Bon Jovi on a roll

Tell us about the single What do you got? Is there anything special about the song for which fans should look out?
To give our fans a value-addition,Richie (Sambora),the bands lead guitarist and backing vocalist,and I wrote four new songs. What do you got? was actually written while composing The Circle and then we decided to include it in the Greatest Hits for our fans. There was something about that song that moved people lyrically,but we didnt pay a lot of attention to it while we were recording The Circle. Somewhere we knew it wouldnt fit in The Circle and it was set aside. But the lyrical content was timeless and universal.

Of all the hits over the years,which is the bands most favourite song?
We have many favourites. We love Living on a prayer,Its my life,Have a nice day and many more. These songs are what we are.

Your Live Earth concert with Roger Waters and Anoushka Shankar was cancelled in 2008. Did you feel you missed out on connecting with Indian fans?
Yes,we were supposed to be in Mumbai a week after the 26/11 attacks. But we had to cancel our trip. We were quite saddened by that incident. I remember how genuine people in India were and they moved me. We were looking forward to coming back and I have great memories of India from my last trip in 1995. I was disappointed when the trip was cancelled.

When is Bon Jovi planning to come down to India next?
We are very much interested in coming to India. We are still looking for a window to plan our tour there. The record company and the promoters,too,are trying to figure it out.

Songs like Its my life and Blaze of glory are still like anthems in India. What are your thoughts on that?

Its very,very flattering. Trust me,it really is.
Tell us a bit about your musical influences over the years.

The Beatles have had a great influence on us. You cannot re-make a Beatles song. Its theirs and thats how we all love it.

Describe your songwriting sessions and music creation meets. What does each member of the band bring to the table while creating a song?
It is the greatest satisfaction of putting a song from pen to paper because you hope that it is as good as you think it is when you are writing it,so that when you record it,it turns out as well as you had hoped. Only then do you want to share it with people. As artistes,we like to create.

Bon Jovi is perhaps the only band that has matured lyrically and tonally without compromising on its Hard Rock-Grunge baseline. How did you manage to do that?
We feel confident that throughout the years,our music has grown and matured and become a little more socially conscious while remaining true to who we are. When we were beautiful could not be written by the 25-year-old me nor could Bad name be written by me today.

How have the changes in the music industry affected your work? What kind of impact does social media have on music and musicians?
I personally dont like to tweet. I dont think its important for people to know what I am doing every single minute. But yes,we do have a page on a social network website. I do upload a lot of stuff on it myself. We have realised that it is an amazing way to reach 500 million people across continents. The record business has changed so dramatically that you have to find another way to reach your fans and social networking is definitely the best way to do so.

The late 90s saw a revival of pop and mush with Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys leading the charge. Such an era has eluded Hard Rock over the years. Why?
We have seen it all. Boy bands,teenage things,rap,heavy metal…they all come and go. But you should stay true to what you are and develop your own sound. And thats what we did. We kept ourselves alive in the hearts of our fans. Thats why I am still here answering these questions.

You planned to release your Best Hits album last year and ended up releasing The Circle instead. When can fans expect a new album?
We are in the midst of The Circle Tour. It will be out for our fans soon.