Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Film Festival Tickets are here! https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Listen without ads www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary Dave opens this Dopey Greatest Hits episode with a full Long Island transportation saga after the LIRR strike, the Knicks comeback, Australian Dopey Nation messages, a dentist/implant update, and a voicemail from Ben about 7OH being so strong it blocked the effects of oxy and Dilaudid. Dave then reads Patreon and Spotify comments from the Gabor Maté replay, talks about AI, Katz’s, the Dopey Film Festival, and why Motorcycle Gang Gary won the “Long Island fucko” replay poll. The main replay is Gary from the beach — a classic Long Island Dopey story. Gary talks about growing up on Long Island, early drinking, weed, the Beatles, Zeppelin, handball, woods parties, coke, fighting crews, Teamster money, selling weed, motorcycles, 1% biker culture, strip clubs, ego, crack, destroying his marriage, losing his house, Gordon Heights crack runs, robbing a dealer, getting stabbed and beaten nearly to death, 250 stitches, rehabs, relapse, spiritual darkness, and eventually finding recovery. It’s funny, brutal, very Long Island, and one of the great beach-meeting Dopey stories. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dopey Film Festival: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Listen without ads www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey, Dave opens the show with Brer Brian’s Dopey Wednesday anthem and immediately starts hustling tickets for the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival in New York City. Dave explains that only nine tickets have sold so far and promises cheap tickets, food, fellowship, desserts, filmmakers, and recovery community vibes. He begs the Dopey Nation to come out and support the event while Winnie the dog barks in the background. Before getting to the main interview, Dave plays an absolutely insane voicemail from longtime Dopey contributor JD DeHart about surviving a cocaine overdose during a three-day binge in a trailer in Mississippi when he was 20 years old. JD describes an old-school coke and crack marathon involving an entire ounce of cocaine, nonstop shooting coke, smoking crack, drinking beer, no sleep, no food, and no water. He vividly recounts doing a gigantic shot of cocaine and suddenly entering a terrifying paralysis where he could hear and see everything but couldn’t move a single part of his body. JD compares the experience to the Metallica “One” video and explains how his paranoid dealer friend may have saved his life by slapping him awake, giving him water and food, and slowly bringing him out of the overdose. Naturally, once he recovered, the first thing he did was smoke an enormous crack hit. Dave praises the voicemail and thanks JD for consistently contributing incredible stories to the show. Dave then dives into Patreon and Spotify comments responding to last week’s controversial Blake Mycoskie episode. Listeners debate rich-guy recovery, psychedelic therapy, AI therapy, polo, founder culture, and whether wealthy people talking about depression is relatable to the average Dopey listener. Some commenters defend the episode and appreciate hearing about mental health and self-worth, while others say they turned it off the moment Blake started discussing AI therapy or learning polo in Argentina. Dave jokes that people should blame John Bukaty for bringing in “woo-woo guests,” but still says he genuinely liked Blake and appreciated trying something different. The comment section also leads to discussions about recovery, privilege, treatment access, government responsibility for addiction, and Dave’s ongoing balancing act between growing Dopey and maintaining authenticity. Dave also reads a moving Spotify comment from a listener celebrating 120 days clean after a devastating relapse that nearly destroyed his marriage and relationship with his child. Other listeners compliment Dave’s podcasting skills, compare his intros to Marc Maron, and joke about Tesla AI therapy and rich recovery people. Dave also contemplates launching a higher Patreon tier with an exclusive Zoom while openly joking about his “cynical cash grab” tendencies and his need to support his family. The centerpiece of the episode is Dave’s long conversation with Skinny Vinny inside Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast van in Sherman Oaks, California. The interview covers almost every phase of Vinny’s chaotic life story. Vinny explains how the Wild Ride podcast went on hiatus after backlash surrounding a sarcastic Steve-O clip from an episode with Harlan Williams that got taken out of context online. Vinny talks openly about Steve-O’s sensitivity, internet outrage culture, and the emotional toll of constant public criticism. The conversation then shifts into Vinny’s upbringing in Connecticut and his lifelong obsession with Jackass. Vinny tells the story of being a kid with a camera glued to his hand, idolizing Bam Margera and Jeff Tremaine, and eventually convincing Bam to punch him in the face at a skate shop signing when he was a teenager. Dave and Vinny reminisce about old Jackass dreams eventually becoming reality years later through recovery and content creation. Vinny dives deep into his addiction