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, alone 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*** Richie “King Of The Hill - Today we join Richie Sambora in the Californian mansion he shares with his actress wife Heather Locklear. We have come to hear how he went from playing in no-hope bar bands to making “f**k-faces” at stadium crowds around the world with Bon Jovi... Richie Sambora is grinning as he strolls out of his massive California home, clutching his two-month-old daughter with both hands. Ava Elisabeth Sambora squints against the midday sun, looking suitably cute in her light-blue denim dungarees and hat. Sambora’s actress wife Heather Locklear looks similarly cheerful as she drags a pushchair across the front drive. The view from here is breathtaking, taking in a panoramic range of hills. This whole area is enclosed and guarded, populated as it is by the rich and famous. ‘Men In Black’ star Will Smith lives nearby. Yet Richie Sambora is leaving this idyllic retreat. Not content with 18 months off from Bon Jovi, he spent last year making his second solo album, ‘Undiscovered Soul’, and will now fly to Europe to discuss it with journalists. A black limousine chugs patiently by the electronic main gates. On the way here, I advised the driver against repeating his “I had Cher in the back of this very limo” anecdote. Cher is Sambora’s ex-love. There should be no problems. The Sambora home looks even bigger on the inside, if that is possible. A foyer leads into a huge lounge. To the left is a stock room where 60 guitars are racked like library books. Before we leave, Richie has a “traditional” shot of tequila. “This is rock ‘n’ roll,” he chuckles. “Just cos I’m not chasing women anymore, don’t mean I can’t have fun!” As the limo glides through the gates, Richie waves another fond farewell to Heather and Ava. Is it not at times like this that Mr Sambora wonders why he really has to bother with solo albums? “Nahhh,” he smirks. “The only problem with today is, I spent yesterday working from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 the next morning. I didn’t get to bed until 5:30am, and the kid woke up at 6:30! Besides that, it’s enjoyable.” Let’s rewind to yesterday’s “work” - a video for the first single to be taken from ‘Undiscovered Soul’. The shoot is for ‘Hard Times Come Easy’, which is taking place on Hollywood’s Santa Monica Boulevard. It’s a typical affair, full of loud Americans in a flap, with far too many people trying to organise simple things. In this same studio today, Quentin Tarantino’s band (yes, the one he’s in), A Band Apart, are also filming a video. We wait for hours before a Sambora/Kerrang! interface is allowed to occur. “Believe me, man, this has nothing to do with my non-respect,” sighs Richie when he eventually flops on to the black leather sofa in his dressing room. He springs up again to explain the presence of some objects which look like plastic vegetables, and which turn out to be percussive shakers - a gift for one of the many musos who will turn up for no good reason tonight. Then for 20 minutes, as he sips white wine, we are able to talk Richie Sambora: guitarisr, singer, songwriter, ‘that bloke with the really big hair out of Bon Jovi’. Richie Sambora’s Italian-Polish parents were dancers, so there was usually music around the house. His father also worked part-time as a salesman in a New Jersey department store. A 12-year-old Richie had already tackled the trumpet and accordion, but soon realised these instruments were no ladykillers. A trumpet-tooting Jimi Hendrix would clearly have resembled a wanker. “I kept asking my father for a guitar,” says Richie with a smile, “and he finally brought back a Japanese one which someone had returned to the store. He paid 10 bucks to take it himself. It never stayed in tune, but I loved it. I ended up breaking it onstage, though, after I got a new one.” Following in the footsteps of his beloved rock greats, Richie proceeded to teach himself. “That taught me to not have an ego, and to see that making mistakes was going to lead me down other roads with endless possibilities. That rang true throughout my life, in record-making and relationships. “I would sit on my bed for hours, constantly listening to guitar players that moved me emotionally; like Hendrix, Page, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, The Allman Brothers, Black Sabbath. Guys with a modern-day blues feels. The blues bring out an emotional input from you.” In case you thought