The Bert Show — "Vault: Bon Jovi Joins The Show"

Date: December 26, 2025
Podcast: The Bert Show
Host: Bert Show Cast (Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and more)
Special Guest: Jon Bon Jovi

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features an interview with rock icon Jon Bon Jovi. The Bert Show cast chats with him about his decades-spanning career, the keys to his longevity in the music industry, the band’s survival through changing musical tastes, his personal life, and the release of a new vault album. The conversation maintains the show’s trademark authenticity and humor, blending thoughtful questions with lighthearted moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Perception of Jon Bon Jovi’s Interview Style

• The hosts joke about a few listeners thinking Jon seemed “aloof” during the interview.
  • [01:12] Melissa: “I thought he just seemed like he was tired, you know, like he wasn't as connected with us as I kind of expected.”
  • [01:28] Bert: “Well, he felt connected after Jeff asked him out for sure. That’s an interview that he’ll never forget.”

2. Recap of Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits

• The team lists Bon Jovi’s most popular songs, reminiscing about their own nostalgia and referencing the 1980s.
  • [02:43] Jon Bon Jovi: “I see everybody’s puffing their hair up really big in this area right now. Lots of hairspray.”
  • [02:48] Melissa: “I’m ripping my jeans right now.”

3. Dealing with Success and Insecurity

• Bert asks Jon if he’s ever stopped to wonder “Why me?” given his level of success.
  • [03:04] Jon Bon Jovi: “Yeah, I lie to myself, you know, I have the applause track playing in my house when I pat myself on the back...The truth of the matter is you wrote songs that people liked...you pack up the suitcase and you get out there.”
• On lingering insecurity:
  • [03:32] Jon Bon Jovi: “Every single day.”
  • [03:35] Jon Bon Jovi: “I was on the stage getting the AMA. And I'll tell you...as I sat up there on that stage and went, wow, why me? And is anybody going to care?...You think that's incredible. You sort of look over your shoulder and expect them to want to have given it to Bono, not Bon Jovi.”

4. Staying Grounded in Fame

• Discussion about maintaining personal relationships and family amidst celebrity.
  • [04:10] Melissa: “How did you protect your family, you know, and your friends from that [exposure]?”
  • [04:34] Jon Bon Jovi: “There comes a time in a, in a career...when the exposure’s too much, and that’s a very difficult time...Each and every one of these artists has to go through it on his own terms...It just doesn’t happen, unfortunately, and then it’s a character builder...Ask what happened to Guns N’ Roses. They could have been the Rolling Stones. It didn’t work.”

5. Longevity in Music & Evolving Industry

• Whether a modern band could have a multi-decade career like Bon Jovi.
  • [05:24] Jon Bon Jovi: “I don’t know if there’ll be another band that sells 100 million records from the next generation of bands, but because of the downloading and file sharing and burning...I don’t know. And honestly...what of those formats is going to play the next Bob Dylan? It’s not easy.”

6. Surviving as a Band & Never Breaking Up

• The hosts ask if Bon Jovi was ever close to breaking up.
  • [06:00] Jon Bon Jovi: “We were tired, but we never did...There was never a discussion about breaking up or I hate you or anything. It was just, let’s clear our heads...refocus on a new direction for the band.”
  • On adapting to changing musical landscapes: “...when our peers were being pushed out by the Seattle movement, we continued on another road and were, you know, as successful.”

7. Jon Bon Jovi, Sex Symbol?

• Melissa asks about Jon’s “beauty secrets.”
  • [06:59] Jon Bon Jovi (deadpan): “How do you answer while you say things like that? I'm gagging. So that can be interpreted as being bulimic. I Guess.”
  • [07:09] Jon Bon Jovi: “I don’t know. Christ, I’m Dorian Gray. I’ve got the painting in my attic. What I really look like.”
  • [07:32] Jon Bon Jovi: “And good jeans, Levi’s, you know, whatever it is, right?”

8. Personal Life & Relationships

• The hosts probe Jon’s long-term marriage and why he chose family over the “rockstar lifestyle.”
  • [08:07] Jon Bon Jovi: “No, that’s about it...It was about a six month period in my life.”
  • [08:16] Jon Bon Jovi: “It was a lot of fun. Too much fun for me.”
  • [08:23] Jon Bon Jovi: “I knew a good deal when I had one. This was a lot better than playing that Hollyweird game. That's not. It wasn't for me.”
  • [08:35] Jon Bon Jovi: “I’d rather get up and see the same wife and the four kids and the life I have than just the other way. It’s got a little old quick.”

