Cory Coleman

00:00You're listening to Nashville Restaurant Radio. Thanks for tuning in. This episode with Corey Coleman's gonna be based upon Corey telling his story. On these episodes, we don't necessarily wanna have a bunch of sponsor interruptions, but we do have four companies that are sponsoring this episode. What Chefs Want, SuperSource, Sharpier's Bakery, and Cytex. These companies are amazing and they support Nashville Restaurant Radio and our agenda of supporting locally owned and operated restaurants and the people that are within those restaurants, all the hospitality industry. We are actively looking for sponsors for once a month to sponsor this episode. We're gonna have people in the hospitality industry telling their stories of sobriety. So if you're a company that feels aligned with that mission and you'd like us to help donate those funds to a local charity, please feel free to send an email to Brandon at NashvilleRestaurantRadio.com. I'd love to have that conversation with you. This episode today with Corey Coleman starts now.

01:05Welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio, the tastiest hour of talk in Music City. Now here's your host, Brandon Styll. Hello, Music City, and welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio. Welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio. My name is Brandon Styll and I am your host. Today we're talking with Corey Coleman and Corey is the Director of Operations at the Corner Pub, Esquina Cantina, and the newly announced Fortuna in Bellevue. And a lot of people are really excited about that. Today Corey is gonna come on and tell his story. Today is Corey's four year birthday of sobriety. So we're really excited for Corey to come on on his birthday and tell his story. And I have to get, I listened to the episode a couple times just getting ready for this and it's tough. It's tough when you're on a podcast and how you come across.

02:08And I have to be judgmental of myself because I'm no expert. I'm no expert on this. I'm not a clinical anything. I'm just a guy who wants to share a message in these conversations. I sound like I know what I'm talking about, I don't. We're really just winging it over here and I don't wanna come across as though I really know anything because I'm so new in this. But I hope that you are able to enjoy this episode and our conversation. Corey is one of my good friends. I just love the guy. He's so full of energy and life and we talk about all the same stuff. He loves talking about restaurant stuff and he loves talking about sobriety and he's a great dude. His wife, they're just amazing people. So I hope that you enjoy this episode commercial free. Again, commercial free brought to you by Cytex, Super Source, Sharpies Bakery, and of course, What Chefs Want.

03:08So let's go ahead and let's jump right in. Super excited to welcome in Corey Coleman. And Corey, you are the director of operations for Lucky Hospitality, which includes the Corner Pubs. You guys have a Skeena Cantina and introducing Fortuna. Italian Steakhouse. Fortuna Italian Steakhouse. Fortuna Italian Steakhouse. Fortuna Italian Steakhouse. Fortuna Italian Steakhouse. This is so new that, I mean, I think that like one person knows this. Yeah, right. Going to hip Bellevue, they say otherwise. Very hip Bellevue. I am super excited. We'll just start there with your new location. Super duper excited because your new location, I can like throw a football at. Yeah. And I need like another great place right down the street besides the Corner Pub and Tito's.

04:10I think all of Bellevue needs and deserves another restaurant of, you know, Taber and I were excited to be able to bring it to Bellevue. It's gonna be a higher end, Italian Steakhouse still family friendly, but that special occasion place, you know, bringing the family for a celebration, whatever it may be, but you know, we'll have a higher end wines, you know, hand cut steaks that they can't get anywhere else. After all, we're a steakhouse and then we'll have flat breads and pasta and of course, seafood as well. I can guarantee that there will be an octopus dish on the menu. Yeah. You heard it first. Drive to Sperry's. Now they've got a place in your backyard. All the people over here in Trace Side and all this area, it's nice. Temple Hills, we're talking to you. Talking to you. New state county. Davidson County.

05:10Yeah. That's pretty exciting. Like that's a great location. It's like in the parking lot of the corner pub in Bellevue. It's just right in, not really in the exact, it is kind of the exact same parking lot, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, it's in the old Applebee's building right there off highway 100. It's 8100 highway 100 is the address there. So we're right in front of Brew House, Caddy Corner to the, or Kitty Corner for those from the North to the corner pub Bellevue. So we're excited. So I first met you, I had Tabor on the show. I've known Tabor for many, many years. Back to like the Jay Alexander's days. Yeah. And through Infinity and everything and then had Tabor on and he said, I'm bringing on, I'm gonna bring my director of operations, Corey on the show with me. I was like, cool, no problem. Really the first time I met you. Yeah. And since then, we've definitely hung out and you're one of my favorite people and you are a fellow sober guy.

06:14I am. Yes, I am actually four years sober today. So today is your four year birthday. Happy birthday to you. Thank you, thank you. I fooled him around the sun one more time as they say. So we're doing this once a month story. I told you a while back my idea that I really want to normalize some conversation around alcoholism and drinking and what in our secret society calls an allergy. I don't know about you, but I don't have the ability to just have like one beer or one drink. That's like a, that's a warmup. Oh yeah. I think, yeah, I was a professional drinker. That's what I was. You know, I was one of the ones that got mad and I'd look over and be like, are you not gonna finish your drink? Seriously? What is wrong with you? Thinking there's something wrong with that person.

07:15I used to tell myself I was an educational alcoholic cause I like to drink different things all the time cause like I was in the business and I wanted to learn what all the Irish whiskeys tasted like and I got to learn all. So if I don't drink the same thing every day, it's an educational thing. I'm learning. Yeah, I'm not going to the store and buying a fifth, you know? I mean, I might buy a half gallon and try and finish it, but you know, look, I think for the most part, you know, and I can only speak for myself. I was one, a very high functioning alcoholic, you know, held down an incredible job and had an incredible team to support me as well. But you know, we put out some of the best food in Nashville and it was a lot of fun and I would never give it back except for maybe a couple of those DUIs maybe. Those are things you'd love to give back. And you know, I think that that's one of the things that I want to talk about is that there's a lot of people out there.

08:16I was incredibly highly functioning and I had no idea how much it was holding me back. Like I had no clue in the time, like how much I was drinking, which is insane. And so thank you so much for coming on the show today because I've asked you to come on and kind of tell your story because I want to assimilate this with other people who are out there who kind of don't know or don't know where they're at. And I want to talk to other high functioning people because it's not just, I think there's this perception of what AA is or what this perception of alcoholics are. And usually it looks like the wino from Mayberry, you know, or it looks like somebody who's, it's just, I don't know, it's not portrayed in a way of high functioning and then wrecking. It's Hollywood alcoholism. Yeah, I mean, that's, but that's fortunately there's, I mean, Walker Hayes has this new song called just trying to stay out of AA. And I'm like, hey, you know, I'm not upset about it.

09:17I'm like, it's not a bad place, but. Yeah, I mean, thank God for AA. What is your, what is your, let's go back. Let's go back a while. Growing up, where are you from? Are you from Tennessee or you? I was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That could be a country song right there, couldn't it? Yeah, it could. Yeah, born and raised in Virginia, you know, grew up. We didn't have, you know, everything, but, you know, my parents made sure that my brother and I had more than they did growing up. So, you know, we were blessed to have an awesome, awesome family. My brother's seven years. Yeah, one brother, my brother's seven years older than me. So he always used to tease me that mom and dad didn't expect to have you. You know, that was the mistake. Yeah. And, you know, so I was born after him and yeah, shortly after that, my mother, they found a terminal illness with her.