that last sentence was a misprint, Richie often lapses into blues/jazz-speak admiringly labelling people as “cats”. At other times, he is eyebrow-raisingly earthy. “If you wanna wank, that’s the best way to wank,” he smiles of ‘da blooz’. “People tell me, ‘Stop making those f**k-faces!’, but you can’t. I tried man! But it’s natural to make f**k-faces while you play.” As young Sambora strummed away in his Sayreville, New Jersey hometown, was he already visualising the stadium tours, the fame, the weakened nasal membranes, the clandestine fellatio? “Nah,” he shrugs. “Not even close. I was just trying to play. I was always the kind of guy who picked up an instrument and understood the language of music. It hit me in the heart. Even today, music means a lot to me. It’s accompanied me through my life, and it’s taught me the way to live. I find dignity in it.” Just as this delightful imagery unfolds, we are told that Richie is needed back on the set. Shame... “I’ll have vodka and anything,” cracks Richie the next day, scouring the airport-bound limo for booze. We settle for bottles of water, and the story picks up at the moment of a 15-year-old Richie realised that, as a guitarist, he had “the bull by the horns”. “I was standing onstage at junior high,” he recalls, “playing ‘One Way Up’ by the Allman Brothers, along with a couple of older cats. It was a ‘Battle Of The Bands’, and I knew I was playing and phrasing correctly. I could think for myself through my hands “We were very young, but had really good harmonies. That was from my Motown training - I used to stand on a street corner and sing with my friends. But I was still only imitating other people.” In the years that followed, Richie admits, he and his bandmates spend much of their time “getting awful f**ked up. We were doing all kinds of drugs and shit. It was just that time. All our favourite rock heroes were dying, and everybody else was f**ked up on smack.” By the time he joined Bon Jovi in 1983, he’d been through “15 bands, two record deals, running my own independent record label, managing a music store and part-owning a bar”. “The same guy co-funded the label and the bar,” he adds. “I knew all the bands, booked everybody in, and played there myself in a spontaneous jam-band called Richie Sambora And Friends. I didn’t make any money, but all my friends were area musicians, so it was cool. The drinking age was 18 back then. When it became 21, I lost a lot of people.” On the kind of day you could describe as ‘fateful’ if anything actually came from it, Richie was called to audition for Kiss. While the 22-year-old jetted over to California to do just that, Bon Jovi bassist-to-be Alec Jon Such watched over the bar. “When I came back from this f**king weekend bender, Alec said this kid Jon Bon Jovi had played and I should check his band out. So I did, and thought Jon was very charismatic but had a missing piece in that band. I walked up to him and said ‘I’ve got some songs, I’ve had a couple of record deals, we should get together.’ He just said, ‘Yeah, yeah’, before realising I was serious.” A week later, Richie got to call to come and play with Jon’s band. Six months after that, Bon Jovi had its first record deal. As soon as Richie got some “bread”, the first thing he did was retire his dad. “He’s had two jobs for 27 odd years,” he marvels, “which is disgusting. I told him ‘Stop! Blow it off!’. Actually, when Ava was born in November, I flew my parents out here so they could live with me for a couple of months and enjoy the whole trip.” From the moment Richie met Jon, the rest is history. Bon Jovi saw a billion faces and, er, rocked them all. Sambora established himself as one of rock’s most accomplished guitarists. Does Richie appreciate latterday guitarists like Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello or Korn’s Munky and Head? “Yeah, totally. These guys that are playing that kind of metal style are very accomplished musicians. Bands like Stabbing Westward and shit like that are rhythmically very strong. It’s not my style and I’m not gonna play that way, because I’m more of a wanker! I like to pick a guitar up and wank away. “I’ve heard Korn a lot,” he adds. “I don’t know what they’re singing about, but I dig the music. They’ve got a twisted sense of melody that I think is pretty cool.” After 24 years of axe-battering, however, Sambora has decided that “the space between notes is just as important of the notes that are played”. ‘Undiscovered Soul’ is no volcano of previously bottled-up