Celebrity Travel: Go away with Bobby Bare Jr. of Guided by Voices

Growing up, Bobby Bare Jr. was accustomed to hitting the road with his musician parents – country artist Bobby Bare Sr. and singer Jeannie Bare. “Me and my family had a family show for a while,” said the 58-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist for Guided by Voices. “[When] we went to Miami, we had a police escort to our show. It was spectacular.” Born and raised in Nashville, where he still resides, he is currently on tour with his group (https://www.guidedbyvoices.com/tour) promoting their current album " Strut of Kings." Fans may follow him on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CoQWCzBhiM/?hl=en) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bobbybarejrmusic/).

Q: Are there any cities on your current tour that you have never been to?

A: No. I’ve been on the road since 1974 performing with my family, selling T-shirts at honky tonks or touring with my own music. I’ve been almost everywhere in the United States several times.

Q: There are music fans who will travel to other states to see your perform. Have you ever gone out of your way to attend a concert?

A: I went to Lollapalooza in1992 and 1993 in Atlanta. It was spectacular. Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Primus, Dinosaur Jr., Rage Against the Machine – but Ministry at dusk with bodies flying 20 feet in the air, fires flaming in the middle of the big circles of people. Apocalyptic and lovely.

Q: Are fans who show up to your concerts different depending on what country you're performing in?

A: We have only done one trip overseas, but they kind of seem like the same people wherever we go.

Q: Do you have any upcoming trips planned?

A: I am playing in Portland and Seattle in October with Kevn Kinney. Acoustic duo. That’s gonna be fun.

Q: What untapped destination should people know about?

A: There is a hippy dippy resort on Orcas Island up past Seattle that is called Doe Bay [Resort & Retreat]. I’ve played there many times. I always go there when I’m in the area.

You can see the whales from the shore and Mount Constitution is spectacular.

Q: Have you visited places for work that were so nice that you traveled back there for a personal trip?

A: Oh yeah. Orcas Island, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Chicago. I wanted my kids to experience all those cities, so I took them.

Q: Do you work on songs while you're traveling?

A: I mostly work at home because the road is quite chaotic and there’s no quiet time.

Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?

A: I keep going back to Tahoe. It’s affordable to get there and one of the most beautiful places in America. I took my kids to Tahoe, San Francisco and the Monterey Peninsula last summer. It blew their minds.

Q: How do you separate work from vacation trips?

A: I try to work at least one or two shows while on vacation just to pay for the trip.

Q: What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A: Pack as light as possible and make sure you buy good luggage, because if one of the wheels breaks, you’re totally screwed.

Q: If you could only pick one place to eat, would you prefer a food truck or fine dining?

A: I like fine dining because I’m lazy.

Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A: I go to the Ocoee River quite often. It’s the most southeastern corner of our state [in Tennessee] and part of the Smokies. It is not too far away and so very lovely.

Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?

A: I’m not good at other languages whatsoever. I took Portuguese, but I don’t remember any of it.

Q: What are your favorite cities?

A: Stockholm, Seattle and Austin.

Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?

A: I really want to go to Kyoto. I’ve never been to any of the Asian countries.

Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A: Clean socks! And baby powder in the summertime.

Q: What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?

A: I do some Food Network research usually when I go to a new city.

Q: What is your best vacation memory?

A: All my best memories are the one-on-one trips I’ve done with my kids. I’ve taken each of them to Chicago at least once.

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(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and journalist. You can reach her at www.jaehakim.com, follow her on Instagram and X @goawaywithjae, or read more from her on Substack (jaehakim.substack.com).)