A chat with Jack Ponti & Doug Katsaros - 1st Bon Jovi album

Hi guys!
I've recently got the chance to have a little chat briefly with Jack Ponti (member of Jons pre-Bon Jovi band The Rest & co-writer for "Shot Through the Heart" and Doug Katsaros (keyboards & vocals on the first Bon Jovi album). As you might understand the theme for the interview was the first Bon Jovi album. I've always been interested in finding the people who worked with Bon Jovi in different ways and hear their story. I've got a couple of those interviews in stock and some coming up. So I thought about sharing those chats I had with Jack & Doug first, really nice guys! If there is some kind of interest I may share some more of these.


Q: First of all. You played alongside Jon in the Rest. I've read some articles where you cites Jon as a "****ing rock star" even back then. What can you tell me about the Rest? In terms of material and success?

JP: The Rest was initially my band. Jon was in Atlantic City Expressway. We were introduced and the original plan was I was going to help him write some songs and get a demo together. One thing lead to another and he joined the band. We had a very tough time trying to get a record deal. We had a tough time in general, but we also had a lot of fun. Jon was very ambitious, very determined and was willing to work hard. I knew I wanted to write and produce and that is was lead to the break up of the band, not these silly rumors I've heard.

Jon loved the road and performing, I loved the studio. It was pretty easy to figure out who should be doing what. The Rest was extremely important to both Jon and me in terms of development as writers, performers, getting to understand the business, etc. I don't think either of us would have had careers if not for that band.

The Rest was me, Jon, Mick Seeley, Walter Lucas and Tommy Swift, later Tommy was replaced by Peter Barnett. The first song Jon wrote on his own and was performed by the band was called "Bobby's Girl", about Dorothea. He was extremely proud that he wrote a song on his own. I actually still have those handwritten lyrics somewhere and I've been meaning to give them to Jon. Mick wrote the keyboard intro on "Runaway" years later, as he was still working with Jon.

The Rest was very new wave pop punk, which was happening then and I was a devout student of Buddy Holly at the time, so it all sounded like that, major and happy. A song I wrote in the Rest came to have the magic formula all of us used in the 80s. Buddy Holly type songs are all major key 1-4-5 progressions. One day I though what if I change that to minor? Suddenly we had a minor 1-6-7 progression and that became all I wrote in for a very long time. I worshiped Alice Cooper and 1st heard that sequence in "Halo Of Flies" but had forgotten it. Minor 1-6-7 was THE chord progression for the 80s.

Q: Secondly, the song "Shot Through the Heart" was released on the first Bon Jovi album. What can you tell us about the writing of the song? Were you satisfied with Bon Jovis recording of it?

JP: Jon and I remained friends after the Rest. He came over and said "I want to write a song with the title, Shot Through The Heart", so we did. He was getting songs together for his demo. I know it was over 29 years ago because my wife was pregnant and my daughter is 29. It was written in NJ of course, Toms River to be exact. I think the hook was stronger than on the record, but it's fine. It's an important song for both Jon and me in many ways. All your songs are like your children.

Q: In what way were you told that the song would end up on Bon Jovis first album? How was your reaction to it? And have you heard the most recent live performance of the song in 2010?

JP: I knew it was going to be on the record because it was on the demo being shopped. I brought the demo to Atlantic Records myself and they wanted to sign him, but Polygram was already deep in the hunt. I had songs recorded/covered before so it wasn't like my career started with it. I was happy, but not more than usual. Jon wasn't a stranger to me obviously, so no big surprises there. Yes I heard it in 2010, it was nice to see Jon do older songs, I think the audience liked that as well, all of the songs.

Q: Last, did you write any more material with Jon? Something worth mentioning?

JP: We wrote other songs together. It is what it is. We were glued to hip for a very long period of time in out formative years.
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I also got to chat with Doug Kastaros. Fantastic human being. He greeted me with open arms and we had a good talk about his musical career. This is what he had to say about his work with Bon Jovi.

Q: What can you tell me about work on the first Bon Jovi album? There is virtually nothing out there about your work on the album.

DK: As for Jon Bon Jovi, his cousin, Tony Bongiovi was producing his first record, and they were all just kids, and Tony had also worked with me on some other projects, including my band with Peppy Castro and Bob Kulick called Balance. So when it came time to work on Bon Jovi, he remembered that I could both sing and play, and he called me (and some other ringers) in to make sure the record sounded as good as possible. Jon was very sweet and grateful, and I met David Bryan, of course, who kept in touch over the years, so much so that I was his music director for his off Broadway show called The Toxic Avenger. I remember singing some scratch lead vocals for Jon to follow, and also overdubbing some piano and synth parts - since David was not always around and he was only 17 anyway! Haha! But of course he has not only come of age, but is pretty iconically a rock star in his own right. Anyway, it was just a few days work, and a lot of fun. We're talking over 35 years ago, so who knows what really happened!
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That's it for this time. I hope you enjoy these kinds of nerd facts. These are the kind of threads I've been missing on the forum and I hope some of you will find it interesting !

So cool and interesting. Thanks a lot!

Not only interesting, priceless and precious! Thank you so much! Keep 'em coming, I LOVE this kind of stuff!

Thank you, can't wait to read the next one!

Really interesting little interview, thanks

Thank you so much for sharing this interview. I am a nerd and I love this kind of history!!

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

amazing!!! Thanks a lot!
And feel free to give us more!

Yep.

Great interview, very interesting to hear about Bon Jovi from somebody different for a change.