03-21-25 - Nick Thune - Stand Up Live - In Studio

Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness - Arizona: Episode Summary Guest: Nick Thune
Air Date: March 21, 2025
Host: John Holmberg with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, and Dick Toledo
Station: 98 KUPD | Hubbard Radio

---

Introduction

In the March 21, 2025 episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness on 98 KUPD, host John Holmberg welcomes comedian Nick Thune for an in-depth and candid conversation. Nick Thune, known for his sharp wit and engaging storytelling, delves into his personal struggles with addiction, his journey to sobriety, and the humorous yet poignant experiences that have shaped his life and career.

---

Overcoming Addiction

Nick Thune opens up about his tumultuous relationship with alcohol, detailing a decade-long period of heavy drinking that reignited at the age of 29 after a nine-year sobriety streak since he was 17. He recounts a pivotal moment when he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which served as a wake-up call leading him to seek immediate rehabilitation.

Nick Thune [03:05]: "I thought, well, this is what really happened. Nick Thunes at Stand Up Live tonight and tomorrow, if you want to go over there and check it all out."

The severity of his condition is highlighted when a specialist informs him that his liver enzyme levels were dangerously high, prompting an urgent need for treatment. This critical diagnosis propelled Nick into rehab, where he experienced a series of challenging events, including seizures and hospitalization.

Nick Thune [05:34]: "That was his diagnosis. It’s a pretty direct. Yeah, it’s going to happen sooner than you want or think."

---

Life After Sobriety

Nick discusses the aftermath of his rehab experience, including unexpected responsibilities and the complexities of maintaining sobriety amidst a demanding career. He shares anecdotes about being thrust into situations where his past behaviors resurfaced, such as hosting events and interacting with fans who referenced his earlier struggles with alcohol.

Nick Thune [07:54]: "It was the first tour I did sober was I went down to Mexico. It was so fun."

He also touches upon the impact of his sobriety on his personal life, particularly his relationship with his 11-year-old son, who remains largely unaware of the depths of his father's past addiction.

Nick Thune [20:23]: "He has asked me why I don't drink. Yeah."

---

Career and Comedy

The conversation shifts to Nick's career in comedy, where he reflects on the fine balance between humor and personal growth. He shares a memorable experience from hosting a Fourth of July party in Atwater Village, where his attempt to blend neighborhood vibes with edgy comedy led to both applause and admonishment.

Nick Thune [10:03]: "Yeah. Like, do you know take Notaro? Oh yeah, yeah."

Nick humorously recounts the challenges of performing in diverse settings and the pressures of maintaining his comedic edge while adhering to his sobriety.

Nick Thune [21:37]: "It's never going to be better than it is today. Nick Thune is at Standup Live Tonight and tomorrow."

---

Personal Anecdotes

Nick offers a series of entertaining and sometimes outrageous stories from his time on tour. These include encounters with fans and fellow performers who offered him drugs during performances, leading to humorous yet telling exchanges about his boundaries and commitment to sobriety.

Nick Thune [22:18]: "She was like, I’ve got morphine. And I was like, oh, no."

He also shares a lighthearted moment about his lack of Spanish proficiency during a performance in Mexico City, despite having taken an ESL class years prior.

Nick Thune [08:35]: "Yeah. Well, I didn't realize they're actually going to put you in classes based off what you did on that test."

---

Insights and Advice

Throughout the episode, Nick imparts valuable insights on happiness and personal well-being. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and the benefits of approaching life with the simplicity and joy often found in childhood.

Nick Thune [25:30]: "I think happiness is like, you know, something that I always encourage people to have."

Nick encourages listeners to cultivate happiness by reconnecting with their innate sense of joy and curiosity, drawing inspiration from a seven-year-old's perspective.

---

Conclusion

The episode concludes with heartfelt exchanges between Nick and the hosts, highlighting his ongoing commitment to sobriety and his role as a positive influence both on and off the stage. Nick's journey serves as a testament to resilience and the transformative power of self-awareness and support.

John Holmberg [26:04]: "Nick, thanks for coming in, man. Good to see you this time. And we'll meet again in a couple more years."

