{"podcast":{"title":"Tookes Takes","slug":"tookes-takes-7134797","podcast_index_feed_id":7134797,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/SSM5039673626","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2945eca2-4dea-11f0-833b-9ffd4488fef4/image/b5aa851ccc1277760bca8a6d145a9e2d.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"LaKendra Tookes","episode_count":75,"summary":"Join LaKendra Tookes (Reality Checked on Radio Andy) as she airs out ALLLLL of her takes -- from Bravo Housewives, to the bougie black women who made her who she is today -- LaKendra does not hold back!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T16:20:16.800817+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tookes-takes-7134797"},"episode":{"title":"Zach Noe Towers on Comedy, Addiction, and LA","slug":"zach-noe-towers-on-comedy-addiction-and-la","published_at":"2026-02-18T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tookes-takes-7134797/zach-noe-towers-on-comedy-addiction-and-la","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tookes-takes-7134797","url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/hQzRUk5FlBqiODHZblrZ/traffic.megaphone.fm/SSM8962401499.mp3?updated=1776184040","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/hQzRUk5FlBqiODHZblrZ/traffic.megaphone.fm/SSM8962401499.mp3?updated=1776184040","summary":"52: Comedian Zach Noe Towers joins me for a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt conversation about sobriety, stand up comedy, and building a career in Los Angeles without losing yourself. Zach opens up about celebrating 10 years sober, what his drinking and drug use looked like in his twenties, and the wake up call that changed everything. We talk about growing up gay in the Midwest, finding safety in musical theater, and how performing at The Muny shaped his confidence early on. He shares what it was like moving to LA in 2008, getting swept up in West Hollywood party culture, and feeling like he “went out at 22 and woke up at 30.” Topics Discussed: → Zach Noe Towers’ journey to 10 years of sobriety and personal growth → Growing up gay in the Midwest and finding community through musical theater → Experiences with Hollywood party culture and navigating early career challenges → Stand up comedy, acting, and writing his own films → Dating, dating apps, and finding connection in Los Angeles On This Episode We Cover: → 00:00:00 - Introduction → 00:03:17 - Ginder, Sniffies, + Blowies → 00:07:16 - Respect sex workers → 00:10:03 - Middle child syndrome → 00:11:55 - Coming out → 00:14:49 - 10 years of sobriety → 00:18:04 - College partying + drugs → 00:23:25 - Indiana & Michael Jackson → 00:26:37 - Moving to LA + musical theatre → 00:29:44 - Affording LA + acting → 00:32:07 - Dream jobs → 00:33:47 - Writing a movie → 00:40:18 - Jeff Lewis Live → 00:43:43 - Marriage + ideal relationships → 00:46:27 - Family + podcasting Show links: → Bravo Needs New Villains Immediately | Ronnie Karam Check Out Zach: → Good Sod pod → Instagram → Tour Check Out LaKendra: → LaKendra's Instagram → Tookes Takes Instagram → X → LaKendra’s TikTok → YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg…","meta_description":"52: Comedian Zach Noe Towers joins me for a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt conversation about sobriety, stand up comedy, and building a career in Lo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3111,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tookes-takes-7134797/episodes/zach-noe-towers-on-comedy-addiction-and-la/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/tookes-takes-7134797/zach-noe-towers-on-comedy-addiction-and-la.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}