10:26She has a olivoponto cerebellar atrophy, OPCA for short. Okay. But it's a terminal neurological disease. A lot of people liken it to, you know, other sort of neurological disease. MS is one that, you know, it sort of falls beside, but so, you know, it was actually one of those things that I guess stuck with me and I never really talked about or thought about until I got into AA and started, you know, talking about it, but I always blame myself for her illness. Like, you know, such a silly thing to do, but, you know, I came along. How old were you at this time? I was three, four years old. Yeah. You were like a kid, like a kid. Yeah, so I came home one day from like, I think it was kindergarten and my mom was just out on the ground and a dining room chair was knocked over. And I mean, I freaked out, but it was one of her first, I guess they called them episodes.

11:31It was more of like the doctors, you know, likened it more to not a stroke, but a thunderstorm. So where her brain would just sort of zap out and she would lose consciousness and then come back and was fine. Some short-term memory loss, you know, things of that nature. But- I couldn't imagine the fear that you probably felt at that age. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, to see your mom sort of, you know, one of your two superheroes as you grow up to go from a walker and then, you know, to a wheelchair, you know, and they didn't expect her to see me graduate high school. So to be able to take my mom to my senior prom and dance with her for the mother-son dance, you know, in a wheelchair, spinning her around, because that's where I got my love of music was from my mother. My dad loved awesome music. He was a big influence on my, you know, musical taste, but he could not hold a tune to save his life.

12:35And he would have admitted that. But, you know, music and the feelings, it's sort of how, I always used to call it my religion. Music was my religion. How old are you? I am 36 years old. So you were, like, growing up, did you listen, because my dad was like a DJ in high school, and he- So was mine. Listened to, I was classic rock doors, Eagles, Zeppelin. I mean, those were things in my house. I was classic rock was, that was holy music. Now he was also a publisher of a magazine, it was Christian music. So there was music everywhere throughout my entire life also. But I really got into the grunge. I see Ben Harper behind you. I was Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, I was right, I'm 42. So I'm five years ahead as far as like when that stuff hit, I think I was like 15 or 16. What was your parents' influence, and what do you listen to?

13:36What's your go-to? I listen to everything. You can ask my friends, and they just, my playlist, my wife will tease me sometimes on how my playlist goes, because it'll go straight from big crit, hip hop, outcast, and then it'll take a wide left turn, and go to like Three Dog Night. You'll get a little Al Green in there somewhere. There you go. I just love music in general, and I used to love making music, and it was just a passion of mine back then. But my mom was the bigger R&B and hip hop influence. My brother, obviously, he was a big hip hop influence on me too. I used to, I ruined his Beastie Boys cassette tape. I remember that, he wasn't too happy about that. I wore that thing out on the little Walkman. Before the Discman, it was the Walkman. Oh, heck yeah. I remember my dad finding my Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction, and throwing it in the woods.

14:41That was not, but I was like nine, and he was like, nope. But now he would tell you that's one of the greatest albums of all time. Of course, of course, because he was being your father. My dad would go, yeah, that was one of the greatest albums of all time. But it wasn't appropriate for a nine-year-old, and I get that. Yeah, exactly. I bought a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD one time. I pulled one of those, it had the parental advisory on it, and I pulled one of those. Yeah, my mom's right over there, and waved at some lady, and she just waved back at me. And then I bought the CD and ran out of the store. Man, those were the days. So music was your jam. It was, no pun intended. You say you played music? Yeah, so in high school, it was a choir. And then I played the saxophone as well. Took piano lessons my whole life, really. But I went to James Madison University as a vocal performance major for three years. I did, yeah.

15:42See, I was listening to an episode of Armchair Expert today. Dax. I was gonna try and write down who he was talking to. I forget the guy's name, but it was really a great interview. But he goes, sometimes I like to interview my friends because we hang out all the time, but I don't ask probing interview style questions to my friends when we're hanging out. And I think this is so fun, because it's like, that's awesome, I didn't know that about you. It's not just everyday conversation that we have. It isn't, yeah, yeah. It's restaurant talk. Yep, it's always restaurant talk. But I love that too. But that's fun, but there's also the, I was saying that half this episode of Armchair Expert, they were talking about the secret society and being sober and all the different stories that they went, they were just going through stories. And I said, I'm weirdly attracted to listening to that. And you were like, yeah, it's because that's what, we know about that. You like listening to stuff you're into, and you're like, restaurant stuff too.

16:44I'm like, yeah, I can listen to anybody talk about restaurant shit all day long. Exactly, it's what we're into. And at the same time, when I first got into AA, I would listen to the stories, and this is when I was going, but I wasn't participating. You know, most of it was court ordered when I first started going. Actually, it exactly was court ordered when I first started going. Really? Oh yeah, I had to go to 24 meetings, you know? So I was fortunate enough to not be court ordered to go. What, let's get, let's lead up to that. Okay. Tell me, like, go into when you first started and what happened, drinking or going to AA? Drinking. Drinking, oh, I mean, I was, you know, we were the middle school kids going out into the middle of the field and drinking, or going down Cole Road. Shout out to my 540 people, if they ever listen to this episode. But just going down and, you know, getting one of our brothers or somebody, you know, the old guy at the outside to 7-Eleven, to buy us a 12 pack and going out and thinking we were bad asses drinking and smoking pot.

17:57We used to drive down Del Rio. Del Rio, where's that? Franklin, I mean, I grew up two houses down from the house I live in. And, you know, we would go drive down to the end of Temple Road and hit Old Natchez and just go drive down these back roads through Franklin. And yeah, it was stupid. Oh yeah, I mean, just, we would just drive through, I know my buddy Scott, he had an old Toyota, I think an old Toyota Camry. He's gonna be mad that I got that wrong if that's not what it was. But we would tear that thing up to the fields. I mean, just getting it on two wheels, just, I mean, just the stupidest, you know, we thought, hey, if somebody was actually filming this, this would be just as good. And then Jackass comes out years later and we're like, what? We did that stuff. We were doing that shit anyway. Yeah, we did that stuff, you know? Oh man. But that's a rite of passage though. I think anybody in the world. Sure, sure. Anybody who grew up in the country or out here or out there, you kind of did those things, right?

19:02Yeah, exactly. I mean, we were not the only, you know, group of teenagers finding their way into and out of trouble every other weekend. So, but you know, I mean, I was big into sports as well. So that was a good influence on me for a long time. And then, you know, I think college is where, I played soccer and football. Yeah, ran track as well. So I was sort of the all year one. All year. We were lucky enough in Virginia to have soccer and football. Soccer was in the spring, football was in the fall. So I could play both. Nice. Yeah. So when did you start working in restaurants? I started working in restaurants actually back in college is when I had my first, you know, serious job. I was, I made spanakopita at the Greek restaurant in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Spanakopita or spanak, I always call it spanakopita? Spanakopita.

20:02Yeah. I don't know. I mean, you know, the Greek guys that were in that restaurant called it so many different things. I think they were just fucking with us for the most part. You know, that's not how you say it. Now go empty the hot water out of the coffee machine. Yeah, please go mop the freezer for me if you don't mind. Yeah. Go find the left-handed whisk. Go get the cheese stretcher. No, but I started, you know, then, and then went back home after I realized that I didn't want to do music for the rest of my life. So. Was there something that made you decide you didn't want to do music? Just really failing out. You know, it was one of those things where you decide you don't want to go to college anymore. You just want to go party like you're in college. You know, that was me. And that's, you know, where the alcoholism really was like, the red flags started throwing themselves up, but I was like, no, no, no, I'm just a college kid.

