The Drunkalogues Nick Morton: comedian, filmmaker, addict in recovery

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 
 
 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.