Desmond Child Addresses Sebastian Bach’s Bon Jovi Insult, ‘I Was Going To Kick His Ass’

Desmond Child recently joined an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock and reflected on the famous rivalry between Sebastian Bach and Jon Bon Jovi. Child said he was very angry with Bach when he heard him slamming Bon Jovi on the radio.

Jon Bon Jovi has an essential role in Skid Row’s long-term successful career as he helped the band to get a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1988. Jovi and Skid Row guitarist Dave Sabo were childhood friends, and that’s why the singer wanted to help the group to start their recording career. Following the release of Skid Row’s debut album, the two bands also toured together.

However, although they seemed to get along well, two lead singers came face to face when Skid Row began increasing its popularity. This rivalry between the two bands even got them into a fight where Bon Jovi’s father threatened to kill Sebastian Bach. Following the incident, the two singers expressed their unpleasant opinions during various interviews.

Desmond Child recalled one of these interviews where Sebastian Bach slammed Bon Jovi. He was on his way to the radio station and would also give an interview in the same place. When Child heard Bach, he was pretty furious at him since he thought that Bach was ungrateful to Bon Jovi, who helped Skid Row start their professional career. He got there as fast as possible, but he couldn’t catch Bach.

Here is how Desmond Child recalled the time when Sebastian Bach slammed Bon Jovi on the radio:

“I had kind of a long history with Skid Row. Jon Bon Jovi’s best friend, the Snake, started the band. Jon wanted to help his friend, so he got behind the band and helped get them a deal. He helped to put them on tour with Bon Jovi and all of that. I was very impressed with Sebastian Bach, his singing, his looks, and all of that.

When I made my album, ‘Discipline,’ on Elektra, and I was touring around, I was in Toronto, and I was on my way to a radio station to do an interview. Sebastian Bach was on the radio station before me. He started slagging Bon Jovi. Kind of putting them down. I said to the driver, ‘Put the pedal to the metal. Let’s get to the radio station. I’m going to kick his ass.’ I was so pissed. When I got there, the elevator opened, and I think he’s on the other side was closing with him going down.

I got onto the station, and it’s like, ‘What an ungrateful creep.‘ I was just so pissed off at him. Later on, he wore a t-shirt that was very insulting that said, ‘AIDS kills fags dead.‘ There was a terrible backlash. You know, I had so many of my friends die of AIDS, including one of my brothers. It was like, ‘Wow, what is he? Just anything for attention?'”

That was not the only incident Desmond Child got angry with Sebastian Bach. He recalled Bach wearing a shirt that read, ‘AIDS kills fags dead.’ It was insulting for him as an openly gay man, and he thought that he did that to attract more attention.