Bon Jovi Talks About His Vocal Troubles: “If I Can’t Be Great, I’m Out”
Back in 2022, we roasted the ever living shit out of Jon Bon Jovi for sounding like completely warmed over dogshit during a couple different performances that year. Things were said, and they were said without knowing the full reality of his situation, so that’s not a great look all these years later. Yet after receiving the “Milestone” award for the 40th anniversary of Bon Jovi (the band), the famous New Jerseyian laid out why he sounded so bad and what he’s done to address the issue.
As we alluded to earlier, Bon Jovi’s had some health issues pertaining to his voice. Hence why he couldn’t hit any of the notes he personally wrote back in the 80s.
“I’ve had it become public knowledge now, but I’ve had major reconstructive surgery in my vocal cords, and I never had anything like this ever. So it’s been a difficult road, but I found a doctor in Philadelphia who did something called a medialization [a procedure in which the paralyzed vocal fold (vocal cord) is pushed to the middle so that the functioning vocal fold can close properly to regain normal vocal function and swallowing ability] because one of my cords was literally atrophied.
“Sometimes people get nodules; that’s a pretty common place. Sometimes deviated septums and things that they’ve done take its toll on the cords. The only thing that’s ever been up my nose has been my finger. And so it was very difficult this last decade to have to contend with something that was out of my control, which was … the strong [vocal cord] was literally taking what was left of the weak one. So they put a plastic implant in it for the last almost two years now.
“I’ve been in this rehab, getting it back together, but I’m getting very close. Friday night [at the MusiCares ‘Person Of The Year’ gala] was my first live performance in two years. The new record’s done. So now I just wanna get back to two and a half hours a night, four nights a week, before I’m gonna go out there on the road again. But I’m confident in my doctor.”
As for the future of the band, now that they’re four decades into the damn thing, Bon Jovi said he wants to continue moving forward, but only if he can “be great.”
“My health has been the first and foremost topic of discussion, but I’m well on the road to recovery there. If I can’t be great, I’m out. And I think that the documentary that we’re about to put out addresses all of that. It’s called ‘Thank You, Goodnight’ for a reason. And we’ll determine what happens there. But we do have this incredible four-part doc to celebrate the 40th. We have a brand new record that I’m very excited about. And the hope is that I get to go out and celebrate it this time, because I’m so excited by it. But if I can’t do it at the level at which I’ve become accustomed, then there’s no harm in that. There’s no foul in it.”
At the end of the day, I’m glad he’s doing right by his health, even if I can’t stand his music. Now if only Vince Neil would realize he needs work…