---

Notable Quotes

• Nick Thune [00:43]: "You've been deceived by an agent of Satan himself."
• Nick Thune [03:25]: "...he had already slept through my job."
• Nick Thune [05:34]: "It's a pretty direct. Yeah, it's going to happen sooner than you want or think."
• Nick Thune [10:03]: "Yeah. Like, do you know take Notaro?"
• Nick Thune [20:23]: "He has asked me why I don't drink. Yeah."
• Nick Thune [22:18]: "She was like, I've got morphine. And I was like, oh, no."
• Nick Thune [25:30]: "I think happiness is like, you know, something that I always encourage people to have."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of Holmberg's Morning Sickness offers a captivating glimpse into Nick Thune's life, blending humor with deep personal reflection. Listeners are treated to a narrative of struggle, recovery, and the relentless pursuit of happiness, all delivered through Nick's unique comedic lens. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to his work, this conversation provides both laughter and meaningful insights that resonate beyond the stage.

Transcript

[Dick Toledo]

It's Dick Toledo and new customers right now on FanDuel. Get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 wager wins. Just visit FanDuel.com KUPD to grab $150 in college hoops bonus bets with a winning $5 bet and prepare for March on FanDuel America's 1 Sportsbook 21 plus in President Arizona first online real money wager only. $5. First deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800-next- step or text next step to war two.

[Unknown Host]

You're listening to the HMS Podcast, brought to you by MMP guns.com your most trusted online marketplace for firearms, ammunition and accessories.

[Nick Thune]

You've been deceived by an agent of Satan himself.

[Unknown Host]

He's evil sitting right here. Come on. No, no, he's not. He's not evil. He's just a bit rude. Oh, Already we're having, like, way too much fun with Nick Thune, who's here and. But the story's horrible.

[Nick Thune]

Now we're live recording all that?

[Unknown Host]

No, we weren't recording any of that. It's a shame because it was a great. Should have interrupted the Chili Peppers. Let me just tell you this. You go see Nick this weekend over at Stand Up Live, and I'm just gonna give you this headline, autism trailer, Tractor trailer and Deer. Dead deer. Yeah, I mean, that's worth it right there. And I don't even know if you tell that story, but people can ask you later at the club, like, hey, what's the deal with you killing deers and stuff?

[Nick Thune]

I'll be in the lobby after. The show's telling the deer story with.

[Unknown Host]

A special guest, the autistic kid that witnessed it. And we'll never.

[Nick Thune]

He does. He does. He's on the road with me.

[Unknown Host]

Was he opening?

[Nick Thune]

No, he sells all my merch.

[Unknown Host]

If he went up and told the story and then you just rebutted it after, I'm like, all right, this is what really happened. Nick Thunes at Stand Up Live tonight and tomorrow, if you want to go over there and check it all out. You said when you came in, it's good to see you. And that's a great way to say, I'm not sure if I've ever met you before. And you really don't know.

[Nick Thune]

Well, he said that I had.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. And there's a reason why. And because Brad, who drives the comedians around, runs the whole show over there came in and then broke out pictures of you last time you were here, which was 2018.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, I don't want to see those pictures.

[Unknown Host]

And you don't want to see them.

[Nick Thune]

He briefly showed them to me in the car and I thought, I don't know what era, because there are. Because, yeah, I was absolutely just living life to its at the point gone wasted.

[Unknown Host]

So do you think there's a good chance you were probably out of it while you were here?

[Nick Thune]

Oh, I definitely drank before I came in.

[Unknown Host]

No kidding.

[Nick Thune]

Oh, 100.

[Unknown Host]

So you were drinking first thing, even at like 6 in the morning? I got to start.

[Nick Thune]

I was drinking at 2 in the morning when I woke up to go to the bathroom.

[Unknown Host]

No kidding. It was that bad?

[Unknown Guest]

It was like water, but also it.

[Nick Thune]

Was, it was like, how do I just feel good all the time? But the problem is it never really gets good after a certain point.

[Unknown Host]

How long did you do this?

[Nick Thune]

I had a nice 10 year run because I got. That's pretty good. I got sober when I was 17 and then I started drinking again at 29.

[Unknown Host]

What were you. How long were you drinking when you got sober at 17? I think I remember that story.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, possibly I got sober. Rehab and you know, when I was, you know, I was the young kid that was just. I was having a good time. But yeah, when you, when you get sober so young and then you get a little success.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

You start thinking like, I'm probably fine.

[Unknown Host]

That was just when you were a kid.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You couldn't control it because you were dying.

[Unknown Guest]

Adult now.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. And the first, the funny thing is the first time that I drank after 12 years, almost 12 years of sobriety, I did it. I had a gig in Vegas and I got to Vegas and I thought, you know what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna have a beer finally, you know.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Nick Thune]

And then, and then I get there, have a beer, and then I have a mixed drink, which I'd never had when I drank before because I was so young.

[Unknown Host]

Really.

[Nick Thune]

And it was like absinthe and.

