Jovitalk - Bon Jovi Fan Community - Interview with David

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Bon Jovi and me: David Bryan
2006-06-16 23:30:10

by Kate Sole

At seven years old David Bryan took his first piano lesson. Almost four decades later he is the lead keyboardist for one of the world's most successful stadium rock bands, Bon Jovi.

But as a classically trained musician New Jersey-born David Bryan Rashburn makes for an unlikely rocker. After studying the likes of Mozart, Bach and Beethoven - composers he still lists as his musical influences - he was eventually offered a place at the prestigious Julliard School Of Music.

However, when old high school buddy John Bongiovi called him up in 1983 to tell him he had won a local radio station contest and needed a band, his career path took a dramatic swerve.

The winning song 'Runaway' became Bon Jovi's first big hit. From then on it was a steady climb up the fame ladder until their third album 'Slippery When Wet' brought them the superstar success they had set out to achieve.

However unlike other rock 'n' roll bands out there, the New Jersey foursome have retained a 'clean-cut' image - perhaps this is down to a good public relations team but all the same, they attribute it to their hardworking and professional mentality.

Their story has not been without its twists however, they were even sued after their first album by Jon's cousin, Tony.

Solo projects have sparked talk about splits and more recently rumours circulated that the band had been killed in freak airplane accident - it later transpired that the plane had just skidded off the runway and nobody was injured.

Guitarist Richie Sambora is the band mate who can claim the most column inches as a result of his very public divorce from his wife of 11 years, Spin City actress Heather Locklear.

Media interest intensified further when the rocker started dating another Hollywood beauty going through an equally messy divorce, Denise Richards, who just happened to be friends with his estranged wife.

But pushing solo projects, divorce and near death experiences aside Bon Jovi are still going strong enjoying playing to sell-out audiences on their latest 'Have A Nice Day' tour.

Here the band's curly-haired keyboardist, David Bryan, take's time out to talk about why he is not interested in making headlines, the most rock 'n' roll thing he has ever done and writing Bon Jovi The Musical.

What are the Bon Jovi rituals before a gig
We you know we usually sacrifice a lamb, a few beheadings, we get a couple of virgins that sort of thing... not really I mean everything out her on the road is about getting the show done. Well not getting it done but making sure you are ready for it and making sure your body is in shape and then going out there and mentally getting yourself in the game.

What is on the Bon Jovi rider, Is there anything you have to have in the dressing room
Well no not really. Our wardrobe girls take care of our various needs. There is none of that 'only the blue M&M's' kinda stuff. I think rock 'n' roll has been given a bad name by a few bands.

Care to name any names
No...no!

How are you finding England
Well we have been based out of here for a while and no rain...we love that! I think we brought the sunshine with us so it's all good.

Have you been sucked into World Cup fever yet
Yeah I actually played the game in school. I'm one of the few Americans that actually played the sport. I don't necessarily think it's better than American football but it's different. I watched USA play Czech Republic the other night and they lost 3-0. But hey at least we are in it - I think we are ranked number fifth in the world so I'm like, 'Hey alright!!'

Speaking of football were you disappointed that your Wembley gig was cancelled.
Oh yeah, definitely. I mean the plan was that we were the last one's to play in the old stadium and we were supposed to opening the new one. So yeah it's really disappointing...I'm glad I don't own it!

In Jon's words it's been a bit of a 'shambles'.
Oh yeah, there have definitely been a few financial problems with that project.

So are you hoping they come back to you to ask you to perform the opening gig when it is finally ready
Yeah absolutely. We haven't discussed it yet but then who knows when it is going to be ready. They're saying now that they are trying to have it ready for the Olympics in 2012. We may even be dead by the time it finally opens!

So what about groupies
Have they changed since the band first started 23 years ago
Groupies (laughs)...I mean it depends what you mean by groupies. For us it's just all about the fans and making music and going up there and giving the best show you can and entertaining the masses. Now the nice thing is these fans have been there all along and now you have the young kids checking us out as well. There is a real mixture in the crowd now it's great!

What's the most rock 'n' roll thing you've done do you think
I would say sell 100,000,000 records. That's pretty rock 'n' roll.

So no TVs thrown out of hotel windows
No we're not that sort of band. We were never a lifestyle band - a lot of those bands are playing the nostalgic circuit now, they don't really have longevity.
I guess when rock 'n' roll first started out it was crazy and it was just less of a business. Now I think there's definitely more responsibility. People work hard, they buy their ticket, they get on the train to come and see us and plan their day - there's a lot of responsibility to give them a good show.

And what did you think of Axl Rose when he left fans waiting for hours last week
Ha ha ha. Well, to be honest I think it's the same behaviour that was there zillions of years ago. I just don't get it. We will never ever do that to our fans. It's an honour and a big gift to get to where we are at and we have never looked at our position as anything less than that. You know we are professionals and we go up there and we do what we do and we do it on time. If any curfew is going to be broken it's because we're playing longer.

Is it a problem keeping you public and your private life separate
Well no, not really. Where I live is suburbia, so everything works out pretty good. Life is a good balance.

Is it difficult to hold down a relationship when you're in a rock 'n' roll band
I mean we have been doing this for so long now its just part of what you do. Our children come to the shows and on tour with us wherever possible. It has got difficult to bring them with me now because they are all in school. When they're babies you can do anything you want but when they start going to school you are on their schedule.

Richie Sambora is going through a very public divorce at the moment. What do you think about stories claiming he had an affair
Those papers have to make money, you know what I mean and that's what they do. We're a band we are here for each other and play together and we do what we do, those stories are just a bunch of crap. I mean what are you gonna do? It sells papers! The only thing I wish for is that we owned those papers.

And what about claims that Jon Bon Jovi calls the shots and the rest of the band just follow
I mean it's always been that the lead singer is the lead singer. He has got the mic and he has a lot of vision but it's a team thing.

Jon mentioned recently that he didn't want Bon Jovi to end up like the Rolling Stones.
No I think that was most probably a misquote we definitely look up to the Rolling Stones. As for retiring, I do what I love and I love what I do and I will keep doing it until the mind and the body fails and when it's no longer fun. At the moment we are having a blast. You've got to have fun - I haven't had a bad day since the doctor slapped me on the ass!

I was interested to read about your work on the musicals Memphis and Sweet Valley High.
Yeah and there's a new one I'm working on called The Toxic Avenger. I'm just venturing into another world and the nice thing about what we do is that we can stretch out and do different things. So for me I really love it, it's a fun process of I'm writing essentially rock 'n' roll songs but writing them within the confines of a story.
The Toxic Avenger is a big cult movie and we are just basically using the characters and we are completely changing it. We just started work on that one. The writer is Joe Dipietro who wrote the Elvis show 'All Shook Up'.

Is there ever going to be Bon Jovi The Musical
Maybe down the road you never know, but at the moment the scene has kinda got clouded up with those kind of musicals. So right now you don't want to be the 15th one. The Abba one is huge but for every Mama Mia there are 15 that didn't become huge. So I mean it's just not right yet.

So when you're not in the band or writing musicals what do you do to relax
Lie on the beach with my surfboard and surf!