guitar histrionics. It’s a low-key, warm exercise in sonic positivity. “I really wanted to show people I’m a complete artist, not just a guitar player,” he admits. “I wanted to pay attention to the songs, and realised I didn’t have to put myself in any genre.” The album is clearly not financially motivated. “Absolutely,” he shrugs. “I mean, what do you do? When you finally get yourself into a position where you’re not jet-setting around the world, and you have a good relationship and a good family, how do you get your rocks off? This is how you do it - evolution.” Sambora describes the album’s opening song, ‘Made In America’, as: “A sentimental look at what life was like for me, growing up in America at that particular time. When John Lennon was shot, I couldn’t talk to people for two days. It f**ked me up. I was originally not going to make the song autobiographical. I was going to use characters, like Tommy and Gina...” That’s Tommy and Gina from Bon Jovi’s ‘86 mega-hit ‘Living On A Prayer’, in which Richie had a lyrical hand. “I had a hand in all the lyrics,” Richie points out. “Jon and I are both complete songwriters. It’s not like he’s the lyricist and I’m the musician. “But I don’t have to stand beside the large image of Bon Jovi on this record. Hopefully, people will view me as an artist in my own right and not compare me. This is not that kind of stadium record.” People will, of course, compare ‘Undiscovered Soul’ to Jon Bon Jovi’s own solo work, ‘Destination Anywhere’. “Well, that’s fine. That’s what he did; I do what I do. Jon’s heard the new album, and he told me he liked it. It’s just the best songs I could write at this particular time. And everybody’s surprised I could sing.” But you’ve always done backing vocals in Bon Jovi..... “Yeah, but no one knows that,” he smiles. “You might know that, partly because Bon Jovi is huge in England, but we’re not that big everywhere else. “With Bon Jovi, there’s a preconceived notion,” he allows. “The problem I have, is that I’m stuck there. People who are not fans of Bon Jovi will go ‘That’s ‘Slippery When Wet’! Remember that guy with the big hair - the guitar player?!’. I don’t have any way of getting out of that unless I go and do these records, so I can have a career for myself. He stops for a second, probably imagining headlines like ‘Bon Jovi Guitarist Wants Own Career!’. The limo is approaching LAX airport. “Look, man,” he sighs. “Bon Jovi has afforded me a wonderful life, a wonderful career. I love this band and I’m not leaving, or anything like that. There’s just a stigma that I’ve got to overcome. Whereas with Jon - he is Bon Jovi. People look at him as Bon Jovi, so that’s where he is. “When I’m in the band, I’m 1,000 per cent in the middle of it. Out of the band, all I can do is hope that people will give me a chance. And it’s a large hope...” JON BON JERSEY He's a rock star. He's a movie star. But at the end of the day, Jon Bon Jovi just wants to get back home. In its 17 years of existence, the band Bon Jovi has managed to sell an astonishing 80 million albums. But just as remarkable is the success that the leader of this quartet, Jon Bon Jovi, has had in Hollywood. In fact, when it comes to musicians who move into movies, Bon Jovi, 38, is giving Mark Wahlberg plenty of competition. Since his debut in the 1994 independent film "Moonlight and Valentino," Bon Jovi has done seven feature films, each time working with a higher-profile cast. His latest big screen effort is the current hit "U-571," a World War II submarine adventure in which he plays a cool-as-cucumber lieutenant, co-starring with Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel. And now he's filming "Pay It Forward" with Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt. Calling from his home in New Jersey, Bon Jovi spoke to The Post fondly about his native state, about the rigours of balancing an acting and a musical career and about making the band's latest record "CRUSH," and old-school rock 'n' roll record due in stores Tuesday. POST: Not every musician who tries to make it in Hollywood succeeds. Why have you? JBJ: I didn't make the sad mistake of thinking that just because I'm a singer in a rock 'n' roll band I could just go and make a movie. That's suicide. I studies, and I'm still learning the cr POST: Your work in U-571 earned some very nice notices. Should that surprise anyone? JBJ: Again, I study the craft. I only claim to be a student of the art form, nothing more. But the fearlessness I had when I was 21, I have