Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Andy Dick experienced a near-fatal overdose from fentanyl disguised as cocaine. The conversation highlights the chaotic nature of addiction and its impact on relationships. David expresses concern for Andy's well-being and encourages him to seek treatment. Andy reflects on his past experiences with sobriety and the challenges of maintaining it. The dialogue reveals the complexities of family dynamics in the context of addiction. Humor is used as a coping mechanism throughout the conversation. David and Andy discuss the concept of stability and whether it truly exists for them. The importance of friends and support systems in the recovery process is emphasized. Andy shares his thoughts on having fun and the role of laughter in his life. The conversation ends with a light-hearted yet serious note about potential interventions for Andy.

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2025

Dave drinks Ryze coffee; recording room freezing. Announces 5-episode-per-week December schedule. Community / Milestones Lorne 3 years sober! Matty: 5 years sober! Send your anniversaries/clean time to [email protected] Spotify Comments (Darrell Hammond Episode) Complaints about “This or That.” Defenses of the game. Possum jokes. Psychedelics-in-recovery debates. Questions about Darrell’s sobriety. Praise for interview. Random comments: Lime Drive, Mike’s Amazing Stuff. Sticker requests. Dave reacts to each comment. Voicemail: Henry (LSD Trip) Two hits of acid alone in college. House fumigation tent becomes “circus.” Panic about pesticides mutating him. Aztec gods in ceiling to Butthole Surfers music. Becomes “one with his bike.” Now 15 months sober. Email: Jerry PCP fights with cops. Overdoses, ventilators. Robbing heroin dealers. Discovered Dopey by searching “heroin.” Outraged Dave hasn’t seen Joe Dirt. Hairy Tongue Will: Early Chaos Running with Richie, Mike, Lenny Crack/heroin/coke everywhere House turning into a trap house Lenny passed out after multi-day run “Demons taking over” Work & Addiction Coexistence 16-hour days as electrician Co-workers cheering on his party life DUI → probation → manipulating house arrest Strange stabilizers (electrical job giving structure) Jail Episodes First jail stay → Montauk Lighthouse work crew Felt purpose, respect Ate egg sandwiches, smoked black-and-milds with guards Jail almost felt positive COVID Era + Workaholic Sobriety Heavy work travel Money piles, crypto, closet of cash Reads self-help, becomes rigid but dry Drinks only in Tennessee with new girlfriend Casino Crack Spiral Old fashioned → cocaine → crack in hotel Boss unaware of severity Crack obsession fully reignites Builds crack connections nationwide while traveling Hallucinations, panic, moving hotels Deaths & Trauma Mike dies; father selling sneakers from his dead son’s body Richie dies after 2 years sober Will spirals into resentment, jealousy, wanting to die Collapse at Home 26-day run Antihistamine psychosis cover story Girlfriend stays nine months Selling stories to dealers (“trust fund baby”) Getting shot at by a dealer Chase through Bayshore, wild escape Major Arrest Huge charges (“five decades worth”) Thinks life is over Bail reform → immediate release Uses again for 17 days St. Chris Suicidal Guard outside his room Breakthrough: “You put yourself here” Goes all-in on program Court gives favorable deal Goes home early Mother’s Day Relapse Runs into old acquaintance with pipe Uses, vanishes 3 days Bottom moment: wants to die again Real Recovery Begins Sponsor gives clear direction Sober house, daily groups, nightly meetings Fraudulent urine to enter sober house Works program aggressively 18 months sober (recent flirtation with distraction)

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2025

