Bob Forrest's Don't Die Podcast

Part Two of our April double feature: Don't Die takes on influencers, Counting Crows, a lil band called Febuary, Tito Ortiz, Huntington Beach, Great White Sharks, Bob walking out of his MRI, the American Health Care nightmare and uniting regular Americans against our real enemies

Life is ______ and it's up to you to make the best of it! Don't Die is back, baby! Google and Meta were found guilty of addicting kids to social media, personal responsiblity, the power of forgiveness to heal yourself, America is back at war, Al Pacino's No White Light experience and all the different versions of Heaven, the Bible & the AA Big Book and trying to steal shit from county jail while you're getting miracle-released Congratulations to Monte with 39 years, Bob with 30 years, Zander with 21 years and Chuk's sons Tristan with 15 years & Sasha with 21 months! And to everybody who's out there stopping dying!

Don't Die has some fun with history as it enters it's 47th year. Don't Die discusses everything: Chuk's morning meeting, free speech is over, Chuk humanizes the cancel mob, the weird evolution of pop songwriting and idiomatic rock, the legacy of Synanon, why the addict is the best person to work with the addict and there are no equal rights under the US constitution but just harass people on social media that'll fix everything

Bob's got a smashed shoulder and a bonked head and a bone to pick with everybody, but the key is to not let yourself off the hook either, people! Don't Die goes in on: dead marriages, giving up, suicide, starting over in middle age, talking down, a certain religion he and Elijah were raised in, AA old timers alienating people, AA youngsters alienating themselves, reconnecting with lifelong friends in sobriety (and not having them sponsor you!), Mike Martt's subtle profound outlook, dying a sober death with dignity, Moderation Management and the tragic story of Audrey Kishline

Don't Die during Flu season, mother effers! Topics discussed include everybody suing everybody, why doctors go crooked, the Flintstones, babies in the microwave, famous people going over balconies, how to conspire with your mechanic to get what you've already paid for, that special you're-an-idiot look everybody gets at least once and the government are liars (it's their whole job people!), but you could still need a flu shot

Ahh here goes, after a bunch of technical difficulties, Don't Die gets back on the airwaves! Issat what you call them nowadays? Topics include: Band practice is always a hassle, the missing Forrest family ring, punks going square and joining the voter mainstream, ICE in Minneapolis, emotional resilience & deciding what's worth focusing on, America desperately needs new ideas and new leadership, like David Lynch said "Blue Skies and Sunshine!"

Welcome back my friends to the talk that never ends! Bob doesn't wanna stand for the national anthem, but America's favorite pastime is bullying. At the same time there's Zero Tolerance policies in schools, which means children who report being bullied get punished the same as the bully. "No that's not actually what the policy means, what they're doing is-" You're a f*cken idiot! It's what it amounts to! Stop siding with the schools against your children when they're being victimized, stop siding against the school when your kid's the bully. Focus on your kids, help your kids, learn parenting! Ain't no unified school district gonna do that job for you. Don't Die!

Bob finally listened to Don't Die! And he liked it! And he can kinda see why you like it! Bob's connecting with Don't Die fans in Sweden, Thelonious Monster live on national TV in Holland, TSOL's final(?) show, Bob wants to talk to school shooters, the DSM is gonna split the Bordeline Personality Disorder, catchphrases and buzzwords to empower the lost soul, Chuk is still not a therapist, the new American Great depression and Trump baiting China for World War 3 Stay safe out there! 

Don't Die in the New Year, people! Bob wishes normal folks understood having your head on a swivel, keeping an eye out for danger, looking both ways before you cross an armed mentally ill person or crimey. Topics include: how not to score drugs from agitated gangsters you owe money, the tragedy of rapper Lil Loaded, the obscene regularity of school shootings in 2025, the new Dave Chappelle special, the nightmare of US interventionism, Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, Elvis Forrest is a little debutante in training and more Happy New Year, let's hope 2026 is a little easier on everyone who don't have a billion dollars and keep on stopping the dying!

Don't Die goes into the tragedy of this week, the worst case scenario of addiction in America and what we can do about it, as well as the foiled Turtle Island Liberation Front plot, and look on the bright side of life with Rob Reiner's amazing career, you need the right drugs for EDM, which musical acts always bring it live, Styx, Chiacgo, Psychic TV, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, all the different Bob Dylans and Elvis Forrest becoming self sufficient and a magical musician A Hell of a week RIP Rob & Michelle Reiner Love and courage to Lucas, Romy & Jake Reiner and all their friends and family

Bob has a bone to pick with 12 step folks who criticize working in recovery; let 'em kick on your couch then! Long ramble that goes from taking your kid(Elijah) on the 12 step call from Hell to Kiss taking the Kennedy Center Honors Fran Leibovitz turned down, Chuk couldn't wait to get off work today, Bob let's the kids try and fail but no crying over spilt milk, Rush is getting back together, can you believe we used to let pregnant women use the internet?