21:05That's all I am. You started making decisions about your life based around alcohol and drugs. Guardian. Oh yeah. Oh, I was the best at that. You know? Look, and I got a 1.1 my first semester freshman year. That was my GPA. Cause I was ready to, I was ready to party. I was not ready to go to school. I brought that back up throughout the next year. And I did summer courses every summer. You know, I mean, we did Maymester, me and my other buddy, I was like, hey, I didn't do too hot. So I'm going to need to do a little extracurricular and then we use that as an excuse. Hey, it's just us in the house. Let's, you know, let's party. But. I always like to like, you're, you'd say you're very high functioning. Did you ever use drinking as like a reward? Because I would always be like, fuck, I just mowed the yard, washed the cars, pressure washed the deck. I deserve to drink nine beers. Like I, I earned this. Yeah.

22:06I would never drink beforehand. It would be a, once I complete all this stuff. Sirens going down. That's what I like about my thing. It's going down in Bellevue. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, for me, it was a little bit of it all, right? It was, hey, we just had an incredible shift. Let's get fucked up. Or, hey, we just had a terrible shift. Let's definitely get fucked up. It was just okay. We should get fucked up. Exactly. Yes. I mean, it was every night going to the bar, you know, bartender already had a shot and a beer waiting for me when I pulled up to the, to the end of the bar. I mean. Yeah. Well, it started off in, you know, in JMU and Harrisonburg is when, you know, I had my regular bars I went to, but it was mainly, you know, apartments. We had Whiskey Wednesday at the Ashby apartments. Oh, very nice.

23:07That was rough. I mean, it was incredible, but it was rough, you know, playing quarters till three o'clock in the morning. Like it's no big deal. We're not, yeah. I'm thinking back to my old days and I'm like, oh, I don't know how I lived through some of that. I couldn't do it again. I would definitely not live. And I always thought like, when you get old, I'm like, I'll never be old or like, this will bother me. I think I'm just like, I don't know. You just get old. You're like, I just, I just can't and it's okay. Yeah. A hundred percent. That's a good point. Yeah. And you know, I mean, I still like to have, I mean, I still go out to bars with friends and I still in the loudest one in the room, but I just don't happen to drink anymore. And that's, and that's, I don't know. I think that's one of the things I like to portray is like, you can still do stuff. I think people are like, no, to have fun, you've got to drink. And it's like, I thought that for a long time. I did too. And it's the way I did have fun for a very long time. And you know, I don't, it's not like I'm sitting here recommending, hey, just go out to a bar and have fun with your friends.

24:10You know, it's, it's, it's not how I started out for sure. You know, I'm, I'm very blessed to be able to have four years behind me now, but that doesn't mean I take any of it for granted. And of course you do, you know, I can't say that a hundred percent everyone takes it for granted, you know, but this time last year, you know, I, I put a little post out on Facebook and it was just, you know, one of those things where I was like, I almost didn't share that this was my three years, you know, it was just another day. But, you know, I'd been talking to one of my buddies who was trying to get sober and, and I was like, you know, I'm glad we got to talk and, and you know, he, he didn't get sober for another year, but, you know, he was like, yeah, this, this is what I need. This is, I need what you have, you know? And, and for me it was like, this is, this is why you share your three years. It's not just another day. I mean, it is, but at the same time, I don't do it for me. Like I'm not, you know, boastful. This is three years for me. It was, this is three years for him so he can see, you know, this is four years today for me so that, that, that I can show others that it can be done.

25:18And you can't do it alone. Now I did the white knuckle. I white knuckled for nine months. One of the first times I got sober. And man, what a shitty nine months it was, you know? I mean, it was terrible. I never went that long before I actually like quit. I go like a week or two and then I would just start like sneaking and hiding and lying. Yeah. You can never do it. You can never go that long. It was just, and I thought that was like, ah, I went a week and a half. I'm not, I'm not a drinker. I'm good. I did it off pure willpower and it was terrible. And I came back harder and faster than when I had left drinking the nine months prior. I mean, it didn't take anything. It was like a light bulb, switch it on. There you go. So you were in college, having a good time. Quarters till two o'clock in the morning. When did you leave? When did, did you finish college? So I did not.

26:18No, I ended up dropping out. I did too. Yeah. I ended up, I was, you know, I had to go to my parents and be like, look, this isn't, this isn't working for me. I think I knew then like I'm going to somehow kill myself. You know, I don't know how, but I'm going to do it. Like not, not suicidal thoughts at all, but just the path that I'm on is not good. So, you know, I did, did some soul searching. Some of it might've been in jail, you know, but I did some soul searching. When was the first time you went to jail? The first time I went to jail? That was a Myrtle Beach during my senior beach week. I think it was the second day we were in Myrtle Beach. What'd you do? I was smoking pot with two other guys that had just come up to me and one of my friends, and they had ended up stealing like two thousand dollars and some marijuana, apparently, from these, some hotel down the road or something.

27:23And these bike cops were going by. Those two guys fit the description. And yeah, I got busted for, you know, possession. Of course, the joint was in my hand or the blunt. The blunt was in my hand when they were going by. So I got popped for possession of marijuana. You had to go to jail for that. I mean, that was an overnight, you know, they just gave me the citation, but I had to stay there until I made bail. Yeah. So I had to call my parents on the second day of beach week, you know, from jail. This is Corey from whatever county. In May. Yeah. Yeah. You know, but no, I didn't didn't do the whole, you know, any real time there, just that. And then, yeah, kept away from jail for a long time and went back a couple more times after that. When did you move to Nashville? I moved to Nashville January of 2010. You've been here 12 years now. Yeah. Why did you move to Nashville?

28:24I moved to Nashville. You know, I told my probation officer, actually, we're just make paint a pretty picture of me, aren't we? My probation officer was, you know, talking to me is like, so what are you going to do, you know, when you get off probation? I was like, actually, I would like to tell you that I got accepted to the Art Institute of Tennessee, Nashville, and I would like to go there in January. And this was, you know, I think November of 2009. And he was like, the problem with that is you have probation until May and you have to see me once a month. And he did house visits and all the whole nine yards. And I was like, OK, so what were you on probation for? Oh, I was on probation for marijuana. OK, yeah. Yeah, I was on probation for that. A different one than the one on the beach in Myrtle Beach. Yeah. Yeah, this was later on in college. All right.

29:26Yeah. This is all part of the story. I think it's good. It is. I think people out there that are are like, man, I'm already too far. I've already been to jail. I've been to this like no, man. I think this is all part of it. And I'm thank you for sharing some of this stuff. Of course. Yes, I do. Two months at the Rockingham County Jail for distribution of marijuana. I certainly could have served that term myself. I just by the grace of God never got caught. Yeah. My my my fraternity brother came in wearing a mic and popped me up. So. Yeah, man. Needless to say, I didn't care about that fraternity anymore after all that. Yeah. So the guy, your PO says, hey, you know, you got to stick around and in Virginia until May when your probation's up. And I was just like, I just can't do that. We've got to figure out something because, you know, you keep me here and I'm just going to figure out a way to keep doing the same shit I was doing.

