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CNN Larry King Live
Silent Defiance in Iran; The Jonas Brothers
Aired June 18, 2009 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Jonas Brothers -- a world exclusive.
(MUSIC)
KING: Mobbed in Madrid, pursued in Paris, loved in London.
(MUSIC)
KING: And we've been with them every step of the way. And now, Nick...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK JONAS, MUSICIAN: We're just trying to write the music that we want to write and we're seeing that the response has been fantastic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Joe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JONAS, MUSICIAN: Now, you know, it's "Paranoid." We're really proud of that song.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: And Kevin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN JONAS, MUSICIAN: This was a journey. It was an incredible year. We've been through a lot. We've learned a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Are back home in the United States and they're with us. See them and hear them and meet them next on this Jonas edition of LARRY KING LIVE.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer.
If you were expecting to see Larry's interview with The Jonas Brothers, you are at the right place. Larry will talk with Nick, Kevin and Joe in just a few minutes. And we'll show you the exclusive behind-the-scenes concert footage. That's coming up.
But first, a quick update on the latest dramatic events unfolding in Iran right now. Just a few hours ago, I spoke with CNN's Reza Sayah.
He's in Tehran. The Iranian government has restricted Reza to filing just one report per day.
Here's some of that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this movement, the support behind Mir Hossein Mousavi, the disgruntled candidate, keeps building and building.
Really, what's fascinating is no one really knows where it's going to peak, where it's going to culminate.
For the sixth day in a row, you had a massive rally in a major city square in Tehran. Once again, tens of thousands -- some estimate hundreds of thousands of supporters of Mir Hussein Mousavi came together. They gathered and they rallied.
But this time, they weren't wearing the color green, which has become the symbol of the Mir Hossein Mousavi camp. Instead, they wore black. Mr. Mousavi himself asked his supporters to wear black in support and in memory of the several people killed on Monday.
But this has been six days of rallies in a row without government permission here in Iran. And that's unheard of. And if you look at modern history, you'd be challenged to find anywhere in this region where this has happened, Wolf.
So this thing keeps on building and no one really knows where it's going to culminate. An amazing political drama continues to unfold here in Iran.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
BLITZER: Indeed, it does.
That was Reza Sayah.
I spoke with him just a little while ago.
Let's speak with Joe Klein of "Time Magazine."
Joe is just back from 10 days in Tehran.
And you've been there before.
JOE KLEIN, COLUMNIST, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Yes.
BLITZER: Compare what you saw this time with what you saw, what, eight, nine years ago. KLEIN: Well, there's a -- there's a general drift toward freedom in Iran. Eight years ago when I was there, you couldn't shake a woman's hand in public. A lot of women, especially the more conservative religious ones wearing the black chadors, wouldn't even talk to a foreign reporter like me.
This year, I was down in Ahmadinejad's home neighborhood on election day. And there were all these very religious women who were just all over me, desperate to talk, desperate to give their views.
The country is opening up.
BLITZER: How do you explain that?
What's going on?
KLEIN: Well, it's the com -- it's you. It's CNN. It's the communications revolution -- the fact that people have satellite dishes on their roofs, BBC Persia. The Voice of America Persia is this, you know, Farsi station, as well, gets through. Twitter. The Internet. People have access to an awful lot of information.
And even the Ahmadinejad supporters, a lot of times you can't tell that they are. They're young people, some of them. The women are wearing their head scarves back. There's -- there's a real dynamism. And it was just so exciting in the days before the election and so sad given what's happened since.
BLITZER: You're convinced this election was a sham.
KLEIN: I think that it was probably fixed. I think that Ahmadinejad may well have won if the votes had been counted. But I don't think the votes were counted.
I think that the ballot boxes were stuffed. I don't think 85 percent of the public came out. And I think that they -- that they wanted to make sure that this wouldn't go into a second round. They wanted to make sure that Ahmadinejad would stay as president.
BLITZER: Because in order to avoid a second round, you needed more than 50 percent of the vote.
KLEIN: Right.
BLITZER: They say he got 65 percent, but that...
KLEIN: Sixty-two percent.
BLITZER: Whatever they say.
KLEIN: Yes.
BLITZER: But you don't believe that?
KLEIN: No, I don't believe that. But there's no way of knowing. There's no way of knowing. The amazing thing that -- that's happened over the last three or four days was, when I was there on Saturday and Sunday, when I was out in the streets and also talking to my Iranian sources, they were saying, look, we're going to have three or four days of this and then it's just going to die down.
