Duncan Trussell Family Hour - 459: Cort McCown

Episode Date: August 28, 2021

Cort McCown, comedian, sobriety coach, and mystical/cool/brilliant person, joins the DTFH! You can learn more about Cort on his website, or follow him on twitter. Original music by Aaron Michael Go...ldberg. This episode is brought to you by: Upstart - Visit upstart.com/duncan and see how Upstart can help you with your debt. Green Chef - Visit GreenChef.com/Duncan100 and use code DUNCAN100 at checkout to get $100 Off and Free Shipping! StatHero - Visit StatHero.com/Duncan to get a 300% Match on your first play!

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Starting point is 00:00:00 We are family. A good time starts with a great wardrobe. Next stop, JCPenney. Family get-togethers to fancy occasions, wedding season two. We do it all in style. Dresses, suiting, and plenty of color to play with. Get fixed up with brands like Liz Claiborne, Worthington, Stafford, and Jay Farrar.
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Starting point is 00:00:36 podcast. Loves what a special episode this is. This is my first in-person DTFH in over a year. And I got to tell you, I miss it. I don't mind the remote interviews, but truly nothing can replace sitting in a room with somebody, zero latency, just the, I don't know, it just brought me back to the before times.
Starting point is 00:01:04 And today's guest is so fucking cool. This is somebody who I would inevitably end up having the greatest conversations with at the comedy store late at night. He is a really funny comic. He is a sobriety coach, which is a serious fucking job. But not only that, he's like this mystical, cool, brilliant person who I got lucky enough to have
Starting point is 00:01:35 come to Asheville for a wedding. And I was like, why don't we do a podcast? And that is what you're about to listen to. So if you're interested in drug stories, if you're interested in meditation, and if you're interested in stories of profound redemption, then this is the episode for you. Court McCown is here with us today.
Starting point is 00:01:56 We're going to jump right into it. But first, this. I want to thank an upstart for sponsoring this episode of the DTFH. Upstart, it's the fast and easy way to pay off your debt with a personal loan all online. Have you ever gotten to that point in your life where, I don't know, looking at your credit card statement is a lot like staring into the Necronomicon.
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Starting point is 00:04:27 in your loan application. You don't need to let Baphomet tap dance on your taint just because you thought it would be a good idea to use a credit card with an insane interest rate to buy babies. Go to upstart.com slash Duncan. Thank you, Upstart. You know, the other wonderful thing that happened today
Starting point is 00:04:56 is I got to do the family gathering again, which was really nice because I didn't get to do that for a long time because I got COVID. Fine, tested negative three times in a row now. And I feel better. Only mild brain fog now. So I think I've almost become completely recovered. But you never know every once in a while,
Starting point is 00:05:20 the sledgehammer of fatigue comes smashing down hard on the balls of my brain to quote Mark Twain. Anyway, I'd love for you to join my Patreon. It's patreon.com slash DTFH. Subscribe. You're going to get instant access to commercial-free episodes of this podcast, along with every week we do a meditation and a family
Starting point is 00:05:43 gathering, and it is a delight. It's patreon.com forward slash DTFH. Now, everybody, please welcome to the Dugget Trussell family our podcast, Court McCown. Welcome. Welcome to you. That you are with us. Shake hands, glory to you, blue.
Starting point is 00:06:17 Welcome to you. It's the Dugget Trussell family. Dugget Trussell, Dugget Trussell, Dugget Trussell. Oh my god, Court. It's so good to see you. Buddy, we're in Asheville, North Carolina. Who thought you and I, last time I saw you, was the back bar at the comedy store.
Starting point is 00:06:36 And I don't think you'd moved here yet. Oh, no. That was the before times. We would have these conversations after our shows. We'd always have these great chats, back bar, and then the world fell apart. I relocated. Have I not seen you since the world fell apart?
Starting point is 00:06:52 You haven't seen me for it. This is the first live podcast. This is the first in person DTFH in well over a year. And it is trippy, man. I got to tell you, it's a little trippy for me, just because I've gotten so used to looking at a screen to have these conversations. I hate it.
Starting point is 00:07:09 I don't hate Zoom, but it's been a necessity in our time. But it's kept a lot of people connected. And I just know secret that I'm sober. And Zoom meetings have just been amazing. That part I actually like better, because if you're sitting in a meeting, you can look at your phone, and you can't do that in person. Is there a difference you think, though?
Starting point is 00:07:39 Do you feel like there's something more mystical in the in-person? That's what I found out, too. That was my superstition as far as podcasting goes, well, you must be in person. There's no way it's going to translate. And people aren't going to like it as much if I do remote podcasts.
Starting point is 00:07:58 And I think people are a little forgiving right now, because they understand the situation. But that's cool, that it didn't make much of a difference. No, I mean, it's obviously, I think there's a threshold. I think there's a time, for a long time, you're like, oh, well, it's great, because I don't have to be around this, or I don't have to do that. So it's very comfortable.
Starting point is 00:08:20 I love your dog. Thank you. I apologize. He's going to be annoying for the whole hour. I don't care. That's not annoying to me. Oh, great. That's loving.
Starting point is 00:08:28 Wonderful. But I do think it comes a point in time where you're like, I just want to see people. I want to hug people, or I want to do something. And I think everybody, I think we all get, you get that, if you want to call it, cabin fever, or what? Yeah, that's the one for me. Because I got that.
Starting point is 00:08:45 Oh, me too. I got that. Man, where were you? Did you stick it out in LA? Uh-huh. Holy shit. I was going back and forth between LA, and I had gotten a place in Charlotte.
Starting point is 00:08:55 OK. So not far from here. And but Charlotte's the big city compared to Asheville. Oh, yeah. It's like. Yeah. That's how small Asheville is. Asheville's tiny.
Starting point is 00:09:06 Tiny. And when we, so the last conversation we had, you were talking, you were talking about living in Charlotte. Yeah. And I was listening to you and thinking, God, that sounds so nice. And I was like, I love LA, but it would be cool to have a place up in the mountains. And I was even bitching to you because I was like, man,
Starting point is 00:09:24 I can't afford a house in LA. Right. Like if you, for the amount of money it costs to get a nice house here, you can get maybe like a two bedroom, one bathroom, or something in LA. Really? Oh my gosh. Well, Asheville's not cheap though. No, it's not cheap, but it's cheaper than LA.
Starting point is 00:09:41 Well, every, almost every place is cheaper than LA. Yeah, for sure. But I do think that, you know, if there's anybody here that a real estate investors are thinking of investing in real estate, I think the one thing about buying real estate in a place like Los Angeles, is it appreciates faster. Yeah, right. And you're going to get more out of it.
Starting point is 00:10:02 You're going to get more out of it. Right. So you buy something in LA in five years, it's going to be worth quite a bit more than something you bought in Asheville in five years. I think right now, what's so weird is in Asheville, it's actually, it's comparable because what's happening is people are pouring out of LA, LA and New York. Because, you know, especially now, with this second wave.
Starting point is 00:10:26 That second wave. Because people were just starting to come back. They were like, oh fuck, we did it. It's over. The tests that you take, the finance tests, they destroyed, apparently, the company just destroyed a shit ton of tests because they're like, it's done. We're done.
Starting point is 00:10:44 And then the Delta variant. And now there's the Lambda variant. So we're going to go through the whole fraternity of COVID, of COVID names. So, yeah, so people are pouring out of the cities, but you, you still have your house in Charlotte? I still have my place in Charlotte. I still have my place in LA.