with acting. I'm not afraid of any role, and movie stars don't scare me. I ain't afraid of nothing. POST: Everybody's afraid of something... JBJ: Well getting stuck in an elevator, that scares the s- - - out of me. POST: Wait a minute: U-571 is a submarine story. Aren't subs claustrophobic? JBJ: The irony of that isn't lost on me. My first big Hollywood movie and it has to be about a submarine. But in all honesty the movie magic allowed me to do those tight scenes. POST: You also won excellent reviews for "The Leading Man," in which you play a very convincing and charming S.O.B. Are you ever that mean? JBJ: I drew on my experiences. How many of those people do you think I know in the music business? Maybe a thousand? And everybody in the business is your best friend and your worst enemy rolled into one. POST: You've had a lot of success in the '80s and early '90s. But then it seemed you stopped making music to concentrate on movies. did your band become an afterthought? JBJ: It looks like a long hiatus, but actually a lot was done in that time. We had a record in '95 ("These Days"), and we followed it up with a world tour that lasted a couple of years. Then we all took a break to work on solo stuff. POST: Were you tired of rock 'n' roll? JBJ: No. It was to get new information in my life. Then in September of '98 we got back together, which was the plan all along. I met with the band. I had 30 songs demo-ed, but we soon discovered that [our label] PolyGram was no longer. [It had folded.] We found out our contract had been picked and we were on Island/Def Jam label. So we held off on the album for a while until we figured out where we stood in the new company. POST: What happened then? JBJ: Richie and I kept writing, I filmed "U-571" and then the day I arrived home from the shoot I learned our produced had died. The 0nly good news at that point was that we were ready to go into the studio and we had 60 original songs to choose from. POST: That's a lot of music. How did you narrow it down? JBJ: These are the songs that have a story. POST: What's the story? JBJ: This about a bunch of ordinary guys who have grown up in the public eye who feel comfortable in their shoes. POST: How about an example? JBJ: The lyric "I like the bed I'm sleeping in, just like me it's broken in, it's not old, just older." I'm saying I am who I am. POST: You sound pretty content. Are you? JBJ: Yeah, man. I learned over time to try and enjoy every moment for what it is. And like Frankie [Sinatra] sang, "I did it my way." POST: What gives you this freedom? JBJ: First of all, I was incredibly young when I got my record deal. I was signed at 21, so I didn't have a life that was run by fear of paying the credit card company. I didn't have a car, a house or a wife. I didn't have anything -- I had a guitar and a dream. Fortunately for me and the band, by the third record we realized we didn't have to chase anyone else and we became our own men. That's why the album cover to "Slippery When Wet" is a garbage can instead of a picture of us out in LA. POST: Does New Jersey have anything to do with that? JBJ: I live where I grew up. I've traveled the world, visited some beautiful places and I always want to come back home. It's what I'm used to. I did a movie in London ["The Leading Man"] and I could speak the language, but it was still a foreign country. At the end of the day I wanted to come home. When I'm away, it's about getting back to Jersey. AOL Chat with Jon Bon Jovi before Destination Anywhere Premiere June 17, 1997 OnlineHost: Ask Jon Bon Jovi the difference between writing for a Bon Jovi album and writing for his own project and he's quick to explain: "When you're making a band record, it is a collaborative effort. It's not always my story or his story; it becomes our story. But this time," Jon pauses, "it's just my voice." Please welcome Jon Bon Jovi to AOL Live! OnlineHost: Want to know what else is happening in AOL Live? The best place to find out about upcoming events is in the AOL Live Newsletter! It can be sent to you via email each Monday, FREE! To sign up, go to keyword: "HotLive" and be sure to subscribe for yours today! It's that EASY! OnlineHost: Your emcees for tonight are Jane (AOLiveMC5) and Robert (AOLiveMC4). AOLiveMC5: Welcome to AOL, everyone, and a special to Jon Bon Jovi. We have lots of questions so we're going to jump right in. Question: I have to say, I really enjoy the new CD and loved seeing you live at the Showgram in NY. Any little shows coming up in NJ? JnBonJovi: