Buy Back Podcast

In this week's Part 1 of 2, Alec Kass—an old acting buddy and now the Corporate Beverage Manager of Carver Road Hospitality Group—sits down with John at one of his bars (Starchild Rooftop at the Civilian Hotel). Listen in as John and Alec weave through their intermingled history together, and John reveals the TRUE story of how he started working in bars. Spoiler: It involves Alec, his mom, and his sister (it's not as weird as it sounds, we promise.)

Natasha, Carlo, and John all met at the now-defunct sports (read: absolute dive) bar called Duren. Natasha was bartending, Carlo was DJing, and John was drinking after a shift at the Blind Pig. It's been almost 10 years, and now Natasha and Carlo have overseen the opening of the much classier Bateman's in Manhattan, and John is still drinking. Join them this week for a walk down memory lane on THE BUY BACK PODCAST.

In this week's episode, John's American ego is exposed, while Liz from Piranha Bar in Montreal patiently explains all things Canada. Listen as they talk about French acrobats, some epic music, and maybe even a little Jim Henson.

While IMDB knows him best as Mickey McGinnes on AMC's Hell on Wheels, and his family knows him best as Phillip, John knows him best as his bartending buddy from the trenches of the Blind Pig in the mid-2000s. Join these two old friends as they sit down and chat about the Santa-Con shenanigans and sometimes the overwhelming darkness of working behind the pines.

This week on The Buy Back, Dustin gives up a life as a lion tamer in Zimbabwe (for some reason) and moves to New Jersey (for some reason) to become one of the coolest cocktail kids on the block. He runs the cocktail menu at the newly opened Sunrise Tequila Bar just off the Atlantic City boardwalk in Margate, and is just an all-around cool cat.

Join John and Alex as they get a little nerdy and discuss bars where some of the most famous authors frequented. In this episode we discover just how much we both like Ernest Hemingway and how he always seemed to be at a bar somewhere in the world.

Nick, a founder of Mover and Shaker Co. joins John this week to talk about running a social media empire, guest bartending around the country, and managing sobriety in a tough industry.

The hilarious Amber, a professional K.J., down at the Texas Rose in Beaumont, Texas, joins John this week for a slightly more musical than usual episode. Join them as they become fast friends talking about Jenga, karaoke, and, as always, fecal matter. And as an added bonus this week—all you New Yorkers—there's a mystery we need your help solving!

Alya from Solas in Manhattan tells John and returning-season-1-guest Aly about the 20+ bars she's worked in and the Popeye-like powers she gains from spinach.

Join John as he interviews Bree from Pole Katz and learn what it's like to bartend and serve in a strip club.