December Dopey Schedule & Retro Replay ConceptDave explains the new 5-day Dopey week: Monday – replay of the Friday interview Tuesday – Patreon teaser Wednesday – new Wednesday Dose (this week: Jason Williamson from Sleaford Mods) Thursday – Retro Replay / Greatest Hits (this week: Chris’s Prison Stories Part 1) Friday – new full episode (coming: “Hall of Fame Dopey Fucko” Harry Tongue Will)He reads recent Spotify comments about Caroline “Mountain Girl” Garcia and requests for more comments in exchange for stickers (and socks). REPLAY Dopey 67- Alan Calls In – Reviews, Turpitude, and Fake JailDave’s dad Alan calls, pissed that Dave didn’t call the house phone and that the site’s review scroll is too fast. He complains his positive call-in reviews never show, defends using the word “turpitude,” and tells a story about being “arrested” for a film school project at Fort Apache—complete with a cop pulling a gun, handcuffing him to a hot pipe, and throwing him in a destroyed cell for 5–10 minutes. Dave and Chris clown him and promise him his own “Alan’s Corner.” Segway to Chris’s Real Prison TimeFrom Alan’s staged “arrest,” Dave pushes Chris to tell his real jail stories. Chris sets up his first bid: 6-month sentence in Orange County Jail after robbing a vet for phenobarbital, fighting cops, and picking up multiple charges (robbery, commercial burglary, four assaults on cops, GBI on an officer, possession). Booking, Beatings & ClassificationAt intake, the guards see “assault on law enforcement” on his file and rough him up during fingerprinting—screaming “stop resisting,” slamming his head into plexiglass, and twisting his fingers. Classification makes him a yellow bander (higher-risk) and sends him into a tougher, all-cell unit with seasoned guys. First Night: Becoming the “Falcon”In his first 4-man cell, the Woods’ shot-caller Justin Krause (swastika tattoo) takes Chris under his wing. A white inmate named Olson is screaming racist slurs on the tier (“fuck the n******, fuck the spics, fuck the red and white”), which could spark a race riot. Because Olson is white, a white guy has to beat him up. Justin turns to the brand-new Chris and says: “You wanna be my falcon?”Chris spends all night terrified, then at chow time runs with Justin into Olson’s cell. Justin wrecks Olson with one shot while Chris sneaks in one weak “girly” punch. The tier still cheers “new fish, new fish” and he accidentally earns early credibility. Politics, Old-Timers & Almost Getting Turned OutChris explains the politics between Woods, Sureños, Norteños, and blacks; how alliances change between county and prison, and how guys with level-4 yard time expect violence and “no hands” policies (stabbing instead of fistfights). He realizes later that an older celly Billy was quietly disrespecting him and that, if this had happened a year later, he probably would have had to fight him to maintain respect. Supermax Glass Cells, Signing, and Staff HustlesChris is later moved to a supermax-style glass cell unit where you can’t mix races in the day room and have to sign through the glass using lightning-fast finger-spelling. He starts writing letters to judges for guys who can’t write, turning literacy into a jailhouse hustle. Pruno, the “Happy Card,” and Shooting Meth with the BinkyNew celly Eddie from Anaheim teaches him how to make pruno in the toilet with pears and hoarded fruit. Then Eddie arranges a “happy card”—a greeting card sprayed/soaked in meth, worth almost an 8-ball. Chris has his girlfriend send money out during visit via written note on the glass, and weeks later the card arrives.They use a homemade syringe (“binky”) built from a pen shaft, afro pick, elastic, sandwich bag, and rubber from a shower sandal—the only real part is the metal tip, which has been up multiple asses to hide it. Chris shoots meth in jail and quickly learns how dangerous that combination is. Staph Infection & The Forbidden ButtonWhile tweaking and covered with spreading staph (up his neck and all over his arms), Chris and Eddie get into a fight after Chris says “on my mother’s life” and triggers Eddie’s trauma over his dead mom. Chris realizes how instantly violence can explode.Meanwhile his staph gets so bad it’s life-threatening. There’s an unwritten rule: you NEVER push the emergency button or you get smashed by guards. Even Eddie is like, “I don’t know, man.” Chris finally hits it anyway. Guards scream at him over the speaker, but when one sees his body, he instantly says they’ll get him to a doctor. They shotgun him with antibiotics, antifungals, and steroids. Chris later hooks up with the woman who visited him and gives her a medication-resistant staph, which lingers for her even after his clears. He feels guilty but admits he was in a totally insane headspace. Jailhouse Dark Comedy: The Button Beating & Steve KotkeChris talks about laughing harder in jail than anywhere else in his life. One mentally ill guy threatens to push the button because he’s hungry. The white