I know he was fired form Bon Jovi. But what did he do that was so wrong? He seemed like a nice tight pocket player and some of his baselines were quite melodic, like the one from Livin on a prayer. I mean did he space out on stage and forget to play his parts or was he made a scape goat?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Alec John Such
- Thread starter therev
- Start date
- Jul 11, 2005
- 3,113
- 1,456
- Disclosures
- Gecko Leatherworks
Hugh McDonald played most of the famous Jovi basslines. From what i remember he was sloppy in the studio, but they were friends so Hugh was hired to play in the studio. If you listen to the later Jovi stuff, you can sorta hear which earlier tunes Hugh played on. Alec would be credited and tour with the band. I saw a special on vh1 and they said something about Alec doing an interview and talking about some band issues. I guess thats a big no no with them so he was fired. Funny thing is after that, he disappeared....Goodfellas??
After leaving Bon Jovi, Such has managed a couple of local New Jersey bands, and also owns a motorcycle shop in New York City. Alec managed the Chicago-based rock band 7th Heaven in 1998 along with James Young of the band Styx.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_John_Such
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_John_Such
Hugh was the man from the get behind all the great basslines the a modern day James Jamerson story hidden from the people laying down some killer stuff
At one point the band claimed that Such is not on any of the recordings, even the live stuff had McDonald overdubbed. Who knows if that is true but if it is, they cut him a lot of slack by not firing him earlier. Maybe he was the guy who provided all the drugs 
I'll tell you what was really lame about that Bon Jovi/Alec Jon Such thing...Bon Jovi has been quoted in interviews as saying that they never officially replaced him in the band in order to honor what he did while he was in the band. BULLCRAP!! They never officially replaced him so they didn't have to cut Hugh McDonald in on percentages. I'm sure he gets paid decently, but I'm sure it's a fraction of what the other guys get, and I'll bet any amount of money that if Bon Jovi could cut the other guys out of percentages without looking like a jackass who pooped on the guys who helped bring him to the game, he would. Why must they go through this phony baloney nonsense about honoring the guy they fired? My ass. Just say it's a money decision and don't be a phony!
Ah! Somebody's not afraid to swing the hammer and hit the nail on the head.
Hahaha! Jimmy....have not heard you speak so passionatly about anything like this lately!! LoL.
I was never a big fan of Bon Jovi, up until I got hooked up here in LA with one of the best Bon Jovi Tribute acts. I had to do some reading on who Such was and what happened to him and what he looked like. Like you say, it sounds really fishy. But the grooves are there, and those songs keep a whole room movin and singin!
Commreman
Faith, Family, Fitness, and Frets
That's harsh, but not without merit.
As far as Alec goes, he is a very nice guy with a tremendous voice. He played on the first two records (exception - Runaway. Hugh was on that cut.) After that, it was all Hugh McDonald.
Jon is a very tough taskmaster, and takes no bull from anyone. You get out of line? Your job is on the line. These guys are Jon's employees, pure and simple. Very well paid employees. Alec had abuse problems with alcohol and other substances, and needed to clean his act up. When he got sober, he said a few things in interviews that rubbed the boss the wrong way. He also was under a lot of pressure, and made a lot of mistakes live. It was a real confluence of events, but nonetheless he was out. He eventually went through a bankruptcy auction where his basses, cars, furniture, house, etc. were all sold.
Jon is one of the most ruthlessly focused guys you will ever meet. He did, and continues to do whatever is necessary to get to where he wants to be. He was that way since we were all kids. That is not a bad thing.
I figured that what happened revolved around a sensitive personal problem, a high power boss who would end up looking like an ah hole no matter what he did. From the lack of definite information or news stories, (I think Jon could have laid him out), but he diddn't.
What do you do when a friend screws up? And you depend on this friend for your livelyhood?
What do you do when a friend screws up? And you depend on this friend for your livelyhood?
Commreman
Faith, Family, Fitness, and Frets
and to answer Jimmy, yes Hugh is a hired gun who stays in the shadows, but so what? He lives well and can afford just about anything he wants. Jon has taken care of him very well, but it's a two way street - Hugh can handle what is a very high pressure gig without much of an issue, and can constantly produce memorable tracks. He is in a great position, but then again, he has earned it and has toed the company line. Bravo to him!