No. Tomorrow night's show in NYC is the only area show playing. Question: Jon Bon Jovi, what is your favorite song on the new CD? JnBonJovi: Richie is completing his album and we will tour early next year. My favorite song to play live is "Destination Anywhere." Question: If you were to do a duet with a female singer, who would you like that to be? JnBonJovi: Chrisy Hynde. Question: Jon, please tell me if you are doing a Christmas show this year. And do you have more plans to model? New CD is fantastic. JnBonJovi: There's no Christmas show planned for this year, as the band is not touring. I'm glad you like the new CD. Question: What is your favorite thing about your career? JnBonJovi: The favorite thing about my career is writing the songs. Question: How is acting compared to touring? JnBonJovi: Though I don't sleep in my own bed, I sleep in the same bed for three months at a time. The biggest differences is I don't write the material for a film. Question: What was your favorite group as a kid? JnBonJovi: My favorite group as a kid were Southside Johnnie and The Asbury Jukes. Question: Why did you decide to do your own record without the band? JnBonJovi: The reason I decided to do a record without a band was simply to bring back other experiences to the band. Question: Jon, I really love the new CD! One of my favorite songs is "Queen of New Orleans." Was there really a queen? JnBonJovi: No, "Queen of New Orleans" is purely fictional, as it was written after my trip to New Orleans for the Superbowl. Question: How did you come up with the title, "Destination Anywhere?" JnBonJovi: The thought came up in England when I was filming "The Leading Man." I don't know how but it was a fitting title. Question: Which do you get the most satisfaction from, solo or group performances? JnBonJovi: I enjoy both. Just the pleasure of playing is enough for me. Question: Jon, do you think you will ever make it back to Tucson, Arizona for a concert? You promised back in 1987 and I have been waiting. I am disabled and it is impossible for me to go out of town. I would love to see you and am one of your biggest fans. JnBonJovi: I don't having any touring plans for the rest of 1997 to Tucson. It's not in my immediate future, although I'd love to come back. Question: Do you know when "The Leading Man" will be released in the U.S.? JnBonJovi: No, I'm afraid I have no information regarding "The Leading Man" and the U.S. distributor. Question: Jon Bon Jovi, I was wondering, is there a movie that you would love to star in that would be a remake? I could see you playing Eddie from "Eddie and The Cruisers." JnBonJovi: I don't think so. It was an awful movie. It needed a script. AOLiveMC5: But it would be so much better with you in it, Jon! Question: Jon, where do you go from here? I mean, is there anything else you want to conquer? And your album is great. I'm listening to it now and love it. Thanks. JnBonJovi: "Destination Anywhere" is truly fitting title for my life right now, as I have no grand master plan. I'm just having fun experimenting. Question: Jon, do you want your children to follow in your footsteps? Are they already into music? JnBonJovi: It's great work if you can get it, and I would certainly not discourage their wanting to be in the music business. Question: What comes first when you write a song: the lyrics or the melody? And how long, on average, does it take to write a song? JnBonJovi: Sometimes, it takes a half an hour. Sometimes, it takes weeks. And it's never the same twice. Question: Did you ever take vocal lessons and, if yes, who taught you? JnBonJovi: Yes I did take vocal lessons. Katie Agresta was the vocal coach in New York. Question: Do you write songs mostly on guitar or piano? JnBonJovi: I write on both guitar and piano. Question: Has making the move to movies had an affect on your song writing? JnBonJovi: Perhaps movie-making has made my lyric writing more concise. Question: Hey Jon, I've been a huge fan since the beginning. I've seen you (the band) 14 times. I was wondering how come the last couple of tours, you guys haven't played any of the old stuff: "Runaway," "Roulette," "Breakout," etc.? JnBonJovi: "Destination Anywhere" is my ninth album. Obviously, there is not enough time during one show to play every album, and you have to choose accordingly. Question: What was it like working with Whoopi Goldberg? JnBonJovi: Whoopi is the best as you'll see tonight in the premiere of the "Destination Anywhere" film. She is a sweetheart. Question: I just