30:32So he went to bat for me. I mean, I say he went to bat for me, probably get in trouble with his podcast. He was like, all right, you go to Tennessee and don't get any fucking trouble. I was like, yes, sir. Yes, sir. I mean, I was elated at that place. Not till May. Yeah, exactly. I didn't get in trouble for a long time. I mean, I probably made it, I don't know, seven, six, seven years. So you went to the Art Institute. Did you do that? I did. Yeah, I graduated with my bachelor's of science in there. All right. Art Institute is not a college anymore. But, you know, I feel like I'm I'm one of the ones. And I have a few other classmates I graduated with that are in the industry. And, you know, upper management or owners. And, you know, we we stick together for sure. Were you in school with Alex Ballew? I think he went there. He did. He was he was there before me. Oh, really? OK. I think he's off. He's going to have some exciting news soon. That's what he he puts these teasers out there. I don't I don't know what's going on there. But yeah, I was messaging him a little bit.

31:34So what was your first job outside of the Art Institute? First job was at the Listening Room Cafe with Chris. Yeah, it was Chris Shushell, Chris Blair. I don't know which one he goes by now. He goes by both, I think, is Chris Shushell Blair. Chris Blair was his stage name. I know that. He had that he was a he was a hot country music singer. Now, are you talking about the old school one that was like next to the or where the Mexican restaurant is now where the station is? Station isn't coming station station, right? Correct. Because it was there before he went over to. Yep. Where Have a Nice Day Cafe was. And then now he's moved again. Like, but that was old school. That's old school listening room. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's right down from while wasabi. Shout out to the best sushi place in Nashville. Yeah. The Kims are incredible people that that that's it's fun to talk about some of those old days back when that was going.

32:34He was a good dude, man. He still was good. I've I've he helped me out a lot back in the day when I was working through my ways with all my produce. There were some awesome people that worked there, too. I mean, Michael Fabrizio worked there. He's a bartender. Jeremy Lister was a bartender there. Wow. Yeah. How do you know Jeremy Lister from the Listing Room Cafe? That's OK. Yeah, that's where we that's where we met. And, you know, we kept in touch here and there. He actually did the street. I actually have a street corner symphony poster somewhere. There it is. There it is. Look at that. All side. He got all of his buddies to sign it. And that was the night that Alison Krauss came out on stage. I mean, come on. What a show that was. He came to the he came to the bridge building for one of our events with Street Corner Symphony and they jammed out. It was awesome. He he has been on the show. Oh, has he? Awesome. Yeah. He's been on the show. And I met him in Jackson, Mississippi, back when he was with a band called Geronimo Rex, I think.

33:40And he was doing some solo play and he wanted to move to Nashville. And I I transferred him from Char, where he was working to the Amerigo. I was moving to Nashville. So we moved to Nashville together. That's awesome. What a good dude. One of one of the greatest guys. And he's another guy. He's like he's incredibly talented. He's got six years. Oh, wow. Yeah, I don't I don't think I knew that. Yeah, he's I think he he did five. He just had done five years when I talked to him and he has a song he covered somewhere over the rainbow. And I remember you talking about that. Yeah, it was like the most amazing thing. His his version of it. And you find it on our YouTube channel, said, get out his his version of somewhere the rainbow. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I mean, just an incredible musician. I'm going to have him tell his story. Yeah, there you go. We're waiting, Jeremy. We want to hear it. We want to hear how many times you got arrested, Jeremy. What's how many are we up to now?

34:44We're only up to two for you. Yeah, I think it's two. Three, you know, it's hard to keep track. So you get past your you. When did you link up with Nathaniel and Taber? So I got a job at Whitfield's. Yeah. Yeah. Whitfield's that was 2011. Wow. Yeah. That was all that the listing room for a short time. Oh, well, I mean, it wasn't a short time. I was there for probably a year, maybe a little bit more than I met you back then, by the way. I'm sure you did. Because I was in that kitchen, all that tiny kitchen at Whitfield. So small. What was the dude that drove the yellow Rumblebee? The yellow Ram Dodge Ram truck. Do you know who that was you're talking about? Gary was named Gary. Gary was the chef. Yeah, he was he was the one of the old owners before Tabor took over. He was the old owner with Nathaniel.

35:45OK, he had this big yellow truck. He's a nice guy, I guess. Yeah. It's OK. Yeah, I heard I heard some some good stories about him. You know, I didn't I didn't work with him at all. I got there right after he was out. But some of the old servers were telling me some stories about him. It was some good stuff. Some definitely. Well, you got it from Whitfield's, I think, when they sold Whitfield's and you guys just like took off. Where was your drinking at during that time? Oh, it was good. You know, it was it was those, hey, we just crushed service. Let's go out drinking, you know. Were you going to house back those back house? Yeah, I was I started off as the salad and dessert bitch in the back. Hey, pantries get working sometimes, right? Hey, just Krimberland all night long. You know, the people about me wanted to Krimberle. And I served it to them. I have to QA Krimberle at least once a week.

36:47There you go. They make sure if the consistency is there. Yep, it always is. There's the cat. Oh, what and what is your cat's name? Tipsy and her brother, twin brother's name is Jameson. And then I have a dog named Booker. So alcoholism runs deep in your. Oh, it's deep rooted. I mean, come on, you know. Tipsy Booker and Jameson, if you had another be Baker. There you go. Yep. Yeah. Bookers and Bakers and then Weller. Pappy Pappy. What was your what was your drink of choice? Was whiskey bourbon? Yeah. OK, so by the names Jameson in. You said you said Booker. What did you say your name? Booker Booker. Yeah, Booker Jameson Booker. I would assume it would be whiskey. I wanted the hyper stuff. Come on, Booker's bourbon. One twenty one twenty three, not that over there or anything.

37:47Full proof. It's good stuff. I always went for the full proof, too, because I was like, I'm a, you know, my man, I love one ice cube. Let's go. I love bourbon, but I never drank it for the taste, if we're going to be honest. I would taste it and and I acquired a great taste for it. Never really acquired the scotch taste. I tried many times now, but for me, I never drank for the taste, even if it was really good. I never drink for the taste. I mean, we would we would destroy bottles of Pappy. You know, I mean, not that Pappy's really good bourbon. Sorry to anybody that really loves Pappy. I know it's expensive and people stand in line for it. But, you know, we we took Pappy for granted, that's for sure, many times. But that that comes from a true alcoholic. You know, I I don't I remember drinking bourbon in the moment because I enjoyed the fellowship and I liked drinking because it was something to do while hanging out with people and you just got sloppy. But I think I look back much more fondly at the flavor of what it tasted like versus like what it actually actually took a sip of like, God bless, I drink that.

38:55But I think about it like if I think about it back in the day, I'm like, God, I bet that tastes really good right now. It's like, no, no, no, I don't. I mean, towards the end, I was getting ginger backers with every shot. Like, are you really drinking for the flavor? Do you really love ginger? Yeah, a little ginger ale. Hey, give me a ginger backer with that, because I was like, let's see how quickly I can get drunk, please. You know, I want to get there and then drink beer, drink, drink some Dos Parais or some bear walker to maintain it. So we. You know, I think that one of the things I've said in the past is that I didn't drink, I didn't read, I had no idea. Like people say I had a drinking problem and I said, I think drinking was my solution. I've done a lot of work to go back and think about why drinking. Why did I like to get fucked up so bad? What were the things that I needed to do? Like, why was that? What was I trying to numb? Have you done any of that? Have you thought about? Oh, yeah. Yes, sir. Can you go into any of that? I mean, yeah, I mean, you know, I think I drink for a lot of reasons.

