Drew Magary on a Mysterious Traumatic Brain Injury, a Coma, an Intolerable Personality, and a Recovery

As if sustaining a traumatic brain injury and being in a coma for a few weeks wasn’t bad enough - and it certainly was - Drew Magary had the added complication of becoming a real asshole. Which was unexpected. You’d think that surviving an ordeal like that would make one glad to be alive, more conscious of appreciating one’s family and all that life had to offer. And it did to some extent but he also turned into a complete jerk.

Drew is a co-founder and writer for Defector.com, a columnist for SF Gate, and author of the memoir The Night The Lights Went Out, which is all about his injury and recovery. He’s not an asshole anymore. So in the interview and in the book, he tells the story of how he came to understand his condition, how he worked with a therapist, and how he made some changes.

By the way, I’m really glad to be working in podcasting because I think “asshole” is exactly the right word to use to describe him. Maybe “real piece of shit” would work but then you’d be up against the same cuss word problem.

Follow Drew Magary on Twitter @drewmagary. Get your copy of The Night The Lights Went Out wherever books are sold. 

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