When Slippery When Wet was released in August, 1986, Bon Jovi was on tour as the supporting act for .38 Special. The album shot to the top of the charts and propelled Bon Jovi to international fame and, by the time this interview was recorded a year later, the band had become arena headliners and were finally preparing to take a break from the road.

Including lengthy interviews with each individual in the band, as well as a press conference given earlier in the day, this recording is extremely thorough and captures the band just after their first taste of superstardom. In the interview sections, Lisa Robinson asks each member similar questions about the best and worst parts of constant touring, why the band became so successful, and how their lives have changed with the success. Meant to be spliced into a radio-friendly montage, these un-cut recordings present the entire context of their answers, resulting in more individually-focused material than you would otherwise hear (Alec John Such is especially wonderfully tangential). For insight into Bon Jovi as the sum of its parts, this recording cannot be surpassed.

Part 1: Tico Torres 00:00 – Effect of work on personal relationships / taking friends on the road 01:32 – The band as a gang / egos as a source of positivity 02:54 – Jon as the focal point 03:46 – What’s unique about Bon Jovi (caring for each other) 05:48 – Walking the line between being apolitical and being role models 08:05 – Dreaming to be as huge as they’ve become / what’s next 09:40 – Musical influences as a kid / Mitch Mitchell as a jazz drummer 11:25 – The therapeutic benefits of drumming 11:53 – “Quitting” smoking 12:27 – Plans for work outside of Bon Jovi 13:10 – The ideal house 14:07 – Touring as work, touring as play 15:04 – Preparing for fame through Bob Bonis’ Beatles stories 16:27 – The pretty boy image / female fans 17:44 – Watching TV: soap operas, Bob Vila / plans for a family (dogs) of his own 19:00 – Plans for the upcoming months

Part 2: Jon Bon Jovi 00:00 – Admiring political musicians while staying apolitical 01:55 – Fans’ reaction to Bon Jovi’s real-ness 03:50 – Staying the same as people, growing as writers / not a good schmoozer 06:15 – Fear and confidence as a writer / lessons learned from dating Diane Lane 07:49 – Playing down his looks 09:04 – Confidence in staying power / writing for others (Charlie Sexton, Ted Nugent, et al.) 11:50 – “Learning” how to write good songs / working with Richie 14:08 – Making connections while working at the NJ mall / opening a beer for David Bowie 16:15 – Stories about Huey Lewis, Steven Van Zandt, The Rolling Stones, Steven Tyler 18:45 – Keeping a child-like awe 20:00 – Bruce Springsteen hitting on his ex-girlfriend’s sisters / not living in a mansion 21:45 – Jon’s parents’ reaction to the success 22:37 – No hypocrisy behind his anti-drug stance 23:49 – How he treated celebrities as a kid 24:29 – Keeping his private life private / losing wives and girlfriends 25:55 – Playing in Erie, PA for his grandfather / having people to share success with 27:45 – Being lonely at the top, out of place in the clubs 29:45 – Plans to cut his hair 31:05 – Bouts of broodiness and anxiety / how old the band members are 32:20 – Misrepresentation as a mastermind / business lessons learned from The Who 33:55 – Feeling jaded towards the industry / divorces and break-ups 35:52 – Not being rich / what the band does with the money 37:30 – Jon’s little brothers 38:05 – The band staying close in spite of the success 39:28 – Not being a good opening act 40:20 – Original conceptions of fame (playing at Great Adventure) 42:01 – Feelings on imitators

Part 3: Richie Sambora 00:00 – Why Bon Jovi became so successful (timing, videos) 01:15 – Experience with making videos 04:30 – Establishing themselves as a live act and working really hard 05:35 – Relationships within the band getting stronger 06:48 – Becoming best friends with Jon / maintaining old friendships 08:53 – Difficulties keeping a girlfriend 09:50 – Being vulnerable after achieving success 10:25 – Non-competition with other bands / the resurgence of rock 11:25 – Favorite bands as a kid / still liking New Jersey 12:22 – Still able to go out without being mobbed 13:02 – Effects of having more responsibility 14:38 – Keeping an open mind towards music / bands he was in before Bon Jovi 16:34 – What’s next for the band / writing the right music 18:25 – Staying in shape / not smoking / cutting back on the partying 20:09 – Staying busy on days off / writing songs for others for credibility 21:20 – Not letting the record company make the band look like women / fighting the pretty boy image 24:18 – The reality behind the video for “Wanted Dead of Alive” (being exhausted) 27:00 – What happens after a show / video-taping the shows 28:00 – An “uncalculated” success / making sacrifices for the fans 29:08 – The meeting where the band made a formal commitment to each other / losing girlfriends 30:05 – What he would change: anonymity 31:56 – Plans for touring and working in ’88 / finally being able to relax on stage 33:34 – Working with Cher 34:35 – Feeling star-struck, different stars for him and Jon (Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel) 36:10 – Recording with Mercy on Swan Song Records / other previous bands 38:55 – Dropping out of college to become a musician / learning from other musicians 40:13 – The best time of his life (right now) and the path leading there (fate) 42:10 – Level-headed band members due to trial by fire 43:06 – What lies ahead for Richie / holding on to values

