The Rectal Suppository in the Ear – Larry K.

About This Speaker Tape

A town in England once banned combustion engines and replaced them with donkeys, proving that if you drive your ass too hard, it breaks down. Larry K. enters the room with this brand of gallows humor, a Catholic priest who spent decades unable to tell his ass from a hole in the ground. He speaks of a life spent as a "shriveled flower," stunted by a childhood of sexual abuse, a mother who forbade crying, and a physical self-loathing so deep he couldn't look in the mirror.

For Larry, alcohol wasn't just a drink; it was the only catalyst that made him feel "precious," granting him a social grace and emotional shield that his sober self lacked. He describes the terror of the moment the drug stopped working, leaving him drinking alone in a dark room in a fetal position. Now sober since 1972, he relies on a Higher Power to dismantle the wreckage of his intellect and isolation, learning to laugh and belong without the bottle.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening long-form joke about the town of donkeys and the priest falling into a crevice.
• 5:45 Laughter: Joke about the woman with the rectal suppository in her ear.
• 10:15 Larry K. identifies as an alcoholic and discusses his role as a priest in the fellowship.
• 16:30 Discussion of the 'power within' and his experience with a Higher Power regarding smoking.
• 22:10 Deep dive into childhood trauma, physical insecurity (his ears), and the inability to cry.
• 31:40 Analysis of how alcohol functioned as a drug to make him feel 'precious' and socially acceptable.
• 42:15 The 'bottom': drinking alone in his room with the shades down and stealing from the church poor fund.
• 51:20 The importance of the Big Book and the 12 Steps over 'cafeteria-style' recovery.
• 58:10 Discussion of Step 4 and the 'hidden messages' from his mother.
• 1:05:30 The miracle of the Fifth Step and the gift of total honesty.
• 1:15:45 The relationship between his sponsor and his therapist.
• 1:28:10 Closing thoughts on the 'broken wing' and the ability to fly again.