Jon's NJHOF Speech & Video

Here is the text of Jon's speech at the New Jersey Hall of Fame Sunday night:

I’d like to thank Governor Corzine for that wonderful introduction. And thank the board of the hall of fame for this induction.

I’d also like to express my gratitude to Lt. Brian Brennen for his bravery and for exemplifying everything that is good about New Jersey.

New Jersey is the place where I was born, the place where my father, my wife and our children were born. It’s where I first walked, talked, and learned to play a guitar, and someday, it will be the place they’ll lay my bones to rest.

Looking back, I think Jersey should have been called 'Shadowland'. Because when you're from Jersey you either have to step out of - or cast - a big shadow. With New York on one side and Philadelphia on the other we have had to scrap for just about anything.

But, when history looks back on the contributions made by the likes of Thomas Edison, or Frank Sinatra, from General Schwarzkoff to Albert Einstein, from Abbott and Costello to Jerry Lewis, Nickolson to Devito, from Yogi Berra to Bruce and Southside...come on, I’ll stack Jersey up to any place there is.

Sure we have had to take some criticism and at times been the punchline of some jokes. In fact I have friends who think they have to bring their passport and change money to take a trip through the tunnel. That’s fine by me, that’s one less Bennie down the shore to deal with.

The truth is, Jersey is a place that oher people want to be from. I was reminded of that this morning: I just now flew in from New Orleans. I was browsing along magazine street and had walked into a shop where there was this elderly lady behind the counter with the most perfect blond bee hive hairdo. She looked up and after realizing who I was called out, “Hey Jersey” so I answered "What exit?"...she was from here too.

I can’t imagine anyone calling out "Hey Connecticut", "Whoa Vermont", "Rock on New Hampshire!" It’s just not the same. No matter where you go, no matter who you are, or what you do, if you're one of us you carry that with you like a badge of honor.

Like I said, I was born here, I named our fourth album New Jersey and in 2005 even co-wrote the song that was eventually used in Jersey's tourism campaign: Who Said You Can’t Go Home.

In that song there is a lyric: 'There's only one place they call me one of their own'.

And tonight I just wanted to drop by to thank you for that.

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And a video to boot (I love Youtube...*sigh*)