Richie Sambora Says Bon Jovi Isn’t ‘The Real Thing’ Without Him

The war of words between Bon Jovi and the band’s exiled guitarist Richie Sambora has cooled off over the last several months, but that doesn’t mean Sambora has made peace with the idea of the group touring without him.

“At the end of the day, if you’re going to buy a can of Coke, you want the real thing,” he explained to Melbourne’s Herald Sun (via Ultimate Classic Rock). Unfortunately, says Sambora, Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi “just has a different mentality” – even though, as he put it, “I know Mick Jagger wouldn’t tour without Keith Richards and call it the Rolling Stones.”

Be that as it may, Sambora seems to feel as though some fans are willing to give Bon Jovi a pass without him in the lineup because “For the longest time, even now, I’m considered Jon Bon Jovi’s side arm, or something.” It rankles him, and for good reason: “Hey, I built this band, too.”

Sambora maintains that he walked away from Bon Jovi in order to spend more time with his daughter, and admitted to the Herald Sun, “It was an unpopular decision with the fans and the band, but sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do for his family. It certainly didn’t come down to money. It’s something I needed to do for my family and myself.” And as for a reunion? “I’m not saying this band will not get back together at some point, or not,” he shrugged. “There will have to be a lot of communication, a lot of talking.”