shot-caller tells him “go ahead.” The guards yell over the PA “Do NOT push the button!” as he shuffles toward it. The second he touches it, a side door flies open and the COs beat the shit out of him. Chris also tells stories about Steve Kotke, a twitchy, Jesus-loving wino who cycles in and out of jail. Chris leaves Steve a brown bag outside his cell; Steve thinks it’s commissary food, tells Chris he has “a heart of gold,” then opens it to find nothing but trash and candy wrappers. Using “fishing lines” (bedsheet ropes under the cell doors), Chris passes Steve a note that just says “People are talking.” When Steve panics and asks what that means, Chris sends back “Can’t talk, people are watching,” then cuts the line—leaving Steve to spiral alone all night. Race, Respect, and How He Could’ve Become a MonsterChris gets honest about how the jail environment warped his thinking. He remembers silently thinking “they” about the loud black card players near the bubble in a way that felt racially charged and hateful, and how scary it was to notice that in himself. He explains how, in jail and prison, fear and respect slowly replace love, and how easy it would’ve been to get “turned out” into a full-on white-supremacist prison identity if he’d kept catching time without family support. Wrap-Up: Dave Reflects on Chris & Early DopeyBack in the present, Dave talks about how painful and beautiful it is to hear these stories, how proud Chris was of his prison experience and storytelling, and how much he contributed to what Dopey became. He shouts out the 142 episodes with Chris, reminds listeners that this was super early-recovery Dave saying cringey shit, and closes with love for Chris, the Dopey Nation, and “fucking toodles for Chris.” Searchable Keywords (copy-paste) Dopey podcast, Dopey Retro Replay, Chris’s prison stories, Orange County Jail stories, jail pruno hooch, jailhouse meth binky, happy card meth, jail staph infection, pushing the emergency button jail, Woods and Sureños politics, jail race politics, Fort Apache Bronx story, Alan Manheim turpitude, Dopey greatest hits, Chris relapse and overdose, Dopey Nation stickers socks Patreon

Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2025

Intro – How Jason got on Dopey A listener tells Dave to get Jason from Sleaford Mods. Dave stalks him on Instagram until he replies. Jason checks in from cold, dark Nottingham. Early life: Grantham, parents, punk, and Top of the Pops Jason grows up in Grantham, a dead-quiet market town. First connection to music: Blondie, ABBA, Adam & The Ants, Dr. Feelgood, Top of the Pops, pop videos and ABBA the Movie. Parents split, he meets his stepbrothers and is introduced to punk at age 10 via the Sex Pistols. Punk trickles slowly to small towns, second-wave bands like The Exploited, GBH, Discharge, English Dogs. Meat factory hell & knowing he didn’t want that life Works 12-hour shifts in a fresh-food / TV dinner factory cutting meat. Describes brutal “initiation” culture—older guys nailing you to the chopping board, wrapping people in pallet wrap, dragging them in front of the women. Realizes, “I did not want to do that for the rest of my life,” but drugs help numb him enough to keep working. Music vs. drugs: Weller, mods, ecstasy and rave/club culture Music comes first: early love of The Jam and Paul Weller; then Stone Roses and the whole late-’80s/early-’90s scene. He resists drinking and weed until around 17, thinking it’s probably not a good idea. Then: booze, weed, speed, LSD and eventually ecstasy. Describes club and rave culture as feeling like infinite possibility—no one wants to fight, football violence fades, it feels like a weird utopia. He gets pulled toward acting and drama school but can’t afford the fees, uses music as the new dream. Public Enemy, electronica, and the birth of Sleaford Mods Sees Public Enemy at Rock City: air-raid sirens, S1W security squad, Chuck D and Flav—“my Sex Pistols moment.” Gets tired of traditional guitar-bass-drums bands and moves into electronic projects. Discovering he can just show up, grab a mic, and someone else handles beats on a computer. Sleaford Mods is born in 2004: he shouts over a looped death-metal sample, has a eureka moment and realizes he’s finally found his own voice and formula. Early Sleaford Mods tracks are built from samples; he later meets Andrew but the core is always Jason’s vocal/lyric