I thought we had eliminated the "Community Service" statement as it doesn't mean the same in the US as everywhere else. Not related to criminal activity

Generally I would too but there isn't really anything controversial in there and there are direct quotes. I'd bet the interview is legit.

Really just adds credence to the "Richie couldn't be arsed for whatever reason" theory for me. The fact he didn't ring Jon directly (at some stage), decided on the day that he wasn't turning up to Calgary and they have only spoken once since this blew up leans towards them not having a row but the relationship being very strained. It also clearly wasn't something out of the blue as it sounds like Jon was half expecting it. The quote about Richie being able to return only when he's ready to give it 100% is also very telling.

I'm losing a huge amount of respect for Richie the longer this goes on.

I'm on the same wavelength.

Also, IF this interview is legit (and I too have a feeling that it is, given the quotes, the picture, it just doesn't seem the same old made-up crap, but I could be wrong, of course), Jon stresses the fact he's spoken to Richie only "once" (he says it three times) "in 6 weeks and 18 shows" (but who's counting?). Sounds to me like "he didn't even bother calling me every once in a while" or something along those lines. And IF it's true that Tico, David and Obie are all spending their every other day talking with him, this sounds even worse. My 2 cents based on all the IFs.

Agreed. I do think Jon is saying a lot without saying too much though; as I've said before, I think he knows full well why Richie isn't appearing and although there's been no row, I do think it's over a difference of opinion. If this was Richie keeping himself healthy, I don't think Jon would be as prickly as he has been toward RS in his comments.

Matt posted a response to the Obie rumours about an hour ago...

'the only one who knows when he will return is Richie. None of us know when he will return but we will continue.'

Yeah, the more I hear from Jon in the press, the more there is to read between the lines. And this doesn't seem to be press manipulation to me, it's all there in Jon's quotes. Jon is also around long enough to know what impression he is giving and how to work the media. Even in that radio interview, where there was no room for manipulation, the same message was coming across.

He knows he can't say anything directly but he's giving a very good impression of what the problem is indirectly (Richie isn't ill or in jail/There hasn't been a fight/Only he can say what's wrong/Only he knows when he'll be back/We've only spoken once/He didn't call me the day of the Calgary show/When he's ready to give the same effort the rest of the band give he can come back).

I really thought that there was a genuine personal reason for Richie not being on the tour. Hard to believe that now. Just seems Richie has thrown his toys out of the pram. We all know that he probably has good reason to be pissed off but he appears to have handled things pretty terribly and with little regard for the fans.

Don't believe in any words of Matt. Obie seems sincere.

But what Matt is saying ties in precisely with what Jon is saying... this also proves that every single one of them was full of sh*t when they said he'd miss one leg of the tour. They didn't know how long he'd be out, so they just pulled that timespan out of their arses.

The problem here is, there will come a point where Richie's position is almost untenable. It seems like he is holding JBJ to ransom over something, being stubborn and making a point. The problem is, it's not working. Fans are fickle and will treat you with the respect you deserve. The only thing Richie is doing is de-sensitising the concert-going public to a Bon Jovi without him.

I want to know whose decision it was to remove Richie from the photo at the top of this story.

http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/artis...ening-Act-Vote

Whoever made the decision, I can see the problem from Bon Jovi The Brand's point of view. How long do you keep using RS in marketing materials when essentially, he's walked off of a tour?