But it just keeps getting bigger. And what...
BLITZER: Because this demonstration today was hundreds of thousands of people. Some say a million.
KLEIN: Right. Right. The Mousavi supporters say a million. And -- but the type of demonstration it was is absolutely crucial here. It was peaceful, number one.
Number two, what were they chanting?
They were chanting "God is Great!." They were not chanting "Mousavi is Great!"
In 1979, when they overthrew the Shah, what were they chanting?
"God is Great!" It's a direct reference.
This has become a very smart, sophisticated targeted rebellion.
The question is, the streets aren't going to be enough. Hundreds of thousands of people in the streets aren't going to be enough. They're going to -- they're going to need support from some sector of the Iranian government -- from, you know, from one of the various bodies. I mean they, you know...
BLITZER: Among the clerics -- the clerics or the Revolutionary Guard, for example.
KLEIN: The clerics. Yes. You wonder about the business community. You wonder about the managerial class, who didn't like Ahmadinejad that much. You wonder, ultimately, about the military.
The guy -- one guy I would -- I would watch was -- is Mohsen Rezai, who was one of the four candidates for president. He's a former Revolutionary Guard commander. And he is now beginning to drift, along with the other candidates, into the camp of saying that this election should be overturned.
BLITZER: How worried should Mousavi be about his own security?
KLEIN: I think he should be very worried. I think he should be very worried. I -- you know, there are an awful lot of people -- people I talk to -- who are now in jail. I mean, reformers like Mosin Abtahi, who had been a -- an aide to President Khatami. President Khatami's brother was thrown in jail for a while. I think he's back out now.
There are a lot of people who have been thrown in jail. And if a crackdown comes, which is a distinct possibility, you know, I think Mousavi and some of the other leaders are going to, you know, are going to go to jail.
BLITZER: Should President Obama be more outspoken in the statements that he's making, as John McCain and some of his critics would like him to be?
KLEIN: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. The reason why is that Iranians, from reformers to conservatives, look at us in a certain way. They look at us as meddlers. We're the people who supported the Shah. We're the people who supported Saddam Hussein during the Iran/Iraq War. We're the people who called them part of the axis of evil.
If the president of the United States were saying the sort of things that John McCain has been saying, the -- the leaders in Iran would have an excuse to bring the tanks into the streets, kill a slew of Iranians and say we had to do it because the Americans were trying to overthrow our government.
BLITZER: So you think President Obama is handling it right?
KLEIN: I think he's handling it -- he is handling it absolutely right. He's probably tremendously frustrated because you want to be able to congratulate these remarkable people who are out in the streets.
But I think it's the better part of valor, in this case, to let the Iranians have their own revolution.
BLITZER: We're waiting. In the next few hours, the grand ayatollah of Iran will be speaking. And that will be potentially very, very critical.
Joe Klein is a columnist for "Time Magazine." He's just back from Tehran. He has a fabulous article in the new issue of "Time Magazine," which is our sister publication.
KLEIN: Thank you.
BLITZER: We're going to continue to watch this story for our viewers in the United States and around the world. We're not going to go very far away from it. But that's it for now.
I'm Wolf Blitzer here in Washington sitting in for Larry. He's coming up now.
Coming up next, the Jonas Brothers -- their world tour exclusive with Larry.
That begins right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
KING: Somewhere between Dallas, Texas and Fort Worth sit two stadiums. One houses the first place Texas Rangers. And this incredible edifice will house this year, and for millions of years, a version of the Dallas Cowboys.
But this Saturday night, oh, it's going to house an incredible act -- the Jonas Brothers. And they're finally us with on LARRY KING LIVE.
We're all assembled here.
We're going to have a great time. We hope you enjoy it, too.
And this incredible stadium cost over $1 billion.
We're here with Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the group. He's only 16. Joe is 18 and Kevin is 21. They have sold more than eight million albums, nominated for a Grammy. Their fourth album, "Lines, Vines and Trying Times," has just been released.
How did the Jonas Brothers become an act?
K. JONAS: It actually -- it actually all started with Nick. He originally was doing Broadway shows. And myself, I was doing commercials. Nick and Joe were both on Broadway at the time.
Nick wrote a song with my dad for a Christmas C.D. and to -- it was like a charity C.D. And someone at a record label heard it, signed Nick, wanted to start his own project, started the -- started his record.
And then we wrote a song together called "Please Be Mine." And that song...
KING: Took off.
K. JONAS: Kind of. The record label heard it, wanted to sign all three of us. And that's kind of where The Jonas Brothers began.
