Omaha FACES Story by Bailey Hemphill • Photos by minorwhitestudios.com
Lüc Carl
on Sticking It to “The Man” and Looking Good
W
hen people first see radio host and
writer Lüc Carl, 31, they immediately notice his hair, which looks like something out of an ‘80s hair metal band. His flamboyant, heavy metal, biker style is derived from growing up with rock ‘n roll favorites like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Iron Maiden. And like every true rock ‘n roller, he doesn’t respond well to authority. But despite living out a gritty life in Brooklyn, Carl is a Nebraska boy at heart. A native of Springfield, Neb., Carl has made quite the life for himself in New York. Although he worked various jobs throughout his 20s, which he credits to not fitting well with a typical 9-to-5 job, he found success managing and bartending a 30
march/april • 2012
bar called St. Jerome’s and hosting SiriusXM’s ‘80s hair bands station, Hair Nation, from 5-11pm (CT), Monday through Friday. “Radio seems to work well for me,” he says. “It’s sexier and more intimate, and I’ve been told I have a great face for radio.” But Carl’s biggest success came from dropping 40 pounds and writing his book, The Drunk Diet: How I Lost 40 Pounds…Wasted. He was 28 when he started writing the book after he realized he wasn’t content with certain things about himself. “I had a good job and a great life, but I wasn’t happy with my body, so I realized I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something.” After trying to read the available health and fitness books, Carl got frustrated, hating every book he picked up. Each one offered the same advice—Do it exactly this way, or you won’t lose weight. “These books ticked me off because they weren’t for the regular person. So I said, ‘I’m going to write my own book, and I’m not going to tell people they have to do it my way,’” says Carl, who didn’t appreciate being told that he couldn’t get in shape while still downing his drink of choice, Budweiser, which he calls “the red and white dynamite.” Driven to stick it to the health and fitness experts, Carl implemented his own diet and exercise routine—one that did not prohibit alcohol, as all the other plans did; and The Drunk Diet became his pinnacle—his www.OmahaPublications.com