[Unknown Host]

Oh yeah, that's a good kickoff.

[Nick Thune]

It's like, oh, Mitch Hedberg had a joke about absinthe. I want to try that finally, you know, and. And next thing I know, I'm in my room and it's just, you know, pounding on the door and. And it's the security from the casino. My gig had started 30 minutes ago. Oh, and I had already slept through my job.

[Unknown Host]

Oh my.

[Nick Thune]

The first time drinking and you think that that would be like, oh, you know what?

[Unknown Host]

Wake up call.

[Nick Thune]

I was right. I can't handle this. But that was like. It was just like, well, this. Here we go.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And it lasted for another. How long?

[Nick Thune]

10 years.

[Unknown Host]

10. 10 full solid years.

[Nick Thune]

10 great years.

[Unknown Host]

You came here and you said, I gotta get my life together.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. When I saw you guys, I thought, all right, time to turn things around.

[Unknown Host]

I'm drinking again. Oh, you're gonna do it again now? We're gonna revers. What was the. What was.

[Nick Thune]

Come back.

[Unknown Host]

What was the 10th?

[Unknown Guest]

The bottom out.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

What was the one that went. That's. I gotta.

[Nick Thune]

It was all, oh, I got Lyme disease, which.

[Unknown Host]

No, that's not from drinking. You can keep drinking, then we're good.

[Nick Thune]

Well, you can't if you want to get better.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, okay.

[Nick Thune]

Because alcohol just totally. You know, it cuts off any sort of, like, you know, and I.

[Unknown Host]

Your immune system won't fight if you're drunk.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. But also, medication won't work.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, no kidding.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, yeah. Antibiotics.

[Nick Thune]

Antibiotics don't work. Yeah. So. But also, you know, one thing that you're doing when you're drinking is you're avoiding any sort of doctor.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

Like, because you don't want to hear something's wrong. And so. But when you get Lyme disease, you have to go to the doctor, and then they have to check your blood, and they're going to get real time information about what your body's doing. And when I came back after the blood drop like that, they took the next appointment. He was like, hey, so you didn't mention the drinking? And I thought in some way, you thought, oh, it probably won't show up. I'm so young, my 30s, and, you.

[Unknown Host]

Know, science doesn't work on you.

[Nick Thune]

And he said. He said, yeah, you're. You've got a. A lot of enzymes in your liver. And I said, well, how many? He's like 360. And I said, okay. I'm thinking, what, like, 340 is probably where we want to be, you know? And he said, no, six.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, that's a little higher than you.

[Nick Thune]

Want to be at 6. So, yeah, you're a little high. You're what they call dying.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, wow. That was his diagnosis. Oh, geez. That's a.

[Nick Thune]

It's a pretty direct. Yeah, it's going to happen sooner than you want or think.

[Unknown Host]

And he told you you're going to die?

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, he. We need to treat this immediately.

[Unknown Host]

And did you say, let me have one more?

[Nick Thune]

I'd already been Drinking on the way to the doctor's appointment. This was a 10am appointment in Malibu. And because he was like a Lyme specialist or whatever. And anyways, I left and bought a bottle of vodka immediately and took out about half of it and then called my agent and I just said, hey, I'm going to drop a pin. I'm like leaving my car here with the keys on the tire. Wow. And I need someone to pick me up and take me to rehab.

[Unknown Host]

And it happened then. And you were fine after that. It worked.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, it worked because I needed it. I got hospitalized immediately because I.

[Unknown Host]

You were dying.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. And well, the thing is, you get into rehab and they're like, okay, let's assess where this guy's at. And for a day they thought they could like, help me come down. And then I started seizuring and they, you know, and they were like, oh, this guy needs to be. So I woke up a week later in the hospital, like, IV'd out.

[Unknown Host]

Good Lord, Nick.

[Nick Thune]

And then it's so funny, I get back to the rehab and I had fought somebody. I don't remember any of this. They found me naked outside. Oh, my God. You know, And I. And they thought. I thought I was shooting a movie. You know, I had all these kind of delirium tremor things that they have, like, going on. But about a week into being back in rehab, they gave me my phone back and I had an email from my agent. It was like, hey, I want to talk to you about this tour. And I thought, that's weird. So I don't remember having a tour to talk about. And so I called my agent and he was like, yeah, hey, so do you want to confirm that he didn't know I was in rehab, this agent? This was a different agent. And I guess they hadn't communicated. And he said, hey, I just want to confirm that. That Mexico City tour. And I said, what? And he goes, yeah, that you met those guys in Canada, in Montreal and said you would do a tour in Mexico City. And I thought, what? No, sure, I guess might have been.

