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Bon Jovi rocks on as pop's ultimate survivors of the '80s

Marian Liu
Mercury News
Published: Thursday, April 10, 2003

After 20 years together, Bon Jovi is here to stay -- like cockroaches, says guitarist Richie Sambora.

``Us and Keith Richards will still be around after a nuclear war, and Cher might still be around, too,'' Sambora says, adding a former flame to the list of ultimate survivors. Sambora and the rest of Bon Jovi take the stage Saturday night at the HP Pavilion at San Jose.

``We are past the point of breaking up; we've been at it too long.''

The New Jersey rockers were one of the only hair bands to survive the '80s. They evolved into a pop metal band and continue to sell out concerts. By the band's accounts, it has played more than 2,000 shows in 47 countries to more than 31 million people and sold more than 93 million albums worldwide. Its latest album, ``Bounce,'' is its eighth and debuted at No. 2 on the charts.

Sambora tries to explain the band's continued success in a phone interview before a recent concert in Cleveland.

``We just try to be ourselves,'' he says. ``That's another reason why we're still around. We haven't chased many trends throughout our career. We kind of stayed true to who we were, and that's a testimony to our longevity.''

Four of the original five band members remain in the band -- Sambora, singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist Dave Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. Sambora says that everyone's individuality adds to the band.

``Jon's making movies, and sometimes I act and make solo albums . . . Dave is doing Broadway stuff; Tico is an artist and a sculptor,'' says Sambora, who's contributed songs to several movie soundtracks and will guest star on ``The Chris Isaak Show'' on Showtime. ``That really continues the evolution. When you work with different people, you're always learning something new. Then we bring something back to the band.''

Yet, he says he's glad the band started back in 1983.

``Nowadays with downloading and piracy, I think it'll be hard to make a living,'' says Sambora, who wouldn't advise his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, to get into the business. ``I wouldn't want to discourage her from doing it, but it's hard to get started. . . . The way that corporate business is running the record industry right now, they're putting them into the ground.''

That is one reason the band worked with the Target chain on an exclusive CD, he says.

``We try anything to get ahead,'' Sambora says. ``But if you're a new band, I think it'll be very frightening in this climate to come out.''

He adds that ``nobody is selling a tremendous amount of CDs'' with the whole business down about 30 percent and two of every five CDs being pirated.

But there is nothing else the 43-year-old rocker would like to do.

``What else would I do, go home and mess around in my sailboat or something? I don't even have a sailboat.''

As for the tour, the band members plan out their schedules around their families, going to Japan or Australia for 10 days and flying back home for 10 days. Sambora is married to ``Spin City'' star Heather Locklear.

``Heather comes out and visits me with the baby anytime she wants, so it's pretty cool,'' Sambora says. As for being married to heartthrob Locklear, he says, ``It doesn't suck. She's a great gal. I'm very lucky.''

Bon Jovi's latest album reflected on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, and the band performed at this year's Super Bowl. Sambora says the band tried to go with the ``Today Show'' to Afghanistan to play for the troops, but the State Department said it was too dangerous. ``If we have a chance we'll certainly go,'' he says.

Yet, as far as the war being right or wrong, Sambora says, ``I'm a musician. What do I know? . . . I would certainly rather have peace, but I can't really make up my mind. I just feel really, really horrible for the troops. We're doing humanitarian efforts for these people, yet our boys are getting killed.''