Fair Warning, Bon Jovi is a business. A big business. Jon has a lot of employees. It is a pressure gig for these guys. Jon is focused on the bottom line, and everyone must pull their weight. That being said, Alec didn't do well with pressure, and for all intents and purposes, became a highly paid cover musician. It got to be a lot to handle, he made obvious mistakes personally and performance wise, and like it or not became a liability. That doesn't make him a bad guy or a bad player, nor does it make Jon a bad guy. Jon had a business to run and a quality level of product to maintain. Like their music or not, this band puts on consistently excellent shows with first rate musicianship night after night, because that is what the boss demands and gets. I respect that. Jon also doesn't air any dirty laundry publicly, and carefully monitors and maintains his and the band's image. I respect that as well.
Fair Warning, Bon Jovi is a business. A big business. Jon has a lot of employees. It is a pressure gig for these guys. Jon is focused on the bottom line, and everyone must pull their weight. That being said, Alec didn't do well with pressure, and for all intents and purposes, became a highly paid cover musician. It got to be a lot to handle, he made obvious mistakes personally and performance wise, and like it or not became a liability. That doesn't make him a bad guy or a bad player, nor does it make Jon a bad guy. Jon had a business to run and a quality level of product to maintain. Like their music or not, this band puts on consistently excellent shows with first rate musicianship night after night, because that is what the boss demands and gets. I respect that. Jon also doesn't air any dirty laundry publicly, and carefully monitors and maintains his and the band's image. I respect that as well.
Well I guess it comes down to Jon being all about his money and being a control freak. Does he have any REAL friends or is everyone a paid employee and completely under his thumb? He sounds like the rock version of Prince. 
Maybe drugs or other issues caught up with Such during his latter years with the band, but when I saw him on the "Slippery When Wet" tour his playing, showmanship and tone were all spot-on.
I had been playing bass for years at the time & had a 3rd row seat right in front of him, so I was watching him with a critical eye & ear for most of the show.
He also had some really cool '80s basses - several custom Spector NS-2s & assorted Kramers, along with a Guild Pilot bass in pink paisley, and another in Lake Placid Blue with green LED fingerboard inlays.
I had been playing bass for years at the time & had a 3rd row seat right in front of him, so I was watching him with a critical eye & ear for most of the show.
He also had some really cool '80s basses - several custom Spector NS-2s & assorted Kramers, along with a Guild Pilot bass in pink paisley, and another in Lake Placid Blue with green LED fingerboard inlays.
I had Alec's Guild Pilot with the green LED's. I owned it for almost 10 years till I had to pay the house payment when I was outta work. I still know where it is and one day maybe I'll get it back. Only thing is it wasn't lake placid blue but silver metal flake. Maybe it was blue at one time or maybe he had two with lights. You can see the one I had on the living on a prayer video.
It had "custom made for Alec John Such" on the peg head. A guy that I can't think of the name of did the customizing for Guild. There are usually ads for sale on eBay of him holding the bass.
It had "custom made for Alec John Such" on the peg head. A guy that I can't think of the name of did the customizing for Guild. There are usually ads for sale on eBay of him holding the bass.
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
Huey played on the Studio and overdubbed all the LIVE stuff..
Alex was said to have had a physical altercation with Jon.. that pretty much ended and saving grace at that point in time.
Alex was said to have had a physical altercation with Jon.. that pretty much ended and saving grace at that point in time.
At one point the band claimed that Such is not on any of the recordings, even the live stuff had McDonald overdubbed. Who knows if that is true but if it is, they cut him a lot of slack by not firing him earlier. Maybe he was the guy who provided all the drugs
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
Jon is very loyal.. almost to a fault... But you have to respect him for that. .. He has done some really generous things for his players.. and Ill leave it at that.
You are correct it is a business. I BIG business.. They sold out STADIUMS multiple nights in a row on the last tour that went for about 2 years... just ended last winter.. and a new record coming next year and most likely another tour.
Like him or not ... They guy knows how to change with the times and delivers to his audience what they want year after year... And he keeps his guys around..
As far a sideman. Its about as big a gig as you can ever get on planet earth without being the main guy with your name on the Marquee
You are correct it is a business. I BIG business.. They sold out STADIUMS multiple nights in a row on the last tour that went for about 2 years... just ended last winter.. and a new record coming next year and most likely another tour.
Like him or not ... They guy knows how to change with the times and delivers to his audience what they want year after year... And he keeps his guys around..
As far a sideman. Its about as big a gig as you can ever get on planet earth without being the main guy with your name on the Marquee
I have no idea the details of their split and wouldnt care to speculate. But this thread just reminded me of seeing them in the early 2000s at Giants Stadium. AMAZING show, Eve6 opened and about halfway through the show Jon anounced that there was "a member of the family" backstage and would joing them for a song. Out came Alec, IIRC he played 2 songs and then walked off the stage to huge applause. Definately one of the best shows I've ever seen.
