In a recently shared video from her interview with Rock Antenne at Guitar Summit 2024, Nita Strauss addressed the possibility of replacing Phil X in Bon Jovi.
“I can’t imagine replacing Phil X at anything,” the rocker replied when asked if she’d ever replace Phil X as Bon Jovi’s guitarist. “Phil X is the best. He is awesome…”
She recalled jamming with Phil X, “I got to jam with him when we did the ‘Hired Gun’ documentary [2016] together. So, replace? No. Never. But I would love to play with Bon Jovi. I would love to back Phil up anytime. I will carry Phil’s case. I will change his strings, no problem [laughs].”
Strauss is a big Bon Jovi fan. In a 2023 chat with Classic Rock, she named Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ as her favorite karaoke song. Nita said, “I have a secret weapon, because my best friend and keyboard player, Katt Scarlett, is also my karaoke partner.”
“She is a phenomenal singer. And while I may not be a great vocalist, I harmonise well. I haven’t done karaoke since I’ve been sober,” the guitarist noted.
Strauss has been sober since 2015. Earlier this year, she talked about her substance and alcohol abuse, explaining, “I wouldn’t say I hit rock bottom. I’m not like Nikki Sixx, but I was a dangerous addict because whether I was doing drugs or drinking, I was very highly functional.”
“I was doing all these things that could have got me in trouble, but I never played a bad show, I was never falling-down sloppy. But it was really insidious, because it was bleeding into my personal life,” Nita added.
She then revealed, “Some of the guys in the band had noticed it, but it took my partner Josh, who is now my husband, saying to me: ‘If you’re gonna be like this, I don’t know how long I’m going to be with you. I can’t watch you destroy your life like this.’ This was the highest point of my professional career so far, and it just seemed unfair – I couldn’t understand why I was getting picked on, and why I had to be boring and go to sleep early.”
Nita is currently on tour in North America. She will perform in Vancouver, Canada on February 24.
