Jon Bon Jovi and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been friends for more than a decade, uniting for state dinners at the White House and campaign fund-raisers in the Hamptons. He calls her "Mrs. C." And she calls on him to add a little celebrity gloss to her presidential cam-paign.

邦喬飛和希拉蕊．柯林頓是老友了，有十多年交情。他們常在白宮國家晚宴及漢普頓競選募款會上碰頭。他稱呼她「柯夫人」；她需要名人為她的總統競選活動加持時就找邦喬飛。

If it seems strange that a rocker who sings paeans of working-class New Jer-sey is so friendly with a senator and for-mer first lady who chose a Celine Dion song for the theme of her presidential campaign, consider a few items on Bon Jovi's social calendar in the last few months. There were dinners in East Hampton with Mrs. Clinton and anoth-er Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards. Senator Barack Obama, her fiercest rival for the nomination, asked Bon Jovi to hear him speak in Midtown Manhattan. And Al Gore caught up with him in London for a photo op.

如果這位以主唱紐澤西勞工階級歌曲知名的搖滾歌手和前第一夫人出身的聯邦參議員這麼麻吉，也許看來很突兀，尤其希拉蕊選了席琳狄翁一首歌當競選主打歌，不妨再看看邦喬飛過去幾個月的社交行事曆。他和柯林頓夫人及民主黨總統候選人愛德華茲在東漢普頓有晚餐會。希拉蕊獲提名最強勁的對手歐巴馬參議員則邀他去紐約曼哈坦中城聽他演講。〔美國前副總統〕高爾和他在倫敦不期而遇，並在媒體前合照。

Bon Jovi, 45, whose tousled golden mane and porcelain-white smile have twice helped him earn People magazine’s award for sexiest rock star, can lay claim to an unofficial new title these days: the Garden State’s elder statesman.

45歲的邦喬飛，一頭蓬亂濃密的金髮，加上瓷白色微笑，加倍幫他獲得「時人雜誌」青睞，推選為最性感搖滾明星，他這些日子應可加封一個非官方頭銜：「花園州」紐澤西的元老政治家。

In New Jersey, it is practically a re-quirement for any high-ranking politi-cian to attend at least one of his shows. And despite his left-leaning political al-legiances, Democrats and Republicans alike seek him out as if he were New Jersey's very own Bono.

在紐澤西州，任何高層政治家幾乎都必須至少出席他的一場演唱會。而且儘管他政治立場左傾，民主黨和共和黨人都有求於他，他儼然是紐澤西的波諾。

Former New Jersey governors, sena-tors and state legislators who have worked or played with him over the years say it is a combination of his fealty to New Jersey and his blue-collar au-thenticity that draws politicians to him.

多年來曾和邦喬飛一起工作或出遊的紐澤西州前州長、參議員和州議會議員表示，他對紐澤西死忠加上正港藍領本色，是吸引政客的最大因素。

Unlike many other celebrities, he keeps his thoughts about the war in Iraq and President Bush largely to himself. While fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen is not shy about taking Mr. Bush to task and speaks out against the war on his new album, Bon Jovi is more comfortable talking about poverty and affordable housing. And his attention to those causes has earned him an audience with some of the country's biggest po-litical names. "My impression of Jon Bon Jovi is every time he's been asked to help his state, he's done it," said former Gov. Thomas H. Kean Sr., a Republi-can. "We have an enormous amount of entertainers in New Jersey, and I can't say that about a lot of them."

不像其他許多名流，他個人對伊拉克戰爭和布希總統的看法，他多半祕而不宣。同樣出身紐澤西的歌手史普林斯汀，在他新專輯中並不諱言點名批判布希及伊拉克戰爭。邦喬飛較樂於談貧窮及住者有其屋等問題。他對那些議題的關注也贏得全美重量級政治人物的傾聽。紐澤西州前共和黨籍州長肯恩說：「在我印象中，每次請邦喬飛出面幫忙紐澤西州，他總能圓滿達成任務。紐澤西州有一拖拉庫藝人，其中很多人，我實在不敢恭維。」

Bon Jovi's high visibility recently touched off speculation in gossip columns that he had designs on running for office, possibly governor, because he is keeping his estate in Middletown even though he and his family spend most of their time in Manhattan now. But Bon Jovi dismissed the rumors. Life as a rock star, he said, suited him quite well. In a recent interview, he recounted a con-versation with former President Bill Clinton about two years ago. The two were on a flight to Maryland for a day of horse racing at Pimlico when someone asked them to compare occupations. "He said 'Mr. President, which is better, your job or Jon's' I said, 'Mine, because I get to keep the airplane and the house.'"

