It’s never a good idea to set anyone’s expectations high but the AfterPartyPod really hit its stride this week with best-selling author, stand-up comedian, musician and Walking The Room podcast co-host Greg Behrendt. We had a lively chat about addiction, sobriety and relapse but also about how being sober helps you give relationship advice. He walked us through his whole career trajectory—explaining how he knew Sex and the City producer Michael Patrick King from the alternative comedy scene in LA, which is how he came to work on the show, which is what led to the mega-bestselling book he wrote (with fellow Sex and the City scribe Liz Tuccillo), He’s Just Not That Into You—which led to three stints on Oprah, talk shows and of course the movie. Yet Behrendt was nothing if not honest about how becoming successful as a relationship guru guy—something he in no way sought out or expected—felt like it conflicted with his already-established stand-up career. Girls who wanted advice would come to his comedy shows and though “they liked the show,” he says, “they really only wanted a hug.” And then being the Relationship Guy sort of alienated his regular dude fans. All of this, combined with several other factors, led Behrendt to relapse after many years of sobriety. Of his relapse, Behrendt says, “Everything got great—for a moment. But then I’d toppled the first domino.” Listen to the rest of the interview here or listen to previous podcasts by downloading them on Itunes where you can (conveniently enough!) write nice reviews for the show.
Photo courtesy of Greg Behrendt; used with permission.