style. Cocaine, MCAT, crack, heroin chasing and the porn spiral Tries coke in London but hates how it turns his friends into selfish, dark, quiet arseholes. Coke becomes central later in Nottingham when ecstasy culture fades and bar culture + cocaine take over. He uses speed, then a cheap research-chemical drug MCAT (“like coke, speed and ecstasy mixed”) and occasionally chases heroin; crack never really hits because he’s already full of coke. Describes how addiction and work life feed each other: substances make brutal jobs bearable while killing hope. His real bottom behavior: buying a gram, going home alone, watching pornography all night for days; later doing the same thing isolated in hotel rooms on tour. Porn + coke: “eggs and bacon” and trauma Says cocaine and porn go together for him “like eggs and bacon / cars and diesel.” Explains the appeal: he can’t get an erection anyway, but the visual world and voyeurism are the draw. Builds an insular, secret universe where he controls everything and doesn’t risk being hurt in real-life relationships. Ties it back to not being parented, not being seen, being hurt in relationships, and never being taught how to give or receive love. Talks about PTSD and “euphoric recall” around those binges and how long it takes to emotionally disarm those memories. Childhood trauma: stillbirth, ECT, Valium and the “wife swap” At age two, his mum has a stillbirth; the baby (Nicola) has severe spina bifida. Mum goes into acute depression; treated with electroshock therapy and becomes addicted to Valium. He basically isn’t parented for several years; dad is a womanizer seeking attention elsewhere. Parents end up in a bizarre partner swap: his dad gets with a married woman, his mum gets with that woman’s husband, they literally swap houses on the same estate. He describes his family as stuck in a “misery cycle” that none of them want to break. Nervous breakdowns, Europe, and being “vacant” as a father By the time the band blows up, he’s had multiple nervous breakdowns, lost jobs, and been thrown out of places he rented. His wife Claire is doing both roles, father and mother, while he’s “vacant” and touring. On the road, he mostly isolates in hotel rooms, getting obliterated on drugs and porn instead of partying socially. Success gives him cash—no more dealers texting about debts, merch money in his hands—and everything ramps up. The bottom: wife leaves with the kids & the beer down the drain His wife takes their daughter and newborn son and leaves to a hotel for about a week. Jason comes home after a two- or three-day coke run; the house is empty. A friend stops by with curry and a can of lager. Jason goes outside, looks at the beer, and pours it down the drain. Decides to stop drinking, and because booze was his gateway, he stops cigarettes, weed and cocaine the same day. After a few weeks his wife tells him, “You’ve never been this clean.” He calls it his last chance. Therapy, complex trauma and breaking the cycle Early therapists tell him his main issue is trauma more than pure physical addiction and don’t push 12-step. Meets a trauma psychologist at Nottingham University—after a 10-minute history the guy says, “I’ll see you.” Gets diagnosed with complex trauma: a long chain of circumstantial hits that fed all his erratic, self-destructive behavior. Does years of psychotherapy, then moves to an inner-child therapist who has him talk to himself as a kid. Admits he came to see his first therapist as a father figure. No contact with either parent now; says he wanted to break the family pattern and did, with his wife and kids. Volunteers at a local center that feeds and clothes people, including folks with heavy addiction. Mental health, men, and friendship Talks about how men in particular struggle to talk, keep things solitary, and carry shame. Shares that he doesn’t have many close friends and sometimes beats himself up for not being able to “save” people still using. Believes mental health awareness is here to stay but there’s still a low-level taboo. Nerdy music lightning round Pistols vs. Clash, Iggy vs. Lou, Weller vs. Rod Stewart, Oasis vs. Blur, Stone Roses vs. Blur, Public Enemy vs. Beastie Boys, etc. Lots of British music nerdery and Jason shit-talking his own personal pantheon in a loving way. Ends with Jason promising to hit New York with Sleaford Mods, and Dave offering friendship if he ever needs it.