Starting point is 00:11:03 I go back and forth. Okay, you still do on that. Yeah, but I have, but I, you know, I go back to LA and it's, you know, comedy stores reopened. Yeah. And, you know, they're, you know, it's, it's not the same. You know, it's changed, obviously. A lot of people have left.
Starting point is 00:11:23 Yeah. And, but it still is still great. I mean, I think back to, I mean, I've known you for 20 years. And because you were working, you were the. Talent coordinator. Talent coordinator at the comedy store under Mitzi. Yeah. Under the rain.
Starting point is 00:11:43 Under the rain of Mitzi. Tight leash. Tight leash, but you were such, I just loved you so much, but even I still do, but even, but back then you were so cool to me because I was a new comic. Oh yeah. And back then people weren't really nice to newer comics. Oh God, those were the hazing days.
Starting point is 00:12:03 Those were the hazing days. Yeah. And I never worked at the store. So I didn't, I had, you know, I had outside sources of income. So I was working, doing stuff. And so I didn't have to work. I didn't come in the door, the door guy, you know, that kind of thing. And so usually people aren't very nice to you when you're not in,
Starting point is 00:12:24 you know, you're not part of that clan. No. And you were very nice to me. And back then you had to, you know, in order to get passed at the store for, to come and do a show in front of 20 people. Yeah. Because that's what it was like back then. Yep.
Starting point is 00:12:40 The dark days. And I was doing Adam Barnhart's Sunday night show upstairs. Okay. So I was doing that every Sunday night. That was a great show, man. That was a great show. And, and so I was doing that and I would see you all the time and, you know, I would come in and sign up for the friends and family things
Starting point is 00:13:00 on Sundays and Mondays. And it wasn't friends and family back then. It was open mic, but if you knew someone you could get in, because it was like Ari or Steve or somebody was hosting. And then I was going, yeah, I'll put you up. And, and you got me showcased. You would get me, you did the showcase list. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:13:17 For Mitzi. And, and you have to be recommended. And you have to be recommended. Is it one? How many was it? It's one, right? So paid regular has to call and recommend you for a showcase. That was the rule back then.
Starting point is 00:13:30 Was that the rule? The rule was a paid regular calls you up. And it's like, I'm recommending court for a showcase. And so then you, I would pull out this like notebook of like, just that went on and on and on of names of people waiting for a showcase. Yeah. Because it wasn't like Mitzi was doing them every Sunday. Some Sunday she would do them.
Starting point is 00:13:51 But a lot of times she would just cancel. Yeah. So it was like maybe two a month, maybe. Maybe. So that fucking list, man, that was a long wait. And she didn't pass people very often. So it was, it was very rare. So if you didn't get passed on your first showcase,
Starting point is 00:14:09 you had to wait six months to come back in for the next one. That's right. And you were so cool because I remember I didn't get passed the first time. I didn't get passed the second time. But the second time I had a really good showcase, but there used to be comics that purposely would go up if they, they knew somebody, they didn't want somebody, they would go up and they would start talking to her.
Starting point is 00:14:33 Oh yeah. And they would get in there and they would like distract her. Yeah. And so, and we won't say who they were, but we know who they were. Do you remember? Cause I honestly don't, the whole fucking things have blurred me behind that phenomena you're taught. People don't understand what it takes,
Starting point is 00:14:48 what it took to become a paid regular there. Cause it wasn't just a good show. No. Oh no. You have the best show on fucking planet earth. But if whoever decides that's the time they want to kiss Mitzi's ass. Oh, and it had, and a lot of times they, they plan that. Like they'd be like, I don't like this guy.
Starting point is 00:15:06 I'm going to watch, you know, and they would do that. So the third time I showcased, I was good friends with Luca. Yeah. Luca Palanca. Mitzi loved. Yeah. Mitzi loved him. She, and he drove her around, you know, blah, blah, blah.
Starting point is 00:15:18 So, um, I was showcasing and one of these comics came in and Luca turned and goes back the fuck off, back the fuck off. She's watching showcases and this guy was a little bit afraid of Luca. Yeah. Not, not afraid, but people are a little afraid of Luca. Luca was, you know, Luca was, Luca was awesome. And I, and I know Luca forever. He is awesome.
Starting point is 00:15:44 Why are we talking like he's not hearing more? Luca is awesome. And, um, and Luca literally goes back the fuck off. She's watching showcases and I think he even pushed his head and he's like, get the fuck out of here. Good for him. And cause he was sitting next to Mitzi and then I came, I didn't even have a good set really, to be honest, but you know, there's like 12 people there and you're, it was just
Starting point is 00:16:06 horrible, but she, she was the queen man and she goes, you know, you came by and she went, you want some spots? And I was like, and I was just like, oh, I gave me goosebumps. That's so cool. Yeah. I cart, you know, you just, you're, you're, you get 12 feet tall and you just can't believe you're past at the comedy store. And it's, and it back then it was like, it wasn't, it was, it was horrible.
Starting point is 00:16:33 Horrible. Horrible. Like horrible. Like you, I mean, the improv was jamming. The laugh factory was selling out every night. Rats were dying in the walls. Were you there during, when a rat died in the wall in the summer? It smelled.
Starting point is 00:16:46 So the ORs just smelled like just death, wafting from the walls and like, you know, here's the thing about Mitzi. Like I think, like it would be easy to imagine that she was unaware of all these fucking angles, man, but she knew the angle of the, she knew the competition between comics. And I think maybe like, you know, I, I in like retrospect is I, and I spent a lot of time thinking about her man and like in contemplating her method, I think it was a compassionate one. And it was compassionate in the sense that there's no fucking way someone who wasn't
Starting point is 00:17:30 a comic or at least someone who with all their hearts wanted to get better comedy was going to make it through that gauntlet. And, and, and that was the gift because, and she would say, you know, the worst thing you can do is, I don't know, like, uh, is like, I'm paraphrasing to tell someone they're telling it or not. Yeah. Cause she saw, and again, and I know a lot of comics in the comedy store might right now be like, what the, well, uh, have you seen some of the lineups?
Starting point is 00:18:01 You know, cause I'm a comic snipe. But listen, I'm telling you, she saw the spark and, and which is why I mean, I was sitting with her when comics who later went on to become massively super successful comics showcased and I, and she had passed them and I would think, oh boy, really? Wow. I mean, that was a, that was an awful set. And then cut to a few years later, they're doing HBO specials and I'm like, oh yeah, I didn't know what the fuck to look for.
Starting point is 00:18:37 She was amazing. She used to, I, I know that like what she would do is she would pet, I remember getting past and then you called in the next week and then you'd get like a, you'd get like a nine o'clock. Oh yeah. You'd get the, you'd get like the opening spot. You get an opening spot and then you wouldn't get a spot for like two months. That's right.
Starting point is 00:19:00 And then what she would do is she would see, does he come in on Sundays and Mondays and work out? Yep. Cause that was part of the thing. If you were paid regular back then, if you came in on Sunday Monday, you could literally walk in the door and go on stage. Because there, because comics were running for the hills that were paid regulars. When Mitzi would pull in, there'd be comics there, Mitzi would pull in and then if you,
Starting point is 00:19:25 they're paid regulars that were there would all go to pinks or they, they go to carnies or they, they leave and they're like, like the building was on fire. Like the building was on fire. And so if you were a new guy, you could just dance right on stage, you know, you'd be like, Hey, you want to go, you're next. All right. Let's go. Cause you had nothing to lose at that point.
