Bob Forrest

Robert O'Neil "Bob" Forrest (born February 15, 1961)[1] is a musician who is best known for his work with the Los Angeles bands Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. Forrest, a former drug addict, has worked for years as a recovery advocate and is the Co-Founder of Alo House Recovery Centers [2] where he helps others overcome their drug addictions. Forrest currently hosts podcasts called Rehab Bob[3] and "This Life" [4] with "Dr. Drew". Forrest is the former Chemical Dependency Program Director at Las Encinas Hospital.[5] In 2010, he and co-founder Shelly Sprague launched Hollywood Recovery Services.

In September 2006 he released his first solo album, Modern Folk and Blues Wednesday. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside Dr. Drew Pinsky on Celebrity Rehab and Sober House.[6]

He contributed the song "Moonshiner" to the I'm Not There soundtrack.

Forrest is also well-known as a close friend of Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates Flea and Anthony Kiedis; Kiedis was once a drug buddy to Forrest and later got clean with Forrest's help. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Forrest's bands also have a longtime connection. In 1988, John Frusciante was originally intended to join Thelonious Monster. However, he joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers instead while Chili Peppers ex-guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer played with both Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief. Forrest has performed many times with the Red Hot Chili Peppers dating back to the mid-1980s and most recently in 2009 at an awards event honoring Kiedis for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction and recovery process.

Forrest, who was good friends with River Phoenix, was one of the last people to see the actor alive the night he died of a drug overdose. Twenty years after Phoenix's death, Forrest opened up about the actor's final days and hours. Forrest said Phoenix was staying with John Frusciante and that the two went on heavy drug binges that Forrest also was involved in. Forrest was with Phoenix at The Viper Room the night of his death. Forrest said Phoenix informed him he was overdosing and that Forrest told him he wasn't, and that Phoenix told him he was feeling better. But moments later, Phoenix collapsed outside the club and went into convulsions. He was pronounced dead shortly later at the hospital. “I still have guilt that I dismissed his worries so casually," Forrest said. He said at the time that even though he showed empathy and concern, he too was a junkie, which is why he didn't discuss this; he was fearful of drawing legal attention towards himself and others for their drug issues and involvement.[7]

In 2008, he began releasing a series of live digital EPs exclusively at his official website. In 2010, Forrest began hosting a weekly radio show, All Up In The Interweb, airing Wednesday nights on Indie1031.com.[8]

On October 1, 2013, Forrest released Running with Monsters: A Memoir which he co-wrote with author Mike Albo.[9]

Forrest is the subject of Bob and the Monster, a documentary about his music career and battles with drug addiction. The documentary was released in March 2011 and continues to play on the film festival circuit. The DVD was released in September 2013.[10]

Forrest released a new album, Survival Songs, on October 9, 2015 which was produced by Grammy-winning producer, Ian Brennan.[11] It is a folk album featuring new material and folk versions of existing Thelonious Monster and Bicycle Thief songs.