history, including following Phish and Bob Weir tours while constantly inhaling nitrous balloons in parking lots, discovering Silk Road drug markets in Vermont, and eventually falling into severe heroin addiction. He recounts horrifying years living in Vermont, where heroin was outrageously expensive, and where he watched his girlfriend overdose in front of her parents after both of them desperately tried to detox using kratom. Vinny also describes his obsession with needles, famously saying, “If I could rig it, I could dig it,” while discussing shooting heroin and eventually shooting liquid LSD purchased from Silk Road. One of the darkest sections of the interview involves Vinny describing his infamous “porta potty bottom.” After burning every bridge and alienating everyone in his life, Vinny ended up secretly living inside a handicapped-sized porta potty in Connecticut while hustling to survive. He explains his daily routine of waking up at sunrise, hiding blankets in bushes, charging his Obama phone at Dunkin Donuts, stealing energy drinks from grocery stores, selling them to bodegas, buying heroin and crack, and repeating the cycle endlessly. Dave and Vinny talk about the terrifying comfort that comes with fully accepting life as a hopeless junkie. Vinny also recounts his arrest, jail sentence, and the legendary “prison pocket” story. Knowing he had to turn himself in, Vinny literally trained his body to smuggle heroin, Xanax, rolling tobacco, papers, and even needles into jail. He explains how he eventually ran out of drugs behind bars and suffered brutally through withdrawal on the top bunk in jail while promising himself he’d never use again — only to get released and immediately return to hustling and heroin. The interview takes a more hopeful turn as Vinny explains how recovery unexpectedly transformed his life. He talks about meeting Zackass in sober living, becoming indispensable behind the camera, eventually becoming a co-host, and later joining Steve-O’s Wild Ride. Vinny describes feeling like recovery gave him the exact life he fantasized about as a kid obsessed with Jackass culture. Dave and Vinny repeatedly discuss the strange intersection of manifestation, luck, spirituality, showing up, and being willing to work hard without getting high. Later in the interview, Vinny opens up emotionally about his failed marriage to a Canadian woman, the devastating heartbreak that followed, and the depression that nearly broke him. He describes locking himself in his apartment for 45 days, barely eating, crying himself to sleep, and seriously considering drinking despite years of sobriety. Instead of relapsing, Vinny redirected all of his pain into fitness, weight loss, and self-improvement. He explains how discovering peptides, returning to the gym, diving back into recovery meetings and service work, and focusing entirely on himself ultimately helped him lose over 200 pounds and completely transform his life. The episode ends with Vinny discussing his plans to open a sober living house called The Comeback with a former client from his early recovery days. Dave and Vinny also joke about Canadians, Dopeywood structure problems, podcasting, body dysmorphia, fear dreams, and the strange reality of surviving addiction long enough to accidentally build a meaningful life. Dave closes the episode asking listeners yet again to buy film festival tickets, join Patreon, leave Spotify comments, send voicemails, and stay involved in the Dopey community before ending, as always, with “Stay strong Dopey Nation and fucking toodles for Chris.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

DOPEY FILM FESTIVAL TICKETS https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 PATREON www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary Dave and Heart Attack Doug return for another chaotic Dopey Tuesday filled with fake beefs, Patreon wars, Action Bronson at Katz’s, the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival, and Doug spiraling after reading mean comments about himself online. Doug claims he could dominate the film festival with his own movie while Dave tries to explain what a short film actually is. The episode bounces between hilarious arguments, recovery talk, Jeff Ross at the Museum of the City of New York, Vermont jam band adventures, and Doug slowly realizing the Dopey Nation might not universally adore him. There’s also classic banter about meetings, masculinity, Patreon drama, croissants, Ray Brown, and whether Doug is actually Bruce Willis without a career.  LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BUY TICKETS TO DOPEY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/2216905 Join Patreon For Cheap Tickets and much more: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Long Summary Notes: Dave opens the Dopey Total Replay by revisiting Episode 27, “Detox Withdrawal,” one of the earliest foundational episodes of Dopey. He explains how the episode introduced both graphic designer Ryan — creator of the iconic nodding Dopey logo — and Todd Curry, Dave’s longtime using buddy who would later die in 2018, just weeks before Chris. Dave reflects on Chris’s original idea for a “Dopey Stories” book made up of listener submissions and stories from the show. He talks about failed attempts to pitch the project to publishers and wonders whether