During a recent appearance on Songs You Know with Toby Gad, Bon Jovi’s John Shanks discussed why he chose to join the band despite receiving criticism from fans.
“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 explained about Jon Bon Jovi’s offer during the making of ‘This House Is Not for Sale.’
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 has been a longtime collaborator with Bon Jovi, working with the band as both a producer and guitarist. He first joined Bon Jovi in the early 2000s and has continued to shape the band’s sound over the years.
Despite this, some fans blame Shanks for the decline in the band’s musical quality since he joined in 2003. Critics believe his contributions have made the albums less exciting and have caused the band to lose its original sound. Others feel that he does not challenge Jon Bon Jovi enough, and with Richie Sambora no longer in the band, it’s not the same.
