Bon Jovi: 'Image is good for a moment in time, then you’re just a pin up'
He has been a rock icon and sex symbol for more than half his life, but Jon Bon Jovi has achieved another rare feat in the music world — a marriage of nearly three decades.
Despite being the desire of millions Jon Bon Jovi eloped with his high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley 27 years ago and are the pair are still going strong.
They have four children together and a pretty simple secret to success.
"It's a mutual respect; it starts with that, right? It's, it's admiration and respect and listening and knowing when to speak up or shut up," Bon Jovi told Sunday Night.
"It's my world of normal, believe me, it’s not normal. My world and normal is not normal."
His band is now celebrating the release of their 13th studio album "This House Is Not For Sale".
"This one is a special record, we came back to the place where we recorded our first album 33 years ago," Jon Bon Jovi told Sunday Night during a rehearsal at Avatar Studios in New York.
"It was in this room, in fact 35 years ago Hughey played bass on Runaway before there even was a band
"This room has a lot of history, I used to be gofer… I was the coffee boy, whatever it was, 'Go get a burger kid,' I was that guy."
Today Bon Jovi’s catalogue of hits has secured the band’s place in rock history and the guy no longer feel uncomfortable about their sexed-up image.
"Image is good for a moment in time, then you’re just a pin up, you've got to have a body of work."
"It was a hindrance early on because I was angry with the idea that God damn it you didn't write living on a prayer did you? You know because I did."
"With time I didn't have to defend that position anymore cause now I just say 'Okay, here's my catalogue what have you done?' You know so nobody can say that any longer, they don't say 'He's a sexy 54 year old man getting by on his looks.'"
But he has no plans to retire in his 50s. His idol Mick Jagger is still performing at 73 and is among his motivations to keep going.
"I don't know how the son of a bitch does it."
"He's my hero. He is my ultimate hero and I've always used him as the high water mark to say 'Okay the day that he says we're done' at least I know were the end zone is."
"But he won’t lay down so you know I don't know… I don't think I can do it as long as him I can promise you that."
DOWNLOAD NOW: Bon Jovi 10th #1 ARIA Album 'This House Is Not For Sale' is available now.
It is not surprising then that he has been accused of being a workaholic more than once and says it's something he's had to, well, work on.
It was a fear of failing that almost drove his bandmates past their limit.
"I was guilty of that, I drove this band into the ground on more than one occasion."
"There was the fear of failure, there was the fear of, of not being able to do it again you know, and in retrospect there was a period when I blamed the management, the agents, the lawyers, the guys that were supposed to be the grownups in the room to help us to say 'Go to bed, it'll be okay'."
The band has performed live more than 2,800 times and toured to 50 countries but the grueling schedules took a toll.
In 2013 Bon Jovi’s original lead guitarist Richie Sambora shocked fans and the industry when he quit the band in the middle of a tour without notice.
"The guitar player didn't show up for work… there was no fight it was never about money I swear to the bejesus and he will say it now 'I walked away'."
"I love the guy to death but… it's not a life sentence to be in a band, because if you don't want to do it anymore, you’re not forced to."
