Richard Wilkins was sitting side stage, watching one of the greatest guitarists of all time, when he was offered an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
It was June 1989 and Nine’s Entertainment Editor had settled himself on a road case as Bon Jovi took the stage for a show at Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga Springs.
Wilkins had travelled the more than 600 kilometres to the city in New York State from Washington DC to interview the US rockers.
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He was now transfixed by the skills of their lead guitarist, Richie Sambora.
“We’d done an interview with John Mellencamp, who was singing at a radio convention just out of Washington, and I had to get up to Saratoga to do an interview with Bon Jovi,” Wilkins told 9Celebrity for the latest episode of Dickie’s Diaries.
“It was back in the day when they had Bon Jovi spelt out on the stage, it was Livin’ on a Prayer era.
“So I was sitting on a road case on the side of the stage watching Richie play his guitars, and it was like, ‘Wow, this is kind of pretty cool’.”
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As Wilkins watched on, he was asked how he was planning to get back to New York City later that night. He didn’t know, saying “he’d figure out something”.
He would then be offered an opportunity that would stay with him.
“We’re going back in the bus with Skid Row, who were [Bon Jovi’s] support band, and they were pretty wild lads,” Wilkins said, recalling the conversation.
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“So we did spend a night that seemed to go on forever in a tour bus with Bon Jovi and Skid Road, travelling from Saratoga to New York City.”
Wilkins pauses.
”That’s about all I can say about that story,” he said, laughing.