Bobby Bones Reflects On His Memoir ‘Bare Bones’ Nearly a Year After Its Release

Nearly a year after releasing his New York Times Bestseller 'Bare Bones,' radio DJ Bobby Bones is reflecting on life and how it's changed since sharing his story. 

Written by Annie Reuter
Bobby Bones Reflects On His Memoir ‘Bare Bones’ Nearly a Year After Its Release
Bobby Bones; Photo via The Greenroom PR

Bobby Bones has much to celebrate this Valentine’s Day. The perpetually single radio host no longer finds himself alone as he’ll be sharing a romantic evening with dinner reservations for two at Waffle House with girlfriend Lindsay Ell (“We are, oddly, overly excited about that,” he confesses). But that’s not all, as Feb. 14 also marks the re-release of his memoir Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This in paperback.

The deejay, musician and comedian recently caught up with Sounds Like Nashville where he revisited his book, which was featured on The New York Times Bestsellers List for three weeks, as well as discussed how life has changed since sharing his life story with the masses.

While Bones shares his daily musings with millions of radio listeners each morning on his nationally syndicated The Bobby Bones Show, he admits that it is still difficult for him to read his memoir. However, he says he is appreciative that he put his experiences out there for others to relate to and learn from.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people. I get to meet listeners and a lot of them read it and have similar stories,” he tells Sounds Like Nashville over the phone. “Not so much the embarrassing ones, but the ones about my mom and her battling addiction. Things that I’ve never talked about at length because I didn’t think anyone would really understand, but a lot of people really do understand. The thing that’s changed since we put the book out is I don’t feel as alone with a lot of those stories that were pretty vulnerable for me to write.”

Bones’ candor throughout Bare Bones is at times uncomfortable. He says if he didn’t put “all of my honest truth in there,” then he didn’t do his best at writing the book. As a result, fans have latched onto Bones’ memoir, many of whom frequently approach him during his weekend comedy tours.

“It’s like I opened a big ol’ door to my heart, which I have trouble doing in real life,” he says, pausing. “The best thing I ever got from the book wasn’t bestseller or a paycheck. It was the fact that I didn’t feel like I was the only person that had gone through a lot of those struggles that I wrote about. It was a month-long therapy session after the book was published.”

Much of Bones’ story is of perseverance. He grew up poor and says he knew how to be poor so failing was never an obstacle. His plan A was to be in radio and explains that he had no plan B to fall back on.

“I never worried about, ‘If I lose a job, I’m going to have a tough time eating.’ There were times where I had $4 for the whole week, and you learned how to turn bologna and Ramen into meals. Actually, they were great meals. I was fantastic at it. I should’ve had a show,” he jokes. “I’d have been crushing some bologna and Ramen on The Food Network! You learn that.”

In a video clip promoting the book, Bones returns home to Arkansas and revisits his old high school. Standing on his former football field, Bones recalls practices where his coach would push his teammates to the limit and have them recite “every day is a good day” over and over again. This mantra would make its way into his music years later in a song called “Every Day Is a Good Day,” co-written with Ell and Sugarland’s Kristian Bush, and featured on his debut comedy album The Critics Give It 5 Stars. As Bones says, “the one thing about me, it all comes back full circle.”

Bones will be spending Valentine’s Day with longtime friend, co-writer and guitarist Ell, who he now calls his girlfriend. He says he’s looking forward to it more than any other Valentine’s Day and that he and Ell simply have fun when they’re together.

“It’s not about much more than just enjoying being around each other. She’s the coolest chick I know,” he says. “Lindsay and I were friends for years before we dated. It’s a weird thing to go from, ‘Hey, buddy,’ to ‘Let’s make out.’ That’s quite the step you have to take in your life, and it’s a weird one. It’s been a really cool thing to have your girlfriend be someone that you were friends with for a long time.”

While Bones is looking forward to sharing some heart-shaped waffles with Ell, he admits that his vulnerability still remains an issue. Despite putting his life story out there in the pages of his memoir for all to read he says it’s hard to keep his walls down and to fully trust people, but that’s not stopping him from trying.

“At times, it can be tough, but if you get into it with your best friend it makes the tough at least tough together,” he concedes.

Bobby Bones’ Bare Bones: I’m Not Lonely If You’re Reading This is available in paperback for $10.99.

Sounds Like Nashville is giving readers the chance to take home an autographed copy of Bare Bones in paperback. Click HERE to enter for your chance to win.