39:58You know, like, like I said before, it was the the excuses were always there for the the celebrations or the, you know, consolation. But for me, you know, it was it was an escape. And it was it brought a lot of problems into my life. And I for so long thought it was the solution. You know, I think it was that, you know, and I don't mean classic as a derogatory for anybody that has gone to the same thing, yourself included. But I think it was that classic sort of, hey, you know, I'm drinking because I'm unhappy, but I'm also unhappy because I'm drinking. So, yeah, it just compounds it. It does. And for me, there were so many things that I was happy for. I mean, I, you know, took it for granted. There were so many things to be happy about and for. And, you know, I don't think I was depressed by any means, but just, you know, really thought I was having the best time of my life.

41:00And some of those times were the best time of my life. But at the same time, that's where I took it every time. Every night needed to be a party. Every night needed to be a celebration. I was the one, the fun lover, you know, the one that at the bar, hey, I'm buying a round of drinks for everybody, you know, you know, spending paychecks at the bar every once in a while, you know, just because I was I wanted that lifestyle. But, you know, it wasn't at the end of the day. It wasn't about the lifestyles, about how I was living my life. And I never got that, you know, until it was thank God it wasn't too late. But until it was a lot later than I would have liked it to be. I think it's working in this industry. You see so many people that just have discretionary income or they give off this impression that they do. And you see people out there drinking expensive bottles of wine and ordering these steaks and just spending all this money. And you kind of, you know, I could do that. I could be that. And there's I don't know, I almost felt like I can emulate that.

42:02When I go out to eat, I want to be the guy that people look at and go, Oh, that guy's buying, that guy's buying around. That's like, I got this. But I don't really have that. We were the ones, you know, ordering, you know, hey, let's get four appetizers. I just want to try everything. So let's get four appetizers, five entrees, you know, just just out there spinning it like like we had it. And, you know, drinking very well and drinking higher and stuff. I remember, you know, down there at the Bakersfield, they had some pappy up on the wall. And my buddy was like, hey, let's get around for us. And a couple of people we didn't even know. And it's like, what? Really? You know, like that's what we're doing tonight. And that's what we did. And, you know, we were just living that lifestyle. But, you know, I don't think it was anything other than, you know, and again, for me, I can only speak for myself, but it was it was just, like you said, emulating that one, the lifestyle, but also that, you know, we can be whatever we want to be as long as we're drinking while we're doing it.

43:06And I think that's one of the lessons I learned, like that I was trying to be somebody that I wasn't because I wasn't OK with who I was. Yeah, you know, and I think that was the that was the thing. I didn't want to be the I think I wanted to be somebody different than who I was. And I wasn't OK with that. And then finally, when I was forced, I say forced when I sat down and didn't have a way to numb that feeling. I had to go, hey, who am I? And I was really the first six months of sobriety for me was. That is fucking intense. I mean, it was just an overwhelming emotions. And who am I? You know, and then finally you start learning how to grasp some of those things. Did you have any of that? Oh, yeah. Oh, for sure. You know, I think and I've shared it, you know, before to to send a group as well. I I was, you know, not even a year sober when I lost my father, but.

44:17You know, by the grace of that higher power we we talk about, I was incarcerated for that time when he passed. And this was, you know, all the court stuff was finally done. But I finally got my sentencing for my small time. I had to do after, you know, the state of Tennessee doesn't like him when you get multiple DUIs, it's not something they they really enjoy. No. So so I had to I had to do a little bit of time for that. And like I said, by the grace of my high power, I was incarcerated when my father passed away, because there is not one ounce of me that believes that I would not have gone out and tried to numb that pain. So all I had time, all I had was time to think, to mourn, to grieve. And, you know, through that process, that's really the first time I took seriously, honestly, you know, and I'd been going to meetings and had a sponsor and all these things.

45:19But, you know, until I got to just sit and be with myself and my thoughts and who I was going to be, you know, I know who I was then, but who are you going to be? You know, your your father just passed away. You know, your superhero is gone. So who are you going to be now? And yeah, that changed my life. Wow. I mean, that's so powerful. And I think there's this moment that you probably sit and think like my dad, like my parents are my safety blanket. You know, like they're they're both still alive and they live two houses down from me. And anything that like happens, I can pick up the phone and call him right now. And I just I've I've thought about like what happens if I lose my parents. And I just it's almost like I guess I got to suck it up and during all of that moment for you, like, OK, here I go. Yeah.

46:23Yeah, you know, it turned into, you know, getting getting that that call or making that call, you know, get phone calls while you're locked up. But making that call and getting that news, you know, it was it was just something where, you know, I was I was prepared for it, but you're never prepared for it, right? I had a very strong feeling that he wasn't going to make it past me getting out of out of jail. So I was I was, you know, talking about it and thinking about it and writing about it. But, you know, I had my a book while I was in there. So that was the one thing that they let me take in with me. And the blue. Yeah, big book. And went to the meetings that they had in there. So it was it was good for me. And, you know, still had my mother. I guess, you know, that's the part we kind of skipped over. She she she's incredible. Her disease went into remission when I was in college. Actually, I came back from three years of college.

47:26And, you know, I'd been back and forth. I was only, you know, an hour down the road, but went to one of my dad was like, hey, we go pick your mom up from physical therapy while you're home. And I was like, sure, went in there and she was on an elliptical machine. And she, you know, the last time I had seen her, she was in a wheelchair. So, you know, wow. But they had her up on on the elliptical. And I mean, I just was sitting there, jaw dropped to the ground. Like, what is going on? And my mom just got this giddy grin on her face and she's like. Well, and I just couldn't say a word. I mean, I was literally speechless. And she said, well, aren't you proud of your mother? And I just lost it. I mean, just to your city, you know, waterworks coming. And, you know, to this day, she's driving a car again, you know, chasing my niece around, you know, and and. Yeah, just she is a, you know, and so many people have said it. And she sort of did her God story at church recently.

48:28It was like a three episode thing they did. And it was just just to hear her story told by her and to be able to, you know, I sort of wrote a little letter for that the preacher read at the end of it all to surprise her with. But just to have her and to know that her story has affected so many, especially me. You know, I mean, I don't I don't ever think I could have not believed in a higher power with the mother I had. You know, she was the one dragging us to church and, you know, multiple times a week. And she was the one that she was the glue of the family, as much as she would admit that my father is, you know, I don't think she understands or takes the credit for being the real driving factor in all of our lives, you know, because to see her living the life that she can live now from being in a wheelchair for so long and not expect to see me graduate high school, it's just, you know, people call her the miracle on earth.

49:30And she's she's not very short from that. One of the closest things to a saint that I've ever met, for sure. I think so many people wouldn't blame her if she was upset or angry at God for something. And she was a young age in. To work through it and to have that level of faith is is. But just amazing. It is. And, you know, that was part of that. Exactly. And, you know, even for, you know, the the preacher at her church now, he was like, you know, your mom teaches me more lessons than I have my entire life. You know, and same thing for my father, too. You know, he was a huge part of the church as well. And, you know, I grew up singing in the church and, you know, we were the we were the high school group that egged the principal's house. But they were like, well, who are you with? And we were like, we were with the church group. What are you talking about? This was right after Wednesday night church is when we did this. You know, so we were we were that crowd.

