ENJOYED THE SUCCESS AND LONG RUN

OF THE LEGENDARY BAND BON JOVI.

AND A REVEALING NEW DOCUMENTARY

SERIES PREMIERING TONIGHT ON

HULU TRACKS THE HIGHS AND LOWS

OF THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING

BAND'S FOUR DECADES TOGETHER.

RECENTLY, GEOFF BENNETT SPOKE

WITH FRONT MAN JON BON JOVI

ABOUT "THANK YOU, GOODNIGHT: THE

BON JOVI STORY" FOR OUR ARTS AND

CULTURE SERIES, "CANVAS."

GEOFF: JON BON JOVI, WELCOME TO

THE "NEWSHOUR."

>> THANK YOU, GEOFF.

HAPPY TO BE HERE.

GEOFF: IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU

HERE.

THIS DOCUSERIES IS A REAL,

HONEST LOOK AT THE BAND'S

TRIUMPHS, ITS SETBACKS.

WHAT HAS THIS EXPERIENCE BEEN

LIKE, RELIVING YOUR PAST AND

THEN CONSIDERING WHAT IT ALL

MEANS FOR YOUR FUTURE?

>> IT WAS EMOTIONAL WHEN WE SAW

A ROUGH CUT.

BECAUSE A LOT OF LIFE WAS LIVED

IN THESE LAST 40 YEARS.

GEOFF: YEAH.

GEOFF: WHY SHARE SO MUCH AND WHY

SHARE IT NOW?

>> WELL, 40 IS A MILESTONE.

EVEN IF IT'S ONLY THE FIRST 40.

40 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO HAVE

BEEN MAKING MUSIC AS WE HAVE.

SO, I WANTED TO MARK THIS

MILESTONE.

WE WERE ARCHIVING EVERYTHING

THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT A

HOARDER I HAVE BECOME.

SO, IT MADE IT EASY FOR THE

STORYTELLING AND WHAT IT'S

ABOUT.

THIS VOCAL SURGERY WAS NOT PART

OF THE THE PLAN BUT THIS IS A

COUPLE OF YEARS IN THE MAKING,

THIS FILM.

SO THAT JUST HAPPENED.

AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO SHOW

EMOTION.

IT'S JUST THAT, WE TYPICALLY HAD

THE PLATFORM FOR IT.

GEOFF: TO HAVE LED ONE OF THE

WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL BANDS,

TO HAVE A 40-YEAR RUN DOING

THAT, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY

ACCIDENT.

WHAT HAS IT REQUIRED OF YOU?

>> I LOVE WHAT I DO, BUT IT'S

HARD WORK.

IT'S LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU

KNOW, IT'S YOUR CRAFT, BUT IT'S

ALSO YOUR PASSION.

AND THEN, BY BEING TRUE TO WHO

AND WHAT YOU ARE, WHICH WAS

IMPORTANT EARLY ON AND TO REMAIN

TRUE TO THAT.

YOU EVOLVE AS A MAN AND AS A

WRITER, AND PEOPLE COME ALONG

FOR THAT RIDE.

GEOFF: AND YOU FOUND SUCCESS

EARLY IN YOUR EARLY 20'S.

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GRAPPLE

WITH MEGAWATT FAME SO EARLY IN

LIFE?

>> I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT I COULD

WRITE THE BOOK ON IT, BUT IN

TRUTH, PROBABLY OUR UPBRINGING

WHERE WE WERE FROM, THE TIME IN

WHICH WE WERE BORN, FAMILY.

THE BAND COULD CLOSE THE DOOR

AND SAY, DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT

JUST HAPPENED?

SO A LOT OF A LOT OF THAT, YOU

KNOW, IS LIVING THE LIFE.

GEOFF: YOU TALK IN THE

DOCUSERIES ABOUT ONE OF YOUR

BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES,

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN.

I DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL WATCHING

THIS THAT YOU ACTUALLY PLAYED

WITH HIS BAND WHEN YOU WERE IN

HIGH SCHOOL.

>> HE JUMPED UP ON STAGE WITH MY

BAND WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

GEOFF: WELL, THAT'S EVEN BETTER.

HE PLAYED WITH YOUR BAND WHEN

YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.

HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP

EVOLVED SINCE THEN?

