Jon Bon Jovi tells RTE Late Late Show how Irish band inspired his biggest hits
The Bon Jovi frontman chatted with host Patrick about Thin Lizzy and Bruce Springsteen
Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi appeared on Friday’s Late Late Show to chat with host Patrick Kielty about Irish influences - and meeting Bruce Springsteen.
Throughout the interview, Jon and Patrick chatted about the songwriters early influences, including Thin Lizzy and Bruce Springsteen. Opening up the interview, Patrick asked the rock star about Thin Lizzy, as he showed a photo of Bon Jovi with the iconic Phil Lynott statue in Dublin.
Patrick asked: “The last time you were here was 2019, you called over to say hello to a rock legend here in Dublin, we got a little picture of you here, this is you with, with the Phil Lynott statue. I believe you were there today. I mean, Thin Lizzy and Phil, they were kind of an inspiration starting out."
Bon Jovi told the Late Late Show host: “They came up at a very influential time in my life, because we were young teenage boys when Lizzy was doing Boys Are Back In Town and Jailbreak and doing their version of Whiskey in the Jar. And those things were breaking in America, and they made storytelling fun.”
Patrick then asked: “And you were saying that Lizzy sound was kind of a bit of that stadium energy that you guys sort of harnessed?”
The singer replied: “No doubt, I was thinking about how many times I've sung those songs over the years, how I learned to play those songs, which is why I learned how to write songs. Instead of a guitar teacher teaching you simple scales, this guitar teacher took out the sheet music, The Boys Are Back In Town, said, ‘watch this’”.
Patrick also had a photo ready of Bruce Springsteen turning up to one of their gigs in the late 70s, a moment that left the band in awe.
“Before there were the stadiums, there were those small gigs starting out in Jersey. What was it like coming from New Jersey? In a band playing in New Jersey, and this guy walking in… Bruce Springsteen, just turning up!”
Bon Jovi then told the host: “I'm still in high school, in that photograph, it's 1979. Look at the drummer. He's looking at him... everyone's in awe because, you know, he's Bruce, and he was four albums into his career at that point. So everybody always looked up to him, and his music is what made the Jersey rock scene happen.”
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