KING: And did you expect -- have any idea, Joe, at all it would become what it became?
J. JONAS: I think there's always been a dream there that -- that your dream would become a reality. I think this is still a dream come true. You know it's, we -- we pinch ourselves every day when we wake up and we can't believe that we're going to be playing a venue like this.
And I think, you know, for us, my favorite place is on stage. That's where I feel the most comfortable. So any time I'm able to live out that dream, it's a great feeling.
KING: Are there ever times, Nick, you miss the Broadway stage?
N. JONAS: I think that was -- it was a great learning experience for me. I think maybe one day I'll go back. But I'm definitely enjoying this. This rise is amazing and it -- and that was good training for what I'm doing now. I'm grateful for that and maybe one day I'll go back and do some more Broadway shows.
KING: Do you always get along, Kevin?
K. JONAS: You know...
KING: Come on, you're brothers.
K. JONAS: Exactly. We really...
KING: And there's another brother, right?
K. JONAS: Yes, there is another brother. His name is Frankie.
KING: What does Frankie do?
K. JONAS: He is definitely starting his own -- he's starting his own -- you know, he's going to be a big star. He actually just got nominated for a Teen Choice Award for breakout male TV star...
KING: How old is he?
K. JONAS: He's eight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eight.
K. JONAS: So the kid is already, you know, he's already been wheeling and dealing.
KING: Come on.
K. JONAS: He's making it happen.
But we really do get along. It's surprising to people. We get that question, I think, actually, the most out of any other question we get. And we really do get along, I think because we have a bit of respect for each other being in a band.
But, of course, we're brothers. You know, little things get at us here and there and we've kind of got to go at it. We said we should at least get into a boxing ring once a month and just like with pads on and just go full out...
(CROSSTALK)
K. JONAS: ...and then just get everything out for the next month. It would be great.
KING: My little boy, Nick, said to me the other day, you're lucky. You don't have an older brother.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Do you -- are you the -- been the one that's tormented most.
N. JONAS: No.
KING: No? N. JONAS: I think that, like Kevin said, we have an equal level of respect for each other and that's just important. I think it goes back to our parents and how they raised us. And we don't see the point. We don't have enough time to fight. So we just -- we just don't see the point in it.
KING: How are you handling all of success, Joe?
J. JONAS: I think it's...
KING: Come on. It's got to be...
J. JONAS: I think the best way you can. It's definitely amazing. You know, it's the best feeling ever, you know. I mean you're able to do a lot of really cool things.
I think there's times when you need a minute and just take it all in. And we try to remind ourselves when we're on stage in front of lots of people or we're just, you know, walking down a red carpet in a huge movie -- we'll look at each other and we'll be like, you know, remember -- remember this, because before you know it, I mean we're going to wake up one day and it will be like, oh, man...
KING: Speaking of that, Kevin, as we all know, this is not exactly the world's most secure business.
Do you feel that how long can it go on?
K. JONAS: I think we've learned and what we're, you know, growing through is living without expectations. And I think, for us, we are happy, content. And I think we can use it -- an example, of our new record. We are really happy with the new sound and the new -- the new songs, what we've got to write about, what we went through to write about.
And I think, for us, it really, we know where we're headed, but we definitely just enjoy it. And so I think...
KING: So you don't say to yourself how long is this going to last...
K. JONAS: I think...
KING: ...you just keep...
K. JONAS: No. I think there's, you know, somewhere inside of us there's that -- that fear of one day waking up and, you know, the fans -- the fans move on to the next band or something. But...
(CROSSTALK)
K. JONAS: Right. And we've learned that they're very supportive and they have been.
You were dropped by your first record label a couple of years back. Executives said that your suc -- your success indicators weren't there.
How did you take that, Nick?
N. JONAS: I think, for us, you know, it was a good learning -- learning experience. And we grew as artists and musicians. And we found a better home at Hollywood Records and our partnership with Disney. And we're very happy there now. And it's been amazing ever since we teamed up with them.
KING: No thoughts, then, Kevin, of maybe we're not going to work?
K. JONAS: No. I think when we...
(CROSSTALK)
K. JONAS: Oh, yes. No. What I was going to say was, yes, there was definitely times where we were sitting all -- we all lived in one -- the four boys were in one bedroom at the time -- you know, $90,000 in debt because it was us driving around. I was 17 at the time and the vehicle I got to go and drive around that was my car was a van and trailer that we used to travel around and play shows.
