Late Late Show: Jon Bon Jovi hails Thin Lizzy as his ‘magic potion’ as Miriam O’Callaghan to also appear tonight
A preview of the Bon Jovi front man’s interview with Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty – airing in full tonight – reveals the profound effect the music of Dubliner Phil Lynott and his bandmates had on his early career.
“They came up at a very influential time in my life, because we were young teenage boys when Lizzie was doing The Boys are Back in Town and Jailbreak,” the 63-year-old said.
“Those things were breaking in America. They made storytelling fun.”
Thin Lizzy released their final studio album in 1983, the very same year that Bon Jovi was formed.
Jon Bon Jovi added that such is the extent to which Think Lizzy informed his early development in music, they even taught him how to compose music.
“I was thinking about how many times I’ve sung those songs over the years, how I learned to play those songs, which is why I learned how to write songs,” he said.
“Instead of a guitar teacher teaching you simple scales, this guitar teacher took out the sheet music [of] The Boys Are Back in Town and said: ‘Watch this’ and I was like ‘there was a magic potion’.”
He is currently promoting his band’s Forever tour date at Croke Park in Dublin on August 30 next. Tickets went on sale this morning.
Joining him on the Late Late Show will be Miriam O’Callaghan to chat about life in the public eye, losing her sister Anne and how she managed to raise eight children, all of which are explored in her new book.
The coaches of the 13th season of RTÉ’s Ireland’s Fittest Families will also be in studio to chat about the show’s longevity, the fierce family rivalries and what fans can expect from the show’s return on Sunday.
Davy Fitzgerald and Donncha O’Callaghan will be joined by the two new coaches: retired paralympic swimmer Ellen Keane and former Dublin Gaelic footballer Michael Darragh MacAuley.
Shane Daniel Byrne, Tony Cantwell and Killian Sundermann from the Young Hot Guys podcast will also be bringing their signature chaos and charm to the set.
All the way from Summer Bay, soap icon Lynne McGranger, known to fans as Irene, will drop in to talk about an incredible 33 years playing the fiery character on Home and Away.
She will discuss why she decided it was time to say goodbye and why she loves the Irish fans.