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

Tuesday Teaser! Meditation! Cormac Selby

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2025

Charlotte McKinney Interview 45 days sober, nervous about committing Comedy as a private escape Heavy past weed use; quitting cold turkey Partying with men as an excuse to use Realizing she was returning to “darkness” from high school Craziest drug moments: taking LSD and going to family dinners / holiday events completely high Codependency, intimacy issues, celibacy experiment Dave shares his own early AA story and obsession with his ex Sponsor talk, boundaries, women’s meetings Rapid-fire game: mushrooms, Prince, heroin vs meth, Pilates vs ketamine

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2025

Dave is “bursting with gratitude” after finally removing a rotting opossum from his block and throws it in a dumpster instead of giving it a “noble death.” Riff on opossums as disgusting North American marsupials; asks listeners if there’s a grosser animal or another North American marsupial. Reads an Instagram message from Case/Casey: binged almost all episodes, finally joined Patreon, 23 months sober off booze and stolen meds from nursing jobs, loved Dr. Giles in Ep 550, in a diversion program, big fan of Demerol, only criticism is Dave’s Pearl Jam hate. Dave defends his Pearl Jam disdain but says he’d gladly have Eddie Vedder on and loved the Into the Wild soundtrack. Lays out the “daily Dopey” plan: Monday replay (Charlotte McKinney), Tuesday Patreon teaser/Reddit Roundup, Wednesday Dose of Dopey (possibly Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods), Thursday retro episode with Chris, asks for Chris-episode requests by email. Spotify reviews, Theo Vaughn bleep & Tim Dillon Reads Spotify comments: Laura Ann DiPiro on Laura Ann DiPiro episode sound being fixed by Howie; gratitude message; Todd Snider and Steve Poltz love. Comment about him bleeping a comic’s name (Theo Vaughn) while mentioning David Spade; listener jokes he’s playing it safe hoping to book Theo. Dave admits wanting Theo on, reads comments about “Many Rivers to Cross,” NA vs AA identity language, and Sober influencers. Clarifies his stance: loves NA but it didn’t work for him; he says “alcoholic” in meetings and admits he misquotes AA literature and breaks traditions. Shoutout to longtime Tim Dillon booking attempts; listener thinks Tim would be a huge guest. Steve Cropper tribute & interracial bands riff Pays tribute to late guitarist/songwriter Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MG’s, Blues Brothers band, Green Onions, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”) and tells the story of Cropper finishing “Dock of the Bay” after Otis Redding died. Plays short clips of “Green Onions” and “Dock of the Bay.” Riff on “interracial bands”: lists Booker T. and the MG’s, Sly & the Family Stone, The Specials, Love (probably), Black Moon, Benny Goodman, Miles Davis groups, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Thin Lizzy, Hootie & the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band; jokes that some were better than others. Mountainside & Link Diagnostics ads Mountainside: detox, 28-day, aftercare, origin of Dopey with Chris, locations in CT, NYC, Long Island; shoutout to John Jones with his phone number and mountainside.com/dopey. Link Diagnostics: boutique tox lab for treatment centers, fast accurate results for emerging substances (kratom, mushroom chocolates, designer drugs), motto “stay positive and test negative.” Voicemail: colonoscopy & propofol Miles from California calls about a colonoscopy: anesthesiologist slowly pushes milky propofol while chatting so he “gets a nice feeling for a little while” then knocks out, but prep is brutal “explosive water” diarrhea. Encourages Dave to get his colonoscopy, says propofol is worth it. Dave jokes about wanting to be “milk-ed” with propofol and wonders why he’d get it without a colonoscopy. Orchard on the Brazos & email: using in rehab Orchard on the Brazos ad: Dan and Brandy, family-run Texas facility, private bedrooms, 132 acres, pond, tennis, gym, chef-prepared meals, “recovery that doesn’t feel like punishment.” Email from Dylan in Canada about using fentanyl in treatment: At 120 mg methadone + clonazepam in three-month rehab, gets welfare deposit, cabs to hospital and secretly scores a teener (1.75g) of purple “FETI” (strongest stuff). Smokes on foil before returning; keeps smoking in room and dayroom, nods in front of nurse for 5 minutes. Refuses UA, makes a scene, rehab can’t find dope/foil/straws and lets him stay; he still graduates. Now three years