邦喬飛最近人氣指數飆高，引發媒體小道消息傳出他有意出馬競選公職，也許是州長，因為他和家人現在多半時間待在紐約曼哈坦，他的戶籍還是留在紐澤西州密道頓。對這些流言，邦喬飛嗤之以鼻。他說，當搖滾歌星的生活，他如魚得水。他最近接受訪問時，提及約兩年前和柯林頓總統的一段談話。他們兩人正飛往馬里蘭州參加在該州平立科馬場舉行的一天賽馬，有人要他們比較兩人的工作。「他說：『總統先生，你的工作還是邦喬飛的工作比較好？』我回答說，『當然是我啦，因為我可以保有自己的專機和房子。』」

Bon Jovi's political hobnobbing began in the 1990s, when he started popping up at events during the Clinton years: a state dinner here, a White House Cor-respondents' Association dinner there. Bon Jovi even sang to Mr. Clinton, whose 1992 presidential campaign piqued his political sensibilities, at Radio City Music Hall for the former presi-dent's 50th birthday celebration in 1996.

邦喬飛和政界交往密切始於1990年代，柯林頓總統任內，他開始在一些場合現身：有時是國宴，有時是白宮記者聯誼會晚宴。由於柯林頓1992年競選總統時觸動他的政治神經，邦喬飛甚至在前總統柯林頓1996年五十大壽時，在紐約無線電城為他演唱。

In the 2000 presidential campaign, Bon Jovi held a fund-raiser at his Mid-dletown home for Mr. Gore. He remains friends with Mr. Gore, and when the two got together this month in London, their conversation quickly turned to the 2008 election. Bon Jovi said Gore asked whether he had endorsed anyone for president, and he replied that he had not."My deepest hope was that he was going to put his hat back in the ring," Bon Jovi said. "I've been waiting for that for eight years."

在公元兩千年總統大選時，邦喬飛在密道頓老家為高爾辦了一場募款餐會，他和高爾一直是好朋友。當兩人本月在倫敦碰頭時，他們很快談到2008年大選。邦喬飛說，高爾問他是否已決定挺誰當總統，他答說還沒有。邦喬飛說：「我最大的願望是他再投入選戰，我等這一刻，已等了八年。」

In 2004, Bon Jovi jumped back into the role of rock star Democratic fund-raiser and held an event for John Kerry at his home. Bon Jovi also joined Kerry and his running mate, Mr. Ed-wards, on the road. He and Edwards found they had a common interest in poverty issues.

2004年，邦喬飛再度跳出來，扮演民主黨募款活動的搖滾歌星，並在他家為柯瑞辦了一場募款活動，他甚至和柯瑞及其競選搭檔愛德華茲一起掃街拜票。他和愛德華茲發現他們共同關注貧窮問題。

Bon Jovi and Hillary Clinton have been known to delve into issues like af-fordable housing. But their conversations are not always so heavy. "She seems to really like to hear me play," Bon Jovi said. He donated $2,300 to Mrs. Clinton this year, as much as he is allowed to under the law. "I have no issue with a woman in power," he said."My life has always been run by women. If it wasn't my mother, it was my wife. And if it wasn't my wife it was my daughter."

邦喬飛和希拉蕊眾所皆知，常探討平價住宅等問題，但他們之間的交談並非永遠這麼沈重，邦喬飛說：「她好像很喜歡聽我演唱。」今年他捐了2300美元給希拉蕊，這也是法律容許的上限。他說：「我不反對女人執政。我的生活總是被女人管，如果不是我老媽，就是我老婆，再不就是我女兒。」

While his political activism might have won him the respect of many of New Jersey's political leaders, not everyone has been so blown away. "I know he's been terrific and up front for New Jersey causes," said Brendan Byrne, an 83-year-old Democrat who was gov-ernor from 1974 to 1982. "But I'm more in the Frank Sinatra era."

他踴躍投入政治活動果然贏得不少紐澤西州政界領袖尊敬，但並非人人都買帳。「我知道他很了不起，為紐澤西州的理想挺身而出，但我比較支持法蘭克辛那屈那個時代的做法，」83歲的民主黨人伯恩說，他1974到1982年擔任紐澤西州州長。

（取材自紐約時報）