[Unknown Host]

I might have done that.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. So there was a drug, you know, like a cocaine filled trip in Montreal where I met a couple guys from Mexico City and I'll do it. Yeah, I'd agreed to a tour, which was. It was the first tour I did sober was I went down to Mexico.

[Unknown Host]

Was it good?

[Nick Thune]

It was so fun.

[Unknown Host]

Was it?

[Nick Thune]

And these guys. My agent called me, like, listen, you need to keep this guy sober. Like, he's. This is gonna be A trip.

[Unknown Host]

So now you're like the. The comedian of choice for the cartel. They absolutely loved having you down. You didn't use any of their product.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, I was using them y. A burner phone the whole time.

[Unknown Host]

That's perfect. Yeah. Nothing better for a guy going to. Through sobriety to knock down a Mexico trip with some new friends.

[Nick Thune]

Well, and I mean, talk about. Too, like, the difficulty of my opener was doing all Spanish.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, wow.

[Nick Thune]

And so I don't do. I don't have Spanish in me.

[Unknown Host]

You might have when you were drinking. You just didn't know. Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, fluent. Yeah. I mean, here's. I was actually in an ESL class.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Nick Thune]

When I was in community college.

[Unknown Host]

English as a second Language.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. Well, I took a. I took the placement test, and I took it in a way that I didn't care about. You know, I was just like, whatever, just get this thing through. And so they. But I didn't realize they're actually going to put you in classes based off what you did on that test.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Nick Thune]

And I showed up to class and I was like, I feel a little different. And I realized about 10 minutes into this class that I've been placed into in English as a second language, and the teacher walks up to me, like, 10 minutes, and he's like, hey, man, I don't think you're supposed to be in here. And I was like, listen, I think that's my call. You know, I honestly feel like a leader for the first time, frankly.

[Unknown Host]

I didn't understand a word you just said.

[Nick Thune]

So let's just get.

[Unknown Guest]

I can help people.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. I'm doing really good in here.

[Unknown Host]

The first B I'm gonna get.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

That's the old joke is that I got a C in English and an A in Spanish, and I don't speak Spanish at all, but I can't get English right.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. I would love to have been able to take those. I didn't know you could dumb down a test so bad they weren't sure you knew the language. That's pretty impressive.

[Nick Thune]

Or in a way, I did it so well that they thought I was fluent in a foreign language.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, that's true, too.

[Nick Thune]

I didn't know which way to take it, to be honest.

[Unknown Host]

That's awesome. So what was the. Because when you're drinking and stuff and when it's fun when comedians get sober, because they always have, like, a realistic view of how it was. There's always the ending. You know, you were gonna die. But the fun of it all there has to be a story in there is like, this was worth it.

[Nick Thune]

Oh, none of it worth it, but a lot. There's so many stories of like, if.

[Unknown Host]

You weren't drunk, it wouldn't have happened.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. Like, do you know take Notaro? Oh yeah, yeah. Um, she had a festival in Washington D.C. that she did for a couple years a long time ago. And she, she called me one morning and she said, hey, can you want to grab a coffee? And I thought, oh, fun. Yeah, you're supposed. I thought she'd be so busy. It's her festival, but sure. And she's like, listen, we gotta. They want you out of the hotel. And I was like, what? Why? And she goes, well, you were. You don't remember? And I go, no. And she goes, well, you were throwing apples off the roof last night.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. Where did you get them?

[Nick Thune]

From the front desk. You know how sometimes down the front desk they have that, like that bowl? Well, I, I showed up, there was a party at the hotel and I walked in the room with the full bowl.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Nick Thune]

Because you know, it's like, hey, they're free.

[Unknown Host]

It's a guest.

[Nick Thune]

There's no one. It doesn't say take one.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

You know, and so I showed up to the room with all these apples and everybody's like, hahaha, Nick. You know, this is another Nick thing. And I didn't know that. Yeah. Then I was having a throwing off the roof contest that I guess I was the only one involved in, but.

[Unknown Host]

And they asked Tig Notaro to stop this. Nobody from the hotel.

[Nick Thune]

I think that, I think that they got a hold of the festival.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Nick Thune]

And the festival then was like, we don't know Nick. Like Tig's the one that hired Nick here.

[Unknown Host]

So it was her job.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

To take out one of her employees. Did you, did you leave or did you say, I won't do it again.

[Nick Thune]

I just moved over to the. Cross the street.

[Unknown Host]

They didn't have an apple.

