The Blackout Diaries

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.

Comedian Mary Kelly tells the story of when she went on a Corned Beef Sandwich Crawl for St Patrick's Day. Mary hits just about every Irish pub and sandwich shop in Milwaukee before finally have one-too-many shots of whiskey and it all comes out while the band is playing. Mary joins CJ and Sean in the studio and they share some more St Patrick's Day stories. We talk about how much Americans spend binge drinking on St Patrick's Day alone, why Chicago had to move it to a weekend holiday because of the chaos and how LA is so healthy- they ru a marathon on the day.

Legendary Chicago comedian Dwayne Kennedy tells the story about when he was so drunk at a club, he left to sleep on the hood of a parked car but still had the wherewithal to prepare his wallet and ID for when the police eventually woke him up (which they did). Dwayne also talks about why he quit drinking and then joins CJ and Sean in the studio to share more drinking stories and hilarious standup stories from his Emmy-winning career, like the time he promoted a nonexistent album on Jimmy Kimmel. Dwayne's story leads to other stories on the theme of falling sleep while drunk. We discuss why your body becomes so sleepy when drunk and also share stories about falling asleep on city streets along with famous cases of people sleeping in the wrong house drunk.

Adam Burke, one of our favorite comedians and drinking buddies, stops by to promote his amazing new album, "Weaponized Empathy". We share a clip from the new album then talk with Adam for almost the entire episode. Adam explains how he recorded the album, then moves on to hilarious drinking stories from his various ports of call, throughout his life- Western Australia, Northern Ireland, London, Chicago and (in one we still can't believe) Dallas. Adam's stories about drunk red necks that split time between the outback and beaches of AU always put us on the floor laughing. Checkout his new album- available everywhere online.

The podcast took a few weeks off because CJ was in the hospital due to a 'bum' lung, which he explains. This leads to a conversation about how often, even though CJ is sober, drunks end up in the hospital. Sean tells the story about the time he failed a stroke test and they institutionalized him. Then we share stories from the live show where a bartender ends up in the hospital due to an ill-planned attempt to hide a hickey and a bouncer nearly watches his friend die, then land in the hospital, when chugging a beer nearly ends in a drowning.

Chicago comedian Conor Cawley tells the story of a weekend trip to Mexico gone-wrong. Conor comes to from a blackout, trying to bribe a Mexican Federale while learning Conor has no money. Conor shares what happens next at the live show, then joins CJ and Sean to answer questions on this story plus Conor shares some holiday drinking stories. Conor's story leads to a theme of BRIBES on this episode, where we talk about the challenges -- and unique benefits -- of drunk bribing. Everything from the Olympics to Private bar parties is in play for bribing. The Blackout Diaries Podcast is now back to a weekly release schedule. Apologies for the missing weeks in Feb- we were recovering from some illness and, much as Santa needs people to believe in him for his magic to work, The Blackout Diaries loses some of its mojo during Dry January and Dry Feb. But we are back! And for those of you listening in Chicago- check out Conor's album recording this week at The Joinery.

LONG time friend of The Blackout Diaries, John Leadley, tells a story about the time he and his friends bought a bar off a guy in jail and how that bar was saved when gay people started drinking there. John Leadley is a comedian and bartender and one of the first ever performers at our life show. He joins CJ and Sean in the studio to talk about what it was like to own a bar in college, along what its like to own a bar now-a-days. CJ and Sean then talk about Chicago and LA gay bars , including the hilarious union demands that were made at one Chicago club.

Professional gambler and all around good-time Kevin Meeusen tells a few drinking stories at our live show about how the Internet has made gambling too well-documented and therefore too embarrassing. Kev calls in from his bunker in Vegas to talk gambling with CJ and Sean. We talk about how seemingly unethical all modern gambling commercials are, how alcohol effects gambling (both good and bad.. and, we hate to break it to you, its mostly bad) plus some famous court cases where drunks sued casinos for their losses.

Comedian Claire Sundbye performs at our live show, telling three of the most questionable decisions she made while drunk. They range from falling in love with a stripper to picking fights online with an internet troll. Claire joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we talk about how hard it is to interact online, sober or drunk, but particularly drunk. This leads to a topic about how dangerous the modern internet has become -- with everything from your bank to job connected -- when drunk. CJ and Sean talk about apps that are designed to prevent you from using the internet while drunk, along with some studies about how much money we waste online when drunk shopping and why modern AI can identify drunk people online very quickly.

Chicago legend Robert Hines, one of our favorite standups, tells a story about the time in high school when his New Year's Eve date with a woman who did not want fool around went south and ended with her attacking him. Robert's big-hearted brother drove his date home. Robert joins CJ and Sean in the studio to share more details on the story along with some other hilarious, family stories. We also talk about Robert's legendary youtube character, Jones Big Ass Storage and Good Ass BBQ. Robert details how he's been shafted on the royalties for those videos and is looking for legal help so he can re-claim his comedy creation. Please go to Robert's go fund me (link below) to help him in that battle if you have extra money. Finally, CJ and Sean discuss more NYE topics, including the science behind why we birds have even worse hangovers than us. Robert's go fund me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Robert-L-Hines-legal-fund?member=26762561&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=sms&utm_source=customer

Comedian (and reformed lawyer) Paul Farahvar tells the story about how his highschool experience all changed for the better, nay the flawless, after he received his old brother's drivers license and was able to buy beer at any liquor store. Paul details how they always went to the same liquor store and quickly became that owner's favorite customers but, unfortunately, the owner believed Paul was his old brother, i.e. in med school and capable of giving doctorly advice. Paul joins CJ and Sean in the studio to talk fake IDs and what it was like for Paul to start standup comedy while still being a practicing trial lawyer. This leads to a discussion on lawyers and, in particular shady DUI lawyers- a favorite industry for The Blackout Diaries. CJ and Sean share some stories about their own experiences with shady lawyers plus share some news stories about lawyers so shady they made world news.

