Jon Bon Jovi shed some light on Richie Sambora sitting out the current leg of the Bon Jovi world tour -- but stopped short of giving any specifics. Bon Jovi spoke to Austin's American-Statesman, and explained: "I think Richie's doing all right, (but) I haven't spoken to him. We were surprised. It was 3:30 on show day. . . and we got a phone call that he wouldn't be there. It's a personal matter. Don't believe what you read on TMZ because it's the furthest thing from the truth." Among the various rumors as to why Sambora has walked off the tour are that he feels demeaned by Bon Jovi's attitude towards him and that Bon Jovi's wife Dorothea has issues with Sambora's supposed hard partying lifestyle on the road.

Over the course of the interview he spoke about the band's early days and their blockbuster 1986 Slippery When Wet album, recalling, "With the third record, I thought we should be talking about stories, even if they were fictional. It was Richie and me and a guy named Desmond Child who co-wrote that song. Everybody brought something unique to that picture, but as we completed it, I remember Richie and me jumping in a cab and my saying, 'I don't think it's very good. We should give it to this movie soundtrack' that was looking for songs. His head practically just fell off his shoulders. He said, 'You're an idiot! This song's a monster.' I'm glad I listened to him."

More From KYBB-FM / B102.7