Don't Die speaks to the newcomer, every kid plays Roblox in a sick society, for Bob the steps aren't some all important guide to life, living off the grid and not getting high in early sobriety

A big one going into the holiday, Don't Die asks AI for a bunch of stats on addiction, voting and when it thinks the revolution is coming, Bob recounts Norwood Fisher knocking out 5 bouncers, as well as taking a beating from Axl Rose and then going to Canter's together, Paul Mccartney is way too kind for everything he's been thru (you try being in a band with John!), Don't Die all loved the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, Bob loves Jesse Jackson, Chuk and Elijah love Jesse Wells, Bright Eyes, Rube Waddell, You Can't Win by Jack Black, Nick Tosches, Chat Pile, Rain kills people in LA and we need to read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read...

Big music episode - the music mainstream is Disney and that's OK, Radiohead are not that important, Justin Timberlake very important,Elvis Forrest and the emo screamo slam scene, One Big Party festival, Elliott Smith, No Age, Best Coast, the Smell and Tom Petty's first album cover was hot

Bob and Chuk break down the hierarchy of rehab staffing and choosing a rehab, 40 years of experience between them, Bob quits AA over God talk and goes to a dodger game (40 years ago), Steven Adler, Gloria Scott, Hazelden, Peer Leaders and service keeps us sober

Here we go again Facts Versus Feelings with our bullsh*t detectors RIP D'Angelo & Ace Frehley

Things get political around the Don't Die-osphere as Bob predicts a clampdown on drug users and the next president of the USA

Don't Die are getting ready for Ohana fest, Bob & Elvis just played Norwood Fisher's 60th Birthday, don't email Bob just text, all the guys saw Oasis and had a blast, Methadone is back in force and they shoulda lowered the Flags to half mast for Redd Foxx. Come out to Ohana Fest! See you there! Start living!

What won't the haters hate?! The guys get into punk names, Redd Kross, Father John Misty, Big Thief, sacred cows going extinct in America, the Oasis reunion, rockstars don't look like rockstars and most importantly the plan for Ohana fest 2025! See you out there, folks!

Don't Die Goes to Disneyland! String cheese is 12 dollars an hour! One of the messiest, deepest, most lurid conversations to ever come out of the happiest place on Earth! Happy Birthday Mike Martt & Sydney Magic Forrest!

Stop Dying, Claremont! Bob makes a big apology to the IE, walks it back, re-apologizes, asks forgiveness and the guys discuss everything from AI (Shout out @LiztheDeveloper) to what makes America beautiful and who knows what next

Keep it positive and stop dying, Chuk! The guys get into social media, quality time raising enlightened kids, Columbo, The Cosby Show, Squid Game, Elijah's on tour with Ateez, the Easter Island heads, John and Dan Fante's redemption story, and not making money for the tech billionaire's profiting off dividing everyone. Dark times will end, people! Go outside, have a beautiful day, put down your phone!

Don't Die or wind up in jails or institutions, people! Bob reflects on ambitious junkies and the club Power Tools, film production leaving LA, when advice is warranted, dealing drugs is a lot more profitable than body brokering or a skeezy crooked rehab, Costa Mesa, Basketball Bob's hard lesson from county jail and everything in between Bob's Oro Recovery in Malibu is having an open house Thursday July 31, come thru!

Welcome to the connoisseur heroin episode of the Don't Die Podcast! Apparently there is an artisanal black market for heroin, craft beer style, and Bob is very happy Other topics include taking kids to concerts, changing diapers in public, getting kicked out of the movies, going to prison for leaving your kids in the car, the meanness in this world, the Bill Orcutt and Tropical Fuck Storm tour (Elijah sez Check em out!), why is Wicked 3 hours long, what is family, babysitters cost too much and Tom Arnold ain't scared of nothing

Don't Die and don't give your toddler three lemonades, guys!!! The guys get into the definition of addiction, parenting thru sugar rushes, Meth is unbeatable, remembering Dix Denney- master of preparation, Thelonious Monster and Beyonce sharing a rehearsal space, Auntie Aubbie Forrest and the problem of family trusts, forgiveness and road rage in 2025, facelifts, instagram filters and everything in between