Starting point is 00:19:45 And she would just see you working out. So you'd go do that for a month or whatever. And then you'd get, you know, an 1130 or, you know, or 1145 or 1230 or whatever. Then you start getting spots. That's right. First it's the early spots. Then it's the atrocious late night spots where you for sure, I mean, cause remember that the store would go through these periods of like some famous comic, it just decided
Starting point is 00:20:13 they're going to come in and start working on their hour and do an hour and do at least in the common. So that was back when Eddie Griffin used to come in and do three hours. Oh my God. I, I, I, the Eddie Griffin period was a made, you know, I asked when I was in the cover booth, man. Yeah. So like, and I would get hypnotized by him.
Starting point is 00:20:32 Like at first you'd be like, Oh, fuck. Here he goes. But by the time he's, that's a cult leader. So by the time he's like two, I saw people once at the end of an Eddie Griffin set. And also you would sit there in the cover booth and comics when you look around and see these comics who had driven from God knows where to do 15 minutes looking forward to it. Maybe getting babysitters who the fuck knows what, you know, we're orient, orienting their
Starting point is 00:20:59 entire life around this one spot. Eddie Griffin walks in. It's like they've all been punched in the solar plexus simultaneously. The rage, the resentment. So those comics will be there. Eddie does three hours. The audience hypnotized by this man at the end of one of his like three hour sets. The whole audience, I saw them get up and like go to the stage to try to touch him.
Starting point is 00:21:23 Like he was like Julius Caesar. I've never seen, he hypnotized the crowds, man. And like for better or for worse, you know, but there was the reality of it wasn't, there's nothing you could do. No. Mitzi wanted Eddie Griffin to work out and that was just the way it was going to be. I mean, again, like Method or Madness, we'll never know. But I think she had a philosophy of, yeah, it sucks.
Starting point is 00:21:50 It sucks, doesn't it? This is hard, isn't it? It's fucking hard. Maybe you should quit. I want to thank Green Chef for sponsoring this episode of the DTFH. We're entering the end of the summer, winter's coming and it's time for you to start eating some healthy food. You can't keep eating quesadillas and beans.
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Starting point is 00:25:30 You need some healthy food. Your body deserves it. Your family deserves it and the universe wants you to order that Green Chef. It's the number one meal kit for eating well. You can't drink syrup. Thank you, Green Chef. Yeah, those were some good old days. I'm glad that, you know, I mean, that place really, you know, I mean, you were there with
Starting point is 00:26:12 it. I mean, you know, when Joe came back and that, you know, because when Joe was there originally, I mean, when he would do Friday night and Saturday night, the OR, it was packed. Oh yeah. You know, because it was, he was Fear Factor, UFC guy, and it was packed. And that was, I get, a lot of times I get the nine o'clock on the Joe Rogan, the OR. And that was like, oh, it's like, oh, this is what it's like, fucking packed. But the OR was really hard, hard room, but.
Starting point is 00:26:42 It was fucking hard. But in the crowds were like, I mean, I wasn't, during those dark days, she made me irregular in the most unceremonial way, sitting down in the kitchen. We're just sitting there and she's like, you're going to be irregular now. I don't know why she, honestly, to this day, like, I don't know why she decided. I don't think. Greg, you're, you always, I always, you know, back then too, you used to do. Little hobo.
Starting point is 00:27:09 I loved little hobo. I think someone talked to her, but I didn't get to do, I did not perform during the dark days. I would do the open mics, as I recall. Maybe I got some spots. You would. Yeah, because I, because I remember you used to do, I remember you would do, maybe it was even later, because you were regular when, when things started getting better before
Starting point is 00:27:33 the big, before the big splurge, when we would have good crowds, you know, because it got to where we would have pretty good crowd before, before it blew up, as they say, and there was, there was a period of time, there was six or eight months or even a year or whatever where the store was good. I mean, it was good. The shows were good. It was busy. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:27:56 You know, there, it wasn't just all of a sudden, it was like this, you know, it would have ebbs and flows. It had ebbs and flows, but, you know, weekend nights. But I remember you would, that little hobo, which is crud. And that's one of those things as a comic too. You just, you have to watch. Like, I know what's going to happen, but I want to see what everybody else thinks. But somebody stole a little hobo.
Starting point is 00:28:18 Yeah. And San Jose got stolen. Good for him. Glad because the thing is, is like that turned into a real serious fucking crotch. Like when I started going out, headlining and stuff, it's like, I got to come in. I got to do a sound check for my puppet. And it's nice because you got this closer. It's crazy.
Starting point is 00:28:37 And you know that it's going to do good, probably, depending on the crowd. But most of the time, but also it's like, yeah, you got a fucking puppet. Now, right. You need to write it. But it's, yeah. But if anybody'd ever seen little hobo, it wasn't a normal puppet. That, no, no, no, no. That was not a good puppet, by the way, not a good puppet.
Starting point is 00:28:55 No, evil. Yeah. Bad thing, but, but so awesome. Man, look, I got to tell you, since this shit went down, I've become a little superstitious about what I say in a microphone on stage, man. Seriously. I'm like, you know, it was fun, the whole satanic thing in the early periods. But now it's like, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:29:15 I think this is the time to start. If you can, and if you can make it funny, which is hard, it's easy to make. Why is it easier to make evil things funny than to make sweet things funny? I don't know. I don't know, but it is because Satan is, first of all, the word, the word itself sounds better. You know, Satan, it's got this like nice, like powerful, awesome sound. It's a funny and it's got the right Lucifer.
Starting point is 00:29:39 It's got the right consonants in there. It's got Lucifer because you used to have the Lucifer. That bit, it was just so good. It was so good. I love that. I love Little Hope. Of course. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:29:50 You know, man, I'm so happy that you have managed to continue doing sound, see you. You're doing shows. You've been doing shows, man. Yeah. When are you going to come to Charlotte? Uh, I probably, you know, I just started doing live shows again in Austin. And that's why I went just to get back because I was like, you know, we had a
Starting point is 00:30:13 kid, we moved up here, it's fucking COVID land. It's like, I'm not going to even attempt to do shows. And when the, in the peak of the pandemic, I didn't even want, you know, I was like, I don't know what this is. So I went to Austin just to like, can I even do it anymore? Which is really cool. Getting back on stage after so long. How long had it been?
Starting point is 00:30:34 Uh, like at least, I think 16 months, 14 months. Wow. Yeah, man. It felt weird, didn't it? I thought it felt weird and it did feel weird. Like even stepping on stage felt weird, but I am mad. And also Austin is a sweet place and the crowds were very, very, very sweet there. So that I had a lot of wiggle room.
Starting point is 00:30:56 It wasn't like some fucking New York crowd or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're like, no, fuck you. I don't care how long it's been. I don't care if it's been a thousand years since you touched a microphone. You better be funny. Fuck you. They were cool.
Starting point is 00:31:08 So I think I got some mercy, but, um, it came back pretty quick. I mean, we've been doing it for a long time. You know, it's like hard to beat it out of your system. And if, and I'm, I'm so excited to get back on stage, but. When we, well, the first time I did stand up, so it, the, whatever the pandemic hit in March, I was out on tour with a towel and Ross. We were, I was opening the bumping mics tour. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:32 So we were doing theaters. It was fucking great. They were the greatest guys in the world to go on tour with. As an opener, because, you know, I don't have TV shows and I don't do a podcast. I do yours, but I mean, I don't have my own podcast that's popular. So I'm not headlining clubs and not that I can't. I just am not, I don't sell, I don't put asses in the seats. And, um, and so the interesting thing was is I went to, you know, we were doing theaters,
Starting point is 00:31:59 but they go out with them and they go, do a half hour. If you're killing, do another 10, you know, and it's like for 1500. And they always, they're, they always be standing by the stage just telling you to keep going. Wow. So they would, they love for you to be great. They wanted you to be great because they came on stage. And what theirs was very different than, you know, it was the bumping mics where
Starting point is 00:32:21 they were both on stage, roasting each other and roasting people. And so it was so fun. And then, um, but so that shut down. So when that shut down, everything had shut down. So it went from March until March until the, until later, I think it was mid November, so March, April, May, June, July, August, like nine months. And I had not gone a week without being on, you know, on stage in 17 years. So it was like to do this.
