Comedian Chelsea Hood shares the story of the time she backpacked across Europe with her boyfriend's sober, god-loving best friend- recorded at our live show. Chelsea then joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we talk about the special itineraries drunks have when they travel across a different continent. Chelsea also talks about what's its like to be a female construction worker and general contractor and how dudes react when she shows up to fix things. CJ and Sean share their own backpacking stories, along with some stories about how different EU airlines want to different policies on drunk passengers and a story about how European bullet trains confuse some people when they are on a bender.
A special episode celebrating the start of the World Series. CJ and Sean talk about the Dodgers vs Yankees matchup and how its causing Carmageddon in LA. We also talk about some of the funniest moments in World Series history, which include legendary drunk and slugger Babe Ruth ending game 7 on a hilariously bad stolen base attempt, George Steinbrenner claiming he was attacked by Dodgers fans- only to punch their teeth out. We also talk about drinking in the world series, including a Sox pitcher who entered the game drunk and how the Yankees may have punished Mantle and Ruth by making them play weird positions.
Comedian Tori Kilkenny tells two hilarious stories at our live show- one about the last time she blacked out and the other about an impromptu decision to tour her local fire fighting station. Tori then joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we talk about the joys of revisiting things you loved as a child , like fire engines and snow ball fights. This leads to a theme on firefighters- we share stats on how much firefighters drink compared to the average citizen and a story about a Wisconsin volunteer fire fighting crew that struggles to find a sober driver for the truck on weekends. We also share our own stories about dealing with Chicago fire fighters and what they will and will not respond to.
CJ and Sean talk about technology and drinking. Sean has recently been contacted by a bunch of people who have fallen victim to cyber scams and shares those stories, along with good advice on how to know if you are speaking to a scammer. We also talk about the Israeli operation that sold exploding pagers. CJ talks about the crazy tech theories he heard in North Carolina, between hurricanes. CJ and Sean end by discussing some recent ways science and technology has intersected with drinking, specifically the growth of sober influencers and how Ozempic is now being used to curtail drinking habits as well as eating habits.
The Blackout Diaries celebrates the start of college football! CJ and Sean talk about how college football tailgating parties are the some of the funnest, most-wild, yet somehow must-inclusive parties on earth. We share some stats on how allowing alcohol sales inside college stadiums has not lead to more binge drinking, along with some of our own stories about attending college games. And we close it out with a story by the hilarious Colby Dant of The Sports Gambling Podcast, on how he got banned from the Rose Bowl because cheering for the home team is illegal on the west coast.
Chicago bartender and musician Christian McGann explains the differences between the Front Of The House and The Blackout Of The House, to our live audience at The Blackout Diaries. Christian tells some stories about bartending in Chicago and concludes with a hilarious song about what it's like to hear the drink orders of customers all night long. Christian joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we discuss the demands of bartending, along with Christian's other tavern-based job- he is one half of a dueling piano duo. CJ and Sean discuss some stats about bartending and how much the service industry drinks, along with how some bars have adjusted to bad internet reviews in hilarious, albeit confrontational ways. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review- plus follow Christian to checkout more great piano tunes and live apperances.
Legendary Chicago comedian Joey Villagomez tells a couple of stories at the live show, about the time he got high at work during a polar vortex and then about the time in highschool when his buddy drank too much and had to be hosed down. Joey then joins CJ and Sean in the studio and shares some crazy stories about working for the city of Chicago, along with other drinking buddy tales. This leads to a theme on drinking buddies. We discuss the science of how drinking buddies impact our alcohol consumption, share some stories, and extend an open invite to a FL lawyer who got separated from his drinking buddies and entered the wrong car, naked.
Special episode where CJ and Sean talk about their favorite, world sporting event- The Olympics. We laugh about how an Australian professor might have danced so poorly her sport has been thrown out of any future Olympic consideration; how some swimmers are pounding Cokes to eat away at the polluted water; and the weird and often funny career opportunities that Olympic athletes have to jump on once the games are over.
Comedian Joe Kilgallon tells a story at our live show about the time he was the only man invited to a bachelorette party. Joe talks about being de facto security for the women, along with the funny differences between bachelor and bachelorette parties. Joe joins CJ and Sean in the studio and they talk more about how Joe is the perfect security layer for bar hopping friends. CJ and Sean also talk about how bachelorette parties are viewed as near locusts by some people, including a group of Boston researchers who say bachelorette parties are ruining gay bars and a town in Spain that is banning public displays of sex toys to try and discourage bachelorette party tourism. Give it a listen, give us a review and check out Joe's comedy specials on youtube along with podcast Let's Get Dumb!
Comedian Ed Towns tells the story of how a woman ghosted him, while they were both inside her apartment. Ed, who is also a producer of the The Blackout Diaries live show, joins CJ and Sean in the studio to discuss the story in more detail and share his thoughts on everything from ghosting, and bartending to how open mikes should be run. CJ and Sean talk about ghosting in more details and share some studies that prove ghosting is on the rise, particularly with younger people.
