Richie Sambora - Midday with Kerri-Anne (Australia) - June 22nd 1998
Starts with Richie singing “In It For Love”. Richie is wearing a black and purple shirt and a black jeans. He looks very relaxed, happy and smiling and laughing through the whole interview.
KAK: We just heard him play his latest single “In It For Love” from his current album Undiscovered Soul. Please welcome to Midday Richie Sambora ***Richie walks out smiling. Kisses Kerri-anne, smiles and waves to the audience*** Some one in the audience yells “Hey Richie” Richie says “How ya doin’?”
KAK: They love you Richie and we love you. Welcome.
RS: Thank you so much, thank you.
KAK: I mean it is great fun. Look there’s a man with a camera, not just our studio camera, he’s up there, he’s got his happy snap up there, we’ve got signs from Bon Jovi.
RS:***pointing you pic in audience*** When I was younger.
KAK: They love you Richie.
RS: That pic was pre Heather, pre Heather.
KAK: Heather Locklear, your wife.
RS: Yes, yes.
KAK: How is she?
RS: Excellent, excellent. We have a new baby daughter, things are going really well ***shows pic of Heather and Richie***
KAK: Oh gorgeous. There we go we have a photograph ***shows pic of Heather Richie and Ava*** Now how old’s your baby daughter?
RS: 8 months.
KAK: Wow, gee, you know a lot of people say rock ‘n’ roll isn’t a very conducive lifestyle to families and babies and wives and all that sort of stuff. How do you cope?
RS: I think that you know..... I’m a family oriented person and I always wanted to have a family, always wanted to have a really good relationship, I just never really found anybody until I met Heather, so then I think what has to happen is you just have to balance it. After you start to... you prioritise I think, basically. You have to carve out time for the relationship to make it the most important thing in your life.
KAK: But when you’re touring and with this album, your second solo album, when you’re touring how hard is it to maintain, cause Heather isn’t with you, how hard is it to maintain that relationship?
RS: Umm, you know, I’m a man of my own destiny at this point, I think I’m self-employed so I just really tour for about two-and-a-half weeks then I go home for two-and-a-half weeks, then I go back for two-and-a-half weeks. I’ll be going to Europe in July, South America in August, then back in the States in September then back to Europe in October. That’s it, I try, two-and-a-half weeks home, two-and-a-half weeks out.
KAK: Do you talk on the phone a lot?
RS: Oh Absolutely
KAK: How many calls a day?
RS: Two or three.
KAK: Ohhh, isn’t that nice....
RS: I miss the baby, gee, I miss my wife.
KAK: So what’s the latest on the baby. At 8 months, what’s the latest Heather had to impart?
RS: Dada, Dada ***Huge smile***
KAK: So that’s good...
RS: That’s good, that’s really good ***still smiling*** And you know, your heart just goes ***Makes a spilling motion with his hands*** I just become total jello.
KAK: That’s wonderful. It’s nice to know that relationships can survive with that sort of dedication you’re talking about.
RS: I mean that’s what you have to do I think that it’s important, especially you know, cause we’re both working, you know, it’s very very important.
KAK: Well talking about working. Love the album, love the song.
RS: Thank you.
KAK: As everyone would be familiar, you’re the guitarist part of one of the worlds most successful rock bands. You’ve co-written over 60 Top 40 hits....
RS: I think probably more in the 40 range...
KAK: Oh don’t be modest...
RS: That’s pretty good though ***Smiles and laughs***
KAK: Pretty darn good. So with all that as part of Bon Jovi and it’s very much a collaborative effort all of a sudden you’ve got your second solo album. ***Talking over Keep The Faith video clip*** How much added pressure is it for Richie Sambora to be out there singing, playing an so-writing?
RS: You know, I think I do it naturally. I just really enjoy it. I’m very very passionate about singing I just don’t get the chance in the band thing because Jon is the lead singer, so I felt that I just always had another career that was just kinds waiting in the wings ***back to Richie and Kerri*** . This record just came out so good. You know, you make a record and you’re not really sure just exactly how it’s gonna come out and then when it just came out so well... and I had such great help on this record, a great, legendary producer Mr Don Was and some wonderful wonderful musicians and umm, it just came out so good. It felt like it was the beginning of Richie Sambora being the singer and the front man, so I am very comfortable with it actually.
KAK: With your band, your touring band around the world, they’ve got some serious credentials, can you give us a run down of the people you’re working with and who they have worked with and supported in the past?
RS: Well, on the record of course was Don Was, who produced the last three Rolling Stones albums and Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bonny Rait, Willy Nelson and Merle Haggart. Billy Preston plays some keys on the record. A great song writer, a guy who co-wrote the songs with me Mr Richie Supa.... Oh geez.... Steven Tyler from Aerosmith played the harp on a couple of songs.... It’s just an endless array of people. Playing with me today, Kaza Sultan from Utopia and Joey and Bruno from Expose, so it’s a, I like playing with other musicians, I think that’s really great. It’s so much fun for me to work with other people, cause it keeps the musical lines of communication open. (sorry if I have spelt any of the names wrong I wasn’t sure)
KAK: Also you’ve worked with people like Cher, Meatloaf, Foreigner, Joan Jett, Bryan Adams, I mean, that’s just... extraordinary
RS: Let the party begin.... ***Laughs and smiles***
KAK: Apart from all that wonderful musical talent, which is pretty cool, do you ever have a competition of who’s got the most outrageous rock ‘n’ roll story?