Starting point is 00:32:58 And I was like, holy shit, you know, and we, so what they did was at the comedy store, we would stand inside in the OR and people would be on the balcony or on the patio out front. And we would tell jokes through a glass window to people. And that was the first time. And because we were doing roast battle and kill Tony and some of the shows we're doing inside, but no audience. So it's like, so we do these shows.
Starting point is 00:33:27 So it was like kind of interesting. No, I saw that man. And it was like, but first time I got on stage, truly dystopian, truly dystopian, but first time I got on stage or first time I walked up and held the mic. It was, I bombed, hugely bombed. But also it wasn't a sweet Austin crowd. It was an LA porch crowd through a window through a window.
Starting point is 00:33:48 You're like a dog in a window. You're like, no, you're like one of those Amsterdam. That's what that's my jokes were. That's what the joke. I'm like, I actually have a joker. I go, I felt like a hooker in Amsterdam. It's what it was like. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:34:00 That's what it looked like, man. Yeah. And so, but, but once I kind of got back, it was like, OK. But once you get in front of a live crowd, it's that state. Oh, my God. That's like, I didn't do a single Zoom show. People are like, oh, you got to do the Zoom show. And I was like, fuck you.
Starting point is 00:34:20 Like, I don't, ugh, oh, it's so great. It's like, no, it's not. Don't say it's great. Don't please don't say it's great. It's like, it's terrible. You know, any, that's how I would never do one of those in a million years, just because it's like, you know, you got to, you got to feel the crowd. It's like, I saw Conan O'Brien say something about what it was like to do
Starting point is 00:34:43 his show, minus the audience. And it's like, it's like, you know, it's. I think performers have this sixth sense that depends on the energy of a live crowd. And when you don't have that, it's like you've gone. Part of you has gone blind. Part of, you know what I mean? Because you're you really are having to like smell your own shit.
Starting point is 00:35:11 You know, like you're having to decide, is this is this OK? And that's good. You need to be able to do that. But also, I mean, think about how many times you've thought to yourself, this is a funny premise. Oh, this is going to be fantastic. Yeah. And you get in front of an audience and you just eat shit with it. You know, so without that, you could just go on and on, you know,
Starting point is 00:35:32 do it doing some of it here. I guess with Zoom, though, you get some laughter right from the they laughed on the screen. I don't know. So you're not even hearing laughter. I can't. Well, they've got to be muted. Otherwise, everybody's talking. So it had to be muted. It's stupid, but fuck that.
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Starting point is 00:38:14 Something's wrong. Something's wrong. Maybe they got hacked. I don't know. Go to stathero.com slash Duncan. Take advantage of this stathero.com slash Duncan. Cash in before the well, you know, the inevitable happens. I mean, I have I have my short term memory, like I like it.
Starting point is 00:38:49 Like I was just going to say, like, I don't even remember where I parked my car. And I had to think for a second, where did I park my car? That's how bad my I mean, I have horrible. I smoke so much weed. Yeah, I smoke and I know that it does. Weed does fuck up your short term. Are you still smoking weed? No. OK, it's been used to.
Starting point is 00:39:08 Yeah, I used to smoke before you got sober. Yeah, I smoke a lot of weed like you were like. Oh, I smoked every day for. Twenty years, probably close to before, way before legal legalized weed. I mean, I would smoke five, six joints a day. Yeah, dude, I said on a normal day. I remember once when I realized like I've been high for two years straight. Yeah, that's crazy, man.
Starting point is 00:39:39 I was talking to Ramdas with a spiritual teacher I love. And I said to him, I was like, man, you know, I was stoned for about two years straight and he got a big smile and he goes, we all do that. Yeah, it's like it's so nice. But yeah, let me tell you, let me tell you. It's like, oh, I still have like it's I have I don't remember high school, brother. I've got to wear a fucking fanny pack or I'll lose my shit.
Starting point is 00:40:04 Like that's how that's how I mean, I literally don't remember high school. Yeah, but you don't remember any. You remember it's more. I remember high school like a blurry dream. Yeah, I remember a few things about it, but I couldn't tell you like I remember one class I took and I and I and I was, you know, I was there. But I remember what I remember this one class that I used to take that was in the in the, you know, I took other I remember other
Starting point is 00:40:31 like auto mechanic shop or, you know, or like, but but I don't remember. Like I used to go to a lot of classes there. And I just remember one cut because it was the morning class and we used to ditch the first period and we go. But if we took him in Eggman Muffin before the end of class, he wouldn't count us as absent. Oh, what? Yeah. Yeah, he was fun. I went to. Yeah, it was that's cool.
Starting point is 00:40:57 I'd remember that shit. You know, I always, but that's all I remember on high school. How do you? It's for me, it's like, you know, when I'm looking at the burnout pie, I'm like, OK, like which slice is age? Which slice is yeah. Huffing butane gas when I was in high school, which is a big thing we are all doing, probably not the best for the brain.
Starting point is 00:41:21 Yeah. Which slice is 100? Hundreds of hits of acid. Yeah. Which slices and you're looking at it and you're like, what is the and how much of this impairment is related to drugs? How much is related to lack of sleep? How much is related to diet? We'll never know, court, but for sure, you don't want to get covid because you're right, man.
Starting point is 00:41:43 I don't want I'm like I said, I'm doing fanny packs now. I got to put my keys and shit in a fanny pack or I lose them. Now, I'll tell you the good thing, though, about having a history of drugs is I think people who have a history of psychedelic use I think they're going to do better with covid because we know how to get fucked up. So like we know and I'm sorry to use, I know that's a controversial term in the psychedelic community, but come on, sometimes you're getting high.
Starting point is 00:42:12 Sometimes you're getting fucked up and like covid, it's got a fucking psychotropic quality to it, man. See, that's interesting because wait one second, just not to be rude. How are we doing on time? It's 205. Fine. OK, great. I got no. I got no. OK, awesome. I did. I used to do a lot of acid. I did a lot of acid, did a lot of mushrooms. And I can say that.
Starting point is 00:42:39 I actually liked acid. Yeah, it's the best. Like I liked acid. I thought mushrooms were I thought mushrooms were like smoking bad weed. It's like you got high, but you didn't really get high. Like you didn't really like I mean, I went to some some of my greatest events and I remember these events, you know, like a Jerry Garcia's 40th birthday. You went to Jerry Garcia's 40th birthday.
Starting point is 00:43:03 Jerry Garcia's 40th birthday was a outdoor show in Oklahoma City. Wow. And I went with a bunch of college buddies of mine. And that was like, well, what we did is we all did snoopy acid. So we are I was going to school in Stillwater, which was in Oklahoma, and we were going from Stillwater to Oklahoma City to the Zoo Amphitheater. Yeah. And and I'll never forget this is we we bought a bunch of snoopy acid. There were six of us in like a sixty five
Starting point is 00:43:32 Buick, like what really cool cars. Guy Ralph had this big old car and six people comfortably sat in this thing. You know, two big bench seats, you know, one of those old cars. And and we drove and we timed it. We're going, OK, it's a fifty five minute drive to the zoo. And if we drop acid 30 minutes into the drive, we should be just about like we should be we should be going through the warm up bench, which I think was the Almond Brothers.