bought your new CD and it's great. Did you do something different for the song "Queen Of New Orleans?" Your voice sounds different. Thanks. JnBonJovi: All I did for the "Queen of New Orleans" was sing it in a lower key. Question: Are you going to put out any more music videos to buy? I need to add to my collection! JnBonJovi: Perhaps the "Destination Anywhere" film and the "Electronic Press Kit" will be for sale around Christmas. Question: Jon, do you have a web page on here with pictures? JnBonJovi: Yes, I believe we do. Polygram should have one under http://www.jonbonjovi.com. Question: Since it sounds like "Destination Anywhere" the movie has a cliffhanger ending, is there any chance for a sequel? JnBonJovi: Nice idea, but unlikely. Question: Hey, JBJ! I just bought your new album today and I've listened to it again and again! It's very good! I can't wait to see your new movie tonight. Can you tell me a little bit about your character? JnBonJovi: My character is fictionally based on me, as the album must relate to me. But it's the story of a couple dealing with the loss of a child. Question: Being a fan of yours from way, way, way back (talking early 80's clubbing scene), it's pretty cool that you never got caught up in scandals, nor have I ever had a glimpse of your kids. Is it a hassle to keep your private life so private, especially in the 90's? JnBonJovi: I'd like to keep my skeletons in the closet and my kids out of the spotlight. They didn't choose show business. Question: Have you ever thought about putting out a multimedia CD that has interviews and clips on it along with the music? JnBonJovi: No. I'm just catching up to interactive and computers. Question: Aloha Mr. Bon Jovi! I love your music, especially now. You have cooled down in your style of music from the early days. How do fans of the old Bon Jovi react to that? JnBonJovi: I don't know. I just hope that they give me the opportunity to grow as a songwriter. Fifteen years into record-making, you hope people give you the opportunity to grow, not only as a performer but as an individual. Question: You are one of the few rockers with real credibility as an actor. Is there a role (in an existing play or even in a yet-unadapted-for-film novel) that you'd be particularly interested in playing? JnBonJovi: I'm always looking for a good role. The scripts that I've been given are dialogue-driven, and that's always the type of character in a film I'm looking to play. Question: I heard you this morning on "Howard Stern." You were great as usual. How did you like being on his show? JnBonJovi: Howard has been wonderful to me. He was especially in a good mood this morning. I loved doing the show. Question: What was most challenging with this album? JnBonJovi: Trying to reinvent myself and not giving in to the pressure of trying to revert to surefire Bon Jovi hits in order to perhaps make a more commercially viable record. Question: Jon, would you ever do a Broadway show? If so, do you have any one in mind? JnBonJovi: No. I've had offers in the last year, but it's too similar to touring, doing eight shows a week. Question: Jon, I know you are busy with acting and song writing, but are you still into riding Harleys? JnBonJovi: Yes, though I have hardly ridden at all this year. I'd like to go out on another trip soon. Question: Lyrically and musically, what was your inspiration for the tune "Bed of Roses?" It's an incredible song. JnBonJovi: Thank you. A terrible vodka hangover and the consideration of Danny Korchmar, who convinced me to complete the song. Question: Jon, many so-called 80's bands have tried to change for the 90's. Bon Jovi, I feel, did that very well. Were any musical changes planned in order to survive in the music biz, or did you simply grow as musicians? JnBonJovi: The period between "Young Guns," "Stranger in This Town" and "Keep the Faith" helped us grow as musicians and as people. Question: Jon, are you going to ask local bands to support you next time you gig in England, like the Milton Keynes dates? It was so nice seeing local talent and nice of you to give them the chance to play a once-in-a-lifetime gig. JnBonJovi: Sure. Even as of tonight, I have no idea who the band is opening for me tomorrow night in New York. I do believe it is a local band. Question: OK, here's a completely off the wall question: What do you like to do in your limited off time? JnBonJovi: Sleep. Question: I just ordered your new CD last Saturday and I love "Midnight in Chelsea," but did any of the other Bon Jovi