So I was driving the van and trailer around to go get a cup of coffee down the street. So it was kind of embarrassing.
But, you know what, I think for us, we always had the vision ahead of us. And we actually -- I think we grew in that moment. We really -- we wrote the first record that we felt like it was us, which was "Jonas Brothers." That was a self-titled album.
And through that process, through that pain and through that struggle, we wrote that album.
KING: So you didn't let that rejection get you down?
J. JONAS: I think there's times when you definitely got down from that rejection. Well, we just (INAUDIBLE) at each other and we kind of looked back and we were like this is not --this is -- like is this it?
This is -- this is it.
What, are we going to try to do something else?
Am I going to work at Starbucks now?
And that's kind of what we thought. And I guess -- I think the only real reason we felt like we could continue is our fans, because they didn't -- they didn't leave us. I mean, we have fans still that were there when we started and that are still here.
KING: Explain the connection with Disney. Now, they're -- they're obviously a big key to the success.
Is there a -- do they control everything? Do they say what you can do?
N. JONAS: No. I think that's what's so great is that we do have a genuine partnership with them. Our label is Hollywood Records and we're partnered with Disney. And we've done a lot with them. And thus far, it's been an amazing ride with them and an amazing journey.
We just had a TV show premier on the Disney Channel a little while ago. And it's just been so much fun. They've given us so many opportunities to live our dream, you know, and we're so appreciative to them.
KING: Joe, you all wear silver purity rings, a symbol of values.
How -- how did this come about?
Let me see them.
J. JONAS: Well, we were -- we were a lot younger, actually.
KING: And you wear different clothes every time, right, I'm told that, right?
You always -- different.
J. JONAS: Exactly.
KING: Yes.
J. JONAS: Well, we -- we were young, you know. I was probably 11, 12 years old when we made the decision. And, you know, we -- we are happy with, you know, with the decision we made.
KING: And its purpose is?
J. JONAS: You know, I think it's to treat women with respect and ladies with respect.
KING: Do people ever : About them?
N. JONAS: Not so much kidding. I think, for us, you know, like we said, it is a private thing. It's something we -- we like to keep private. But, you know, some people may not understand it and that's fine. But it's something that we believe in and it's -- it's a personal thing.
KING: Is it hard -- going to be hard, Kevin?
Well, you're -- you're 21, right?
K. JONAS: Of course. No one is above temptation. No one is above life in general. And so for us, we're just trying to live -- do our best and every single day. And I think we've said this a lot, that we're just trying to make our mom proud.
KING: In this day and age, Joe, you must admit, it's unusual. J. JONAS: I think, for most people, you know, I think, like Nick said, you know, some people don't know how to handle it. But that's just the way we live, you know. And we're going to be the same people until the way -- until the way, you know, we -- we leave this Earth.
But we are -- we're happy of who we are.
KING: I salute you.
Hey, be right back.
(FANS CHEERING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back.
There are a lot of dangerous places in the world. One of them is standing between The Jonas Brothers and their fans. LARRY KING LIVE captured the frenzy the guys stirred up as they toured London, Madrid and Paris.
Jonas mania definitely transcends national boundaries.
Watch.
(VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a passion and you've got that feeling of like, you know, necessity, like, you know, just the way they bang on the cars, you know (INAUDIBLE). It's just very urgent.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're chasing us in taxis as we speak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: British fans can be aggressive. They need to be. But they're -- they're awesome.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The connection with the audience is super important, not only on the stage, but off the stage, as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feel better.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't pass out again.
(MUSIC)
(VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What was that like, Kevin?
Or is that a stupid question?
K. JONAS: No, that -- absolutely not. It's incredible. You know, for us, I think that one scene of us trying to walk into the building was the funniest day. They told us when we arrived, oh, yes, we're totally fine. There's barricades. And we showed up and there was nothing. We had to get in that door.
But we have an amazing security team around us that gets -- you know, helps us out. And we -- we live for those moments.
KING: Are you surprised at the success out of the United States, Joe?
J. JONAS: Yes. You know, it's -- it's -- it happened like really fast compared to what it was like with for the U.S. You know, the U.S. is, I think, a lot harder to break as an artist, here. And -- and there, it can be a little easier because they're a little more open to brother bands and bands -- guy bands.
And so for us, going over there, it was -- it was kind of overnight. And, you know, we worked it, but it was overnight and it was -- it was amazing.
We'll have lots of things to talk about -- where they see themselves in the future...