9. Jeff Dollar’s Hilarious Fan “Date” Request

• A lighthearted, memorable segment where Jeff nervously asks Jon Bon Jovi out for a meal.
  • [09:27] Jon Bon Jovi (joking): "I question it's radio."
  • [09:45] Jon Bon Jovi: "Free food in Atlanta."
  • [09:49] Jeff Dollar: "No, I'll come to you."
  • [10:17] Jeff Dollar: "John, you pick the date, the time, the place, and I will be there for you. These five words."
  • [10:17] Jon Bon Jovi: "I love Jeff. Jeff, what a good guy. We'll have to work something out, Jeff...I'll let you buy me a beer. Hell yeah."
  • [10:33] Jon Bon Jovi (teasing): "Jeff, back away from the microphone."
  • [10:37] Jeff Dollar (joking about bandmate): "I don't want Richie there hogging any of your time. I want it just to be you."
  • [10:47] Jon Bon Jovi: "Is there something you want to tell the audience?"

10. Details on the New Vault Album

• Jon explains the contents and reasoning behind the newly released extensive box set.
  • [11:14] Jon Bon Jovi: “Yeah, there’s 50 songs, 38 which have never been heard by anybody, and 12 rarities that only Looney Tunes like Jeff would have...So our vaults were really deep...a milestone like the 100 millionth album and the 20 year anniversary was a good opportunity to do it.”
  • [12:02] Jon Bon Jovi: “Every album needs a beginning, a middle and an end. And they’re supposed to read like stories and thematically stay consistent. And then there’s periods in your life where you wrote a song…By the time we wrote it, which was Post Young Guns and pre Keep the Faith, things had changed for us...we started writing a little more socially conscious [music]...So we started writing a little more socially conscious song and things like that couldn't make the record, you know, and it was time. But if that was on New Jersey, it probably would have been a big hit.”
  • [13:29] Jon Bon Jovi: “…you have to really feel where you are at that point in your life. I still love singing ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ but I wouldn't have wanted to do, you know, ‘why aren't you dead?’ Come the time to ‘Keep the Faith’ – I was just at a different place in my life.”

11. Wrap-Up & Goodbyes

• The conversation ends jokingly, with Jon reaffirming his promise to meet up with Jeff for a beer.
  • [13:47] Jon Bon Jovi: “Thank you all. I appreciate it very much. And Jeff, I owe you that beer.”
  • [13:50] Jeff Dollar: "No, I'm buying it for you."
  • [13:52] Jon Bon Jovi: "Okay, fair enough. I have expensive tastes."
  • [13:59] Bird Show Host: "Nice talking to you, John."
  • [14:00] Jon Bon Jovi: "All right, all the best, guys."

Notable Quotes & Moments — With Timestamps

• “I lie to myself, you know, I have the applause track playing in my house when I pat myself on the back…The truth of the matter is you wrote songs that people liked and you continue to try to do that.”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [03:04]

• “Every single day.” (on whether he’s insecure about success)
  — Jon Bon Jovi [03:32]

• “There comes a time in a career…when the exposure’s too much, and that’s a very difficult time for any artist…each has to go through it on his own terms.”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [04:34]

• “I don’t know if there’ll be another band that sells 100 million records from the next generation of bands...because of the downloading…file sharing…”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [05:24]

• “We were tired, but we never did [break up]...Let’s clear our heads and do other things and then refocus on a new direction…”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [06:00]

• “I’m Dorian Gray. I’ve got the painting in my attic. What I really look like.”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [07:09]

• “I knew a good deal when I had one. This was a lot better than playing that Hollyweird game...I'd rather get up and see the same wife and the four kids and the life I have than just the other way. It’s got a little old quick.”
  — Jon Bon Jovi [08:23, 08:35]

• “John, you pick the date, the time, the place, and I will be there for you. These five words.”
  — Jeff Dollar [10:12]

• “Jeff, back away from the microphone.”
  — Jon Bon Jovi (playfully) [10:33]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:12] – Hosts debate Jon’s mood in the interview
• [02:26] – Jon Bon Jovi joins, reacts to intro and list of hits
• [03:04] – Reflecting on success and humility
• [03:32] – On insecurity and imposter syndrome
• [04:34] – On artists coping with fame and protecting family
• [05:24] – Industry evolution and music's future
• [06:00] – On band longevity and avoiding a breakup
• [06:59] – Joking about Jon’s sex symbol status
• [08:07] – Personal relationships and return to marriage
• [09:15] – Jeff nervously invites Jon to lunch/beer
• [11:14] – Details of the new vault album’s content
• [12:02] – Artistic choices behind song selection
• [13:47] – Farewell and “beer date” confirmation

Tone and Style

True to The Bert Show’s style, the episode is friendly, informal, and peppered with humor—even in serious moments. Jon Bon Jovi responds with trademark wit and self-deprecating charm, making even weighty topics feel approachable for listeners.

This episode is an engaging, well-rounded conversation that covers Bon Jovi’s career highlights, personal philosophy, industry changes, and behind-the-scenes stories, with memorable comedic beats (especially the “beer with Jeff” gag) that will stick with fans and new listeners alike.