Rock ‘n’ Roll High School 68: Bon Jovi Rocks Your Ass Off

Today’s RNRHS is from fellow Ellora’s Cave author Paige Thomas. Paige calls me Kaz, which is an Aussie version of Karen. Nobody here calls me Kaz, so I won’t think of it as a default nickname in some corners of the world and rather as simply awesome because I’m a real George Costanza when it comes to nicknames. Paige and I hit it off right away on Twitter and not just because she calls me Kaz. Seems we both have a fondness for men of the rock star persuasion. Mr. Jon Bon Jovi is at the top of her all-time list and you are about to learn that he likes to rock your ass off.

Paige Thomas

Moorebank High School, Sydney, NSW Australia, Class of ’87 (I left school at age fifteen), Currently: Full-time writer, wife, mother and Twitterholic.

Band and/or song that reminds you the most of high school: This question is a double-edged sword for me. The first to spring to mind is War of the Worlds…the entire LP. Yes, I said LP. For the kiddies, that’s those old, big, black round discs we oldies call records. Why would I choose a very old radio script? I studied music as an elective subject for four years in high school, and my music teacher would always play this very long track whenever we kids played up, or he just needed a break. It happened often.

But, more importantly, Bon Jovi was THE 80’s band of all time for me. I was, and still am, obsessed. I love and appreciate such a vast variety of music—bands, singers, musicians—but there is just something about JBJ. He’s the perfect package for me. To this day I’d kiss his feet! Then want him to write and sing me a song.

Favorite piece of music memorabilia (poster, t-shirt, etc.) in high school: I’m not sure I can just pick one as a favorite. I have many, including media articles and posters of my own father. Hmm. Okay, here’s three which are at the top of my list.

1. A rare copy of Julian Lennon’s first album I got from a friend in the business.

2. A limited edition life-sized promo poster of Bon Jovi my dad was fortunate enough to get for me. It filled half of an entire wall in my bedroom for many a year. It’s one of my most treasured possessions, even to this day. Though it’s in storage now.

3. The other is also BJ related, but for a different reason. I never liked conforming to the norm when I was growing up. I wasn’t an outspoken rebel, but I let my thoughts be heard in more subtle ways. Take our high school’s uniform, for example. I didn’t believe we shouldn’t be given a choice when it came to what we wore, so I wore Bon Jovi t-shirts to school for a whole six months or more. My favorite was the first I ever bought. It was black and had an air-brushed painting of a skull with a top hat, smoking a cigar. On the back, it read, “BON JOVI ROCKS YOUR ASS OFF”. Like I said, I was more of a quiet rebel—always did well with my grades, but never really kicked up a fuss. Maybe that’s why it took the school principal so long to realize I was in fact making a statement with my chosen attire. It’s funny…it was my music teacher who ended up sending me to the office for reprimanding in the end. I was forced to turn my shirt inside out and wear it that way for the remainder of the day. I also had to promise not to wear it again. But hey, small price to pay. I was cheered as I left school that day.

Band that you hated that everyone else at school seemed to love: Another difficult one to answer. I was into anything from theatre, classical, to The Beatles and ‘Top of the Charts’ stuff. There were many bands I didn’t fancy that my friends screamed for. I wasn’t a boy-band fan, or anything rap-related. Besides Bon Jovi, I was listening to Queen, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, U2, Charlie Sexton, Meatloaf, Cyndi Lauper, Adam Ant, Joe Satriani, Whitesnake, Dragon, Cold Chisel, just to name a few.

Best show or concert you saw in high school: Oh! Without a doubt, it was the first BJ concert I ever saw…the Slippery When Wet tour!

Best high school make-out song: You got me again. I don’t have just one song. There are just too many to choose from. But, if forced to choose, Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” holds many fond memories for me.

Paige Thomas’ debut novel, Starstruck, is out now. You can learn more about her at paigethomasauthor.com or follow her on Twitter @PThomasAuthor.