Photograph by Mark Gilliland
Paul Cook is tenacious. It’s a trait that helps him juggle gigs as a Y98 radio personality and KMOV Channel 4 traffic reporter. But it almost killed him when it came to abusing drugs and alcohol in a former life. His new memoir, Cooked in L.A., is about his life as an entertainer—both here and in Hollywood. It’s the tale of how Cook’s addictions affected his career and family and how his determination led him back to sobriety…and to St. Louis.
The tale is a familiar one. What’s different about your story?
It’s never too late to become an addict. I was a good high-school student, I was the president of my fraternity—not a big drinker—and not until after college would I become an alcoholic and a drug addict.
What sparked this book?
There was a crazy string of events. I was interviewing with the biggest producer in the world, Jerry Bruckheimer. My face was crippled with these massive twitches that freaked him out—and me… At another point, I’m locked in this closet with this guy who’s yelling at me in Spanish, and I think, “I’ve gotta write a book.”
Then James Frey writes his book [A Million Little Pieces], and we find out that he made it up. I knew I could write a book that was more outrageous, true, and actually had a real solution that could help people.
So what advice would you give others?
You need to realize [substance abusers] are sick, and you have to do what you can to protect yourself. The quicker you do that, the easier it is on you. I also have to say that a life of sobriety is not a boring one.
What part does St. Louis play in Cooked in L.A.?
St. Louis has always been calling me. It called me from the smaller markets, and then I went to L.A. and discovered, “Hey, I’ve got to get back.” St. Louis has 700 meetings of recovery from my disease every week. I just don’t know if I could’ve gotten sober anywhere else.