members play any music on the album? JnBonJovi: Dave Bryan played piano and accordion on "Staring at Your Window," and he is the only member of the band that performed on the album. Question: What was it like working with Demi Moore for the "Destination Anywhere" film? JnBonJovi: Incredible with a capital "I." She is the most wonderful girl you could ever want to know and also a seasoned pro. I adore her. Question: Which Bon Jovi album are you the most proud of? JnBonJovi: I'm proud of all of them because, at that given time in my life, it's the best record I could have made. Question: What do you think about today's alternative music? Do ever wish it would be like the old days, good ol' rock 'n roll? JnBonJovi: No, I enjoy the constant challenges and the reinventing of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen." Question: Hi Jon. Saw you guys play at the Viacom. Great show! Who are the drummer and the percussionist? I thought Bobby B. was great and always great to see Hugh! See you July 4th. JnBonJovi: The drummer was Sean Pelton. He is the drummer from Saturday Night Live. The percussionist was Everett Bradley. Question: Would you consider directing a movie in the future? JnBonJovi: One step at a time. I'm just learning about the acting process. Question: Jon, which of your guitars is your favorite? Why? What other instruments do you play? Love you big time, Liz P., Toronto, Canada (P.S. I was your "tour manager" in '93 for Canadian leg of K.T.F.). JnBonJovi: I love my Telecaster and Takamine acoustic guitar. Question: How did you think of the words to "Midnight In Chelsea?" JnBonJovi: It was my narration of a time spent in London. Question: Hi, Jon. I've seen you in the movie, "The Evening Star." When did you get interested in acting? JnBonJovi: I wasn't in "The Evening Star." Question: I know you are an R&B fan. Who are some of your favorites and/or influences? JnBonJovi: Sam Cooke, the Temps, and any early Motown. Question: What is the song "Naked" about? It's very cool! JnBonJovi: "Naked" is about a friend of a friend who, in so many words, knew how to look inside you and say, "Slow down. Just get back to what it is that makes you happy." And "Naked" is a metaphor for getting back to basics. Question: Are you planning on releasing any more singles from your album? JnBonJovi: I think we'll be releasing singles throughout '97 and '98. It depends on how much you like the album. Question: I'm listening to your album as of right now. It is really good. I noticed that Helena Christensen was singing background on one song. I had no idea she could sing. JnBonJovi: Helena is a big fan of singing and, at one time, sang opera. Question: How is your son doing? JnBonJovi: He's doing very well. Question: What is your most enjoyable role you have done so far in your acting career? JnBonJovi: I've been fortunate enough to have had several great experiences, but my time in London on "The Leading Man" and "Little City," which was shot in SF, thus far have been my favorites. Question: Jon, this morning on "Howard," I heard you say that when you worked at your cousin's studio, you had the chance to meet such great people as Queen and the Stones. Were they favorites of you growing up and did they give you any advice on making it? JnBonJovi: I always found the bigger the star, the nicer the person. Question: Jon, what made you decide to get a Superman tattoo? I love it! JnBonJovi: During the course of The Slippery When Wet Tour, I was flying across the arena to a platform at the back, and with the success of the album, I thought the tattoo expressed what I was feeling at the time. It was so symbolic at the time. Question: Hi, Jon. I was at the movie yesterday and I loved it! I have also been lucky enough to have had the new CD since Friday. I love that, too. "Ugly" is my favorite. What can we expect tomorrow at the Supper Club? JnBonJovi: I don't know. We'll see as we go along, Jennifer. Question: I loved you in "Moonlight in Valentino." Any plans to do a romantic comedy? You would be great! JnBonJovi: It would depend on the script. So many romantic comedies are contrived. I would have to find one that made sense. AOLiveMC5: Sorry, but we're out of time. Thanks for answering our questions and talking with us, Jon. JnBonJovi: Thank you all. Be sure to watch "Destination Anywhere" tonight on TV, and I hope you enjoy the album as much as I've enjoyed making it. Thanks and good night. AOLiveMC5: I know I'll be watching and listening. Thanks for joining us, audience.