Don't Die big music episode, the guys discuss NOT letting the kids play music in the car, Queen, D4VD, Black Pink, Royal Trux, Eels, Al Kooper, Sammy Hagar, Angyl and Bob goes deep on Lynyrd Skynyrd                                                                             ========0

Don't Die is back! The guys discuss comedy, millenials, drug addicts, Cathy Evelyn Smith and all the usual suspects, Bob is officially back in LA and has a new spending problem: Uber. Isaiah Forrest has the flu. Chuk, as always, is the voice of reason. Keep on stopping the dying, Don't Die-hards! Also go see Bob with Dopey Dave, Margaret Cho, Daryl Hammond and the gang for Dopeywood at the Brick Room on Saturday June 7th! https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thedopeyfoundation/1665325

Keep on Stopping Dying Chuk! The guys discuss Ancestry dot com, 23 and me, counseling your family, Bob's Barbara Streisand covers album, good boundaries vs good AA, Bob taking 4 months to move to Hollywood but its finally getting done, how not to ask for help moving and Idris Forrest is a lil daredevil

COACHELLA 2025 & CHUK LIKES LIL YACHTY! WAIT WHUT?

The guys all hung out in person and Chuk gave an amazing lead at the super secret society's flagship Sunday morning meeting in LA, Bob took a cake from all his old friends and a great time was had by all. Then they jumped on that night to discuss what a great job Chuk had done, medical recovery acronyms, Guns n Roses' first showcase (Bob didn't think they'd make it), the pros and cons of never learning to shoot yourself up, Mike Martt's fringe coat, Chuk and Elijah loved Netflix's Adolescence and Bob hates Zooming all day

Holy Sh*t I thought we'd never get this one done, I better upload this f***er now before Mike Martt's computer crashes again! Don't Die turns 300 thru much calamity: Three recording sessions (THANK YOU WAG!), hours of phone calls and emails, sick kids, sick parents, computer crashes, software freezes, empty back up files. Some family and friends drop by with words of encouragement for the intro and outro and the boys get down to business Topics include: Bob's organizational methods & tech savvy, School bullies in the AI era, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Nicolas Cage and the art of acting, Classic Human Movies vs Superhero Junk, American political madness, 40 bucks in 1995, Tex Mosley & Neverland Ranch Davidians and more! STOP DYING, FOLKS!

Well that kinda snuck up on us! We're getting old, Bob's freaking out about 64 but not going to the doctor, Aimee Davis made a good bet on Chuk, Tom Arnold is hilarious, the kids are doing good, we're not dying and that's plenty, RFK is not the first AA in the whitehouse, Elijah had some opportunities, trauma and drinking were good for Bob's development and the Wall Street Journal ain't scary or outta line. Business as usual round here. Next one's gonna be a special celebration of the Don't Die mission with a buncha guests checking in on our boys, be sure to tune in for EPISODE THREE HUNDRED!

Stop Dying, Don't Diehards! Bob's turning 64 today, Amoeba is the greatest record store in the world, Elvis and his friends are good kids, Isaiah Forrest shouldn't drink ranch, Huntington Beach is cool or used to be cool, most people in the American prison system have drug problems and nobody comes out ok and we gotta celebrate the survival stories of sobriety!

Grammys Special! Don't Die won four Grammys this year, but apparently Bob was the only person who was informed! Elijah actually watched the awards! Chuk, ever the voice of reason, had zero interest! Also: Psychedelics are not Narcotics, America is a land of opportunity, how to fail at stealing Best Folk Album Grammy, our first drugs, people used to stand outside clubs and talk and hang out all night, NRBQ, Elvis Costello and Sierra Ferell

Bob and the guys are back at it, going deep into the wanton cruelty of the suburban driver and the entitled Californian, the history of AA, the wildfires, sober fatherhood of adult addicts and more. Shoutouts to the great William Roper, Gloria Scott and Clancy. Don't die everybody, love your fucken neighbor or else! William Roper GoFundMe:  www.gofundme.com/f/help-william-roper-rebuild-after-wildfire

We're back to talk the LA Wildfires, so much devastation to so many people we love, a tragedy like never before and maybe, terrifying thought, the new normal for Southern California Our hearts are with everyone who lost their homes, livelihoods, loved ones this week

Stop Dyin, Los Angeles! This episode was recorded the night before the fires really went, you can actually hear things ramping up as the episode goes on. Post a follow up shortly to talk about them. Our hearts go out to the family of our dear departed man Tony Malone and everyone who has being effected by these wildfires. Look out for your neighbor! God Bless Altadena & Tony Maloney!