Starting point is 00:44:01 And and and then and then by the time we hit the dead, by the time the show starts, we should be really on a good we should really be in a good place. Yeah. And we're like, OK. And so we had this whole thing. We had it all planned out. So we all we all did 30 minutes in. We get there. We're at the show. You know, it's like we don't feel anything.
Starting point is 00:44:22 You know where the story is going. I can imagine. So we we were sitting there. The band's playing the opening band. And I know it's almost they're playing tied to the weapon post. I just remember that song so clearly. And we were drinking a bit, but not a lot. We're smoking some weed, but we weren't, you know,
Starting point is 00:44:39 but the whole thing was the dead. You know, we had to be we had to be on. Yeah. And so we're like, everybody just goes, dude, we bought, you know, we started yelling it. I think it was like Aubrey, this buddy was like, Oh, you got you got shitty acid, man. Like why, you know, you got shitty acid. So we're like, you know, we've got like 45 minutes
Starting point is 00:44:58 so they start somebody go find some acid. And so we went and we found a guy, you know, dead show. Everybody's walking up back then. This is like 1981, I think 82 or whatever it was. And every and everyone's like walking on doses, doses, you know. So we grabbed some barrel acid. We found some barrel acid. What do you mean barrel acid?
Starting point is 00:45:20 Like the like windowpane? Yeah, it's like it's like plasticky. It's like the shape like a barrel. OK, but it's kind of gel. It's it's it's in a gelatin or something. No, no, this one's actually like a it's almost like a pill with a candy coating on it. OK. Yeah, you know, I'm talking.
Starting point is 00:45:35 No, I never used to be called barrel acid. I heard of it. I never encountered it. At least it looked like a little barrel. They were tiny shit. Yeah. I never encountered that. I had a window. We have windowpane, which is a little flat gelatin. Yeah, but sheet acid was what the Snoopy was.
Starting point is 00:45:49 So that was sheet acid. It just stamped with the Snoopy Snoopy in the red Baron thing is what it was. Oh, yeah. But barrel was like it looked like a whole thing. And you just put it under your tongue and dissolve, just like, you know, any other. Yeah. And so we I remember we bought we bought the acid and we're, you know, we put it under our tongues and it's dissolving.
Starting point is 00:46:08 And it probably had just finished dissolving. And we all looked at each other and we go, oh, shit, because the other acid kicked in. Yep. And as soon as that other acid kicked in and it was, I mean, it was a phenomenal night. Group. Thank God. It was a phenomenal night. Thank God. Aubrey had Aubrey got a little bit out there.
Starting point is 00:46:28 We lost him for a while. Fucking Aubrey. Aubrey took off all his clothes and took off and ended up in some church, you know, yeah, classic, classic. I bet that church like people have been churches. That's like a thing you just they probably have a code for it. Yeah, it's especially like the dead shows going on right up the street. Like, we're going to get some people tonight.
Starting point is 00:46:50 So half blank, it's ready. Yeah, I think we're going to come here because they the church. It's safe. It's safe. So yeah, but we lost Aubrey. But but it was such a great such a great time. But I remember times like that. You know, I mean, it's like I never really, you know, I did everything, but I'm ecstasy.
Starting point is 00:47:12 I overheated a lot on because I because I was I was I was not a good drug user. I like to use the maximum amount that, you know, was just, you know, a good thing I wasn't into heroin because it would have killed you would have killed me. But but I but I would like I would do ecstasy until I was like, you know, just like, you know, just so you would do the thing like you did now now that they've been able to study it. It's literally the worst thing you can do with it is re up. Like something about re upping, you know,
Starting point is 00:47:47 like when people get the ecstasy depression, a lot of times that's related to re upping. Take the dose you're going to take and don't fucking re up. But I would take like three or four at a time. But would you take if you take more after you? No, I just do. OK, that's good. Because like it's the re upping. I by the way, this is like I can't do any more, man.
Starting point is 00:48:11 Like in the old days, if there was ecstasy around, I'd eat that shit so fast. Oh, my God, the best. I don't mind being depressed for a few days. Now it's like, fuck that. I might as well just give myself a lobotomy. Like if I can't do I punch my ecstasy, I punch my ecstasy ticket. I never like mushrooms. I don't have time to take acid.
Starting point is 00:48:31 I've punched my acid ticket. I recently got addicted to ketamine, so I can't do that anymore. Punch my ketamine ticket. I'm down to fucking Pellegrino and like like weed. It's depressing, man. It's not depressing. It's you're not a young man anymore. I hope I'm convinced and so I would see this is the thing.
Starting point is 00:48:54 And I want let me ask you this. If a technology emerged that could reset your brain, right, to pre party days, right, reset all of it. And there was another technology that could once you got addicted, just could fix it. Would you start taking drugs again? No. Wow. Wow.
Starting point is 00:49:20 I will tell you this. It's so I am. So I use drugs in alcohol. For. Twenty four years. Safely, I'd say 24 years is a good number. Yeah. So drank, started drinking, started drinking. I was really young, but not not massively.
Starting point is 00:49:43 And I was not one of these people that woke up and drank, you know, to get the shakes off and everything. So but I started smoking pot when I was 13, 14, you know, was a regular pot smoker by the time I was 15. OK, weekly, you know, not necessarily daily, but pretty weekly. And then by the time I was 20, by the time I was 21, I was a daily. I smoke pot every day.
Starting point is 00:50:11 Wow. Not, you know, maybe not mass quantities, but I smoke pot every day. Drank, I started using cocaine when I was 16. Acid, you know, I started. So I started 16 cocaine. Yeah. Now that's too young to do. I mean, like a lot of the other stuff I can connect with. Yeah, but cocaine. But cocaine back then was, you know, it was 19.
Starting point is 00:50:33 You know, this was 1970. 1977, 1978. We're off, Mike, I want to talk about whatever your stems out there. But he is like these dates. You look young, man. But but so so yeah. So there but so I started, you know, when coke was very pure and, you know, it was really it was very expensive.
Starting point is 00:50:54 But it was OK. But so I started. So anyway, but to make this story shorter is like. But I used everything. I did everything. I did Green Placidils. I did Kweyludes. I used to do massive amount.
Starting point is 00:51:06 I loved Kweyludes. Kweyludes were my favorite. Kweyludes were my favorite. They were my favorite. Kweyludes were by far. I would I thought they just made you fall asleep. Oh, God, no. Oh, no, you don't go to sleep on Kweyludes.
Starting point is 00:51:18 What are they like, Xanax or something? I know Xanax suck. Xanax Xanax make you go to sleep. Yeah, Kweyludes, Kweyludes are like. They're like being drunk and high, but not tired. Oh, God, it's like you're awesome. It's just like it's like you're you're high as fuck. But in your in your also, you just don't have the best motor function.
Starting point is 00:51:46 So you're fine. So you're like, you know, we used to say you knew when a new batch of Kweyludes came to town because all the people were dent in their cars because, you know, you just you just hit shit and you'd be like, oh, oh, oh, just fucking move on. Just fucking move on. They're gone now, right? They're illegal. They're literally I've never heard of a Kweyludes.
Starting point is 00:52:05 They're gone. So there was when I first started doing them, there was a roar. 714s ROHR was on the on the stamped on the pill. And then later became lemon 714s. That's what they called them lemons. That's what was the brand name. Yeah, lemon 714. That was what people were prescribing.