[Nick Thune]

I learned my lesson, you know, they.

[Unknown Guest]

Didn'T have any apples either.

[Unknown Host]

Then he's throwing bibles off the damn. And he went through every room.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, I. Yeah, there's. There's sadly a lot of things where I've like met people and partied with people and I don't, you know, like.

[Unknown Host]

Remember and no babies. You're not, you haven't gotten that call yet.

[Nick Thune]

I hadn't had. I've never been pregnant.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, good. Yeah, that was, that's not really what I meant, but I'm going to go with it.

[Nick Thune]

Okay, now there is one. I have a kid that was. That was through a marriage.

[Unknown Host]

But that was on purpose. Yes, but nobody, nobody knows.

[Nick Thune]

On purpose.

[Unknown Host]

That's true. At the time, probably not. But you said, okay, I got back.

[Nick Thune]

From a weekend and Salt Lake City and it was like, hey, we have a baby. And I'm like, oh, but you were married too. We were just soaking.

[Unknown Host]

So the percentages were. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nick Thune]

Well, we were young. We were Mormon. I didn't know.

[Unknown Host]

Broken free of how that works.

[Nick Thune]

I didn't know if you. That that whole worked.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it does. So you might have thought you were in the wrong input.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, that's what I was hoping.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. No, exactly. That's a good white. That's why you married her.

[Nick Thune]

I thought I was into an output.

[Unknown Host]

That's right. Yeah. If you're in an output, you put a ring on that immediately. But if she can get pregnant from it, you start drinking it.

[Nick Thune]

To me it was like, you know, if you take those. If you have a. A 9 volt battery and you put it in the wrong thing. Yeah, it doesn't work.

[Unknown Host]

Exactly. Yeah, it can't. It's non functional, but it works in its own way.

[Nick Thune]

I base all my kind of everything up 9 volts, especially sexually.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, that's the best way to describe it to a kid.

[Nick Thune]

You know how you check a 9 volt, you put it on your tongue, it shocks you. It still works.

[Unknown Host]

Same with an anus.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

How I test them too. Yep, there it is. Found it. Turn the lights off.

[Nick Thune]

We're good. Little shocker. There we go.

[Unknown Host]

That's why they call it that shocker. The shocker for a reason. Nick soon is at Stand Up Live tonight and tomorrow. So you don't remember ever being in Phoenix? So in a weird way, it's almost like when they say, you know, you kind of reborn again. You're going through all this stuff again for the first time. Yep. You have no idea what this starts to blend for you comedians anyway. Sure. But like there's no favorite city. You got to start over.

[Nick Thune]

Yep. All new cities. Isn't that weird? It's. Well, I mean there's definitely some stuff.

[Unknown Guest]

Comes back like it.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Guest]

Oh believe pieces and parts.

[Nick Thune]

I see bars where I'm like, oh yeah, I know. Definitely. Hey, I think we met. I've seen you talking to that hear.

[Unknown Host]

The words you say sometimes. I mean, who talks like that? 98 Kupda Holmberg's morning sickness. So I just had a guy a year ago screaming and yelling at me that he wished I would die. And, like, all this, I said something about a city that he didn't like. And then he called me a. What do you call me? A Biden loving cuck, Jew, Howard Stern wannabe. And so. And he screamed at me that, you know, I'm a piece of garbage, and all this stuff. Fast forward to about four weeks ago. He emails again and said, because we had a lot of fun with that, I joined Howard Stern as a Biden loving everything else. We were having just a great time with his email and flamed him like crazy. He emails back a month ago. I'm on his list of people to apologize to as he sobers up.

[Nick Thune]

Oh, that's fun.

[Unknown Host]

It made me feel fantastic.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Like, that was great. Who did. Did you have to apologize to anybody? You're like, this is going to be a rough one.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. Making amends is one of those things too. And, you know, I didn't want to make it like, oh, Nick's sober. I can't wait to get a phone call, you know?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, I didn't expect that, though.

[Nick Thune]

I might be upset, but, like, if.

[Unknown Guest]

You never contacted me, if you.

[Unknown Host]

If you just went on some lunatic binge email against some radio guy you never met.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Why would you just skip that one?

[Nick Thune]

Right? Well, because he probably actually really loves you. You know, he actually was a.

[Unknown Host]

He found out about me through what I said, through some sort of a third party. And he's like, I don't know who you are, but now I know you're nothing more than that. And he went off, and I'm gonna.

[Unknown Guest]

Do what I can to cancel.

[Unknown Host]

You called me like a Jew and everything, and I was a little upset because I'm not Jewish. I'm like, I think that makes me kind of a bigot.