self-publishing a Dopey book on Amazon might finally make sense. He invites listeners to resend their best stories to dopeypodcast@gmail.com. Disclaimer: I think I called Spanish People Stupid - but it was meant totally with love. Dave then shifts into a recap of Music on the Mountain in Vermont, where he attended with Linda and the kids. He talks about seeing Anders Osborne, Daniel Donato, Jackie Greene, Karina Rykman, Eggy, Lamp, and others. Susan celebrates her eighth birthday and hilariously insists on introducing bands onstage after Dave lets her introduce Karina Rykman. Dave admits Susan might actually be a better MC than him. Dave promotes the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival at the SVA Theater, mentioning Mountainside as a possible title sponsor and joking about Katz’s desserts and Othello cookies potentially being involved. He reads Patreon and Spotify comments reacting to the previous replay episode, including discussion of Rush, Basketball Diaries, Knicks playoff hopes, bread basket addiction, and people missing Chris. Dave goes on multiple tangents about bread, fitness, the Knicks, and Cleveland versus Detroit. The replay itself begins with Chris and Dave just starting to record when Todd randomly calls in. Todd immediately launches into a story about getting arrested while allegedly trying to buy weed in a housing project. Chris and Dave immediately question the story while Todd insists he was only trying to buy marijuana. The conversation spirals into stories about community service, Delancey Street cleanup duty, reverse discrimination jokes, airport profiling, Todd’s history with Dave, and their years selling drugs together. Chris openly campaigns for Todd to become a recurring Dopey guest while Dave resists because Todd is still actively using heroin and weed. Graphic designer Ryan joins the conversation and explains why he loved Dopey from the beginning — because it wasn’t a traditional recovery podcast. He says recovery shows felt too church-like, while Dopey mixed active addiction stories with recovery in a way that could actually reach addicts. Todd and Dave argue about whether active users should appear on Dopey. Ryan attempts to sober coach Todd live on the air, asking him what heroin does for him emotionally. Todd admits heroin covers feelings of loneliness, insecurity, and self-hatred. He describes failed relationships, yoga classes, women, and using heroin to cope with emotional pain. Ryan explains the basics of abstinence and recovery while Todd half-jokes and half-confesses his inability to stop using. Chris mostly eggs the entire thing on while enjoying the chaos. The episode shifts into stories about Mountainside and the infamous “Phase Four” extended-care house. Ryan explains how he entered treatment planning only to save money for heroin afterward, but somehow ended up getting sober instead. Dave admits he originally thought Ryan would never stay sober, while Dave himself eventually relapsed despite appearing more serious about recovery at the time. Ryan tells wild detox stories involving escaping treatment during withdrawal, trading a $2,500 laptop for heroin bundles, walking through snowstorms, and eventually landing at Mountainside. The group discusses relapse, sobriety, AA sponsorship disasters, yoga, heroin addiction, and the randomness of getting sober. The episode eventually devolves into jokes about Dave’s disgusting toenail, Instagram photos, podcast structure, and arguments about whether episodes should be one hour long. Chris insists on ending every episode with “Good So Bad,” while Dave complains nobody wants long podcasts — ironic considering modern Dopey episodes often run three hours. Back in present-day narration, Dave reflects emotionally on hearing Todd and Chris together again. He reveals that Todd eventually appeared on Dopey multiple times, including once when he left mid-recording to go downstairs and shoot heroin before returning to finish the episode high. Dave closes by talking about Ryan’s later recovery work at Berkshire Transition Network and how foundational he was to early Dopey. He reflects on the pain, foreshadowing, and innocence captured in the episode before ending with “Good So Bad” and a tribute to Chris and Todd. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary: Dave opens the show talking about Susan’s eighth birthday and the family trip to Music on the Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont for the Phoenix and Divided Sky festival featuring Karina Rykman, Eggy, Anders Osborne, Daniel Donato, Natalie Cressman, Jennifer Hartswick, and members of Dogs in a Pile. Dave talks about trying to get the entire crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Susan and gives updates about Patreon, Narcan and fentanyl test strip giveaways, YouTube support, and the upcoming Dopey Short Film Festival sponsored by Mountainside Treatment Center. Dave reads a heartbreaking email from a listener celebrating nearly 60 days sober after quitting freebase coke, Xanax, and Suboxone while grieving the loss of his beloved dog Hesh. Dave reflects on his own fears about losing Winnie and spirals into thoughts about mortality, dogs, and a brass Winnie lamp he bought Linda for her birthday. Ben Croxton calls in with a classic IV Dopey story involving Googling “where to buy heroin in Atlanta,” instant