2008 Woodie Awards
McGrenahan hosts non-traditional 'Happy Hour'
Comedy meshed with inspirational messages is just one stop in four-month college campus tour
Dana Johnson
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: Intermission
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But McGrenahan said the performance he gave Tuesday night to SCSU was part of the most important tour of his life.
The tour, titled "Happy Hour with Bernie McGrenahan," is stopping strictly at college campuses across the country for four months straight this fall. McGrenahan delivers a half hour of stand up comedy and a half hour of an inspirational message to students at major colleges in almost every state around the nation.
The tour was once known as the number one alcohol awareness program in the country by media, and it brought a full house to SCSU.
McGrenahan began the evening with stand up comedy to grab the audience's attention. As the night progressed, he segued into his story and his message about alcohol addiction.
"I'm not going to lie to you, I started partying in the eighth grade man; I was 17," McGrenahan said as an almost serious joke.
At the beginning of his high school career, McGrenahan was getting all A's in school and was heading toward a baseball scholarship for college. He said he knows his partying lifestyle stole all those dreams away from him.
By his second year in college he had three DUIs and had dropped out of college. After serving six months in prison and dealing with the death of his brother, he ended his partying lifestyle and went sober to build a life for himself. This is the story that was able to grab students' attention Tuesday night.
"We're all sick of hearing text book stuff," Adin Briggs, a sophomore at SCSU, said. "He's gone through with alcohol and drug abuse, he knows the bad side of it, he knows what it all can lead to."
Briggs also believed the audience received McGrenahan's message well.
"I think they took him a little better then the counselors we had last year who talked about drugs and drinking during the F.Y.E. program I went to," Briggs said.
"It didn't seem like the counselors had been there. But when you hear a guy talking about it like he did because he's been there, they then consider the effects of alcohol and drugs much more then when the counselors spoke."
McGrenahan has received press coverage all over the nation for his innovative approach to advising students about addiction.
"I really don't want to lecture students, I don't tell them 'don't drink;' that's not realistic. I just want them to think about it before they do, monitor how much they drink and share my humor to open them up," McGrenahan said.
McGrenahan tells his story in chronological order, allowing his listeners to follow his life all the way from the beginning of his partying days to the end of his partying days, and how he brought his career to where it is today.
"You know what they call a roast beef in London? A joint!" McGrenahan said recalling his time spent touring the world for his career.
Using jokes and a common language students can relate to, he encouraged them to avoid excessive consumption, motivating them to follow a more healthy and productive way of life.
McGrenahan said the reason he is doing this tour is because he remembers how awful the speakers were when he attended college.
McGrenahan has received a lot of feedback from television stories, newspaper articles and professionals in the field but all he said he cares about is the students' feedback.
Throughout the show, students are encouraged to go to his Web site's message board and write about what they thought of the show.
Each student that does write about the show will be entered into a drawing for the book titled "I killed" featuring comedians' stories including McGrenahan's.
For live footage of McGrenahan's tour, press information or to write on the message board visit www.happyhourcomedy.com.