The Drunkalogues
Guests share their often hilarious stories of addiction and recovery - how it was, what happened, and how it is now - followed by a 30 minute interview with the host - film producer, writer and comedian - Nick Morton.
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Episode 82 - Tom Vaughan
04/23/2024
Episode 82 - Tom Vaughan
I came across Tom Vaughan on twitter and started following him for his helpful screenwriting tips, and then one day he tweeted something about his sobriety and I reached out to see if we would be interested in coming on the pod. He graciously agreed, and I imagined some sort of quasi-scholarly discussion about story structure and sobriety. Little did I realize, Tom and I had crossed paths in my most formative Hollywood years and shared so much in common... not least of all being our penchant for pre-pubescent car theft! You can tune into his many screenwriting resources at storyandplot.com
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Rerun - Episode 64 - Nena Woolworth
03/01/2024
Rerun - Episode 64 - Nena Woolworth
I interviewed Nena about two years ago...tho it feels like a lifetime. We were just coming out of covid and it was one of the first times I'd been back in the room with a guest. I would say that in the interim, interest in hallucingens has only grown as mushrooms seem to have quickly become both the medicine of choice and the party drug of choice.... here are the original notes! I've been wanting to do this interview for years.... Nena is a scion of one of America's most famous families and grew up in the rarefied air of upper east side NYC where that legacy was mostly confounding. She initially started out as an interior designer, and we met in LA in the aughts when she was exploring the entertainment biz and we were both aimlessly navigating the cocktail scene, here. We lost touch when I had kids and she was nearly killed by a series of flesh eating bacterial infections. And when we reconnected - both now sober - I asked her if she was still decorating, and she said, "No, I'm a shaman." I love second acts, and this one - that takes us into the world of sacred rituals and medicines (yes, we're talking hallucinogens) is fascinating.
/episode/index/show/thedrunkalogues/id/30191603
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RERUN - Episode 52 - Jenny Aurthur
02/08/2024
RERUN - Episode 52 - Jenny Aurthur
Sometimes I do a podcast and by the end of the conversation my guest and I are friends for lise. Such was the case with Jenny Aurthur! Original notes: Jenny Aurthur grew up in a somewhat nomadic family - traveling in a large bus to organize neighborhoods for the Communist Labor Party, and while her parents never married, they maintained a strong family dynamic. So it was especially traumatic when she lost two members of her family to suicide and then - in sobriety - grieved as her closest friend also took his own life. Despite all that her joy remains in tact and reverberates thru this convo.
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Episode 81 - Ryan KIng
01/23/2024
Episode 81 - Ryan KIng
Ryan King moved to Los Angeles as a toddler when his father, Commodores co-founder William King, moved here for work. He was a pretty straight arrow through high school earning himself a coveted spot in the highly competive baseball program at Long Beach State. But booze became his way of belonging and soon his undoing as his alcoholo habit compounded a case of the "yips" that kept him from throwing the ball to first base! Things got slowly worse from there, and he skidded along the bottom without ever hitting it until a relapse on his honeymoon changed everything forever.
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Episode 80 - Paul Summers
12/07/2023
Episode 80 - Paul Summers
Paul Summers grew up in Las Vegas Nevada where he had a “eureka” moment at an early age which made him realize that all he wanted to do with his life was play guitar, write music and perform for live audience, and for a while…. That’s exactly what he did. But booze and meth and oxy led him off his path, and it was only when his ex-wife disappeared with his toddler daughter that he realized everything had to change. He has now written a new memoire HIDE and SEEK a Dad’s journey from soulless addiction to sole custody that chronicles his efforts to clean up and regain custody, and we talk here about his journey back to music and the challenge of putting your so-called faith into action
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Episode 79 - Clancy Martin
11/07/2023
Episode 79 - Clancy Martin
Clancy Martin is the author of the recently published, highly acclaimed memoire - HOW NOT TO KILL YOURSELF - which is also an enlightened and practical guide to suicide prevention. Clancy speaks from experience as he is the survivor of at least ten attempts to take his own life. And as a recovering alcoholic, he looks at suicide - at least in part - through the lens of addiction. I found the book revelatory and - as someone who regularly contemplates taking his own life - wildly helpful. And I also think the wisdom Clancy shares in this conversation alone could save lives.
