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.

One of our favorite drinking buddies from Canada, Shane Coupland, joins us on The Blackout Diaries. Shane tells a story from the live show about the time he tried to open a door with his feat at a college party, breaking both of them. Shane joins CJ and Sean in the study to give more, hilarious details like how the whole party happened because Canada gives college two, huge lump sums of money while in school, which he and his friends through on an epic, too-drunk party. Additionally Shane shares that he injured himself the day before 9/11 and watched the world burn while dealing with broken feet and a hangover. This leads to a wider discussion where CJ and Sean share some of their 9/11 drinking stories, as it was a tragic, awkward day, with drunks walking around confused because they were too hungover to get the news as quickly as sober people. Sean tells how he was fired on 9/11.