On Radio Row at Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego in 2003, Nestor got a chance to talk Frankie and The Knockouts with drummer Tico Torres as the Bon Jovi boys were on the road during the “It’s My Life” era.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
play, tico, meredith, jon bon jovi, band, john, song, puck, ray, life, coming, love, nfl, chico, joe lynn turner, super bowl, hockey, break, john elway, mci
SPEAKERS
Tico Torres, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
Well, good man. It is our number four. Lord knows what’s going on around here. I mean, in the last 30 seconds John Elway came up from behind everybody on my staff got a picture with him. I’m busy wasting my time with Billick. Didn’t get John Elway Warren Moons Over there. My former favorite player when he was an all or and now Jon Bon Jovi, not just John but the whole band I see Tico Torres I see Dave Bryan Ray is over there trying to hustle them over here. So Ray can get a little extra shikshak when he gets home because his wife is such a huge Jon Bon Jovi fan. So Lord knows what’s going on around here. I gotta get some traffic right now wn st traffic brought to you by our friends. It tallies in Parkville. Tell he’s throwing a Super Bowl party on Sunday. Make sure you stop by $2 domestic bottles fight our domestic pitchers. They got the free buffet. I mean, it’s free grub dude. And 10 wings for 395 all day long. Plenty happening at Taliesin Parkville on Super Bowl Sunday. So make sure you make it. Make it happen. Rock it out and Meredith is here with a wn st traffic. Meredith, I got Ray over here. comprehend how much I love Bon Jovi. I don’t think you understand mine over here. And everybody. Get them into your hot seat. And I don’t want to I want the other guys you know I wanna I want Chico Yeah, good. Tico Tico I’m leaving. Okay. Hey, Meredith. I got Chico here. You want to say a lot of tape though. Hold on here. I love this. Headsets work and hang on. Talk to me, Meredith. Hello. All right. She Yeah, she can hear you. There you go. Tico Merritt emeritus like a huge budget. Meredith How you doing? Are you doing? Yeah. Hey.
Tico Torres 01:45
Tom from Mexico. Hey, you know you’re coming to Baltimore soon. Yeah, we’re excited. Oh, yeah. We are we I mean, we’re kicking off the tour on the about a week and a half. I’m gonna have to come out there and see you. Well, I hope you do.
Nestor Aparicio 01:59
See, Meredith. Here’s what happened. That Jon Bon Jovi guys getting all the attention. And Dave Brian’s over there. And Ray’s got his head up his ass. And T goes over here and he’s got his head up. I said, Look, John, worry about you get Tico get somebody. Oh, we’re here. We’re here. All right. Well, then we’re gonna talk to Chico Meredith. I’ll see you later. Hugs and kisses. Give me kiss. Give him give one. Yeah. All right. Oh, she’s a mess. How are
Tico Torres 02:24
you? Fantastic, man.
Nestor Aparicio 02:25
I’m such a fan. Yeah, I mean, I follow the tour dates because I’m a huge fan. I mean, you know, thank you for coming to the show. We actually were doing a puck boss on March 9 to go see some hockey up at Hershey because Hershey new arena up there. And it turned out that you guys are playing MCI that night in DC. And we’re like Ray first off his old lady will not allow it him on the puck was our puck Queen hockey mag says had punch over that night. Dude, I’m out of hockey. Gotta meet the date sheet. There’s only one thing she loves more than puck. And that’s Jon Bon Jovi. So so we we just cancelled it. I mean, it’s, it’s done. We’re gonna move into the 60s. Yeah, so we will all be in a house at MCI run with me here with this rock and roll thing. I mean, you guys I had JY from sticks over here a few minutes ago with Don King j y sticks has been at this is their second Super Bowl in three years. Yeah. And you guys have now been a part of like, you kicked off the season. And now you’re kicking out the season. The whole New Jersey thing and a 911 and in the streets is amazing. You’re like that was the band. And of course John did and made me cry. America the Beautiful I was in Cincinnati right after 911 and it was played up on the big screen. And if you that was
Tico Torres 03:30
a unification and it was just special. It was like more than EFL was like the world uniting you know, out in New York isn’t New York is pretty pretty much
Nestor Aparicio 03:37
New York band and you know, I mean, and it’s like YouTube’s identify with Ireland, you know, I mean, but you guys are your jersey, you’re in New York, you’re the whole thing you know, and for the NFL to welcome and it felt a need you and you don’t need the NFL but
Tico Torres 03:51
now it’s it’s an honor that they asked us and we’re involved with the NFL and actually we’ve been told that they’re gonna use it to my life is like the Super Bowl song from years to come from now on Wow. So that’s it we’re Yeah, that’s that’s
Nestor Aparicio 04:04
that’s gonna be like the like a rock thing is with Nico we
Tico Torres 04:07
are the champion kind of things that from Queen but it’s gonna be it’s my life.
Nestor Aparicio 04:11
How are you? I mean, you’re coming back from astronomy, or Japan or worn out yet? I mean, you’re so used to this though, right? I mean, flying around
Tico Torres 04:19
the time warp. I mean, we wanted to take this afternoon underway here, you know, so
Nestor Aparicio 04:22
we stopped at the got some coffee. What time is it? Do you even know? Yeah, it’s,
Tico Torres 04:26
well, if it’s quarter after to hear It’s quarter to four.
Nestor Aparicio 04:30
Yeah, and you know what time it is at home. It’s, um, it’s to drive time.