>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY IT'S

SOMETHING THAT I TREASURE.

HE IS SO MANY MILLIONS OF

PEOPLE'S HERO.

BUT GROWING UP 25 MILES AWAY

FROM THAT JERSEY SHORE SCENE

WHERE HE MADE IT FAMOUS AND THEN

SOUTH SIDE JOHNNY FOLLOWED UP IN

THOSE FOOTSTEPS.

THOSE WERE GUYS THAT NOT ONLY I

COULD LOOK UP TO WHO WERE 12 AND

13 YEARS OLDER, BUT THEY MADE

THE IMPOSSIBLE SEEM VERY

POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY WERE, IN

ESSENCE, RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR

WINDOW.

AND NOW OUR RELATIONSHIPS, OF

COURSE, ARE BONDED FOR, YOU

KNOW, EVER BECAUSE WE BECOME

VERY CLOSE.

GEOFF: WELL, AS I MENTIONED,

THIS DOCUSERIES FOCUSES ON THE

BAND'S SETBACKS.

AND YOU MENTIONED YOUR VOCAL

CORD SURGERY.

IT WAS APRIL OF 2022.

YOU'RE PERFORMING IN NASHVILLE.

YOU CAME OFF STAGE AND REALIZED

YOU MIGHT NOT EVER BE ABLE TO

PERFORM LIVE AGAIN.

>> WELL, IT'S NOT THAT I

COULDN'T.

IT WAS MORE OF A DECISION THAT

MAYBE I WOULDN'T.

I TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD.

THERE WAS SOMETHING HAPPENING,

BUT A PICTURE COULDN'T SHOW IT

TO YOU.

WHEN A SINGER HAS SOMETHING LIKE

A NODULE, IT'S IN ESSENCE, A

PIMPLE ON A VOCAL CORD.

YOU CAN SEE IT VISUALLY.

I WASN'T HAVING THAT WHEN I WAS

REALIZING THAT ONE OF MY VOCAL

CORDS WAS ATROPHYING, AND AFTER

A LOT OF HOLISTIC AND PRAYING

AND ANYTHING I COULD DO,

INCLUDING GOINT ON THE ROAD

TO TRY TO BEAT IT INTO SHAPE.

I COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I

NEEDED TO FIND THE RIGHT

SURGEON, AND I DID.

GEOFF: AND THERE IS NO BON JOVI

WITHOUT YOU AND YOUR VOICE.

WHAT DID THAT FEEL LIKE TO

POTENTIALLY HAVE THE THING THAT

YOU LOVE TO DO TAKEN AWAY FROM

YOU?

>> THE TRUTH IS, I HADN'T HAD TO

THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I'VE

ALWAYS BEEN IN THE PROCESS OF

GETTING TO THE RECOVERY.

THE NEW ALBUM IS PROOF THAT THE

SURGERY HAS WORKED FOR ME.

NOW, THE BAR IS GETTING BACK TO

THAT 2.5 HOURS A NIGHT, FOUR

NIGHTS A WEEK.

SO, THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT I'M

IN NOW.

GEOFF: THE DOCUSERIES ALSO

FEATURES YOUR FORMER GUITARIST,

RICHIE SAMBORA, WHO YOU DESCRIBE

AS YOUR PERFECT FOIL.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> WELL, EVERYBODY WANTS A

RIGHT-HAND MAN.

IF THEY'RE LUCKY ENOUGH, THEY

HAVE A FRIEND LIKE THAT, YOU

KNOW.

AND HE HAD COME TO SEE ME MANY

YEARS AGO.

HE SAYS, I NEED TO BE YOUR

GUITAR PLAYER.

WHEN WE CLICKED AND HIT IT OFF,

YOU KNOW, HE BECAME THAT PERFECT

RIGHT-HAND MAN.

AND IN 2013, HE LEFT THE BAND.

GEOFF: HOW BIG OF AN ADJUSTMENT

WAS IT WHEN HE OFFICIALLY LEFT?

>> WELL, THERE WAS A BIG BLACK

HOLE ON THAT SIDE OF THE STAGE,

FOR SURE, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING

THAT WAS GOING TO HINDER ME FROM

CONTINUING TO WRITE RECORDS AND

GO OUT THERE AND SELL OUT SHOWS,

YOU KNOW, SORRY TO SAY IT, BUT

LOOK AT THE MARQUEE, YOU KNOW.

