absurd fairy tales of discovering the janitor's hidden genius talent.
Remember the good old days before Lucas turned Star Wars into a cornball merchandising vehicle?
Yeah... about that...
There never existed a single day where Lucas wasn't merchandising Star Wars. It's literally what got his movie made. He kept the merchandise rights in exchange for the film profits basically.
And then they all stood up and clapped
And the broom grew up to be Britney Spears
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You mean the Meco album? That was definitely a banger.
We used to play the drum beat from Other Galactic Funk in marching band, whenever the percussion section wanted to mess everyone up.
I wore the SHIT out of this album as a kid .,..... My Parents hated it lolol
Producer Meco Monardo, who also put out one hell of an...interesting...disco version of the Cantina Band's song. Have it on a 45 record somewhere...
Song in question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AcZaoFrLOw
The same name as a famous rock star. What were the chances of that!?
How you like them apples?
Did Bon Jovi ever get out of his "Artist in Residence" contract at NBC/Sheinhardt.
This post was multiple revelations in one
"Theres a Star Wars Christmas Album? Theres a song called R2D2 we wish you a merry christmas?? They had a 17 year old floor sweeper sing it??? It was Bon Jovi????"
He was also already in a well known band around New Jersey who were opening for touring bands coming through.
Mr Bovine Joni
Mr Bovine Joni himself
All these "producer asked the young janitor kid to sing at a recording session" always sound so fake and made up
I'm actually friends with the co-founder of the Power Station's son. He was over this past weekend digging through my records and got really excited that I had Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk, and was telling me all about how that's the record that made their studio. That allowed them to start working and booking all the A-listers because it gave them clout.
He said he didn't think he'd actually seen a copy of it in 30 years.
C'mon, leave the guy alone. He was just a kid, he made a mistake!
Triumph the insult comic dog was talking to Bon Jovi about being in john carpenters vampires and he said "Finally, a role that requires you to suck!" And it's stuck with me ever since because of how accurate it is lol