He talks to Kevin E G Perry about the drug experience that scared him straight, singing ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’ with Prince William and Taylor Swift, and his son’s forthcoming marriage to ‘Stranger Things’ star Millie Bobby Brown.
After life-altering vocal surgery, the 62-year-old New Jersey rocker doesn’t know if he’ll ever tour again. He talks to Kevin E G Perry about the drug experience that scared him straight, singing ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’ with Prince William and Taylor Swift, and his son’s forthcoming marriage to ‘Stranger Things’ star Millie Bobby Brown
The stadium-filling rock star has somehow always managed to retain a reputation for clean living. He may have come of age amid the excess of Eighties hair metal, but the 62-year-old has resolutely steered clear of at least the narcotic element of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. As he tells me via video call from London, it was a bad experience in his youth that kept him on the straight and narrow over the next four decades.
“It was smoking something that was laced with something else, and I remember feeling out-of-body high and thinking, ‘I don’t like this. I don’t feel comfortable with this,’” he explains, leaning forward in his chair. “It was scary, and I was so young that I was glad I had that sort of ‘scared straight’ moment.” At least, when his vocal cords atrophied catastrophically in 2022, he knew it wasn’t due to any drug habit. “I couldn’t blame it on putting anything up my nose,” he laughs. “The only thing that’s ever been up my nose is my finger!”
The New Jersey band have shared a 55-second video to YouTube under the title ‘Bon Jovi Forever’ – seemingly the title of their new studio album.
The teaser video on YouTube follows a pair of Bon Jovi fans driving in a classic car with a ‘Bon Jovi Forever’ number plate.
Jon Bon Jov says: “Yeah, I’m really proud of this album. This album, the songwriting, I actually think it’s the best record we’ve made in 20 years. I think the fans are gonna love it. Bon Jovi Forever, baby.”
A separate YouTube Shorts video features Jon Bon Jovi singing the track, which features the lyrics: “Friday night comes along like a song/ ‘Sweet Caroline’ and we all sing along/ got my brown-eyed girl, and she believes in me/ legendary.”
