Fearless by default

By Libby

If you need a little break from politics and are looking for a creative writer to distract you with some great, and true, storytelling, have I got a blog for you. My friend Alex Johnson is going through some major changes in his life right now, not the least of which was his court appearance yesterday on his second DUI charge, for which he will surely be convicted.

I came to know Alex well when he was running the open mike at the club where I tended bar for a few years and also through his work with his own band, The Drunk Stuntmen. I knew he was a hard drinker -- heck as you can tell by the name of his band, drinking was his job desription. I never suspected he had a serious problem with alcohol though. At the time I left lovely downtown Noho, he was playing well, a functioning and responsible member of the community, and making a living almost solely on his music.

Apparently after his mother died just over a year ago, he fell into a downward spiral that culminated with his arrest on the day after Christmas. He decided to go cold sober, partly out of necessity of course, but also out of a strong desire to change his life, and his health for the better. He was on the verge of liver failure when he embarked on the path to sobriety only a few weeks ago.

Much of this story I know because he started a blog to chronicle this new journey. When I discovered it accidently, Fearless By Default was already a couple of weeks old. I started at the first post and wasn't able to stop reading until I got current. I suppose some of my interest could be attributed to the fact that he's a friend and I know the people and places he is writing about, but I think even if you don't know him, his raw honesty and interesting anecdotes will hook you too.

The highest compliment I can give, is to tell you that I, who spend nearly every free waking moment reading politics and blogs, have taken to reading him first thing in the day to make sure I don't get distracted and miss an installment. Check him out, I think you'll love him as much as I do.