Here's some interview stuff I collected some years ago when I searched the www for more information (no, I don't have screens from the articles, it's just what somebody wrote down and posted on the internet):
Quote:
KERRANG! No.501 July 02 1994:
(has the text BON JOVI! ALEC JOHN SUCH OUT?! on the front cover..)
BON JOVI BASS CRISIS!
Bon Jovi bassman Alec John Such will tour, but not record with Jersey giants!
BON JOVI bassist Alec John Such has made the shock revelation that he will not be playing on the next Bon Jovi album.
However, Such was at pains to set the record straight with mayhem, and confirm that he will be touring with New Jersey's favourite Rock cowboys.
Rumours circulated last week that the four-stringer had actually quit the band and been replaced by Meat Loaf's tour-bassist Kazim Sultan. These rumours were fired by the fact that sultan appeared with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora when the duo played at the prestigious Brit Awards a few months back.
In issue 483, Sambora told Kerrang! that Such couldn't be at the Brits with them, because he had "got himself involved with some shit that he couldn't get out of". He added: "We met Kazim on the flight over here, and said 'D'ya wanna play bass?'!"
Such flew into London last week in preparation for the 'Night Of 100 Guitars' event, held last weekend at Wembley Arena and organised by the Gibson Guitar company.
"The Guys are writing songs right now, but I'm not doing the next record with them," he admitted. "I will be touring with them, however. In fact, we've just done the MTV Movie Awards where we played a song together and a couple of new videos for future consumption in Europe. Plus we all went to the Bahamas to check out a studio over there and also to do a live telecast.
"I mean, I'm still in touch with what's going on, they send me tapes to ask my opinion and stuff, but the thing is I want time to smell the roses. I want to do some stuff for myself, like doing guitar clinics, and basically jam with a bunch of other people."
How did the rest of the band react to your decision? "well, Jon always thinks I suck anyway!" Such chuckled. I don't think they minded. It's just one of those things where I wanted to do a bunch of other things. See, the last time we were off the road I went and broke my collar bone in a motorcycle accident, so that meant I couldn't do anything.
"In fact there was a period where I didn't know if I was going to be able to play the bass again. So, whilst Jon and Richie did albums,David (Bryan, Jovi Keyboardist) did his movie soundtrack stuff, I couldn't do anything. As a result, i felt they were ahead of me in that respect.
"It Just felt right to look at other things. At one time, Bon Jovi was the one, the only, the be all and end all, but I'm finding there ARE other things."
Such's place for the next record will be taken by seasoned session man Dewey McDonald ("An excellent bass player. The Real studio type," comments Alec) and not Sultan, "despite the fact that he has a cool name!".
One of the projects Such is currently involved with is the co-management and production of an as-yet-nameless band he's discovered in florida, who he rates very highly indeed. "They have the potential to soar like an eagle, but they don't realise it yet," he enthuses.
"But it's up to them, otherwise they could just fly with all the other pigeons, y'know?"
Of his invitation to appear at the Wembley event, Such was clearly delighted to be given the chance to play with the likes of legendary Free/bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers and one-time Journey guitar hero Neal Schon. It helped that Such is endorsed by Gibson! His pipedream of playing on tour with The Rolling Stones remains just that, however.
I didn't really put the word out that I was interested in the gig. It was just a dream I had. But I figured it would have been cool, when I was old and grey, to tell anyone who asked me,'Well, who'd ya play with?' that i played with Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones. I would be too cool. I'd have to kill myself!"
DAVE REYNOLDS, KERRANG!
|