Tico Torres 04:34
We’re here. We’re here. You know, like, we used to, it’s not sleeping stuff.
Nestor Aparicio 04:38
Well, but I mean, a lot of times they give you more of a break, but then I’m moving to Super Bowl for you. You didn’t set this one up. You had to work around this one.
Tico Torres 04:43
Yeah, but it’s okay. It’s alright. This is not that it’s not really work. It’s just fun.
Nestor Aparicio 04:47
I mean, I guess there was a point as a Bon Jovi fan where I thought like, that’s it you guys. I mean, John’s making movies Ritchie’s making, making love I mean, again, and I’m thinking there’s no more button in the behind the music comes out and we’re tired. were worn out, we’re not getting along. I was just worried it was it was over with,
Tico Torres 05:03
I think every band hits a successful pinnacle in their life. And then you got to cross over that. And we did that. And we learned how to have more fun playing music. And I think as long as the songs are out there and we’re having fun doing it, we’ll stay out here soon as we’re not having fun. Well, yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 05:17
as a band, there comes a point where you’re not relevant anymore. And I don’t know that that ever happened. I mean, you guys did a little you know, hair cut these day, but it’s my life back. I mean, just brought you back. I mean, in a way that it was like it was like slippery when wet all over again. It
Tico Torres 05:32
touched a nerve. We had 12 year old kids again to you know, it’s like now our fan bases like Vegas from 10 to 65. It’s rethinking you
Nestor Aparicio 05:39
mentioned 10 year old girls having a crush on John it’s wild
Tico Torres 05:43
that’s crazy. I’m like get added bad. Yeah, it’s you know, you’re right it hit a nerve and and you know, it makes us want to play more you know, and when we go out there and and to and do a two and a half hour three hour show.
Nestor Aparicio 05:54
I’m gonna embarrass myself now because I might be wrong for one year Frankie knockouts.
Tico Torres 05:58
Yes, sure, sweetheart. Hart, who loves me.
Nestor Aparicio 06:01
Oh, when’s the last time you played that way? You know, it’s funny that so we broke
Tico Torres 06:06
up because the disco era was over. We were on a disco label called reflection records with Donnie and Jimmy owner. And we went through a piece of pollen broke up and at that point, I came home I just got off the road with the knockouts for nine months. And I got a call from my which is our old bass player, Alex you know Alex, John says you want to check out this band.
Nestor Aparicio 06:27
Good look in the scribe minutes from my hub and floors up at CBS
Tico Torres 06:32
and I got a call from Ozzy Osbourne and Richie Blackmore to go back on the road I just got off I said, you know rainbow rainbow you know, Richie he had trouble with Rhonda Nellie at the time so they said come on you want to play was this
Nestor Aparicio 06:43
before after the stone cold and all that stuff? Probably right after that after
Tico Torres 06:46
that. Okay, so I but I decided to stay home and check this out. Joe Lynn
Nestor Aparicio 06:50
Turner is still in the band at that point. Yeah, sure. Yeah, yeah,
Tico Torres 06:53
they’re on their wall in business Tico I got rock’n’roll heart
Nestor Aparicio 06:55
brother you know I mean, I go back there Yeah, I go back Slippery When Wet I remember you guys coming through. You give love a bad name was a number one song in the country made the number one song go to that week. It was a 1986 You guys play the Baltimore rain? No one big enough to hold you. I mean, you remember that early? Because you guys had let me tell you what you guys opened. When slipper came out? You would open the show for 38 special great guy had to fill it up great. I mean, I’m friends with LJ and
Tico Torres 07:20
we used to play cars they used to win
Nestor Aparicio 07:24
that’s a southern thing going on.
Tico Torres 07:26
I remember when I went number one and they said do you want to flip flop? We’ll support you. You know, he said now we’re gonna go on our own. And but it was it was a wonderful time.
Nestor Aparicio 07:34
And then you get booked into these arenas and it’s like how’s it going to sell how’s it going to sell? I mean, you give love living on a prayer someone out in 10 minutes every song on that album is getting played on the radio I mean I don’t I didn’t know which one was the single I don’t know if never say goodbye was ever even released. You know raise your hands you know every word every song and social disease and honestly, I mean put the it’s pleasure to have you I don’t have much time yeah, look I’ll sit here talk to you. I’m like you gotta you got a couple minutes now gotta go to do a rehearsal. Oh, okay. Oakland Tampa Give me your football guy you know what
Tico Torres 08:05
hanging down in Florida a lot so maybe I’m gonna go to go from Miami. Yeah All right. Yeah. Well Tampa to get out of here you know because the giants are my guys anyway so I can output
Nestor Aparicio 08:15
the Ravens man. It was ugly a couple of years ago between you and I
Tico Torres 08:20
listen I’m on by Senator I’m gonna join a whole festivities Hey man, I’d
Nestor Aparicio 08:23
love to get you back on the show before the show back in March and we’ll sell some tickets and have a good time to have some fun I’m gonna grab a break I’m gonna get a photo up here. I got to tourists from the Jon Bon Jovi boys and I want to get de Brian over. I want to get rich. I want to get everybody over here but you were the one that
Tico Torres 08:36
came on here and thank you. Thank you.
Nestor Aparicio 08:38
Thank you. We step out take a break. Budweiser sports forum Live from San Diego brought to you by Toyota I’m hanging out with the Bon Jovi boys back for more after this
