During a new conversation with The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn, Bon Jovi’s manager in the ’80s, Don McGhee denied Jon Bon Jovi’s claims of a deal with the Soviet Union.
In an interview with Conan O’Brien, the frontman recently said that the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival was organized to prevent their manager from going to jail. McGhee was caught in 1982 for helping smuggle drugs into the U.S. He might have gone to jail for 30 years, but organizing the concert helped him avoid prison as part of a deal. Jon said:
“To keep him out of jail, I had to go to the Soviet Union. Somehow, his plea bargain was to take the young, cute kid and throw him to the wolves and the judge. And then he says, ‘And I’ve got an idea: We’ll go to the Soviet Union and promote peace and harmony. And please, your honor, don’t put me in prison.’”
McGhee Doesn’t Think Jon Says The Truth
The manager refused Bon Jovi’s claims, explaining:
“The real truth of the matter is it had nothing to do with it. Period.”
McGhee said that the legal issues happened many years before the concert. He was arrested in 1982 but didn’t admit guilt until 1988. The manager discussed his conviction as a ‘conspiracy thing’ and doubted Bon Jovi’s story. He continued:
“What judge in this world would say, ‘OK, I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna let you off, you just have to do the first show in the history of the Soviet Union.’ Nobody’s going to say that.”
In the rest of his chat, McGhee disagreed with Bon Jovi, saying the Moscow Music Peace Festival was held for better reasons. It would support his charity, the Make a Difference Foundation.
You can watch McGhee’s full interview below.