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RERUN - Episode 23 - Lauren Morelli
10/25/2023
RERUN - Episode 23 - Lauren Morelli
I loved this episode because I just had no idea what I was getting into, and Lauren was so raw and honest and her story is - in a lot of ways - tough. Especially as a parent! And I loved the way she created a higher power for herself and how it worked! I think about it all the time...... Here are the original notes: Lauren Morelli is a costume designer who grew up in South Florida experimenting in a range of addictive behavior from an early age. At 17 she found herself on lockdown in state run rehab and somehow found a spiritually and sobriety there strong enough she has stayed sober ever since.
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Rerun - Episode 35 - Kosha Dillz
10/10/2023
Rerun - Episode 35 - Kosha Dillz
I recorded this episode at Sundance right before the pandemic. I was feeling pretty blue as sometimes happens there, and I went to an AA meeting where I met Kosha Dillz, and he and I went out on a fun, funny night around Park City and recorded this episode the next day. Here are the original notes... Rami is a rapper who performs under the stage name Kosha Dillz. He grew up in New Jersey and spent some time in and out of jail before getting sober and finding his calling in the world of music. He won the 2009 Hot 97 Rap Battle at Giants Stadium. He has performed with Snoop Dogg, RZA, Matisyahu to name a few and appeared at Sundance and SXSW. Follow him @koshadillz You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 78 - Jono Hart
09/18/2023
Episode 78 - Jono Hart
I met Jono Hart when we were both climbing the Hollywood ladder in the 90s, and we traded small talk and jokes at innumerable cocktail parties before both getting sober at about the same time. And while I have used the 12 steps as a model, he has largely followed his own heart. Weirldy, both paths share a lot of similarities. We recently re-connected over our shared love of the mountains and he has been invaluable in getting me and my kids back into the wilderness. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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RERUN - Episode 44 - David G.
08/22/2023
RERUN - Episode 44 - David G.
I love this episode b/c David is so damn articulate and wise and he recognizes patterns in his own behavior that prove insturmental in changing it. It's also a great story... Orignal notes: David G was raised in a religious cult where he learned early on to keep his family's membership secret. It was a lesson that would serve him too well as his alcoholism deepened and yet he still managed to keep it from everyone close to him until the burden of his addiction proved too much. He got help and came to understand that his self-worth need not be tied to his failure or accomplishments. You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 77 - Sean F.
08/07/2023
Episode 77 - Sean F.
Sean grew up in Long Beach where he was the son of a single mom and absentee dad. He discovered crack and meth at an early age, and when he graduate from high school he went off and joined the circus - Bread and Puppet - the experimental theater group based in Glover, VT. The skills he picked up at Bread and Puppet led to a very successful career in light design, but his crack and meth habit gave way to heroin and speedballs. He soon found himself mired in several disfuntional relationships when - almost by chance - he stumbled into a twelve step meeting and just kept coming back. He's so funny and honest and - as I've gotten to know him - full of wisdom. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Rerun - Episode 33 - Zander Schloss
07/25/2023
Rerun - Episode 33 - Zander Schloss
I loved recording this episode. I didn't have a clue how to record music and I was terrified that I was going to disappoint Zander with my audio and it felt like magic to listen to him play in my daughter's bedroom which seemed like it maybe had the best acoustics in the house. Original notes: This is a very special episode. Zander Schloss - the bass player for the seminal punk band The Circle Jerks - brought his guitar to this session, and he not only tells an amazing story of his career in music, the steep toll of addiction and his hard fought journey thru recovery but he also plays original songs that reflect the long, complex path of his life. This is a story of acceptance and surrender but also of persistence. You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 76 - Annie
06/22/2023
Episode 76 - Annie
I've fantasized about having every guest back to catch up with them and hear how they've changed and how their recovery has evolved, but it hasn't yet happened... until now! Annie appeared on an early season of the podcast to talk alcohol recovery, and now she is back - 4 and a half years later - to talk about her journey through sex and love addiction. They say if you've been sober long enough and you're not in another 12 step progam, you're just not being honest with yourself. Well, Annie is being very honest with herself and you can learn more about her journey through sex and love addiction on her own podcast SEX AND LOVE IN RECOVERY. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 75 - Sonia Kahlon
06/01/2023
Episode 75 - Sonia Kahlon
The daughter of Inidan immigrants, Sonia grew up in Toronto and went on with her husband of 18 years to form and expand a multi-location orthodontic practice. But when they realized their dream of selling the business, Sonia had to ask herself: what next. The first thing she did was quit drinking, but when her husband then suddenly left her she had to really re-evaluate who she was and what she wanted from life. She has gone on to form a curated peer support group for people struggling with addiction - EverBlume - and we talk here about what it really means to set your own self-worth.