Comedian, and Blackout Diaries regular, Adam Burke tells the story of when he and a group of friends were robbed at gunpoint while drinking at a neighborhood bar. Adam shares all the details at the live show, which are equally funny and scary, then joins CJ and Sean in the studio to answer some questions on it. CJ and Sean then share some personal stories about drunk crimes they have witnessed and we share some statistics on how Americans are terrible at estimating how often crime happens.
It's All Star Week, so we dedicated a full episode to baseball drinking stories! Comedian, and former Blackout Diaries producer Derek Smith gives a hilarious recap of Cleveland's disastrous Ten Cent Beer Night, recorded at our live show in Chicago. CJ and Sean talk about how many people screw up the National Anthem at baseball games and we discuss recent surveys that claim Philly Fans drink the least of any baseball fanbase. We also talk about other famous baseball, drunken disasters like Disco Demolition along with some recent stories like the Reds fan who went viral after be tased in centerfield.
Comedian Michael Meyers tells the embarrassing story of the last and final time he drove drunk. Michael joins CJ and Sean in the studio to talk about how this incident, along with a wise tow truck driver, changed him. Michael also discusses his hilarious, debut comedy album, "Michael Meyers Performs Comedy for Real People", which is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRk3XSvSKnk . CJ and Sean then discuss how karma and drinking, including how studies have shown how 'good karma' or the goal of 'paying it forward' are actually bad qualities in the work force. Sean shares a reverse karma story about him giving an employer a second chance.
Special emergency podcast for July 4th, where CJ and Sean talk about America's unending love of drunkenly setting off fireworks. They tell stories of friends that nearly killed themselves lighting off fireworks while drunk and how a few of the videos of their buddies went viral. We also discuss the surprisingly high (or maybe low depending on your perspective) statistics on how many people injure themselves each year with fireworks and list some of the stranger, more dangerous injuries that have happened recently. Plus, fireworks aren't just dangerous for the consumer- we share stories on famous fire work factory accidents, ranging from the 17th century to modern times and how even police bomb squads don't seem to know how to safely deal with fireworks.
Comedian Kait Carmody tells a story about picking up a guy at a gas station while getting cigarettes at 4 AM. A guy who then has a hard time understanding that early morning gas station hookups might not be destined to last more than one night. Kait joins CJ and Sean in the studio and they talk about the details, along with how much Kait loves drinking in Chicago and in particular at the touristy spots. CJ and Sean then talk about the theme of cigarettes. CJ shares the hilariously-condescending line he was trained to say when he quit smoking. We also discuss studies on why people want to smoke more when drinking and what different countries and cities are doing to somehow make smoking even more illegal than it already is.
Comedian Matty Ryan tells the (hilarious) story of how he got stung by a jelly fish while taking a dip in the ocean in what was intended to be a quick frolic into the water while stuck in traffic. Matty then consults with an increasingly large number of people and experts to get advice on the pain, all of which just seem to laugh. Matty joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we talk about the story, and most importantly the urban legend that they only way to fix a jelly fish sting is to urinate on it. This leads to a theme on 'urban legends', in particular urban legends that drunks believe, like sucking on a penny to get out of DUI or eating the right foods to become sober.
Comedian, radio broadcaster and pro wrestling personality Kevin Kellam tells a story about the time his mom picked him up from a train stop while he was drunk and she started doing tricks in the car to tease him. Kevin then comes into the studio with CJ and Sean and they discuss this story plus some of Kevin's favorite wrestling stories. We discuss how parents always know you are drunk, wether they choose to confront you or not. CJ and Sean talk about failed attempts to hide drinking from their parents along with rushed cleanup jobs after parties. We also discuss Rick Flair's recent twitter spat with a FL pizza place along with the science of why your parents will probably always know you are drunk.
Comedian Lyssa Laird makes her (HILARIOUS) debut on the Blackout Diaries. She tells the story of dating a city boy in high school where her and her best friend from the south suburbs had a terrible night in the city after meeting him to drink an alley. Lyssa joins CJ and Sean from her kitchen while she preps food for her birthday party. We talk about Lyssa's past in the air force and what she learned about drinking in highschool. This leads to an overall theme on alleys, in particularly Chicago's sometimes love affair with partying in an alley. We end the show on a story from Chicago writer Raf Miastkowski -- a documented lover of alley drinking -- who tells the story about his roommate's fascination with alley amore.
Comedian Daniel Bergamini performs at our live show and tells about the time he and his girlfriend narrowly avoided a hospital trip after loosing a sex toy. Daniel then joins us in the studio to talk about the whole, Odyssean night, which began with a near trip to the hospital, then a night out that ended with a party where everyone was drugged. This leads to CJ and Sean sharing their own stories of drinking Odysseys. Sean shares a story about how a massive beer purchase lead to a three day lost trip and we share the science of why groups of drunks are more likely to get sloppy then loan drinkers, which can lead to more chaotic Odysseys.
Chicago is stuck in a polar vortex so CJ and Sean talk about drinking in cold weather. We share stories about football games in subarctic temperatures and how bars change their rules when it gets super cold, almost like they are welcoming weary travelers. We also talk about the science of why drunks don't feel cold but are actually more in danger of it than sober people.