[Nick Thune]

You know what I bet he got into? I bet he got into a lot of online hate, you know, like, oh, yeah. Might have been kind of his big thing that he went down. He's like, I gotta.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. So it ate him out.

[Nick Thune]

He's like, dear Costco.

[Unknown Host]

Right?

[Nick Thune]

Sorry about all the emails and tweets.

[Unknown Host]

I wonder if there is some Yelp review. We had to go back and go, look, I need to talk to the manager. I'm that guy. But a year later he tells me, so you had to. You had to go through the amends process.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And you had. No, like, radio dj, you had offended.

[Nick Thune]

No. And I have had people come up to me and mention things where I'm like, oh, I didn't know That I needed you on my list.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Oh, no kidding. So there's a few things you should have apologized for. Just.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. Yeah. There's. It's. You know, and you're like, okay, well, let me hear you out. You know, and it's like, oh, did.

[Unknown Host]

Anyone say no because I told this guy I didn't accept his apology at all.

[Nick Thune]

Well, no, because there is a.

[Unknown Host]

Being drunk doesn't. That he wasn't allowed to be a bigot to.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. I mean that's.

[Unknown Guest]

And did you ever receive that like, if you ever. Someone said, well appreciate you coming out, you know, saying that.

[Unknown Host]

But I didn't say that.

[Unknown Guest]

Not.

[Unknown Host]

I told him.

[Unknown Guest]

I know. I'm just saying that ever happened like someone. I'm you. You torture. Too bad.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. No, I believe everything anybody says. And. And also, like, if anybody were to say, like, hey, you did this, like. Well, it doesn't sound like me, but yeah, I'll give you the benefit.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

But the. I def. There were definitely people that take it and they say, like, I appreciate it and you can tell that it's like, that's where it's going to end.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Oh, yes. This is. Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

And I'm not. And it's not like, hey, I'm trying to rebuild anything here. I want you. You deserve all the feelings that you have. I just want you to know I'm aware. I am so sorry.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

And.

[Unknown Host]

And you're moving on.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. I told that guy wished him back on the bottle. Is that bad? From my. From the apologized guy. No, I wished him right back on the bottle. And I hope he's. I hope he. I hope it ends ugly.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. I mean, that's the kind of humor that he likes.

[Unknown Host]

Well, yeah. And plus. Plus a year earlier he was trying to get me fired from my job. Had had boozy that I didn't know drunkle. Oh, man, I'm mad at him again. Nick had had it work because he's calling advertisers.

[Nick Thune]

Oh, he's going through the.

[Unknown Host]

He went that far. He put a list of things up. He's trying to get me fired.

[Nick Thune]

No wonder he got a hold of.

[Unknown Host]

You ruined lives and st. And had it worked. And then a year later I get his apology. I had killed him.

[Nick Thune]

Well, Jackson Brown has a lyric that I go back to when it comes to this and it says don't. Is it. Don't confront me with my failures because I've forgotten them. That's the end of his song. That song he wrote when he was like 16. That's like, sounds like an 80 year old wrote.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, that's brilliant sentence.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. And I like to take that and think, you know, because there are some things that people bring up. They're like, hey, I hosted a. I hosted a fourth of July party in a neighborhood in la, this neighborhood called Atwater Village. And it was like they closed all the streets down. And the guy that was putting it on was like, we want you to like MC this thing. And I was like, great. You know, and it's families and, you know, streets and like. And I mean, it's a thing where people are like, oh, this guy's a comedian that lives in the neighborhood. We're all aware of him in some way. And you know, that's weird. He's doing 911 jokes at 11am and I remember this Fourth of July. I remember this lady coming out to me and giving me like one of those, like, cut it off, like sort of a thing.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

Except all the adults were loving it, you know, And I had picked a local restaurant called Bon Vivant that just sucks. I mean, and I kept saying how we were sponsored by Bon Vivant and they really want to do better for the neighborhood. And, you know, and I kind of kept going up. I mean, it was a really good bit, to be honest. I kept going up with notes from Bon Vivant. Please stop.

[Unknown Guest]

Maybe that was the lady was the owner.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, that's what I always wondered. Yeah. But she. Somebody came up, they go, they go, hey, hey, can you cut enough of the Bon Vivant stuff? And I said like, oh, yeah, yeah, no problem. All right. So Bon Vivant is. I mean, I can't tell you a place I want to go and I want to get overcharged, I think.

[Unknown Host]

So at a Fourth of July thing, you're rocking bon vivant and 911 gags.