meth psychosis at a job site, a dude hiding in a closet all day, and a cocaine-induced hallucination involving a kangaroo and imaginary police cars. The main interview features Keta Lauren and quickly becomes one of the darkest and most powerful Dopey stories in recent memory. Keta talks about growing up in extreme poverty in Northern California with a schizophrenic addict father and alcoholic mother, bouncing through foster homes, fighting constantly, and eventually landing in California Youth Authority “gladiator school.” She recounts horrific trauma including her father accidentally causing a house fire that killed four of her siblings after leaving a candle burning while gambling. Keta describes getting kidnapped while hitchhiking at age 11, doing meth as a child, surviving brutal YA prison fights, a devastating ATV accident that nearly killed her, and eventually falling into LA drug culture, sex work, heroin addiction, and trafficking. She explains how manipulation, survival, and trauma blurred together while trying to escape dangerous situations and abusive relationships. The conversation shifts toward recovery as Keta talks about finally hitting an emotional and spiritual bottom after years of heroin and meth addiction. She describes seeing herself deteriorate physically and mentally, eventually surrendering and finding treatment after a religious TV preacher bizarrely spoke directly to her situation. She later discusses relapse, AA and NA, psychedelic healing with psilocybin and ayahuasca, bipolar disorder, trauma therapy, and her belief that recovery can take many different forms. The episode closes with Trinity from the Beach reflecting on the interview playing a vulnerable acoustic cover of “Good So Bad” while apologizing for missing Dopey Zoom to record it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON: www.patron.com/dopeypodcast  Summary Dave opens Dopey Greatest Hits with an AI Dopey song from Josh Clark, updates the chaos around Katz’s, Action Bronson, Paul Wall, the Divided Sky festival, Susan’s birthday, and the Dopey short film festival. A listener voicemail tells a wild guru story involving opium, coke, mushrooms, MDMA, hot springs, and pee drinking. Dave reads Patreon and Spotify comments from the Gilbert Trejo replay before playing the Gabor Maté episode. In the Gabor Maté interview, Dave and Dr. Maté talk addiction, trauma, shame, ADD, dopamine, recovery, psychedelics, ayahuasca, the “stupid friend,” food addiction, and why addiction is not the primary problem but an attempt to soothe pain. Dr. Maté explains that recovery means getting yourself back. PLUS MORE< MORE, MORE!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NO ADS ON PATREON - www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary Dave opens Dopey Wednesday by getting mad at Reddit, reminiscing about Penn South, the old Walter Reade theater, flea markets, and losing his apartment to heroin addiction. Then Ian from Paris calls in with a disgusting kratom-vomit sex story. Dave reads Spotify and Patreon comments about Zach Noe Towers, Chet Holmgren, Sassafras, Euphoria, Katz’s, white claws, Amanda de Cadenet, and Dopey Nation recovery time. Then Dave interviews Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS and host of No Magic Pill. Blake talks about giving away 100 million shoes, Shark Tank, psychedelics, depression, getting misdiagnosed as bipolar, getting off pharmaceuticals, suicidal thoughts, San Pedro, “I am enough,” sobriety, quitting alcohol and nicotine, and using creativity, photography, therapy, and connection to rebuild his life. All that and more on a not too Dopey episode of Dopey! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE WONDERFUL EPISODE: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dave and Ray kick off a weird “Christmas in May” Dopey Tuesday with an old Ray parody song before diving into stories about Chelsea in the ‘90s, addiction nostalgia, Andy Dick, and the destruction of a longtime neighborhood building. Dave talks about working on a Andy Dick interview for Rolling Stone, while Ray reflects on drinking alone, avoiding chaos in public, and their old neighborhood’s transformation from rough-and-dangerous to luxury real estate heaven.   The episode spirals into hilarious listener reactions to Selby’s heavy breathing during the Patreon Reddit Roundup episode, with fans comparing him to Darth Vader, a dying pug, and someone “pleasuring himself at a men’s shelter.” Dave and Ray also talk about recovery shame, missing teeth, NYU dental clinics, old LA drug days, soft-core SLA emails, and the weirdness of getting older in recovery. The episode ends with Dave teasing a big TV pitch meeting and playing “Good So Bad.”   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS for 25 cents a day at www.patron.com/dopeypodcast Short Summary  Dave kicks off with Mother’s Day reflections, Knicks playoff excitement, and reads an incredible listener email from James Dehart about discovering a huge bag of heroin (plus crack) while cleaning out an abandoned building — and his sober buddy immediately throwing it down a sewer grate. Then Dave replays Dopey Episode 26 with Chris: they play Dave’s classic song “Good So Bad,” read a long email from Francis, get heavily triggered watching the famous dope scene from the 1991 movie Rush, and go deep on addiction stories, recovery, and absurdity. A heartfelt, funny, and sometimes triggering classic Dopey episode. All that and yes - much more on the brand new/old replay shit! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary This Week on Dopey! Dave opens the show reflecting on hosting the Phoenix House Soiree and presenting Hank Azaria with an award in the same neighborhood where he once bought heroin nearly 30 years earlier. He talks about gratitude, recovery, shame, redemption, and how addiction and recovery both shaped his life. Dave reads listener emails featuring cocaine cravings, crack addiction, federal charges, acid smuggling, trap houses, prostitution, and early recovery. Montana Ruckman sends in another brutally honest “day in the life” letter from prison describing drug hustling, scams, theft, hookups, and the loneliness of active addiction. Dave also reads Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Zoe Hansen episode and the backlash to Amanda de Cadenet, with listeners praising Zoe’s warmth, storytelling, and voice. Then Margaret Cho returns to Dopey for one of the funniest and most honest recovery conversations in recent memory. Margaret talks about approaching 10 years sober, her intervention, rehab, kratom addiction, dry scooping kratom powder, benzo withdrawal, seizures, meth fascination, weed reservations, psychedelic therapy, boofing weed lube, and the strange fantasy of someday growing opium poppies in a psychedelic garden. Dave and Margaret bond over romanticizing drugs, relapse fears, and the dangerous line between humor and real addiction. They discuss ketamine therapy, Bill Wilson taking LSD, Hamilton Morris, the Nick Reiner tragedy, death in recovery culture, and why addicts “walk with death.” The conversation also drifts into Snoop Dogg blunt culture, bong rituals, Errowid drug hacks, and the weird creativity and mythology surrounding addiction. ALL THAT AND MUCH MUCH MORE ON ABRAND NEW EPISODE OF THAT GOOD OLD DOPEY SHOW! Check out workit health at www.workithealth.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON for 25 cents a day www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary Dave opens this week’s Dopey Greatest Hits by explaining the Patreon poll that lets listeners choose classic replay episodes. After Jason Ricci lost a last-minute battle to Dr. Gabor Maté the previous week, this week’s theme becomes “kids of famous people,” featuring guests like Jack Osbourne, Mackenzie Phillips, Dwayne Betts, and ultimately the winner: Gilbert Trejo, son of actor Danny Trejo. Dave reads Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Jason Ricci replay, including discussions about bipolar disorder, darkness, spirituality, demonology, and the Amanda de Cadenet backlash episode. Tommy from Long Island then calls in with a crack-smoking Dopey story involving a lost $20 bag hidden underneath the center console of a late-90s Toyota Corolla. Dave also reads a brutally honest listener email criticizing the early days of Dopey for chewing into microphones, interruptions, phone ringing, and lack of structure — which Dave both defends and reflects on emotionally. The episode then shifts into a deep and emotional conversation with filmmaker and recovering heroin addict Gilbert Trejo. Gilbert talks about growing up in Venice Beach as Danny Trejo’s son, being raised around AA meetings, childhood exposure to recovery culture, fighting, punk rock, skating, and eventually spiraling into heroin addiction. He shares horrifying overdose stories, including trying to revive his best friend while covered in blood, discusses his film From A Son, and reflects on the strange mixture of toughness, secrecy, masculinity, fear, and identity that shaped his addiction. Gilbert and Dave connect deeply over losing close friends to overdose, the mythology of junkie friendships, and the challenge of telling drug stories honestly without glorifying them. The conversation also covers heroin romance, Panic in Needle Park, Venice gang culture, punk shows, crack smoking, addiction genetics, hiding drug use from family, and the relief of eventually becoming comfortable in his own skin. It’s one of the rawest and most thoughtful Dopey conversations about addiction, masculinity, survival, and recovery.  ALL THAT AND MORE ON THIS NEW OLD EPISODE! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS FOR 25 CENTS A DAY at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary This week on the Wednesday Dose! Dave opens the Wednesday Dose of Dopey talking about Patreon backlash over Selby’s heavy breathing during the Tuesday Patreon show, his hatred for the newest season of Euphoria, Lena Dunham’s audiobook, Knicks obsession, and getting ready to emcee the Phoenix House gala honoring Hank Azaria. He then reads an email from a Scottish listener who got sober from alcohol after discovering Dopey through This American Life, but later spiraled into opioids, heroin, and benzos before finally trying to get clean again after hearing DJ’s episode. Then Dave dives into a massive pile of brutal Spotify and Patreon comments reacting to the Amanda de Cadenet episode, with listeners calling her “insufferable,” “guarded,” “pretentious,” and “the worst guest ever,” while others defend her and praise Dave for surviving the awkward interview. The episode shifts into a long and funny conversation with comedian Zach Noe Towers. Zach talks about growing up gay in Missouri, discovering weed through theater kids, using alcohol and drugs to quiet fear and insecurity, moving to Los Angeles, rich gay party culture, ecstasy at Indiana University, Coachella mushroom disasters, being trapped in the trunk of a drug dealer’s car, and eventually getting sober after years of chaotic partying and emotional bottoming out. Dave and Zach also talk comedy, AA, twink culture, Midwestern niceness, gay identity, stand-up anxiety, and planning the Dopeywood Comedy Store show. PLUS MORE! on the brand new Wednesday Dose of Dopey!