Starting point is 00:52:24 It's like, I'm going to prescribe you lemon 714. Yeah, but they were Kweyludes, Kweyludes, you know, it was a Kweyludes. Right. But I'm just saying it's like the manufacturers weren't really trying to hide the fact that this was a party drug. If you're naming your thing lemon. No, I think that was a manufacturer. So I don't.
Starting point is 00:52:40 Yeah, but probably it's pronounced lemon, lemon. But so I did all that for for a number of years. And it and it probably and it got worse, you know, especially in my 30s. It got the cocaine use got way worse and the drinking became way worse. And, you know, the daily pot smoking was just the day I just smoked pot every day and it wasn't as big of a deal. But so, you know, a week from today, a week from today will be 20 years sober. God damn, that's so cool.
Starting point is 00:53:09 Yeah. So it'll be 20 years. So wow. So I will have gone 23 years using heavily and 20 years being sober. Wow. I would not trade the 20 years for a minute. I it's the the awareness. Now, now the first, you know, I think it's like. Look, I not everybody's an alcoholic.
Starting point is 00:53:37 Yeah, not everybody is. And I and I hate it when people, you know, think it's like, I don't dislike pot. I don't dislike drugs. Yeah, I don't. I don't think they're bad. Yeah, I don't. I'm, you know, all my, you know, I've gone work the road with guys who smoke pot and you're fine smoking pot in the room with me.
Starting point is 00:53:59 You're fine drinking with me. You're fine. Yeah, I don't have a problem with any of it. You're actually sober. I yeah, the problem is, is it just affects me differently than it affects you. And in a sense that I can't stop doing it. Right. If I start doing it.
Starting point is 00:54:19 Right. And and could I now probably I probably could. Yeah. But why? Why roll the dice? But not even why roll the dice. But why? You're you're fine.
Starting point is 00:54:32 I'm fine. I love my life. You don't need it. I love the way I feel and it's like and I have become much more of a less selfish person. I'm I'm more aware of of of other people's happiness and I care more about other people being happy and and you know, people say, well, you don't care about yourself.
Starting point is 00:54:55 That's not true. That what that what I mean by that is, is that when you genuinely in your heart and you know this about your wife and your child, but when you start inner inner putting that with other people and you start caring about whether they're happy and they're successful. Yeah. So when they get something that makes them happy and successful, not only does it make them, it makes you happy.
Starting point is 00:55:20 So you get to share in that. Yeah. You get to be a part of that, that wonderful thing. And when I was drinking and using, I wasn't like that. Yeah, I know what you mean. So I was not that way. And it's like, and now I'm just more aware of I'm more aware of other people's feelings.
Starting point is 00:55:41 Man, I love you. And this is how I this is like when I look back at what I was, I know what I was going for when I went wild at a festival or something, trying to get as high as I possibly could in just the right time. I know exactly the timings thing where you're doing this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Acid math. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:56:04 And you're because what you're looking for is worth looking for. 100 percent. The sad thing is you. And I think actually it would be dishonest, at least from my anecdotal experience to say, you can't get it that way because I think you can get a taste of it. 100 percent. You can take so much energy to get that taste. That's the problem where it's like, you know, once I had kids and I've had
Starting point is 00:56:33 this experience now so many times, I'm not taking it for granted, but I'll just be like in the backyard with my toddler feeling the same peak experience that would take. Redosing on MDMA, mixing it with psilocybin. Yeah, fucking just like at some exotic location and to achieve something where it's like, I'm just like literally like in the backyard with a two year old spraying him with a hose. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:06 And I'm like as happy as happy as you can be. Yeah. And so, so too. Yeah, I get it, man. It's like, it's like the hurry Christians they talk about when they talk about God. They say it's not like they say this will ruin a lot of things. For you, and the reason it's going to ruin things for you is because you're not going to be interested anymore in some of the other stuff.
Starting point is 00:57:30 Once you've tasted this thing, they call it the higher taste. They say it's like, there's not really. It's like, yeah, it's there for you. If you want to go eat the fucking like it's like McDonald's. Like what do you want to go eat tonight? You want to go grab a cheeseburger or do you want to go to this really nice restaurant and have like a delicious meal? That's been my experience with it.
Starting point is 00:57:49 And well, yeah. I mean, there's so many different things that like, like I started doing meditation about, it's been about 16 years. Are you doing TM? I do Vedic, which is like, which is like, so it's the mantra and you go in. But there's what they describe as the, the moment of bliss. And that is when, you know, do you do TM? Oh, no, I don't.
Starting point is 00:58:11 I just do regular sitting meditation. That's fine. That's fine. So there is, but what, so when you're doing, when you're doing TM or you're doing Vedic, it's the same thing. You're using a mantra and you close your eyes and you say the mantra and then other thoughts will come in and you, you know, and you try to, you just, you don't push them out.
Starting point is 00:58:28 You just let them flow and, you know, and then you go back to your mantra. There comes a time during meditation when you forget to do your mantra and other thoughts don't come in and they call that the moment of bliss. And that's when your body is actually, your, your brain is awake and it's aware that you are not asleep. But your body isn't aware because for the first time, your brain is not talking to your body because your brain is just neurons. You know, your brain is, your brain is firing.
Starting point is 00:59:03 Your brain isn't a muscle, you know, in a sense that your brain is giving your muscle, it's telling your body what to do. So my brain is telling my right hand to move here, do this. He's telling this. So there comes a time, but when you're sleeping in bed, you go to sleep and you have that time when your brain shuts off. Well, your body's, it's rest, right? But when you meditate and you get to that point when your brain shuts off,
Starting point is 00:59:28 it's aware that you're awake and your brain does it and your body doesn't know what to do. Yeah. So the first thing it does is it releases stress because it doesn't know. And so you'll feel, you'll feel these emotions. You'll feel this stuff. Like, I mean, I've been in meditations where just tears start coming down my eyes and I'm feeling this stuff come out of me.
Starting point is 00:59:51 But there's also a time during it where they call it this, you're in a state of bliss and it's like, and I'll describe the feeling to you. It's like, do you know when you've had the longest day ever? You've all day with the kids and your wife, you're, you're, you're so exhausted. You, the thought of laying down is so heavenly. Yeah. And you get in bed and you lay down and there's the moment right before you go to sleep where you just feel so good and so relaxed.
Starting point is 01:00:21 That's what it feels like. Holy shit. Except it lasts. So it's this feeling and it's this, it's this, it's, it's feeling and you can feel like I got to get your mantra. Yeah. And it's like, can you feel it? And you just, and all of a sudden you're just like, and it's extending and
Starting point is 01:00:37 you're like, and you're aware and you're awake and you're like going, oh my God, this feels so good. Yeah. And I just, and, and you're like, and you almost, it's almost like it takes a while for you to train yourself to just let it go in a sense that you're trying to go, oh my God, I got to understand this feeling and then you come out of it. You know, it's like, so, and then you, you take a while, you get back in and you start feeling it again and it's like, and it will go, it's so funny.
Starting point is 01:01:07 But it's like, and then you learn to find this state and you don't search for it. It just comes when it comes. Okay. That's, I've got a little bit of a reference point for my meditation teacher. His teacher would say, disown it. So when you, the thing is coming, the instruction is to disown it. Yes. A hundred percent.
Starting point is 01:01:26 Not to clean. Absolutely. Because that's what Vedic is, is it just a, a different term for TM and it's, it's with a mantra and it's, you know, it's 20 minutes to 30 minutes. You know, you do it once or twice a day. I try, I do every day, no matter what, it's harder. It's become harder to do a second one. I used to do two, I did two a day for like 10 years.