[Nick Thune]

Bon vivant, 9 11.

[Unknown Host]

Is there a bounce house? I'm picturing a bounce house.

[Nick Thune]

Oh, there is a. Yeah, there's a big blow up. I mean, it's the streets closed down. There's a three legged race happening, father son stuff.

[Unknown Host]

And. Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

You know, and so I get sober and then I'm in an AA meeting and someone comes up to me, they're like, hey, I saw you host that, that fourth of July party in Atwater Village. I'm really glad to see you in here. And I was like, hey, shut up.

[Unknown Host]

That's not right.

[Nick Thune]

That's not what we're supposed to do in here. That is not how this building works. Because, yeah, I have. I wake up regretting that.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, I see. I wake. I now regret that there isn't enough video out there of this event. I would watch that. I'm the type of person that would love that. Somebody losing it in front of a. Like, a family festival. I'm like, oh, this is a bad booking. This is going to be my favorite part of it.

[Nick Thune]

Well, if it was at a comedy club or at an event that was like, we want you to do your humor. It was like, we want you to be funny and charming, but also help us kind of like build this neighborhood vibe, you know? And it was like, that's not. But I did.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. That's awesome.

[Nick Thune]

But also, the adults, a lot of them loved it. Of course. It's funny. Yeah. And then there's this. These jerks, you know that.

[Unknown Host]

The unfunny people.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, those kids, they hate them.

[Unknown Host]

How old is your kid?

[Nick Thune]

He is 11.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. And he's so. He's unaware of. Well, he probably knows it happened. But he never saw you as.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, no, he was five when I got sober.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, okay.

[Nick Thune]

Somebody in rehab told me. They said, hey, my dad got sober when I was five, and I. I don't remember anything great. And I just thought, well, then that means, yeah, I got a shot. This has got a stick.

[Unknown Host]

So there's no, like, signs of, like, you. Like, he doesn't know.

[Nick Thune]

No. And he. He has asked me why I don't drink.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, no kidding?

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

He's 5.

[Nick Thune]

That's a perception. He was 5. No, now he's 11.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, that's right. What am I. Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

You know, but, like, he'll be like, he's gone out with, like, his mom. And, you know, she is a normal person that has drinks, but her and her friends have drinks and they talk about it and wine and they don't.

[Unknown Host]

Throw apples at people.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. And he wonders why I don't. Why don't you guys ever have wine? It's like. Well, because Daddy has a problem.

[Unknown Host]

Daddy turns into the trees from the wizard of Oz.

[Unknown Guest]

Yeah, he just told him what it is.

[Unknown Host]

That's pretty.

[Unknown Guest]

Why don't we go to a bon Vivant, Dad?

[Unknown Host]

Well, I'm. How come we never hit the bon vivant? Oh, boy, I gotta start drinking. Kid has a pension for bon vivant.

[Nick Thune]

It just reminded me of. I did go up and say, hey, somebody here asked me to stop talking about bon vivant. And they can frankly go bon vivant themselves. I remember thinking, like, this is a tip of my career right here. I'm coming up with some good Bon vivant stuff.

[Unknown Host]

It's never going to be better than. Than it is today. Nick Thune is at Standup Live Tonight and tomorrow, standuplive.com is how you get those tickets. I'm glad for you. I'm happy that you're on the right track and stuff. And that's the. You just got to stay that way.

[Nick Thune]

And if the shows aren't good, I might go off the rails. Pack these out.

[Unknown Host]

So it's up to the audience on whether or not you saved this man from his. Himself.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Because so long as you're. As a. The audience has a lot of responsibility when it comes to somebody who's walking on eggs.

[Nick Thune]

They really do.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Nick Thune]

I need that.

[Unknown Host]

It's something. You absolutely must have. Their acceptance or they have no one to blame but themselves.

[Nick Thune]

We'll call there. It's their fault.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, exactly. Well, there is a weird thing. Mitch Hedberg was here. People were throwing pills on the stage.

[Nick Thune]

Adam. I've had that.

[Unknown Host]

Have you?

[Nick Thune]

I've had people come to be like, hey, do you want. You want pills? And I go, you know, like, they throw a joint on stage. And this one lady at some. I think it was in Iowa somewhere, she was like, hey, do you want any pills? And I was like, yeah, what. What do you got? You know? And she's like. She was like, I've got morphine. And I was like, oh, no. With her? Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Was she like a nurse?

[Nick Thune]

I made morphine in your pocket.

[Unknown Host]

She was.

[Nick Thune]

That night.