clean, tapering methadone by 5 mg/month from 40 mg. Dave praises Dylan’s story, jokes it restores his faith in Canadians and wonders if Dylan is a Pearl Jam fan, promises stickers/socks. Dave’s own “using in treatment” stories & invitation California detox: convinces Todd to visit with cigarettes, heroin, and a needle; shoots dope in treatment dayroom and later leaves, wasting his dad’s money. Earlier rehab: young woman gave him Elavil (downer) and he got high before discharge. Clarifies: most satisfying thing is actually getting sober, not using in treatment; invites “using in treatment” stories via email and emphasizes he’s not recommending it. Recovery Unplugged ad Music-based treatment centers in FL, TX, VA, TN, SC, NJ. Higher long-term recovery rates, accepts insurance, in-person and online. Collaboration with manager Doc McGhee on the Elsewhere If program for touring musicians and crew. Repeats that you don’t have to be a musician to benefit. Main interview: Darrell Hammond Opening: “I didn’t do as well as I wanted to” Darrell says he feels he didn’t do as well as he wanted in his career despite being one of SNL’s longest-tenured cast members and current announcer, with a book and documentary. Dave frames him as hugely successful; Darrell says feeling “not enough” is just his nature. Comedy Cellar & distractions Both talk about how distracting crowds, blenders, plates, noise, and outdoor shows can wreck sets. Darrell describes doing the “worst show of his life” at an outdoor Hall of Fame gig next to LaGuardia with nonstop planes; he feels betrayed but powers through and emphasizes never letting the crowd feel you hate them. First drinks & baseball curveballs First drink at 14: stolen six-pack of Busch beers in a Southern ditch under magnolias and Australian pines; two beers turn his world from black-and-white to color—suddenly he likes himself, feels good, sees himself as a good ballplayer. Baseball story: two doubles off an “impossibly talented” pitcher called CPR Bro after correctly guessing curveballs, practiced by hitting wiffle-ball curves—parallels between talent and intuition. Feeling outside & impressions as entry pass As a kid and young adult he feels he doesn’t belong and is “anxiously apart from” the world. Impressions (coaches, parents, celebrities) give him instant entry and acceptance—especially making his mother laugh and feeling oxytocin-type relief. Discusses the “antecedents” of alcoholism: didn’t want to face that trauma and parenting played a role, so he preferred to believe it “came from nowhere.” Trauma, flashbacks & the doctor’s psychodrama Describes multiple psych hospital stays and misdiagnoses (psychotic, schizophrenic, borderline, bipolar, sociopathic) before meeting one doctor who uses psycho-theater/“chair work.” Doctor has him play both himself and his mother in a structured dialogue; buried memories come back in pieces, not all at once. He talks about the Jekyll/Hyde element of alcoholism—rage that feels like another person—and Bill W’s line about “seemingly without provocation” while realizing he often did provoke situations. Abuse, self-blame, and the need to protect the parent Revisits abuse memories (hands slammed in doors, being left places) and explains how he blamed himself (“I slammed my own hand in the door”) because admitting his mother didn’t love or protect him felt like a path to insanity. Says the brain won’t let you think something that would send you permanently over the edge, so it chooses self-blame instead. Alcohol as problem solver & limited cocaine/crack Calls alcohol a “problem solver” that showed up to fix terror and unprocessed anger. Clarifies he wasn’t actually a crack addict—did coke heavily for about four months and used crack once—but mostly his addiction was whiskey/John Barleycorn. Dave jokes that Google says “crack addict”; Darrell corrects the record. The crack-house on 137th Street After SNL, drunk on Jäger in Washington Square Park, a huge guy invites him to “hit the pipe.” They go to a real Harlem crack house; the owner thinks Darrell is police, but the big guy defends him: “He ain’t police. That motherfucker’s on TV.” A topless woman across the room recognizes him: “That’s Clinton.” Darrell calls it the happiest he’s ever been. He notices the 11th-Step (St. Francis) prayer written on the wall and has a psychotic-feeling moment that God is speaking to him. Sponsor’s suicide and long slide First big sober run: 5 years and 7 months of strong program in Orlando—radio job, weight loss, gym, colorful clothes, Emmet Fox “Seven Day Mental Diet” every morning. Sponsor is fired for being gay in a conservative Southern environment