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast 📝 Summary   This episode of Dopey blends recovery updates, dark humor, and one of the most bizarre drug stories ever told on the show. Selby celebrates 101 days sober and reflects on a powerful in-person group inventory, while Cormac opens up about hitting a wall in long-term recovery and rebooting his physical and spiritual health through meetings and a new fitness routine.   The episode takes a surreal turn when Cormac recounts a detailed and unsettling story from his past experimenting with research chemicals, including dissociatives and unconventional methods of use. The conversation explores the psychology of dissociation, addiction, and the illusion of control that comes with “safer” drug use.   Dave shares updates on the Dopey Fitness Challenge, struggles with sugar, and reads listener feedback, including praise, criticism, and ongoing debate about fan-favorite guest “Heart Attack Doug.” PLUS A SMIDGE MORE ON THE NEW DOPEY TUESDAY TEASE - listen to more on patreon!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS FOR 25 Cents a day! www.patron.com/dopeypodcast Episode Summary Total Replay #25! Dave opens Monday’s Dopey Total Replay by revisiting Dopey Episode 25 from April 2016, titled Cocaine Overdose, Prince. Before the replay, he talks about plans for the Dopey Recovery Film Festival in Manhattan, Patreon perks, the Tuesday Reddit Roundup with Selby and Cormac, and addresses listener reactions to a previous sex-and-love addiction email. He then reads a powerful email from Willow about long-term recovery through Sex Addicts Anonymous and finding sobriety after years of relapse. Next comes a wild voicemail from Bailey in Chicago involving the world’s worst drug dealer, accidental crack purchases, a drunken camping trip, bachelor party chaos, abortion scam drama, crack smoking in a tent, and jumping out of a moving truck. Dave then reads Spotify and Patreon comments before launching the classic replay. In the 2016 episode, Dave and Chris react to Prince’s death, speculate about addiction, and Chris repeatedly confuses Prince with Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. They spiral into nonsense about Annie Lennox, Blondie, dancing, and music ignorance. Then Chris tells the main event: a brutal cocaine overdose story involving shooting a huge amount of coke in a bathroom, collapsing violently, a neighbor breaking the door down, and Chris still worrying about hiding the remaining cocaine instead of dying. The episode ends with more chaotic drug stories, sleepwalking on ketamine, early Dopey banter, and one of the first appearances of Chris saying “toodles.” Dave returns afterward reflecting on Chris, the strange beauty of these old recordings, and invites listeners to stay involved with Dopey Nation. On a Brand New 10 Year old episode of ye good olden dopey sho. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dopey Episode Summary This Week on Dopey! We open the show in full single-dad chaos mode—juggling pickups, tutoring, dance class, concerts, naps gone wrong, and trying to make it home in time for the Knicks game. He announces the upcoming Dopey Recovery Short Film Festival, then reads an extremely heavy anonymous listener email about sexual compulsion, addiction, shame, and finding support through SLAA. The episode then shifts into classic Dopey mode with a wild voicemail involving cocaine psychosis, being naked with a fork, a pheasant-feather hat, and a guy selling condoms on campus. We dives into Spotify and Patreon comments from the Andy Dick episode, reading praise, criticism, jokes, sobriety milestones, and fan reactions. Then the show turns into the main event: a long, gritty, hilarious and vulnerable interview with Zoe Hansen. Zoe talks about growing up in wealthy but emotionally barren Chelsea, London, getting kicked out of school, discovering punk rock, heroin at 15, and moving to New York at 17. She describes working in hair and nightlife before entering the sex industry to support her habit, eventually becoming a seasoned brothel worker and heroin addict in late-80s Manhattan. She tells incredible stories about brothel life, clients, police raids, methadone stash strategies, Lower East Side heroin stamps, speedballing in Hell’s Kitchen, dying briefly after a cocaine overdose in the Chelsea Hotel, waking blind, and living in the room where Nancy Spungen died. Zoe also reflects on spirituality, trauma, recovery, old New York, and writing her memoir Going Down in Gotham. A true Dopey legend episode. All that and MORE MORE MORE this week on a brand new episode - of your favorite good old Dopey show! Check our new sponsor: www.workithealth.com/dopey   