Starting point is 01:01:47 Oh my God. And then it's just disciplined. But yeah, but then it just became, it just became too hard. Okay. Now I listen, court, it's 225. I want to get you out of here by three, but I have a question I want to ask you. So I don't mean to cut into this, but did you have more you wanted to say about that? No, no, it's good.
Starting point is 01:02:03 Okay, so I don't think a lot of people know that one of your jobs is got to be one of the, and now having talked to you for this amount of time, I get why you got this job, you are a sobriety coach. Now, can you talk to me a little bit about that? Okay. So yeah, I can't, I, I can't do any specifics because a lot of confidentiality, but, but so basically what it is, is, is like a lot of people go through, you know, we've seen that they go through rehab or they go through, you know,
Starting point is 01:02:38 and, and I'm not going to say, I'm not, I'm not going to sugarcoat this at all. It's expensive. It's not for, it's not insurance doesn't pay for it. Yeah. It's one of these things that it's like, it's, it's kind of been a lucky thing for people. But here's what happens. You have a lot of people that go through rehab or they go through a treatment program or, or they go through something and they come out and they just go right
Starting point is 01:03:06 back to where their life was. They just start using and drinking again. And these are, and we're talking about some of these people are heroin addicts or oxy was a big one. You know, I've had a lot of clients that were, you know, big oxy and, and we're talking near death experiences and, you know, I mean, almost ODing. I've had guys OD, I've had, you know, I've had over a period of time. But what it basically is, is, is what I basically do is when you come out of your
Starting point is 01:03:35 program, your whatever your, your treatment, your 30 day, 60, 90 day treatment, I basically go with you and I'm your, I'm basically your assistant. I mean, I mean, not your assistant. I'm your, I'm over your shoulder 24 seven. Wow. So basically there, I'm showing you, I'm kind of walking you through the steps of how to have a sober life. Okay.
Starting point is 01:04:07 So I, it's like, it's like you take someone and, you know, they're used to coming back and going to their apartment and then they call their friends and they go, so they say, no, no, no, no, no, no, we're not, that's not what we're doing. Can we role play for a second? Yes. I'm going to be your client. Okay. Now I've gotten out of a 30 day program.
Starting point is 01:04:24 I have been. So first thing we're going to do, we're going to go to your house and we're going to clean it out. Okay. So we're going to go, we're going to get, we're going to, you're, you're, you're obviously not going to tell me where you've hidden everything, but I've been doing this a long time. So I kind of know where you're going to go, but here's the other part.
Starting point is 01:04:41 It's also, I'm a drug addict. Yeah. I, you're not going to, you're not doing anything. I haven't done. Right. So one thing is like, you don't look, I don't, I don't look at you. Is anything other than someone who just kind of the light hasn't come on yet. You know, and it's like, and some people really do want to, they come out, excuse
Starting point is 01:05:01 me, very gung-ho. But the problem is, is that, you know, a couple of days in there'll be like, well, you know, a lot of people meetings are, are big thing because it makes you accountable. It kind of gives you a place to start. And for the first year, I recommend people go to a lot of meetings, you know, and, and because what it does is it gets you connected with other people that are also sober.
Starting point is 01:05:23 Right. And because you, you, and, and with the, and in 99.9% of the cases, they know people there. It's not like they're walking in and everybody's a stranger. Believe me. Like, oh, I haven't seen you in a while. Yeah, I know. I know, I kind of quit hanging out with you because you were always fucked up.
Starting point is 01:05:42 Yeah. You know, but so that's one of the things you do. You get them connected into something like that. And, and then you got to kind of like, you got to kind of walk them through, you know, you got to just kind of walk them through the, the, the everyday thing. Okay. Okay. Now we, you know, some people don't have jobs.
Starting point is 01:05:58 So you got to walk through. Okay. Let's, let's talk about, you know, a job, wait, can I pause for a second? Yeah, I do want to point out when I got hooked on fucking catamine, I turned into a rat and like would squirrel away. It was, and I would watch myself doing it and be like, what's the difference between me and like some disgusting hamster? You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:06:19 Because you get real paranoid with your, we're like, oh, I'm going to put it behind this book. I'm like, why, why, why, why are you doing like, and then you'll forget where you put it, like some like idiot squirrel. It was, I gotta tell you, man, it was scary to watch myself just start like transforming into some, it was gross to court. It wasn't doing anything. That's the other weird thing about it is like, it wasn't even working.
Starting point is 01:06:47 Like, what's the effect of this very like expensive, stupid thing? It started off great. I was having legitimate mystical experiences. And then it was just like flat lining. The final phase for me was like, I tried to record a commercial for the podcast and it took me four hours because I was like so dumb from this. Anyway, man, I just want to point out like that must be a weird thing to have to go into an addict's apartment or house and dig through their shit to
Starting point is 01:07:21 find their little drug nests. Oh, but you know where it's easy. What's the most common place? Oh, I don't think there's a common place necessarily. There's always the, um, there's always the bookshelf, the bookshelf area is always where something, it's, there's always some kind of bookshelf. Area or there's, you know, the shoebox in the back of the closet that's like, you know, it's like, you know, come on.
Starting point is 01:07:48 That's the more sophisticated addict. This is sophisticated addict is going to have like some nice shoebox in the corner. The other addict is like, I'm going to put it behind my body. We're all going to shove it into a National Geographic. So you go in, you go through the shelves. You got to find, yeah, we just go through and we, you know, basically, depending on what their, you know, thing of choice was, you know, we kind of go through and we clean, you know, we just do a clean.
Starting point is 01:08:14 Do they try to hide it from you? Do they ever say like, cause then they're like, look, I'm sober. They're not trying. Do they ever deceive you in the beginning? Oh yeah. Oh, I think, I think there's like, it takes a little while to build up the trust. But I think also like, you know, I, uh, you know, my experience is, is that a lot, sometimes you're, you're going to have someone, a client, so to speak, that
Starting point is 01:08:40 comes from a family that pays all their bills. Yeah. And so, and, and the only way they can keep getting their bills paid is if they stay sober and so they're doing it only in, it's only for looks. They don't want to be sober. Okay. So they're kind of resent secretly resentful. They're very resent.
Starting point is 01:09:01 It's not secretly, they're resentful and, and it's like, and it's just like, you know, and, and I always tell them, I go, bro, if you want to drink or use, just go, I'm not going to stop you. I'm, there's nothing I can do. If you want to do it, nothing I can do. So go freedom. Oh my God. And that's brutal.
Starting point is 01:09:22 And it's like, and then, you know, and, and, you know, nobody goes in on a, nobody goes into a treatment center on a winning streak. You know, nobody's going into these places. Like, you know, my life was so great. I thought I was doing the best cocaine. It was just a hot tub full of just beautiful girls blowing me. I was in the best shape of my life, you know, just job opportunities. We're just having to turn them down.
Starting point is 01:09:51 There were so many, and I just love my life. You know, that, that's not what happens. Nobody goes in like crawling into those places. Yeah, or, you know, get arrested or there, you know, it's, you know, their, their wife is left or they're, they can't see their kids, you know, I can't tell you how many times it's, you know, can't see kids anymore. And, you know, and, and just, you know, all these things and it's just so sad. And then, you know, but the greatest thing is, is like, you know,
Starting point is 01:10:21 it's not an easy job and it's, and the good thing is, is lucky for me. I've been doing this for a long time. And it's like, and I get to pick, you know, I get to pick and choose. Cause your schedule must get filled up. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's like, but the great thing is, is I will say this, is when you see this person that started out like, you know, this that comes out after 30 days
Starting point is 01:10:45 and, you know, they're just pissing vinegar and da da da da da. And you watch their life just become this unbelievable thing. And you just go, holy shit. And, and I didn't do it. You know, they did it. Yeah. I didn't do it. I can't do it for them.