(FANS CHEERING)
KING: Hey, we're at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
J. JONAS: So I'm inspired. It comes out of real personal experience. It's something that I go through that I'm able to write about. And I think that's helped me in the past. Usually, you don't look for heartbreak or something that will bring on an emotional side.
(MUSIC)
J. JONAS: It helps to get a couple of good songs out occasionally, so, it's all worth it in the end, I guess.
(MUSIC)
KING: We're back with The Jonas Brothers.
(FANS CHEERING)
KING: OK, Nick...
(FANS CHEERING)
KING: Nick, we've got a lot of -- we've got a lot of variations on this question posted to Facebook and Tweeted to Kingsthings, so we've got to ask it.
It's that people want to know, what's going on with you and Miley Cyrus?
I asked her father the other night...
N. JONAS: I watched it.
KING: And he was very nice about you.
N. JONAS: He did. He said some very nice things about me.
KING: How is that going?
N. JONAS: It's good. You know, I think it's -- it's nice to have reconnected with her. For a little while there, we had not -- not been as reconnected as we are now. And it's good to have the friend back.
KING: You're young. You're not thinking seriously yet. I don't want to put words in your mouth.
N. JONAS: Yes, I think -- I agree. I'm still very young -- 16. And I've got a lot of life left to live. I'm just enjoying.
KING: How are you handling double success, yours and hers?
N. JONAS: We got to do a duet on our new record, which was great; kind of, I think, a good closure to our story. And it's been amazing the fan response, so far, to that song has been great.
KING: How do you handle, Kevin, the money part?
Now let's face it, you make a lot of money. And you're 21, so you're in a -- you're of the adult -- you can go do what you want.
K. JONAS: Absolutely. I think growing...
KING: You do, too.
K. JONAS: Yes. So -- so can Joe, absolutely. And I think, for us, it's something we've been raised, in a way, to, you know, respect and understand. From the minute we had $5, we knew that, you know, it was -- that's all the $5 we had. And if we spent it all at one time, then we wouldn't have anymore. And it was always that same -- that same concept.
Our dad always, you know, really tried to introduce it and teach us in a way that was respectful toward money. But I think we've been -- where the only thing that we've really purchased that was of, you know, a large quantity was a home together. And, you know, it was really kind of nice.
(CROSSTALK)
K. JONAS: Yes.
KING: So you're -- by the way, are you fussy?
Do you guys -- we hear about stars making special demands, particular foods, beverages. I know someone in Vegas, they told me they had to have goat's milk flown in from a certain country.
J. JONAS: Really?
KING: Yes. Before they would go on.
J. JONAS: Wow! See, I always research this kind of stuff, because we -- I think the -- we don't really have any crazy stuff on our rider. I think maybe like Wiffle balls and bats.
N. JONAS: We're big Wiffle ball fans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're big Wiffle ball fans.
N. JONAS: But nothing crazy. Nothing to shout at.
KING: And you're big baseball fans, too?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, we're big baseball fans.
KING: Now, is it Dodgers and Yankees?
N. JONAS: Well, it's -- I know it sounds ridiculous, but we have our N.L. team and our A.L. team.
J. JONAS: We grew up...
(CROSSTALK)
J. JONAS: We grew up in New Jersey.
KING: Because there so you're...
J. JONAS: So we -- we went to a lot of Yankees games.
N. JONAS: And we went to Joe Torres. We love him and he was...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're Joe Torres fans.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely. KING: You've been to the White House a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
KING: What was that like, Kevin?
K. JONAS: It was really cool. We actually got the opportunity to be there the first night that the family was in the house. And we got to be a surprise at the end of the scavenger hunt for the girls, teaching them about each room.
And at the very last room, they walked in and we were there playing with acoustic guitars and got to play a little show for them and a couple of their cousins and their friends that were there.
And it was really, really neat.
N. JONAS: And they loved it. It was -- it was really cool.
KING: How did you find the Obamas, Joe?
J. JONAS: How'd we find them?
KING: Yes, I mean how did you find them to be?
J. JONAS: Oh, I was like...
(CROSSTALK)
J. JONAS: ...I'm pretty sure they found out.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I know you looked through the door.
J. JONAS: It was pretty easy for them to find us.
KING: How did you react?
How did you feel about it?
How did you...
J. JONAS: You know, we haven't met -- we haven't met the president yet, but we've met the family. And they're very nice. They're very sweet. And they're very nice girls, yes.
KING: The two little girls, fans, Nick?
N. JONAS: They are. They were singing every word with all their friends. It was a really nice thing to do. We were so honored they had us. KING: So are you looking, Kevin, frankly, to up your appeal from just young to older?