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast On this Thursday Dopey Greatest Hits episode, Dave opens the show reacting to angry Spotify comments from the previous Amanda de Cadenet episode, joking that controversy is good for engagement. He sets the table for one of his favorite classic episodes: a deep and unforgettable interview with legendary harmonica player Jason Ricci. Before getting there, Dave gives listeners a chaotic snapshot of life at home while Linda is away in Aruba—solo parenting, eating Ralph’s ices, putting Susan to bed, cleaning the backyard with Heart Attack Doug, tossing an old rusted grill, and trying to make the house look better before Linda returns. Dave then reads a truly wild listener email from “Stan the Man from London,” describing a multi-day relapse involving forgotten luggage, shooting cocaine in a government facility bathroom, fleeing authorities, drinking in pubs, attending his first orgy, smoking meth, doing booty-bumped MDMA, watching bodies swing from the ceiling, and taking mystery LSD gummies to cope with the scene. Dave begs listeners to send in more orgy stories and jokes that if people are sitting on orgy stories and not sending them in, they’re wasting everyone’s time. He then reads Spotify comments from last week’s Michael Imperioli episode. Listeners praise the interview, discuss whether non-addict guests belong on Dopey, mention recovery movies to watch while detoxing, mourn the death of beloved former guest Bill Blaber, and compare Imperioli’s appearance to classic Dopey stories like the water tower episode. Dave also plugs Patreon, promises stickers to commenters, and reads Patreon comments about Bill Blaber, Sopranos fandom, and ideas for new podcasts. Dave introduces the throwback interview with Jason Ricci, one of the greatest harmonica players alive. Jason immediately proves to be a classic Dopey guest: hilarious, intense, wildly talented, and deeply damaged. He tells Dave about growing up in Maine with severe family dysfunction. His father ran the notorious behavior-modification program Elan, later the subject of the documentary The Last Stop. Jason describes his father as a brilliant but dangerous alcoholic/addict. His mother suffered from serious untreated mental illness and subjected Jason to horrifying physical abuse, bizarre religious episodes, and chaos throughout childhood. Jason says music became his escape. He first got serious about harmonica after seeing James Cotton perform live and witnessing the raw emotional power of blues music. Though he originally came from punk/skateboard culture and resisted blues, Cotton changed everything. Jason became obsessed with mastering the instrument and started getting mentored by older musicians. As a teenager he was kicked out of his house, became homeless, drifted through deadhead apartments and baseball dugouts, and eventually reconnected with his estranged father, who answered the door in a bathrobe with a gun and immediately asked if Jason knew how to roll a joint. Jason ended up briefly living near Elan, then moved to Boise, Idaho to study forestry before dropping out once music took over his life. In Boise he earned his stripes in a local blues scene where older musicians forced him to learn Little Walter songs before letting him play. He embraced LSD, weed, and beatnik philosophy, believing he was a spiritually advanced seeker while sharpening his craft. He then moved to Memphis to pursue blues seriously. That’s where the Dopey really kicks in. Jason started using cocaine, then crack, and says smoking crack was one of the most instantly seductive experiences of his life. He recounts how quickly everything changed—money disappearing, priorities collapsing, and life spinning out of control. He also talks openly about his sexuality, his first gay experiences, and the confusion of navigating identity while falling deeper into addiction. The interview blends music obsession, childhood trauma, sexuality, homelessness, genius-level talent, and classic Dopey-level depravity. Jason comes off as both hilarious and heartbreakingly honest, while Dave nerds out over harmonica history and recognizes a fellow obsessive. It becomes one of those Dopey episodes where darkness, redemption, absurdity, and art all collide. SERIOUS DOPEY BUSINESS ON THIS HADCORE TRULY DOPEY EPISODE OF DOPEY'S GREATEST HITS! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen without ADS for 25 Cents a game: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Summary  This Week on the Wednesday Dose! Linda is away - single parenting is on! Shoutout to all the single parents out there! We play a nuts voicemail from Taylor in Austin about relapsing on crack after moving in with a guy from AA who turned out to be schizophrenic and deep into crack psychosis. The story escalates into paranoia, guns, police, and hooking up with your dealer.   Then Amanda de Cadenet joins the show. She talks about being a teenage wild child in London, starting drugs young, hosting live TV at 16, being sexualized in the public eye, marrying John Taylor from Duran Duran, partying with Courtney Love, and nearly dying before getting sober at 22. Amanda and Dave dive deep into recovery, psychedelics, trauma healing, sponsorship, group texts, meditation, defects, gratitude, and the idea that talk therapy alone often isn’t enough. Amanda shares her daily routine, what keeps her grounded after decades sober, and why kindness and service remain central to recovery. A funny, smart, honest, and surprisingly deep Dopey episode. ALL THAT AND A TINY BIT MORE ON THIS WEDNESDAY DOSE OF DOPEY! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