GEOFF: HAS HE WATCHED THIS

DOCUSERIES?

>> WE WATCHED IT TOGETHER.

YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS IT WAS

WONDERFULLY EMOTIONAL TO BE

TOGETHER, JUST THE TWO OF US

WATCHING IT.

GEOFF: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE SETS

BON JOVI APART FROM OTHER BANDS?

>> I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, IF I DID, I'D BOTTLE IT

AND SELL IT TO SOMEBODY ELSE,

BUT I THINK IT WAS THE HARD

WORK, THE JOY OF DOING IT.

WE PERSEVERED BY WRITING SONGS

THAT PEOPLE COULD RELATE TO, AND

I'VE BEEN ON THIS 40-YEAR

JOURNEY THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE

GOTTEN OFF THE RIDE ALONG THE

WAY, BUT IT'S BEEN HONEST AND

OPEN, AND SO YOU CAN FEEL

YOURSELF IN THOSE SHOES IN

DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR LIFE.

THE WAY I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT THEM

IN MINE.

GEOFF: YEAH, WELL, ONE OF THOSE

SONGS, "LIVIN' ON A PRAYER"

CLASSIC, ONE OF THE BEST ROCK

MELODIES EVER.

BUT WHEN YOU WERE WRITING IT,

YOU THOUGHT, I'M NOT SO SURE

ABOUT THIS.

MAYBE IT'S A SONG FOR A MOVIE

SOUNDTRACK.

HOW DID THAT SONG ULTIMATELY

COME TO LIFE?

>> WELL, IT EVOLVED WHEN WE

WRITTEN IT ON THAT DAY.

IT WAS A VERY SIMPLE CHORD

STRUCTURE.

THE MELODY OF THE LYRIC WAS

FINISHED.

WE KNEW ALL OF THAT.

BUT IT CAME TO LIFE WHEN THE

BAND GOT IN THE ROOM AND WE

DEVELOPED THE BASS LINE, AND

TICO CAME IN PLAYING THE DRUMS

AND THAT'S WHEN IT POPPED.

THAT'S WHEN THE KEY CHANGE

HAPPENED AT THE END.

TOMMY USED TO WORK ON THE DOCKS.

THAT'S HOW WE WROTE IT.

♪

WITH AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND A

STAND-UP PIANO.

THERE WAS NO DRUM MACHINES IN

THOSE DAYS.

THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT.

SO I WAS LIKE, YEAH, IT'S GOOD,

IT'S GOOD, IT'S GOOD.

GEOFF: YEAH.

DID YOU KNOW THEN THAT IT COULD

BE AS ENDURING AS IT IS?

>> IN TRUTH, GEOFF, IT WASN'T

THE FIRST SINGLE ON THE ALBUM.

"YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME" WAS

THE FIRST SINGLE BECAUSE THAT

SORT OF SOUNDED LIKE WHAT WAS ON

THE RADIO.

WHAT A HIT SONG SOUNDED LIKE

WHEN WE WROTE THAT, WHEN WE WERE

LIKE, I THINK WE GOT ONE HERE.

"PRAYER" WAS SO DIFFERENT, AND

IT WAS THE SECOND SINGLE.

AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE

BILLIONS OF STREAMS AND ALL THAT

STUFF LATER.

WHO KNEW?

♪

GEOFF: WELL, YOU'VE GOT A NEW

ALBUM COMING OUT IN JUNE,

RECORDED IN NASHVILLE.

WHAT DOES NASHVILLE LEND TO THE

BON JOVI SOUND?

>> I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID,

MY MOM SAID, FIND YOUR

INFLUENCES, INFLUENCES.

AND WHEN WE WERE TALKING A

LITTLE BIT OFF CAMERA, SOMEBODY

SAID TO ME DURING THE COURSE OF

THIS PROMOTER, WHAT'S THE FIRST

MUSIC YOU REMEMBER HEARING?

AND THE THING THAT CAME TO MIND

INITIALLY WAS BEATLES AND GENE

AUTRY.

GEOFF: REALLY?

>> SO, THERE WAS ALWAYS A LITTLE