[Unknown Host]

That's crazy.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You don't do. So you had lines you drew. There was stuff you wouldn't do.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. I thought, I'm not trying to go to sleep right now.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. You like the fun?

[Nick Thune]

Yeah. I mean, I liked downers for sure, but.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. And uppers.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[Nick Thune]

We had to even those out somehow.

[Unknown Host]

I don't even eat food people make at their own house. If they're like, you want my cookies? I'm like, ugh, no.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

But to have somebody offer me pills, especially now.

[Nick Thune]

Now you can't do that.

[Unknown Host]

Fentanyl cookies from people's houses.

[Nick Thune]

You can get some Percocet and be just fine. No.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Because now it's like, could be mixed with anything. Oh, yeah, but you're hanging around Montreal with the cartel. God knows what you put in there.

[Nick Thune]

And I remember the first time, like, a waitress at a comedy club gave me a Percocet, and I remember taking it and thinking, wow, this is what it's like to feel like you're living at 100%. You know, finally, I might myself. Yeah. Really the best feeling I've ever had.

[Unknown Host]

No kidding. Well, stop talking about it that way because you're making me want to do it. You've oppo. Rehabbed me right into, like, Yeah, I don't have a problem. Sounds pretty great.

[Nick Thune]

Cut to me detoxing off pills without knowing it in Africa. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You went to Africa to get off pills?

[Nick Thune]

I went to Africa not knowing I was addicted to pills to do this documentary, and I started getting sick, and I thought, oh, I must had some water or something. And I got taken to the Nairobi hospital, and that's just a bad sentence. Turns out. I mean, it was really beautiful, clean, nice. But turns out, like, almost immediately realized, oh, I'm coming off.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, you were just intoxing.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, I brought some with me, but I ran out and I thought, I'll be fine.

[Unknown Host]

You decided to take opiates to Africa?

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, And I put them in, like. He has, like, an icebreakers kind of.

[Unknown Host]

Gum thing or the mints.

[Nick Thune]

Mints. Yeah. And I just put a whole bunch of. When I saw that, I remembered every time I see him, I remember I just put a ton of Percocet.

[Unknown Host]

That's a trigger.

[Nick Thune]

My icebreaker.

[Unknown Host]

Somebody offers you a mint, you're like, God, I hope this is what I think it is. I'm going to be 100% fresh for the day. Wow, that's. So you put them in icebreakers and never once worried?

[Nick Thune]

No, no.

[Unknown Host]

I'd be scared to death. Brittney Griner should have took notes on him. Brittney Griner, how to get out of Russia. This is amazing. Oh, your life's. It's fascinating.

[Nick Thune]

I did a lot of drug traveling, but now it's not as hard, I don't think, but back then, get it.

[Unknown Host]

In and out of there.

[Nick Thune]

Weed getting. I used to traveling with weed, you know, 10, 15 years ago was.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, it's scary.

[Nick Thune]

It was an art.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. My God.

[Nick Thune]

Turkey baster bags?

[Unknown Host]

Really?

[Nick Thune]

Oh, yeah, because the scent stays in those. They're oven bags.

[Unknown Host]

Well, you're giving tips now to the kids. That's smart.

[Nick Thune]

Well, now you can just have it now.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Now you can have weed, but only in certain quantities. Those turkey baster bags are pretty big, aren't they?

[Nick Thune]

I mean, yeah, but you got to fit those between your butt and your.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, that's true. Getting it in your ass is hard. Well, isn't that the truth with everything.

[Nick Thune]

I mean, I could. I guess I could travel with an ace you know, Nick, at Stand Up Life.

[Unknown Host]

Leave us with words of wisdom, sir. Help the world become better like you have.

[Nick Thune]

I think happiness is like, you know, something that I always encourage people to have. And I see people that are happy, and I always ask them how they did it. And I saw this guy recently, and I was really kind of watching him, and finally I said, how do you do it? And he said, I'm 7 years old. And I said, that's. How'd you do that? And he said, where's my mom? You're a deep kid. Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And it's true. Be more like a 7 year old. I think that's a beautiful message. I love it. Nick, thanks for coming in, man. Good to see you this time. And we'll meet again in a couple more years.

[Nick Thune]

Yeah, that's perfect.

[Unknown Host]

And nick Thune, everybody. It's 98 KUPD.

[Nick Thune]

Hey.

[Dick Toledo]

It's not weird.

[Unknown Guest]

It's pretty cool, actually.

[Dick Toledo]

No membership fee.

[Nick Thune]

I have heard enough of this.

[Unknown Host]

What are you, pd?