Part 4: David Bryan 00:00 – Staying in touch with his Jersey roots 01:22 – The necessity of growing as a band 02:13 – Having fun making Slippery When Wet / working with Bruce Fairbairn 03:13 – Challenges for the future / not paying attention to reviews 04:44 – Childhood dreams of being a rock star / his first concert (Kiss) 06:15 – Classical piano training / practicing to keep the chops 07:33 – Gigs before joining Bon Jovi (background music for dinners) 09:32 – Getting from dinner gigs to selling out MSG / always believing in Jon 10:28 – Passing up his acceptance to Juilliard 12:15 – The family’s reaction to choosing rock n’ roll over Juilliard / a musical family 13:20 – Past bands with Jon / the first year with Bon Jovi 15:35 – What they would have done if Slippery tanked 16:40 – Keys to success (timing, preparation, content) 17:35 – The writing process / not getting his songs on the records 19:20 – Jon as the leader of a team-oriented band 20:35 – Potential outside projects (movie soundtracks) 21:29 – Current living situation 22:02 – Changes in his personal life once they started touring / enjoying being recognized 23:25 – Not knowing what it’s like to be home / feeling tired (stress of a hometown show) 25:12 – The worst part of touring 25:37 – Five guys in a Days Inn (the first gig) 27:15 – People he’s star-struck by (Jon Lord) 28:30 – A sensible, funny guy / favorite comedians

Part 5: Alec John Such 00:00 – Reacting to reactions to the “Dead or Alive” video 01:42 – What happens right after a show 02:30 – A recipe for success? 03:55 – The band as a family with different personalities 04:58 – A short description of each band member 07:10 – Getting arrested the first time he played MSG (for having a gun) 08:40 – Getting lost in Germany after gambling all night 10:30 – The potential for missing a show 12:15 – The music industry causing a tamer rock n’ roll lifestyle 13:00 – Getting a divorce, but not because of the band / not as promiscuous 15:40 – Training for the band’s current job, always in cool bands 16:27 – Phantom’s Opera, an old cover band 17:15 – Rock n’ roll as a respectable career choice 18:40 – Obscenity and censorship (a very long and heated discussion) 23:11 – Best thing about the new life: money / reminiscing about harder times 26:28 – A car collection 27:50 – Plans to spend some money when they get off the road / living with his mother 28:45 – Age differences in the band 29:44 – Exceeding his expectations for success / expectations for the future

Part 6: Press Conference 00:00 – Introduction 02:00 – Introduction from Tico (in Spanish) 02:33 – Is Jon engaged? 03:20 – “Edge of a Broken Heart,” John Waite 04:07 – Changes in set lists for overseas 04:56 – Recording shows, plans for a live album 05:34 – Reaction to bad press 07:01 – Why there are restrictions for photographers at concerts 07:53 – Recording with the Pizza Parlor Jury 09:14 – The true reason for having long hair 10:12 – Jon’s reflections on Sayreville, NJ 11:20 – Richie’s preference for playing arenas 12:07 – Thoughts on using “Revolution” to sell sneakers 12:57 – Not competing with Springsteen 13:55 – Feelings on the Stone Pony being closed 14:42 – Best and worst parts of superstardom 16:25 – Elvis Presley’s influence on the band / thoughts on Graceland 17:55 – The effect of the AIDS scare on groupies 19:15 – Where they’re from 19:50 – What happened to the 2nd Nassau Coliseum date 21:08 – A follow up to the reaction to bad press 22:00 – Working with Cher (and Sonny) and others 22:54 – Meeting bands in Japan / nothing lost in translation 24:25 – Playing for the kids 25:11 – Standout shows from the tour 26:07 – Plans for and approach towards writing the new album 28:15 – Staying the same through the fame 29:40 – Reaction to “controversial” lyrics