Joel Walkowski is a stand-up comedian, author, and SMART Recovery facilitator whose debut book, Honolulu Blues: How Loving a Losing Football Team Created a Winning Man, explores the unlikely throughline between football fandom, addiction, and recovery. A lifelong Detroit Lions fan, Joel likens rooting for the Lions to being a musician on the Titanic — the ship may be sinking, but you show up and play anyway. He draws on decades of highs, lows, and magical thinking as a fan to illustrate the emotional patterns of addiction, and on his own recovery to show how disappointment can be felt without staying stuck in it. Joel's path has taken him from living in a van in Vallejo to stand-up comedy, celebrity roasts, and helping others through SMART Recovery. His set blends comedy, storytelling, and hard-won insight on resilience, humor, and what it means to keep showing up when life doesn't follow the script.