Joe was kind of a void in the piece. I wonder if it isn’t the “shyness” a lot of journalists are noting in him, they just aren’t getting as strong a sense of his capabilities and importance to the group because he’s not been in a sharing mood or something?

It’s a shame. He seems the least comfortable of the three with “selling”, which I appreciate, but if you don’t toot your own horn, who’s going to? Instead, he seemed to opt for a more straightforward admission of his misgivings and concerns about his role in the band, which I thought was really cool, but was sort of left hanging out there in the article, making him seem insecure, with no commentary from the writer to support or decry his comments. Which ended up coming off somewhat damning (well like you said…like she had no real firm opinion on him, which is weird and feels negative).

And I really loved Greg’s quote on Nick’s illness forcing Joe to step out of his shadow – that was something new to me and, I thought, quite profound. Think how very far he’s come…and how it took Nick’s illness to make that happen…it’s fascinating.

I also think a more discerning writer would be able to convey how crucial Joe has been to the success of the band, how valuable his skills, and how compelling the arc of the development of his talents in comparison to his brothers. I personally don’t think they’d be as big as they are without whatever happened when Joe’s personality came into contact with the wider world. (I know he is the reason I am a fan, anyway.)

Kevin is so enthusiastic and solid. Nick is such a clear prodigy in so many ways. But Joe, to me, has always been the surprise and revelation…even after all this time of watching them pretty closely, he can still surprise and impress me in ways I don’t expect.

He’s not yet fully realized as a talent or fully understood or appreciated, probably not even by the team or by himself…but I think the public can clearly see and feel that *it* in him and responds to it. And I am convinced it’s not just cuz he’s pretty. His potential as a vocalist and who knows what else he applies himself to seems pretty huge to me.

I get it with Rolling Stone…they, like most musical onlookers these days, skew the bulk of their respect towards the perceived auteur types. But I think that can be misguided. There is sometimes something else at play in music and performance…I think people ignore & denigrate that at their own risk. Some of our best musical talents are not the primary writers and composers, they are the great interpreters.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the article very much!

I also agree that RS is really supportive of Nick. The forum that Nick was part of was a discussion of various nominees for the Grammys and who should win, etc. It was interesting, and he did a great job, natch!

Nick is clearly a prodigy, and I’m glad that RS recognizes that. But I just didn’t feel that the writer presented Joe fairly.

I like Joe’s and NIck’s facial expressions but I would rather Kevin’s be more focused forward and more serious instead of “hot.”

Anyway, the picture of Nick on his birthday with Elvis is certainly worth the price alone. And it was taken in their small-ish Toluca Lake house right before they moved into the 2 gated homes in Texas and Bel air and it really just captures the moment in time so nicely.

It seems to me from the article, that there is definitely a new PR direction for the group. And Nick is certainly being played up as the “musical prodigy” who is going to drive the group to credibility. Of course, you’ve got to give Nick his due, and I was thrilled to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff Kevin does acknowledged. That said, I honestly felt she gave short shrift to Joe. I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’ll bet that she didn’t see them perform, because I can’t imagine anyone seeing Joe perform who would be as dismissive of him as she was.

“guileless Ashton Kutcher-style” (I don’t know well enough to judge – is this good or not?)

“sounding like a guy who landed on the moon before he got his pilot’s license”

“Defensive”

“odd Jonas out, left to gab with the backing band or play with his iPhone while his brothers run the show”

Maybe she’s one of those women who don’t trust beautiful men on principal. Or maybe a Taylor Swift fan?

Things I liked were all the brotherly banter that was captured well, and describing how they play and unwind. This seemed to be aimed at upping their “guy” quotient (sports, competitive etc.)

It was also made clear that they are in charge of their career and in control of all decisions.

Also a lot more sense of how the music gets made, at least by Nick.

“The beautiful artlessness of youth that was so fun to watch has to make way for maturity, and I’ll miss it.”

I couldn’t possibly say it any better, so I’ll let it stand.

And my “Joe-stubble” moment came when I was watching that “You Decide” YouTube video. I seriously gasped when I saw Nick at the drums in those shades and black shirt… with those arrrrrmssss. One girl appropriately wrote “HOLY PUBERTY, Nick!” I gave her comment a thumbs up.

For goodness sake I can remember welling up a little the first time Joe was photographed with stubble, so yeah. LOL.