This week on Dopey! We welcome legendary tattoo artist and author Jonathan Shaw for a deep and crazy conversation about his turbulent life and career. Before the interview, we read listener emails and voicemails highlighting warnings about dangerous new synthetic kratom products and some serious dopey business. Jonathan shares his upbringing amidst Hollywood royalty shadowed by addiction and violence, the legacy of his father Artie Shaw—a tortured genius jazz musician—and how his early exposure to drugs and trauma shaped his path. They explore Jonathan’s decades-long relationship with ayahuasca ceremonies and spiritual healing, his raw and unfiltered tattoo career spanning global underground scenes, and the brutal realities of addiction, overdose, and survival on the streets — from starting Fun City tattoo shop in NYC’s punk scene to his wild years battling addiction and near-death overdoses. He talks about his first real prayer, hitting rock bottom, and how 12-step sobriety slowly brought him peace despite early struggles with anger and restlessness. JS also opens up about his powerful experiences with plant medicines like ayahuasca and ibogaine in Brazil and Mexico, describing how these ceremonies connected him to his ancestors, a higher power, and a deeper spiritual path. The conversation wraps with wild stories involving Hunter S. Thompson and Johnny Depp, and JS’s belief that recovery and healing come through service and surrender.