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Rerun - Dixie Perkinson
05/18/2023
Rerun - Dixie Perkinson
Apologies for another rerun! I've had trouble booking guests so if you have a story you'd like to share or know someone who would... hit a boy up! Dixie Perkinson is an actor who has appeared in commercials for just about everything. She is also a comedian and storyteller whose blog - Eat My Prune - focuses on the kinds of stories people are uncomfortable telling. Her empathy and openness and humor radiate through every anecdote she shares.
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Rerun - Episode 2 - John Lehr
05/01/2023
Rerun - Episode 2 - John Lehr
Apologies for the radio silence. I got busy with work and this little side project took the back seat. Here's a taste from the vault to keep you engaged! John Lehr is an improvisational actor and comedian out of the Chicago Improv scene who has created and starred in a number of TV shows including "Quick Draw" and "10 Items or Less." Here he talks about his unlikely path to sobriety. He's funny. You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 74 - Marci Hopkins
03/21/2023
Episode 74 - Marci Hopkins
Marci Hopkins grew up in an alcoholic home where she was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her step-father. While she managed to escape that world and chart a successful path for herself in television, she suffered from a persistent sense of victimhood that she treated with alcohol abuse. When a DUI finally forced her to re-evaluate her choices and get sober, she reinvented herself completely - dispensing with her old notions of perfection and prioritizing fulfillment. She is now the author a recent memoir - Chaos To Clarity: Seeing The Signs and Breaking The Cycles as well as an award winning TV host and Creator of Wake Up With Marci. Won’t you please welcome marci Hopkins. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 73 - Adam K.
03/08/2023
Episode 73 - Adam K.
I heard Adam K share the tiniest snippet of what it was like to grow up as a child of deaf adults (CODA), and I just wanted to hear more. His parents were not saints: they were all too human, and he struggled from an early age under the weight of the immense responsibility they thrust on him to care for them. Growing up in West Covina as the only jew in an ethnically diverse community, Adam eventually found an escape in pot and rap music and like so many stories in recovery a chance encounter changed everything. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Rerun - Episode 17 - Adele Hare
02/27/2023
Rerun - Episode 17 - Adele Hare
Shaking off some rust here as I get ready to do some new interviews... This is a wild and interesting story told with great humor and zero pity. From stripping to sex work to sobriety. This delights me... Adele Hare is a food service manager here in Los Angeles. She works in the fields of mental health and addiction and is currently studying to get her certificate in substance abuse treatment. Her story takes her to some pretty dark and funny places as she tries to fill that hole in her soul before finally re-connecting with some deeply buried innocence and finding a way to become an adult.
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Episode 72 - Patrick McCartney
12/06/2022
Episode 72 - Patrick McCartney
Patrick McCartney came of age in the Chicago improv scene in the early nineties where he worked with the likes of Del Close and toured with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey in the Second City Touring Company. But it wasn’t long before his early exploration of drugs and alcohol blossomed into a full blown heroin problem and rules like “I’ll never use before going on stage” became “I’ll never go on stage if I’m not using.” Heroin use eventually gave way to crack addiction, and he found himself alone and suicidal in a heatless cabin in Wyoming. But he got clean and found his way into recovery and is now finding a kind of spiritual practice teaching and performing improv
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Episode 71 - Larry Clarke
11/22/2022
Episode 71 - Larry Clarke
Larry Clarke is a writer, director and actor whom you have almost certainly seen in one of the many, many roles he has played in mainstream studio tv and films from "Law and Order" to Steven Soderberg’s "The Laundromat." His story is interesting, in part, because he stopped drinking about 5 years before he actually discovered the world of 12 step meetings, but it was really in the rooms of recovery that he found a kind of stability that ultimately led to his successful Hollywood career. We’ve known each other for years but have never really sat down to talk so this light, rollicking conversation covers a lot of ground and feels like a good palate cleanser for the Thanksgiving feast
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Episode 70 - Hannah Sward
11/08/2022
Episode 70 - Hannah Sward
Hannah Sward grew up in a commune in Santa Cruz where her father was a prolific poet. Her parents split when she was young and a lot of her early journey was shaped by a quest to reunite with her younger sister in Los Angeles. That quest that took her first to Chicago where she quickly became a call girl to raise enough money to pay the tuition at an acting conservatory that did eventually bring her to LA. Reunited, the two sisters started working together as dancers at various LA strip clubs. But the pressure to stay young and hot eventually led her to pick up speed to maintain her figure which took its toll on her body not to mention her soul. Eventually, she picked up the bottle and entered the world of sugar daddies before an important mother figure in her life helped her get sober and finally live out her life long dream of becoming a writer. I loved this conversation. It’s raw and direct and vulnerable without a hint of self-pity. She has a new book out now called STRIP. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 69 - Phillip Dane
