Jon Bon Jovi joins 'SmartLess' for a hilarious look back

Music icon, Jon Bon Jovi , joined hosts Jason Bateman , Sean Hayes and Will Arnett for a new episode of the SmartLess podcast. During their time together, the guys discussed JBJ’s legendary career, acting roles, philanthropy and more, while of course reflecting on how things started for him as a Jersey boy with a dream.

LISTEN NOW : Jon Bon Jovi joins ' SmartLess '

“Any kid that is all of our ages thinks of three things when they’re 13; they want to be a baseball player or a Rock N’ Roll star or an astronaut,” he stated.  “You strum the tennis racket and you think you can sing.” In his mid-teens, Bon Jovi made the switch from a tennis racket to a guitar which is when his passion for music and performing really started to take shape.

“The benefit for me with that was that the drinking age in New Jersey was 18. So, at 16 I could be playing at a bar and I loved it so much and I didn’t have the responsibilities of a career path yet, a job, a higher education,” he shared. “It was ‘music, music, music, I like music,’ and because my parents were somewhat supportive, their attitude was, ‘If you’re going to be in a bar at one or two in the morning, at least we know where you are.’”

Crediting his vocal confidence to “naïveté,” in his teen years, it quickly reached a professional level when he snagged a record deal in his early 20s. “I was too stupid to know any better,” he said when asked how he knew he could sing so early on. “You didn’t study, you just got in front of a mic and yelped and it made sense.”

Now, 40 years later, and on the same exact record deal, JBJ is starting to feel the effects of age within his vocals and semi-recently underwent vocal surgery to try and buy himself more time doing what he loves. “I had what’s called a medialization, one [vocal] chord was atrophying while the strong one was pushing the weak one around and I was singing. I couldn’t understand it.”

He continued, “The put a plastic implant outside the chords to strengthen. So, I’m still in the rehab stage and it’s disheartening.”

While navigating his fair share of challenges throughout a long recovery, Jon says he hasn’t lost hope in being able to tour again, however refuses to tour unless he is 100%. “I’ve been diligent in my recovery and hoping that everything is gonna be alright,” he said before adding, “[but] if I’m not great, I’m not going.... I’m not interested."

To hear more about Jon Bon Jovi’s rise to fame, vocal surgery, music and more, check out his conversation with Jason Bateman , Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on the SmartLess podcast above.