Starting point is 01:11:05 They have to do it themselves. So you just kind of, you're pushing them in the right directions. And to watch their lives just get like fucking awesome is the best feeling in the world because you just see, like, you know, you know, where they came from, you know, you've been where they were. And, you know, and that's the thing that I think is, is, is interesting about this job is, you know, you can't do it if you haven't, you know, it's just like, like, I think Joe Rogan is the greatest UFC commentator ever.
Starting point is 01:11:39 Yeah. I don't think there's any, I don't watch a fight that, that he's that I love listening to him. It's like the great because I'm not that well schooled in the UFC. Yeah. But if I watch a fight that he's calling, I know what's happening. Yeah. I've learned something.
Starting point is 01:11:57 Yeah, it's awesome. It's unbelievable. So it's like, because he's been there, he's been there for the whole, he's been, he's been there from the beginning of the UFC through the whole thing. Right. The guy knows, the guy knows it, front words and backwards. And it's like, and, you know, you can't talk, the only person that can talk to an addict, an alcoholic that's seeking treatment is someone who's been
Starting point is 01:12:22 there, right? Who's, who's like, oh, yeah. Oh, I know what that's like. Yeah. Oh, you, oh, you know what it's like to, yeah, motherfucker. I know it's like to shit my pants in a, in a fucking car, where, you know, and they're like, you know, just what it's like, whatever it's like, yeah, it's like, yeah, I mean, it's like, I've been there.
Starting point is 01:12:44 I get it. And it's like, you're not, so, and then they kind of start to realize like, oh, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not alone. And you're living proof. Yeah. That's the other thing is it's like, you could talk all day long about it, but you're like someone who's like healthy, happy, who also is shit their pants, probably mid drug deal in cars.
Starting point is 01:13:05 All the, all the creepy things that addicts go through. So, dude, I remember it go, I once went on it, it was, was picking up a girl for a date that I absolutely was in love with and did a huge bump of coke before I went picked her up. And it, and I, and I, and I thought I was farting and I just shit my pants. And I literally was 40 miles from my house. Like I was, it's when I was in college, I was in still water. No, I had to literally pull over to the side of the road, like pull into like,
Starting point is 01:13:36 and it wasn't even near like a gas station somewhere, I had to pull in, but you're so paranoid, you can't go to a gas station because you're all coked up. So I was paranoid. So I had to pull in some field, get out, you know, try to clean myself up. And then I had to leave my, somebody was like in their field, like, what the fuck? Who shit themselves in my field? But I mean, it's just like, that's just one story of many.
Starting point is 01:14:00 Like for this, it didn't go well. Court. Yeah. Man, you are cool. It's so good to see you. It's so good to see you. You're, you're just, you're you, now do you know a lot of people here in Nashville now?
Starting point is 01:14:12 Yeah, I'm, I got some friends, you know, I, and, and, and I got my hands full right now. I got a seven months old. I got a two and a half year old. So, you know, it's like, I'm still, no, I don't know, but, oh, you got people who've got kids. It's like, I'm still in that phase of parenting where it's like my schedule is when you, the example you gave for meditation, I know the feeling well,
Starting point is 01:14:37 you know, that all day long and finally like, ah, I know. So, but I do have friends and I love it here, but nothing's going to replace comedy store people. Nothing's going to replace this, man. This is so cool. What a treat to get to see you again. It's so good. It's, yeah, it's been, I just was trying to think it's, I guess the last time I
Starting point is 01:14:55 saw you was 16 and 17 months, man, year and a half before the pandemic. Yeah, it was shortly, right before, shortly before, shortly before things were getting weird. I'm not sure if it was even on the news yet then, but no, how long have you lived here in Asheville now? Uh, I think, oh my God, I'm so fucked up with time, man. It's, it's about almost two years, I think, but no way a year and a half now. I guess probably you, let me think.
Starting point is 01:15:22 What month did you move here in? I'll have to go back and look, man. I, I, I'm, I'm very time adverse, man. I was like telling my wife last night we're at dinner and I was like, I'm 46. And like, I'm not in the demographic where you want to get this fucking disease. And she goes, honey, you're 47. Fuck, I don't even know my own age anymore. I just gained a year over, over dinner.
Starting point is 01:15:52 Um, but yeah, man, I love it, but we're, we've already like, you know, we're going to be taking trips. We're going to come to L, we've just decided like this will be our home base for now, but we're going to travel. It's nice to have a piece. You know, Charlotte's so, you know, even though Charlotte is bigger than here, it's still way more peaceful than LA. Oh yeah.
Starting point is 01:16:12 I, I love it. It's like there, you know, we're trying to build, we've been trying to kind of build the comedy scene there. You know, try to build up. So, um, I just did, we just did a show on Tuesday night, new material night. So we did, yeah. So we're doing another one in September and I'd love for you to be there. Oh man, look, let's do it because you know what?
Starting point is 01:16:35 I need it. And also like my wife is like, I want to go to Charlotte for a shopping trip. So like, and it's a Tuesday night. Perfect. So we'll go out there, get a hotel. Yeah. I'll come and work on some material. Let's do it.
Starting point is 01:16:46 Can I do it? 100% awesome. September 28th. September 28th. Wait, let me think. I want to make sure I'm going to be, it's a Tuesday night. Yeah. Perfect.
Starting point is 01:16:54 It's a Tuesday night. So I'm in town. Oh, I love it. It's, it's so good. And it's, um, and it's fun and it's fun. We did one, the first one and the crowd loved it. So I went out, I am seated and I walked out and I would say, you know, look, people are going to be reading out of notebooks.
Starting point is 01:17:09 They're going to be doing stuff they've never done before. That's cool. So just have fun and people loved it. What, where do you do a venue? Comedy zone. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, dude, I'm there.
Starting point is 01:17:20 That'll be awesome. Yeah. It's a great comedy club. My heart is soaring right now, Corey. Oh yeah, for sure. It's so great to see you. And whenever you're in town, you got to hit me up every time you come here. Oh, I will.
Starting point is 01:17:29 Where can people find you? Uh, just the best way to find me is Instagram. I hate that it's social media, but it's a court McCown, C-O-R-T-M-C-C-O-W-N. Great. And that's everything's out there. My website, court McCown and everything's, but yeah, awesome. Court. I love you, buddy.
Starting point is 01:17:47 Love you, man. All right, you're the best. You're the best. Thank you. That was court McCown, everybody. You can follow him on Instagram. The link's going to be at dougatrustle.com. A tremendous thank you to our sponsors.
Starting point is 01:17:59 All those offer codes are also at dougatrustle.com. And God bless you for listening to this podcast. Subscribe to the Patreon. Subscribe to the idea that at any moment you can be reborn. And most importantly, subscribe to something. I don't know, National Geographic. Just subscribe. It's fun.
Starting point is 01:18:19 You get fun to have magazines and newspapers sent to your door. We're going to be back next week. Until then, Hare Krishna. A good time starts with a great wardrobe. Next stop, JCPenney. Family get-togethers to fancy occasions, wedding season two. We do it all in style. Dresses, suiting and plenty of color to play with.
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