SHOCKING! Bon Jovi’s John Shanks Gives Good Reasons For Accepting Jon Bon Jovi’s Invitation Despite Fan Pressure!
During a recent appearance on Songs You Know with Toby Gad, Bon Jovi’s John Shanks explained why he accepted to join Bon Jovi despite fans’ criticism.
“I did a lot of the guitars on the record and then at the end of the record, he said, he’s much smarter than me cuz he’ll, ‘We’re going to go do this promo tour and you want to play with the guys? Everyone knows you. We’re all friends,’” the guitarist shared Jon Bon Jovi’s offer during the making of the ‘This House Is Not for Sale’ album.
He continued, “And so I did that and then at the end of that promo, we were doing the Ellen DeGeneres Show or something and he called me in his dressing room. He said, ‘It’s yours if you want it. Don’t make me go find somebody else.’”
“I called a few friends, other songwriters and musicians that I am friends with and I said, ‘Is this a good move? Is this bad for my career?’ And funny enough, both of them independently said, ‘You’ve been staring at a computer for 20 years. A lot of these are your songs. You guys co-wrote together,’” Shanks further shared.
The musician added, “But even if there’s songs that… I look at the list. We’re playing an arena and I’m looking at the list. I’m like, ‘I produced that.’ It’s so chintzy but as a writer or musician, you want to contribute and I look down and I go, ‘Okay, I’m part of that legacy and part of that journey of a band that I always admired and loved.’”
“And I’m very close with everyone in the band and I love them all individually. I’m friends with all of them independently of just being in the band. I care about all of the members and so, if you’re going to play in a rock band that’s the band for me to play in,” Shanks noted.
Shanks is a longtime collaborator of Bon Jovi. He worked with the band as a producer and guitarist. John joined forces with Bon Jovi in the early 2000s and over the years, he has continued to contribute to the band’s sound.
Still, fans blame Shanks for Bon Jovi’s drop in quality since he joined in 2003. They think his work has made the albums bland and lost the band’s original sound. Some feel he doesn’t challenge Jon Bon Jovi enough, and with Richie Sambora gone, the band isn’t the same.