K. JONAS: I think we're growing up with our audience, just as much as they are growing up. And, you know, I think what's been really great is we've been writing for what we are, not for us -- to not answer for a certain person. We've been writing about what we've been going through.
And it's...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really based on (INAUDIBLE) music.
N. JONAS: The Bee Gees to, you know, The Beatles. So just lots of different sounds and things that we tried to incorporate into our music -- a lot of different influences. On this record, in particular, Neil Diamond was a big one; Elvis Costello and Johnny Cash -- the storytellers of music that we wanted to, you know, incorporate in our sound and then we just have that -- that sense of variation.
KING: You play now -- were you taught to play?
K. JONAS: To play the guitar?
KING: Yes.
K. JONAS: Actually, I was home sick from school one day and I was tired of watching like daytime TV. I'd been home for like five days. And we had a guitar and a teach yourself guitar book. And I picked that teach yourself guitar book up and continued from there.
KING: That's the way you learned?
K. JONAS: That's the way I learned.
KING: You?
J. JONAS: Me?
Kind of Kevin taught me a little bit here and there and our guitar player, John Taylor. And so, throughout that, they kind of back and forth.
KING: Nick?
N. JONAS: I also picked it up on my own. I play guitar, piano and the drums.
KING: No formal teaching?
N. JONAS: Our father is a musician, an incredible musician actually. So he has taught us a lot about music in general.
KING: He's an incredible guy. I met him. We'll be back with more of the Jonas Brothers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
N. JONAS: I guess just being in the middle that -- kind of naturally went to the front man thing. Being in the middle, I'm always in the middle for pictures. And, you know, that's just my coincidence though. It's not because we're trying to make that way. I'm always just kind of there. It's kind of what I was drawn to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: This show is happening -- Joe just pointed out that someone in the crowd had a Jonas Brothers tattoo. How does that make you feel, Joe? Weird?
J. JONAS: That's pretty cool I guess. They're dedicated.
KING: Dedicated?
J. JONAS: They're dedicated.
KING: They're branded. Nick, you were home schooled?
N. JONAS: Yes.
KING: What was that like?
N. JONAS: It was great. I actually just graduated this year.
KING: How do you graduate from home school?
N. JONAS: You just kind of do the work.
(CROSS TALK)
N. JONAS: We had a curriculum and I --
KING: That was funny.
N. JONAS: It's exciting. I think it was a good way to have an alternative way of learning.
KING: And do you feel that the education was the same as you would have received in high school?
N. JONAS: Definitely.
KING: How was that decision made? Was it because you travel?
N. JONAS: Once I start the doing the Broadway shows, I became so busy that it was the only alternative. And I had to do it. And I actually -- I was happy about it. I think whenever you're in second and third grade, and you're leaving school at a certain time of the morning to go to New York City, it's not something, you know, that's necessarily too normal. I don't think many people understood it at the school.
It was nice to go to school with my brothers at home. It was nice.
KING: How you are doing in the female situation, Joe? Do you have a girlfriend?
J. JONAS: Yes, I do. You know, we date. And we said always have. And --
KING: Is she as famous as his? Is your girlfriend famous?
J. JONAS: I don't think anybody is as famous as Miley Cyrus.
KING: She's in the business?
N. JONAS: Who, Miley?
KING: No Joe, your girlfriend?
J. JONAS: Kevin?
KING: Kevin? Get us up to date.
K. JONAS: I'm up to date. I think, for all of us, we always said we always date. I think we always --
N. JONAS: I think there is a part of our life that we always try to keep private.
KING: That's fair. I'm just asking. The public is extraordinarily interested in you.
N. JONAS: That's funny.
KING: In a sense, your private life should be your own. But in sense, come on, you know, Nick, if you see someone like Miley Cyrus, someone is going to ask about it. I mean, it would be crazy not to ask about it. Right?
N. JONAS: I guess so.
J. JONAS: For us, it is kind of odd, you're right, to have people, you know, all around the world so concerned with a 16-year- old's love life.
N. JONAS: Yes, it is.
KING: You have a point.
J. JONAS: You go, wait a second. That's kind of funny.
KING: What you about, Kevin? K. JONAS: Yes, always date. I've been with someone for a very long time and I'm very happy.
KING: So you have a girlfriend?
K. JONAS: Yes.
KING: Going to marry her? Your mother told me to ask.