50:32And, you know, again, my people that haven't ever met my mother, but have met me, especially back in my drinking days when they did meet her or when I would talk about her, they were just like, how in the world? And I'm like, I know, you know, despite my parents, I am who I am. But they did their best and have, you know, I'd love to. My mother reminds me all the time that my father was very proud of me. Even though I was actually incarcerated when when he did pass. But, you know, this is I think you can. That's another like God. Higher power, whatever Colin works in mysterious ways. And you go. You know, everything happens for a reason. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I'm one of those people. Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, like I said, there was zero chance, negative zero chance of me being sober. After losing my father, if it was up to my own will. So when are you going to give your mother a grandchild of your own?

51:38You know, we're I didn't know you're going to do that shit, man. What is this? We're we're not not trying anymore. You know, we're just having fun, seeing what happens. My wife may have an obvious ovulation calendar. Is it maybe we've pulled the goalie? Yeah, you know, we're we're just we're just really excited, you know, if we're blessed enough to be able to let the Coleman name live on. Well, my oldest son is William Coleman. This is not a name. We love the name. You didn't have to name him after me. I know I didn't have to do that. I mean, we manifested those. That's what happened. You had to do it. So let's let's talk about your wife. Did your how long have you been married? We have been married for almost three years now. Almost three years. So she knew you as a drinker. And I apologize, it's almost two years. I just got yelled at.

52:41We got we got married during the pandemic. You got married during the pandemic. It was almost two years then. What day did you get married? March 25th. Good. So I'm just testing before they. Yeah, right before they shut everything down. I mean, right after they really it was right before, technically. I mean, you know, March Madness. When that gets shut down, you're like, oh, this is getting real. And then, you know, we were going to be the hardheaded ones. They're like, we don't care what they say. We're just going to have it. And then, you know, we're just like, we're not going to be the assholes that make all of our family. You know, she has grandparents still alive that we're going to travel for this. And, you know, we're not going to do all that. So we we canceled our Savannah plans and got married at the Dixon County Courthouse in Charlotte, Tennessee. Nice. Under the gazebo. Hey, you know, nothing wrong with that whatsoever. Did you guys how long did she know you when you were a drinker? Oh, yeah. OK. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we met. We met at Buffalo Billiards.

53:44It's on Second Avenue, man. I love that place. Yeah. You have the Havana Lounge upstairs, Buffalo Billiards. And then what's the little beer joint right there at the corner of first beer cellar, beer cellar. Yeah, which isn't really there anymore. Now, because the bombing is very sad. Buffalo Billiards isn't in now. It's dicks. Yep. Or was I don't even know. I haven't been down there. I don't even know what's actually an episode and figure out what's going on with Second Avenue. Nashville has changed so much, man. Last time I went over there to to look, they still it was kind of eerie. They still had all the Christmas decorations up because they had it all fenced off. And I mean, you could still see, you know, all the all the Christmas decorations still up down there. It was it was a real experience being down there, you know, so close to it. It's just like, man, I mean, just, you know what I mean? Thank goodness that, you know, because it was right, what couple blocks down from the corner pub there.

54:45But we were sort of directly behind the blast. So we were able to open, you know, it was tough. We didn't have any any service at all because of all that AT&T stuff and everything. But we wanted to be there for the first responders and the people, you know, the regulars that live downtown. And yes, you know, you want to do something. And so, you know, Tabor and I were talking like, what can we do? So let's just be open for the people, you know, be a place where people can go. So we were able to. Yeah, I mean, that community was incredible to us. You know, that was obviously our hardest hit store through Covid. I mean, it just it was it was a tough store during that time. But, you know, we were so thankful for everybody in that community that held us up during that time. We wanted to hold them up during such a terrible time. But, you know, we are Nashville and I hate having to keep saying it. We are resilient. You know, we have each other and the restaurant community and the Nashville community and the country music community and the community in general of music itself for Music City.

55:56Just an incredible place to be. I mean, I know, you know, you grew up here, but it's just it's just an awesome sort of it's its own little microcosm, right? It's it's we are Nashville, you know, as many times as it's been printed on sides of buildings and, you know, a mantra for for all of us. It really is what makes this city great. You know, I read an editorial my wife sent to me that somebody was like, I hate the new Nashville. And this was a person who was talking about driving through like the Brook Hollow neighborhood and where they used to love that neighborhood, a bunch of, you know, ranch houses that are now all being like these. Green Hills is also an area that's just getting overrun with white houses. Well, I think we can all if anybody drives on 40 or 440 at 3 45 p.m. or after we can it's getting earlier than that now. It's getting about 3 o'clock. But I think we can all hate that part of Nashville. The other day, there was a guy that got shot on 65.

57:00And like the whole, like, right. And that was a whole thing. Yeah. Yeah, I heard about that. That was crazy. I got it took me an hour and 45 minutes to get from Hillsboro Village to Brentwood to go to Maribor restaurant hour for defense from Hillsboro Village. It was insane. Just just a real pain in the ass. But, you know, the one thing I think that's awesome and I love about this podcast is that I get to talk to so many people who help preserve that community, that hospitality community in the city. And I feel like there's something that isn't all those big White House, all people moving from California, New York, Chicago that may want to bring some of what they left at home to our town. I think that that's fine. But I think that the one thing is about the people in this restaurant industry is that we're preserving this brotherhood or sisterhood or just this community of people that care about each other and want to serve. And I think it's I think it's special.

58:02I think it's awesome. It's what you just described on the day after Christmas when you guys we just want to stay open because we want to help people. We want people to have a place to go to nourish. You know, we want to nourish our community. And I think it's it's super special. It's what I love the most about doing this. Yeah, exactly. I mean, after after the tornado, you know, which little do we know what was coming after the tornado. But, you know, after that, you know, it landed 500 yards from our commissary. And our corporate headquarters. And so that was just crazy. Tabor ended up parking. I think we talked about this before he ended up parking on Bradley and walking all the way up because there were so many down power lines. But, you know, for us to be able to, you know, hook up to a generator, get back. And and we, you know, we made a bunch of meals. But when we took him down to like German town and those areas in East Nashville, there was already so much food there. It was just like, dude, this is awesome. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, it was one of those things.

59:03Yeah. They were like us. Take it to the next fire station. We were like, you got it. Like, we're glad that I mean, look how many people just showed up and we're like, do it. You know what I mean? I mean, they had a getting told about it right now. Just that next day down there. Yes, man, it was like on the road down to sort of ground zero, as it were, and just be able to, you know, throw sandwiches at people and make sure that everybody, you know, just seeing that is what we're talking about right now, right? Just that lost art of hospitality, whether it's, you know, making sure a guest understands, you know, where this great came from that made this wine or it's us banding together and making ham sandwiches for first responders. It's like it's just the the stuff that you you can always teach, but you sort of live it. It's what we do this for, right? It's it's it's what makes the hospitality industry special. And and our city, you know, I think our city special, too.

