Jon and Richie

With all that is being said on this board, one thing that stands out for me is that some people are saying they think the Richie/Jon friendship/brotherhood thing is all an act !! Really?? I don't think it is at all, not now, not ever. Their chemistry seems genuine to me. Just because their is a rift now, it doesn't mean it's been fake. Just my opinion, interested in hearing others.

To me it's true. People seem to forget that brothers and friends fight.

You can't fake it every night - and as much as is made of Jon being the CEO - he has referred to it as a gang. Of course, it's his gang. Make no mistake about that.

Most of Jon and Richie's on stage counteractions are choreographed. I don't see how Jon putting his arm over Richie during Bad Name every night constitutes some kind of brotherly love.

They have a bond for sure but I doubt they would bother with each other outside of band activity.



Jon can't fake it every night though. There have been numerous shows in which he ignored Richie or gave him dirty looks. The BBC show recently springs to mind.

Aloha !

Yeah, what ticos_stick says. I've seen numerous shows where it was blatantly obvious how there was little love between the brothers.

Their relationship is solely based upon the business they're in. It's got nothing to do with friendship, they're friendly with eachother but there's no chemistry between them anymore at all.

I'm always surprised how die hards fail to see what's really going on on stage and off stage. I reckon a lot of it has got to do with fans wanting to see the brotherhood, thus being incapable of detecting the real antics going on.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

I've seen the dirty looks at times, and also a lot of examples of more spontaneous, even tenderhearted moments between them. When he and Richie are in a good place, Jon's whole expression softens when he looks at Richie in a way it doesn't with the other band members. As to their friendship, Jon has been quoted often enough describing it in ways that seem more personal than the way he describes the band as "a gang" or "brothers" in the broadest sense of the term.

I've often wondered if the Jon/Richie relationship is unhealthily co-dependent. I heard Richie's comment on 'WWWB' that his job in the band is to "make Jon happy" and alarm bells went off in my head (I've been the "passive" one in a co-dependent relationship before). To me, his comment suggests that, for many years, Richie has had to be the one to absorb Jon's moods, to be the soother, the 'rock', the shelter. I would think Jon loves the adoration and attention; who wouldn't? But what does Richie get out of it?

Maybe my feeling that the heart of this latest conflict between them has to do with 'respect' (in the broadest sense) comes from that--the "people-pleaser" (Richie) takes a stand, defies the "natural order of things" and Jon's blindsided, or angry, or feels betrayed. Then the childish, passive-aggressive stuff starts.

Just another theory.

And it amazes me how you think just because they shoot each other a dirty look now and again you think they must only be in it for business. I've been friends with people for twenty five, nearly thirty years. It's not always love and hugs. We fall out. We argue. Their still my brothers. If I was having to spend every night with them there'd be tensions too. Doesn't mean we don't love each other.

Could you provide video evidence where there's "little love" between them? Off course, that's not including Jon's stink eyes when someone ****s up, he's been doing that AT LEAST since 90s. I remember you recalling Jon pointing at Richie during the "make no mistake" part in IML, but still, to make such a claim, I suppose you must have a lot more memories, since you been to "numerous shows" where that was apparent.

They were closer before but they are still friends. You can't fake 30 years. Friendships go through up and downs but in the end, they will always be friends. Whenever Richie is in Jersey/New York, he always stays at Jon's place (if the invitation still stands, I won't bet on it!!) but it's not fake. Just now different priorities, different lifestyles.

*is getting wistful*