Don't Die has a big announcement, Dopey Nation is going live in LA and Bob hates Zoom AA meetings! Or maybe he just thinks that the real help and sobriety comes from face to face interactions and humility and kindness and discomfort that being online doesn't really allow for. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Go see Bob live at Dopey Wood January 11th!

Stop Dying, Santa! Here goes: topics discussed include Christmas spirit, giving gifts, Boxcar Willie, buying inflatable Christmas decorations on a discount, Elvis Forrest's 60 dollar underwear, Tyler the Creator, Westminster Mall and all the rest. Featuring a bonus Xmas album care off our dear departed Mike Martt

Stop Dying, Chuk! The guys are back, talking bout relapse, Tyson's uppercut, Sydney Forrest's Soccer Championship, Eddie Vedder's grace under pressure, parenting, stagefright, drug trials and everything in between. It's the most wonderful time of the year! Teach your kids to tie their own shoes, comb their hair and own their losses! Don't relapse or die and come back to the bright side of the road! Love to you and yours!

Don't Die is back again, Bob has moved back to Hollywood and the gang is all here! This week: Elijah's turning 38, raising kids is tough, rehab is tough, being sober is tough, there's no more good rock bands, you know the drill haha

Don't Die had some technical difficulties of late, Mike Martt's laptop not really following the golden rule of Stop Dying! Sometimes DD record two a night depending on everyone's availability, so after an election night episode crashed, before it was clearly gone forever, the boys recorded an ending for it, leading into a new episode with a special guest, then Elijah spliced the whole mess together for a little radical honesty in broadcasting! Don't Die welcomes honored guest Erin Madden, LCSW CAP ICADC, Chuk's dear family friend and former colleague at Wavelengths recovery center, and the gang dives into the demystification of therapy, the diagnosis problem, recovery and where it all intersects with court orders

Back with the fullness of the Don't Die experience. Bob Chuk & Elijah discuss online AA, Catholic priests in rehab, the election, Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers (obviously) and Victoria Williams, godmother of the California High Desert

Don't Die is back from an impromptu Fall break. The guys popped in for a quick episode to catch up our Don't Diehards; Bob's moved back to Hollywood, Elvis turned 14 and, in between, a tragedy struck in his circle of schoolfriends. Fair warning, topics include teen suicide, the One Direction guy, clinical and parental approaches to grieving adolescents, and social media complicating every minute of every day.

And we're back! Don't Die eulogizes the great Diane Baker of CRI-Help, Paul Hester from Crowded House and laments not being helicopter rich to beat SoCal traffic, Bob makes an on the fly advert for Nicorette gum and the guys are gearing up for Ohana Fest this weekend. Come see us record a live episode, our celebration of the life and music of our dear departed producer Mike Martt on the Storyteller stage, Sunday 5:45 PM at Ohana Fest in Dana Point! See you down there, have fun, don't die!

The Don't Die crew goes in on the election cycle, marijuana "maintenance," the multicultural American future, Elijah's got 3 years sober and mystery vomit

Bob's house is terribly close to the fearsome Bridge fire, one of several ongoing wildfires in Southern California this week, and Bob is laughing and singing with his waterhose up on the roof putting out the floating "ambers," this Don't Die is a barrel of laughs and heavy on love of music, live music and all the fun stuff there is to do with your free time

Bob, Chuk & Elijah get right down into it, discussing Mike Martt and Tex & The Horseheads wrecking young Club Promoter Bob's career, Wingstop is gross, the cost of living is insane, Andy Dick is still wilding out and Keith Morris is a Blippyhead, along with more serious topics

Don't Die goes into NIDA, AA, Alateen and the little nudge that really gets addicts to turn toward the light, plus Bob talks James Chance, Steve Clark of Def Leppard, Methadone Vs Suboxone and the unforgettable wisdom of counselor Gloria Scott Plus Ohana Fest is right around the corner and Don't Die will be there live Sunday September 29 with a special surprise for everybody Mark your calendars and Don't Die everybody

Bob, Chuk & Elijah get into it, topics include the passing of Bob's friend Great White's Jack Russell, arrests and charges in the Matthew Perry wrongful death case, a doctor's responsiblity to know what they're getting into taking on a real addict's treatment, 300,000 fentanyl pills seized in Buena Park California, Don't Die wants to hear the shelved Morrissey record, how not to check into a hotel featuring Courtney Love, shooting dope in the county jail parking lot with Mike Martt, choosing the right single and the amazing Safe Spot hotline: www.safe-spot.me or 800-972-0590  RIP Jack Russell