FULL EPISODE www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dave opens another Tuesday teaser by welcoming back Heart Attack Doug and immediately calling Patreon listeners winners and free listeners losers. Doug paints a hilarious picture of arriving at Dave’s house to find him shuffling around in a heavy dusty Ralph Lauren robe and knit cap looking 40 years older than he is.   They talk about Dave holding down the fort while his partner is away, buying three air conditioners for one room, family stress, and trying to stay productive. Dave describes making breakfast for Nora while Doug offers unsolicited nutrition takes and pushes cheap Aldi eggs. This spirals into a rant about dirty supermarkets, poor-quality yolks, and Popeyes chicken.   The conversation shifts into anxiety territory as Dave admits fears of escalators, airports, and bridges. He tells stories about navigating giant Manhattan subway escalators as a kid and nearly panicking while driving over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Doug piles on while also admitting everyone has fears.   They read Spotify and Patreon comments about Ray Brown, background noise, body image, and escalator anxiety. Dave uses the comments to plug Dopey’s five-shows-a-week schedule and Patreon tiers, including stickers, socks, beanies, ad-free episodes, and even a $100-a-month life coaching tier.   Before ending, Dave and Doug tease Doug’s recent mysterious bad stretch known only as “two weeks,” available behind the Patreon wall. The show closes with a touching listener cover of the Dopey classic “Good So Bad,” recorded while missing Dopey Zoom because the fan wanted to get it right. FULL EPISODE IS ON PATREON - CHEAPOS!   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NO ADS - 25 CENTS A DAY ON PATREON!($8 a month) www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on the replay! We open this Monday's show by reflecting on starting Dopey with Chris after meeting at Mountainside rehab and why replaying old episodes helps newer listeners understand Chris and the origins of the show. He then reads a long email from listener “Panda,” who says Dopey inspired him to start Couch to 5K and enter a Prospect Park race. Panda shares a brutally honest story about functioning alcoholism, drinking half bottles of liquor nightly, secret crack binges in Manhattan, and eventually quitting alcohol after deep ayahuasca experiences. He explains that psychedelics and microdosing have helped his recovery, while admitting the topic is controversial. Dave reacts with curiosity, jokes, and confusion over the word “mitigable.” Next comes a voicemail from Lauren describing detox desperation: buying dope inside treatment and discovering the syringe she borrowed had been smuggled in someone’s butt. Then Dave launches classic Dopey episode 24 featuring vintage Dave and Chris in full chaotic chemistry. They discuss the documentary The Wolf Pack, mock HBO’s Vinyl, and tell reckless stories about reviving overdosing addicts by injecting coke. Chris describes the “bell ringer” rush of shooting cocaine while Dave admits he mostly sniffed it. They read an email from listener Emily, leading to one of Chris’s most absurd moments — replying that he’d “rest his anus on the microphone and blow you a kiss.” Dave is horrified. The show turns serious when Chris explains how rehab finally worked: he stopped pretending he knew everything, listened to a counselor, and followed directions. Then they remember Francis, a brilliant young musician they met in rehab who openly said he planned to get high after treatment and later died from overdose. Dave returns in present day with Billy Baroo (Randy Robles), one of the first Dopey superfans, who says he has listened since 2016, is still sober, and believes Dopey is better than ever. He praises Dave’s growth as an interviewer and the emotional power of replaying old episodes with Chris.  ALL THAT AND PROBABLY MORE! on a brand new episode of a 10 year old Dopey show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen without ads for 25 cents a day: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey!  The Return of Andy Dick! Using story from Montana! Gratitude! Spotify Comments! Nitrous Car Crash! Andy discusses his recent fentanyl overdose (where he clinically died), his history of resisting recovery, and his current fragile sobriety. The conversation swings between hilarious (fat shaming, keto coffee, random tangents) and deeply uncomfortable (career regrets, addiction identity, Chris Farley, missed opportunities like Mr. Show and Old School). Andy admits he still isn’t sure if he wants to stay sober, but acknowledges things are “getting better.” Dave pushes him on willingness, recovery, and consequences, while Andy oscillates between honesty and deflection. The episode closes with Dave reflecting on Andy’s sobriety, promoting harm reduction resources, and sharing a raw listener-submitted banjo cover of a Dopey song. AL LTHAT AND MORE ON A DICK FILLED NEW DOPEY! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.