10/04/2022
Episode 69 - Phillip Dane
Phillip Dane has been a serial entrepreneur since his early teens and has started companies that do everything from rest room marketing to pay phone manufacturing. In his early twenties, he founded the world famous Melrose Flea - almost on a whim - and currently runs the Loz Feliz flea as well as Odd Night at the Autrey. The journey from Melrose to Los Feliz took him thru a dark, circuitous path of cigar bars and heroine addiction but he lived to tell the tale, and I had as you will see a GREAT time sitting down to hear it. You can support this podcast at Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 68 - Patrick O'Neil
09/12/2022
Episode 68 - Patrick O'Neil
Patrick O'Neil's new book "Anarchy at The Circle K" - chronicling his life as a tour manager for punk rock bands like The Dead Kennedys - is out now. He is also a teacher and a substance abuse counselor. But before all that -- he was a bank robber -- responsible for a series of hold ups in the bay area with a gang of guys known as the "Men In Black." This episode is such a powerful exploration of the slippery slope that is addiction as well as the capricious nature of grace. You can support this podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 67 - Kim O'Hara
08/29/2022
Episode 67 - Kim O'Hara
Kim O'Hara went to film school to act and produce and then became a film producer in NYC where she always managed to assemble a strong social network of friends and family to keep her drinking and using in check. But when her second marriage collapsed and she no longer had any guard rails to keep her on track; things started falling apart. While sobriety gave her a new system for living and also opened her up to new possibilities, it also helped her discover a deep spiritual longing and a long repressed memory that made her wonder if her whole identity rested on a false premise.
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Episode 66 - Joe Hart
08/09/2022
Episode 66 - Joe Hart
I’ve wanted to interview Joe Hart from the moment I started making this podcast as he has always exuded a powerful empathy for everyone around him even when things in his own life were clearly not going his way. He grew up in New York in a house his dad built with his own hands and eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. And it was only after enduring a series of confouning drunken mishaps out on the road with a touring company that one of his colleagues came to him and suggested, “you don’t have to live like this.” It reminds me there’s help and there’s grace everywhere.
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RERUN - Episode 19 - Mark Christopher - Part 2
07/26/2022
RERUN - Episode 19 - Mark Christopher - Part 2
Love the radical turn this second half of Mark's story suddenly takes. Really did. not. see it coming. I haven't seen Mark since he recorded this. We traded emails during the pandemic. He'd had an accident of some sort and was in a Motel in West LA and needed a ride to the doctor. I couldn't take him but offered to send an uber but his phone was dying and I haven't heard from him since. Mark! Get in touch... This is part 2 of a two part interview I chose to air in its entirety because the first part feels like the kind of drug misadventure that movies are made from, but this second part is something different and it explores the kind of spiritual awakening you don't hear a lot about these days. It's radically different, I think, and yet bears so many tantalizing similarities. You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Rerun - Episode 18 - Mark Christopher
07/11/2022
Rerun - Episode 18 - Mark Christopher
Mark Christopher grew up in a world of extreme privilege and then parlayed his connections and street smarts into a thriving weed empire. Despite multiple brushes with death and the law, a wildly inflated sense of self kept him convinced he could manage an addiction that would eventually rob him of everything. You can support this podcast at my Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 65 - Billy Sullivan
06/07/2022
Episode 65 - Billy Sullivan
Billy Sullivan is a musician and composer for movies and TV. It's all he ever really wanted: a career in music. And while he turned pro when he was only 16 years old - he only found a path to the real deal once he got sober. you can support this podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/thedrunkalogues
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Episode 64 - Nena Woolworth
05/17/2022
Episode 64 - Nena Woolworth
I've been wanting to do this interview for years.... Nena is a scion of one of America's most famous families and grew up in the rarefied air of upper east side NYC where that legacy was mostly confounding. She initially started out as an interior designer, and we met in LA in the aughts when she was exploring the entertainment biz and we were both aimlessly navigating the cocktail scene, here. We lost touch when I had kids and she was nearly killed by a series of flesh eating bacterial infections. And when we reconnected - both now sober - I asked her if she was still decorating, and she said, "No, I'm a shaman." I love second acts, and this one - that takes us into the world of sacred rituals and medicines (yes, we're talking hallucinogens) is fascinating.
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