01:00:07I mean, I you go to Boston for the weekend or you go up north somewhere and you it's a different feel. I kind of dig it, too. But like, it's a different feel. If you're in the grocery line, like if I'm in the grocery line, a lot of times I'm just getting like one thing. And there's like two people in front of you that have like huge carts. They're like, hey, man, why don't you go ahead of me? Yeah. And you're like, thanks. That's really nice. Like, I don't know a lot of places that that just like happens. Yeah. I mean, I've seen, you know, at the Preds game we were we were losing which Preds game was. I can't remember which one I was at. I think it was the Canucks game, but it was one of the games and we were losing. And, you know, there was one Preds fan that was just like, hey, you know, giving the finger saying fuck you to the fan. The other guy was like, hey, man, you're beating us. It's all right. We're not playing very well tonight. But, you know, we're going to kick your ass next game or whatever it may be. And that, you know, we there was a fight that night and everybody's cheering. You know, and I think I heard a stat from our Preds rep that the Predators were leading the league that night.

01:01:11From that fight, the Predators led the league in fights and in the NHL and penalties to this year. We're number one in penalty minutes. Yeah, that's that's that's not a good stat. But but you guys are partner. You said your Preds rep, you guys partner with the Predators, those little seats in between the in between the benches in between the benches corner pub seats. They are. Is that like an annual that all year? Is that like for a certain amount of games, certain amount of games? They don't do it for, you know, they have their whole televised games, non-televised games, depending on what network they're on and their whole algorithm for the whole thing. But yeah, we have those those seats there right between the benches. It's an incredible experience. You did only got to be there once, but it was it was an experience like no other. I mean, just, yeah, sitting there and staring at at the away team, you know, and being able to just you right in the middle of it all.

01:02:16Watching all the changes, all the coaches yell. I mean, you're in between the two benches. Yeah, I mean, it's it's a surreal experience. You know, Johansson's right here and he's the door guy. So he's just constantly open and closing the door for the line changes when he's not on the ice, of course. Yeah. But he's just sitting there open and closing the door for the guys. You know what I mean? That's that's what he does. And then, yeah, when he goes in and then Yossi comes back in, Yossi's the guy and you can tell when it's getting a little heated because that door does not slam very softly. Oh, when they're not when they're not happy, you know, by the door slam. That's that's so awesome. I will volunteer myself as tribute shamelessly. If you ever need to fill that spot. I'll drop what I'm doing. There you go. I hear you. You know, it's it's you know, it's an exciting. The Preds were awesome to us through the pandemic as well. I mean, you know, they they partnered with us to help the National General Hospital.

01:03:22You know, we fed all of them for a long time during that first summer. We fed multiple police departments through the Predators. You know, it was just again, we are Nashville. But but they were so awesome to us and we're just excited to be able to, you know, partner with them every year. And then we're going to be in the national soccer stadium. So that's an exciting thing. You watch out for the corner pub concession stand at the new MLS stadium. It's going to be the largest soccer only venue in the in the nation. So I will say let's let's do some promotion for your restaurants, because I think that there's a you know, if you're going to go to a bar sports bar, go somewhere that's locally owned and operated. That is my like a scream from the roof rooftops. And you guys have let's talk about your different location. You've got one downtown. You've got the corner pub in Bellevue. You've got one in Cool Springs. And where are your other locations?

01:04:22Those are three. We have Brentwood off Old Hickory Boulevard. And right beside it is the Skeena Cantina. Our Mexican over there by Seven Springs. Yes. Yeah, there's a new Tristar right there. And in a couple other places, Orange Theory is right there as well. Are there other is there is that where Thunderbirds is? Is there is that restaurant over there? Firebirds. Firebirds, that's what it is. Thunderbirds is an incredible movie with Nicolas Cage. And what is his name? Somebody's going to be mad. I don't remember this. Jamie Lee Curtis. No. It doesn't matter. It's an incredible Nicolas Cage movie. And, you know, Nicolas Cage is my guilty pleasure. You can you can hate me for, but he was. Yeah, he flew the Thunderbird. OK, I haven't seen it. I'm embarrassed I haven't seen it. It's incredible. You're looking at me like, are you fucking kidding me?

01:05:24I know I'm not offended. I'm just I'm disappointed. It's disappointed when somebody is like, I've never seen Anchorman. I'm like, what? Right. Yeah. You don't know the legend of Ron Burgundy. Come on. Yeah, so we have our we have our corner pub right there in Seven Springs of Old Hickory Boulevard. And then we have Corner Pub Franklin down off Columbia Avenue as well. Nice. OK. Yeah. Franklin. So you're all over the city. We are. Yeah. And, you know, we're excited to be bringing the fine people of Belle View, an Italian steakhouse where they can, you know, come learn more about food and wine, bring the family and, you know, have have a place to to really just get that lost art of hospitality back into back into Nashville. Well, dude, you're one of my favorite people. Thank you for coming on today and just telling telling your kind of your story, I.

01:06:28I feel like we could talk for hours on end. We definitely could. We probably talked a little too long. I hope you didn't lose any listeners listening to this for this long. You know, I don't care. I had a great time. I'm like, it's not about my listeners, about me, man. I've enjoyed this. There you go. Hey, I love a little armchair therapy. You know what I mean? I'm selfish. I'm like, I selfishly I'm like, I do these because I want people to hear them and hopefully glean something out of it. They're like, I identify with that's an interesting perspective. But really, it's just for me. I just yeah. Well, I will say, you know, every time we I say it about a meetings as well. Every time we hang every time I hang out with Brandon, still, I'd never walk away from that feeling worse ever. Oh, yeah, I feel the same way about you. Just just lucky to be be a part of this incredible thing. You got going and excited to see more more alcoholics like us be able to tell their story.

01:07:29And, you know, hopefully it, you know, can resonate with just one person, you know, and and somebody can get something out of it. It's one person who might be able to go, Hey, I'm I've felt ashamed about something. I'm going to look into that. Or somebody who can gain some level of empathy for people that, you know, are like us, that they're not weird. Just I have nothing against people who drink. That's one of the things that's crazy. It's like not at all. How do you work in a restaurant when there's drinking? I'm like, I got nothing wrong with alcohol or drinkers. It's just a I just can't do it. It's just, yeah, I got one. I'm going to have 10. And then then you don't want me around. Yeah, that was my problem with a for so long. I didn't want to be powerless over alcohol. It's an inanimate object. How am I powerless over whiskey? Get out of here. I don't need a white knuckle it for nine months.

01:08:29See how that goes for you. You know, but the great people of A.A. and you know, the the ones that that really want not only their story heard, but want to listen. Like that's the one thing that I thought was crazy when I first started going to a court appointed. Remember, I was like, what are all these people in here doing listening to everybody, you know, because I was in there listening like, oh, thank goodness, I'm not as I'm not as bad as that guy's story. So I'm fine. I don't need this place. You know, mine was crazy. Every time I heard a story, I went. I see myself going there like I that didn't happen to me, but it would have like if I would have got caught. That's how I see myself now. But first going to A.A., I was just it was it was me like, oh, OK. I'm not as bad as that guy's story. All right. Good. But now it's like I listen to a story. And I mean, I told, you know, when I got out of jail, I had friends like, oh, man, what was it like? You know, how was it? And I was just like, there are people just like you and me in jail.