Comedian Abi Sanchez rejoins the Blackout Diaries and tells the story of the time he hooked up with a hoarder. Abi shares how he started to recognize the signs that this woman's apartment might not be normal well before he entered it and saw the chaos. This leads to a theme of 'messiness'. CJ, Sean and Abi share messy drinking stories- times they found themselves covered in dirt or trash while drinking. We also share some science on why some people keep messy places than others and how it might be a strength.

Comedian Lindsey Shaw tells the story of ending up at Clark's Diner after last call and hiring a beggar to protect her from some angry drunk customer. Lindsey, CJ and Sean share some stories about how crazy Clark's Diner was and how none of the current places seem to match that chaos. Lindsey shares how her protector, who had no shoes on, just got out of jail and this leads to a conversation about spending time in jail. We share stories about local judges who assign creative punishments rather than forcing people to spend time in jail and share a few personal stories about getting out of (or in) jail.

Comedian Brian Dejka tells the story about how after 30 years of hard drinking and dangerous living, he gets sober and ends up totaling his car into a school bus on day 90 of his sobriety. Brian also jokes about how he timed his sobriety terribly, choosing to stop drinking right before COVID hit. Brian joins CJ and Sean in the studio and talks about what its like to work for the city of Chicago in waste management, plus what its like to be sober in Chicago. This leads to a wider discussion on Sober-October and other sober-curious trends. CJ and Sean talk about the growing worth of non alcoholic breweries and how young people are reporting to drink much less than previous generations.

One of our favorite comedians and drinking buddies, Mike Burns, joins us in the studio to share some drinking stories from his home state of Michigan. Mike talks about his past, self-destructive habit of insisting he never leave a bar voluntarily and, instead, insisted on being thrown out. He, CJ and Sean try to recall the time Burns snuck back into a bar in a disguise after being thrown out. This leads to a conversation on how Michigan drinks much more than people realize, including how they laughed about their attorney general passing out at a college football game. Sean and CJ both share some stories about performing in MI venues and how drunk the crowds were, particularly in the UP. Check out Mike's hilarious twitter alter ego, Dad Boner, plus his podcast Power Moves. Mike additionally cohosts the fun and hilarious podcast, Monday Night Beers with Vince Averill.

Comedian Jared Logan talks about how condescending wait staff at a brewery can be about beer- recorded from his live album. Jared then joins CJ and Sean in the studio and we talk breweries and beer, including how and why Jared stoped drinking during lockdown. Jared talks about how most drugs effect him poorly, except for food, which he has always loved. We talk about the best spots to pick for late night food along with the best fast food chain restaurants. CJ and Sean dive more into the brewery theme, sharing how much money craft breweries now contribute to the US economy, which is great, but how it all comes at a cost- namely the names and labeling of their beers are insufferable. We discuss some of the worst flavors and worst labels. Sean talks about what the new Guinness craft brewery is like in Chicago too. Check out Jared's show on The Glass Cannon Network.

Comedian Jaime de Leon tells about the time he left an employee holiday party drunk and accidentally jumped into the path of a pickup truck. Jaime wakes up in the hospital, still drunk, and believes he is in a Grey's Anatomy episode. Jaime joins CJ & Sean in the studio and they talk about the fallout of all your coworkers knowing that you just drunkenly injured yourself at the annual Christmas party. Jaime also talks about the time he back-packed across Mexico and gives some great traveling advice that also happens to double as good safety guidance when walking drunk inside your own city. This leads to a theme on the dangers of drunk walking. CJ and Sean share their own stories of drunk walking, including trips that ended in ditches, broken glasses and (once for Sean) dangling from a fence. We also talk about the statistical dangers of walking drunk and how some governments are trying to crack down on the problem. Make sure to follow Jaime online for not only his jokes but he also gives great Mexican food suggestions for Chicagoans, and checkout his monthly show- Pilsen Standup.

Comedian Joe Kwaczala joins The Blackout Diaries and talks about his days trucking drunk people around LA as a ride share driver. Joe has a new comedy album coming out , "Joe Kwaczala- Funny Songs & Sketches", that is a hilarious, inventive mixture of standup and sketch and music comedy. We play a track from that album inspired by his days as a ride share driver, then Joe joins us in the studio to answer questions on what it's like to drive some of LA's biggest drunks around that city, always afraid they will either puke in your car or -- even worse -- leave a bad review. This leads to a wider discussion on ride sharing apps versus cabs. CJ and Sean talk about why they prefer traditional yellow cabs over ride shares, particularly for drunk people. Purchase Joe's new album online!

Galway Bay is the best damn bar in Chicago and the two owners, Jason and Nolan, sit down at the live show to answer questions (from our live audience) and share stories from their years of managing one of the craziest places in Chicago. At the live show, they share a story about the difficulties of hiring and firing employees when everyone is drinking, plus how their bar has both helped and hurt their love of sports. Jay and Nolan then call into the studio for an additional conversation with CJ and Sean where they detail the odd ways they have decorated the bar and how -- as crazy as they are -- they somehow provide a more stable environment than the previous owner. After they leave, CJ and Sean share some of their favorite stories from The Bay.