K. JONAS: She's an amazing girl.
KING: That's -- I'm happy. Seventeen girls just walked out. Giving up. I'm going to talk about the new album when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Jonas Brothers, they're on a world tour. Looks a little like an iceberg. The public only sees the tip, the on stage, the public performances. The LARRY KING LIVE crew, however, got an exclusive look at the rest of the story, the before and after and behind the scenes.
Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. JONAS: On to London.
K. JONAS: If there was anything that is a disadvantage, if you can use that word, is the late nights and the early mornings.
J. JONAS: We did a press conference here. We do a show there.
N. JONAS: I think I remember being in, like, driving quickly if a car.
The whole trip is big family. Everyone all joke around together. You know, we are a family. The family travels together. And we choose the people to be on the tour according to that.
We get along really well. We're each other's best friends. As well, we have our band, who are our best friends. We get to hang out with them individually and as a group.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Kevin, does it ever get to be a bit too much?
K. JONAS: You know, sometimes when you're out that late, and up that early, sometimes you're like, wow, I could use an extra hour of sleep. But then you walk into a hotel and there's people that have been outside waiting camping out for a week straight. And then you realize we have the most dedicated fans in the world. We couldn't do it without them.
KING: Hey, we got one segment left. We got a special surprise coming at the end. So don't go away!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: It wasn't exactly a disguise, but Joe Jonas recently put on black spandex and danced to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" in an Internet video that quickly went viral. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K. JONAS: Joe, you said you would do it. You have to do it.
J. JONAS: I know.
K. JONAS: You have no choice. You have to do it.
J. JONAS: Can I put on a shirt?
K. JONAS: Yes.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Why, Jonas? Why? Because it was there, right?
J. JONAS: I had to unleash it. No, we promised the fans I would do a crazy stunt if they -- I forget, for some reason, if they did something for us and they did. And so we posted that video for them.
KING: Now I understand we have a massive kind of audience in advance for Saturday night. Signs, tattoos. We have one question coming up. Where is the person with the question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, I'm Bianca. I'm 19. Actually, I'm 19 tomorrow.
J. JONAS: Happy birthday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to know, what is one thing you could tell your fans about yourselves that we don't already know?
KING: Good question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And by the way, I know all the words to the CD already.
N. JONAS: Wow. Thank you very much.
KING: Let's run round robin here with Nick. What don't we know about you, Nick?
N. JONAS: You know a lot about me.
KING: What is one little bit?
N. JONAS: A fan the other day told me I had a Little Dipper -- she's right there. My freckles are the Little Dipper. I never took the time to really look at my face and be like oh. But I guess I did. So that's something.
KING: So plastic surgery is next, right? OK, Joe? Give us a little something that nobody knows.
J. JONAS: I was telling a story the other day. But they don't know this. When I was 10, I had a crush on this girl, a really bad crush on this girl. I was going to ride my bicycle from her house to school. And so we both were on our bikes, and I ran my bike right into her mail box. And the mail box -- it broke the mail box. I was so embarrassed. I just drove home. I didn't even say good-bye. I just left.
KING: Did that end that relationship?
J. JONAS: I never spoke to her again. I was too embarrassed.
KING: Did her parents ever speak to you?
J. JONAS: I think we got a bill for a new mail box.
KING: Understandable.
J. JONAS: Yes.
KING: All right, Kevin. What don't we know about Kevin?
K. JONAS: That I was actually the -- I played lacrosse in -- when I was younger. I was the smallest kid on the team. And the only goal I scored the entire year was I kicked it in with my foot. It was pretty triumphant year for me.
KING: It's not allowed.
K. JONAS: No. In lacrosse, you can't touch it with your hands, but can you kick it, supposedly.
KING: Let's see one more clip from the Jonas Brothers. This is on "Saturday Night Live."
K. JONAS: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. JONAS: Do we have to do it?
K. JONAS: It was a unanimous vote. We have to kick him out of the band.
J. JONAS: He is our brother.
K. JONAS: You don't think I know that?
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: He guys. Sorry I'm late. The security guard was all, you parked in the wrong spot. I was all, I'm Gary Jonas. I will park wherever I want. And he was all, you spot is two spots over. Why don't you move. Then I hit him in the head with my sax and I ran over here as fast as I could. How funny is that?
N. JONAS: That's not that funny.
BALDWIN: Oh. Nick's always so serious. But, hey, if I wanted your 16-year-old advice, I would ask for it. Let's not forget, I'm the oldest Jonas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Did you enjoy that?