01:09:31I mean, just like us. Everybody is just like you. Like, this isn't a, you know, like I said, first day I went in, somebody goes, you don't need to be there, man. This this is a place where people go after they've slid their car into a bus full of children like that's what it's. And then I walked in my first meeting. I was like, oh, shit, everybody looks just like me. And people are why is everybody laughing? Why are they having a good time in here? Exactly like this isn't this. I don't I'm really sad right now. And I'm broken. I am broken. Why is everybody like having fun? And now, like, I get up and I tell jokes and like I it's part of my schick. I was in many a meetings with some very, very famous people. Of course, it's a so. But, you know, you walk into the 202 house back in the day and you see, you know, a music or movie star walk in. You're like, oh, shit, I forgot.

01:10:31You know, this this disease does not, you know, shy away from anyone no matter what your walk of life is. I think that's kind of the point. I want to do one episode a month where I talk to people who go, hey, look, I'm just like anybody else you'll ever meet. And I want to see different walks of life of people in our industry who have beat it, so to speak. And every day I wake up is a new day that I could potentially not beat it. I mean, I recognize that I'm not like, oh, I've got two years and X amount of months. I'm good for life like it's a healed. I heard a guy yesterday say if 36 years. And they said 36 years. But if you woke up before me today, if you woke up, I got up at 815. If you got up before me, I consider you to have more time under you because it really is one day at a time. You can't look at it like I'm not going to until I get four years or five years or 10 years like hell no, man. Like every morning you wake up is another day.

01:11:34And I think that's something that I think you hear people like us who have a little bit of time under their belt. And I've talked to people lots of time under the belt. But it's like it doesn't matter, man. It's like if you were able to do it today or tomorrow or the next day, like that's that's huge. And I mean, it's it is truly one day at a time, you know, it is. And, you know, it's like I said, days turn into months, you know, and months can turn into years, which I'm grateful for. But, you know, I I like to not take it for granted as as much as I think I did. But it's it's not only one day at a time for me. It's hey, it's that next drink could kill me because it really could. You know, I could say, oh, I can just have one drink now. That's that's how I got back into it the last three times. So one cigarette or one dip, one thing, no matter what it could be. You know, I mean, I got that, you know, I got big into the gym.

01:12:36I could go. I took a little time off. But, you know, I have that sort of obsessive mentality with that as well. You know, and it's it's a it's one of those things where I just I'm glad I can focus it into certain areas. You know, I heard you're talking about podcasts before the smart list podcast with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. And I forget who they're talking to, but the guests are talking to. And they're like, you know, he was part of the program as well. And they're like, but thank goodness we could have this sort of illness or disease and then be able to just turn it and focus it in another direction that's actually for good. Yeah. And I was like, amen to that. You know, whether it's the gym or work, you know, or now I can focus on, you know, married life and and hopefully by the grace of my higher power, raise a family. You know, yeah, those are the things I can focus on now.

01:13:36And thank thank goodness I could focus on them. Because back in the day, you know, who? Thank you for joining the show today. I end every show and I give the guests, I say, hey, go ahead and give us your final take. I feel like this whole show was kind of a final take this whole conversation that we've had. Do you have any final last words, any any kind of wisdom or anything that anything whatsoever you want to you want to take us out with? You know, I really just am grateful to be able to come on this show and talk about, you know, being four years sober today. I, you know, don't think I show enough gratitude not only for those friends close like you, Brandon, or, you know, the loved ones that have really had my back from day one, especially, you know, when I was drinking, the people that love me despite myself.

01:14:39But, you know, I just really like I said, I would love for this to resonate with just one person. And, you know, if if you've been thinking about it or know somebody that's struggling with it, you know, I got a buddy who's just going to be at a month. So today, so, you know, it's a big one. We're all along for the ride, but just know you're not doing it alone, because none of us can. So I just really hope others can can really know that and either mention it to a friend or maybe look deep within themselves and see that, you know, you can do it. If I can do it, you know, whenever I used to run AA meetings, you know, I'd be like, all right, I'll run this one. When, you know, I'd be one of the first ones there. And at the end of it, I would literally say nobody threw a chair or jumped out of a window. If I can do it, you can do it a hundred percent. I love it. Wonderful final words. And thanks again for doing this. And I will, I will see you soon.

01:15:39I will see you. Hopefully we can hang out all the time. You're real close to me now. So this is great. Yeah, yeah, we'll be. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other. We won't be a regular. We're going to run those stairs over there. Go Warner. Yeah, let's do it. I mean, we've we I haven't done that in like two weeks because of all the, it's been so cold and I've been so busy. Like I haven't gone and hiked. And I think that's what's missing in my life. I went to the gym Monday and then I canceled every other day since then. So I feel your pain there. And I can't wait to shut off a little bit of this weight before we start eating fine steaks and, you know, some octopus. I'm pushing this octopus on the menu. The octopus is fan. I love octopus, man. I'm all over it. It's on every every we just went to the big food tour and every place we went to, like the nicest restaurants, they all have octopus on the menu. It's it's so hot right now. It's like hand. Oh, yeah. So hot right now. Yes. Yes. And it will be a fine octopus dish, sir.

01:16:41A fine octopus dish. Now, is it really grilled or sous vide? That is none of your business yet. It'll be tasty. Now, shut up. It will be delicious. I am I am off right now. I'm leaving today to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, and I'm going snowboarding for the rest of the week. So I hope it's tough. I hope your birthday week is great for you. And it's going to be I'm going to celebrate you at the top of a mountain tomorrow. I'm going to FaceTime you and be like, look, dude, congratulations. And I'll be ready for it. Yeah, I'll be ready for it. You better have a beer at the top of the mountain. Just kidding. It better be kombucha kombucha kombucha. My jam. There you go. I need to get a local kombucha company to come on the show. I got to get something. Send me a message. You know, local kombucha company. I want them to sponsor because I need I need product in the studio.

01:17:43This is one of my last interviews before we're going to be live in a studio. So next time we do this, we're going to be face to face in our studio. That's awesome. I'm so happy for you. So glad that you're able to have that space because this is just an awesome podcast. And, you know, I just am grateful to be a part of it. Well, I'm sorry. Jen was not able to be on this episode, but I'll never forgive her. Jen, if you're listening, we have to do this again in the studio in the studio. We'll do it. All right, sir. I go get on an airplane. Hey, get on that airplane and just ride it hot and heavy down the slope for me. One time I will face I'm going to I'll turn my my watch on. I'll see how many how fast I go. I'll try it 35 miles an hour. Hey, double black diamond. Oh, yeah. All day. There it is. Appreciate you, brother. Right. Wow. Thanks again, Corey Coleman for joining us and being so open about all of your times.

01:18:47You've been to jail. He's going to kill me for saying that. Um, no, that was a fun conversation that we had. I really could have talked to him for hours and hours on end, and we sometimes often do. And it's kind of what I want to do here. Share some of those conversations. I'm sorry if I sound holier than thou ever throughout that. I'm really not. As I said at the beginning, I hate the way that I come across sometimes. We've got an amazing March story. The story we're going to be telling you in March is a good one. And I'm excited to do it. I'm not going to tease it because it's like I said, it's one day at a time. We're going to wait until we get there. And I'm going to tell you what we've got. It's a new sponsor who's be coming on. And the guy is amazing. And his story is awesome. I cannot wait to share it with you. Pray for me that I don't break a leg out on the slopes and I'm going to take a little retreat. So we'll see you guys on Friday. We'll be back with a new episode Friday with Courtney Vrablich from the store.

01:19:49Super excited about this episode. You are going to love it. Hope you guys are being safe out there and love you guys. Bye.