RS: Not really. And this is a family show, let’s not get into that ***laughs***. Let’s put it this way, when we were young, long time ago, well not too long ago, we lived it to the fullest. It was a different time period.
KAK: Well what’s the craziest thing. We don’t want to be too shocked, but the craziest thing...
RS: You know, I mean... Just use your imagination, that’s the best I can do. I mean it’s....... Whatever you think we did, multiply that by ten, add a million and that’s what we did, we had a great time.
KAK: Oh what a life folks, some people live excitingly... Now the song “Made In America” is very autobiographical. It’s a song about you growing up in New Jersey, since most of us haven’t been here. How tough was life growing up there?
RS: It wasn’t really tough, I just took a sentimental, like a sonic snapshot, that particular song is like a sonic snapshot of the way I grew up in America. But I think that people everywhere are gonna experience the same things that we did and I try to do something to let people into my life a little bit, to actually let them know Richie Sambora a little bit further, because I think music is a very conversational thing and if I’m gonna talk to someone they should know who they’re talking to, so it’s the first song on the record and it kind of lets people into my life a little bit and ummm I think that once.... I want them to get to know who they’re talking to, who they’re having a conversation with, cause music really does that I think.
KAK: All the members of Bon Jovi are from New Jersey, along with Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, what is it about New Jersey?
RS: I dont know, it’s quite a melting pot for entertainment. I think it has to do with the proximity so close to New York City, being such a mecca and there’s so many great, when I was coming up in the music business, so many great proving grounds, clubs and places to play actually. I think that’s a whole magnet for the whole industry.
KAK: I also understand you were in a band with Frank Stallone. That’s Sylvester Stallone’s brother.
RS: Many moons ago.
KAK: I mean when Sly Stallone was starting with his enormous success with the first Rocky films, did you guys get a chance to hang out a lot?
RS: Actually yeah. Sly came to rehersal. He came to rehearsal and sang Born To Be Wild once.
KAK: Sly Stallone?
RS: Yeah it was fun. He’s a good guy. I was actually in a movie too with frank. Staying Alive. I made my first cameo in a movie, I guess I was about 19 at that point in time. I was down on my luck and I needed some money so Sly put me in his movie, that was pretty cool, he’s a nice guy.
KAK: He’s a nice guy, but how does he sing Born To Be Wild though?
RS: Just like he talks ***laughs***
KAK: Now another song on the album which you wrote and I’ve got to tell you, this is every girl’s dream, you wrote a song for your wife Heather and it’s just so beautiful. When did you.. How did she react when you first played it to her?
RS: "All That Really Matters" is a song that I co-write with Richie Supa about really finding the foundation in your life and knowing what you can’t live without really, and umm I looked at my wife one day and it seemed to be that and now with my kid, it’s even further. I think the song has gotten deeper. I think anyone who’s found that in their life or it could be..... For a long time it was just my guitar that really mattered to me before I met my wife.
KAK: Did she cry when she first heard it?
RS: No she didn’t, she just, she enjoyed it.
KAK: Is it tough trying to get two careers on the path. Do you have Melrose Parties like everyone else? I mean come on, everyone has Melrose Parties.
RS: ***Laughing*** No, but we do watch it together. My wife works so hard I think she has to watch the show to see what’s really going on with the other characters ***talking over a clip from Melrose Place*** in the show, so she keeps up on it so every week we both watch it together. And because if I didn’t you know, she’d tan my hide ***laughing***
KAK: So you’ve got to tell her how she’s going.
RS: Absolutely.
KAK: Just like every good relationship. ***back to Richie and Kerri***
RS: Yeah she does the same thing for me, so it’s the same thing. I always bounce stuff off her.
KAK: Do you find people, because she plays a vixen in Melrose especially, do you find people confuse, blur the lines between what real life is and what is the character in the TV show?
RS: I think yeah... everyone expects my wife to be a bitch I think. She’s not at all. The character she plays on TV is pretty harsh ***laughing***. I’m glad she’s not like that in real life, let’s put it that way.
KAK: So they’re poles apart?
RS: Yeah poles apart.
KAK: Well how could she, she’s married to a gorgeous man, don’t you agree? ***Audience claps and agrees***
RS: Oh please ***rolls his eyes*** Thank you so much.
KAK: So you’re touring the world. It is hard work, you’ve got a lot ahead of you. What do you think you would like to do next?
RS: You know, continue making more records. Go into more production, I’ve produced some records. I co-produced my last album and I co-produced the last Bon Jovi record, but bringing new artists into the world. Maybe having more children, being a good dad, a good husband, just continuing the song writing.
KAK: How many more children would you like?
RS: As many as my wife wants. I really enjoy it. So it’s really up to her.
KAK: Isn’t that gorgeous...
RS: ***BIG SMILE*** And I like the practice too *wink wink*.
KAK: Well you’ve got a whole bunch of fans here. We’ve got a big sign over there that says Richie, we’ve got all your photographs the whole lot. I was to thank you for being so kind and so generous, singing so beautifully for us. The album is called Undiscovered Soul, it is out in the record stores. You’re a delight to have with us.. Ladies and gentlemen, please thank Richie Sambora.
RS: Thank you so much. ***shakes Kerri’s hand and waves to audience***