K. JONAS: Loved it.
N. JONAS: We had a really good time on "Saturday Night Live." It's an honor to do it.
KING: They had a really good time having you. OK, guys, we have a big finale coming up. Don't go away!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
N. JONAS: I had been, you know, playing around with other instruments. Then when I saw somebody play the guitar, I've always been obsessed -- it exudes rock 'n' roll.
J. JONAS: I see myself hopefully with a family. That would be awesome, you know, continuing that as well. I think for myself, I hope to be a director along with someone that can travel the world, playing music, writing, producing for other artists as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: You'll see it on television when the football season starts. The Cowboys open with the giants.
N. JONAS: Really?
J. JONAS: Great game.
KING: You guys must be Giant fans?
J. JONAS: We are football fans.
KING: Jersey, come on?
J. JONAS: Here's the thing. We now moved recently to Texas. We've been embraced by the amazing family here, but, you know --
KING: Tell me about "Lines, Vines and Trying Times." What does that title mean, Joe?
J. JONAS: Lines start off. Nick says it better because he came up with it.
KING: You invented that title?
N. JONAS: It was kind of a poetic meaning for us.
K. JONAS: Nick goes, how about "Lines, Vines and Trying Times?" We looked at him like, what did you just say?
N. JONAS: It has a poetic meaning. It's basically all these things we were righting about for this record, and kind of a pattern we are seeing. Line is a lie someone is telling you. And the vines get in the way of the path you're on in life. The trying times are where we're at in the world today. We were writing about these things, and started to see they were coming up more and more in the music. Basically just said, why not call the album that.
KING: Kind of like moving on, Kevin?
K. JONAS: In a way. How do you mean?
KING: "Lines, Vines, Trying Times." It sounds like a passage.
K. In a way it was for us. This was a journey. It was an incredible year. We've been through a lot. We've learned a lot. I think for us, we put into our music. We write songs. That's what we do. If anybody wants to ask a writer what they did, they write books. We write songs.
For us, we put all our hearts into these songs.
KING: Do you have a lead, Joe, a lead song in the album that you want the jocks to play?
J. JONAS: Right now, it's "Paranoid." We're really proud of that song. It's a song about paranoia. Everybody kind of goes through it at some point in their life. That's what we wrote the song about.
KING: Is this also a song -- all songs suitable to your audience or is some of it a little step up?
N. JONAS: I think we were growing, and we are growing as artists and musicians, and as songwriters. We're just trying to write the music we want to write. We're seeing that the response has been fantastic. I think this is the record we're most proud of thus far. It's an honor to be able to release the record, but to have it be our fourth is an unbelievable thing.
KING: Will a 45-year-old guy into music like it, Kevin?
K. JONAS: I really hope so. We've been raised on multiple different artists, like Nick said, from the Bee Gees to Carol King. The Tapestry album was one of the biggest albums for us. For us, we try to infuse a lot of different music into it. The generation now is an iPod generation. They can't get through 35 seconds of a song before changing it to another genre. People have country. They have rock. They have hip-hop. They have whatever it is on their iPod. I think so do we. That generation and that group of people is growing to start learning and appreciating different styles of music. That's why we were able to add a new feel with the horns, like Nick said, with adding things like Neil Diamond, and things of his influence, and then other things like country, which we absolutely love.
KING: You ever going to do country?
K. JONAS: Country is a huge -- for us, it's massive. It's my favorite style of music.
KING: Really?
K. JONAS: We actually introduced a little bit of that feel into the new record. We have a lot of steel guitar. We have fiddle. We actually brought a fiddle player out on the road with us this tour.
KING: More with the Jonas Brothers. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K. JONAS: The lights behind us are casting our shadows on to the screen. So they're seeing our images.
It's pretty cool. It's pretty interesting.
J. JONAS: I'm more worried the curtain is going to fall on us.
K. JONAS: I've thought that every single time we've done it.
J. JONAS: (INAUDIBLE) Every night it freaks me out.
K. JONAS: I slip on it every night. Watch me. I slip on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We talked about them a lot. Let's watch them perform. Here are the Jonas Brothers.
(SINGING)
KING: What a way to finish, huh, guys? The night with the Jonas Brothers, did you enjoy it? This has been a every special edition of LARRY KING LIVE from Cowboy Stadium. They haven't sold the name yet. That's going to take a little bread.
This is an incredible place with an incredible group of guys. We hope you enjoy it. We close with, go, Dodgers. Right?
K. JONAS: Let's go Dodgers.
KING: Good night. Stay tuned for more with Anderson Cooper. Say good night.
(CROSSTALK)