and later tells Darrell he’s in love with him; Darrell gently rejects him. Sponsor dies by suicide with a .357, closed casket because of injuries; Darrell gets a voicemail from the man’s young daughter saying their dad killed himself. He internalizes blame (“I partially caused this”), spirals into deep guilt, starts dressing in black and stops trying as hard at life, and then relapses; never gets past a few years sober again for a long time. SNL, drinking, and cutting When he gets SNL, he does not drink on “game day” because he respects the danger and stakes of live TV; he drinks during the week and after the show. Cutting first starts at 19, disappears, then comes roaring back in his 30s and early 40s at the height of his career. Explains cutting as: Creating a solvable crisis that temporarily distracts from overwhelming internal panic/flashbacks. A visible sign/billboard saying “I’m hurting; someone notice.” He hides cuts junkie-style (long sleeves, keeping it under wraps); says Lorne doesn’t micromanage behavior as long as “the ball goes over the fence” on Saturday. Therapy, diagnoses & acting work on meds Talks about being misdiagnosed with multiple disorders before that key trauma-focused doctor. Mentions acting work: Damages, Law & Order: SVU, and Criminal Intent; says he did well in some, but on Lamictal he felt emotionally dulled and couldn’t respond properly to intense scene partners like Vincent D’Onofrio. Impressions, Comedy Cellar & finding the “funny” Early on, NYC clubs reject impressionists as “prop acts,” which feeds his imposter syndrome. He eventually reframes impressions as “the way God instructed me to be funny.” Uses Comedy Cellar stage to workshop characters like Al Gore hundreds of times, learning to exaggerate like a Hirschfeld caricature rather than just “match sonar blips” of a voice. Talks about Jim Downey walking in with a fully formed Gore take before the 2000 debates—syrupy, overbearing school-teacher vibe that finally makes Gore funny. For Clinton, he invents the now-iconic thumb-and-lip combo at the Cellar; recognizes Clinton as someone who genuinely loves being Bill Clinton. Shares stories of Bill Clinton’s charisma, work ethic hosting SNL, talking to grips and gardeners, and his view that what’s most personal is most general and funniest. Stroke ward, terror, and surrender Describes the stroke: artery blockage, six specialists working on him, feeling his throat cut open for surgery and later feeling like he’d been thrown onto bricks. In the stroke ward he hears what he thinks are children but learns it’s adults newly told they’ll never speak again, trying to talk; that sound haunts him. Realizes “I did this”—his thinking and drinking drove him into the ambulance and ward. This is the event that finally makes him desperate enough to accept he’s the problem, give up his own ideas, and beg for a new way to live so he never goes back there. Program today, “law of threes” & connection Daily routine: cognitive therapy, exercise, yoga, meditation, meetings, deliberate connection with others. Uses the “law of threes” from Olympic training: one-third of days feel great, one-third are okay, one-third suck—and that’s normal. Believes connection is the antidote to whatever he is. God, Einstein, babies & serenity Shares a long riff on Einstein watching a girl and a train, gravity applying different force, and “God does not play dice with the universe.” For him, whoever can hang planets, spin a water-covered Earth exactly, and create babies being born is, by human definition, “God.” Admits he used to bargain with God for revenge, awards, and an Oscar/Emmy/Tony/Grammy/Drama Desk, but now sees what he really wanted was inner peace. Imaginary God answer: He’s not killing anyone or handing out awards, but He can offer serenity and peace of mind—Darrell accepts that deal. Religion & closing Shares Mary Shelley’s line as his “religion”: “To improve myself and to contribute to the happiness of others.” Dave runs a “This or That” game that Darrell mostly refuses to answer (too much love/respect for many choices), but he does pick: Stones over Beatles, booze over coke, Clinton over Bush, oxy over Percocet, Ativan over Klonopin, Porky over Daffy, New York over New Orleans, Depakote over lithium. They acknowledge imposter syndrome, how impressions are God’s way of instructing him to be funny, and how recovery is built on admitting he can’t run the show. Outro: Patreon, Safe Spot, stickers, mustard, and recovery Dave calls the conversation soulful, sad, and satisfying; invites feedback at [email protected] and reminds listeners about Patreon (ad-free, extra shows, Wednesday recovery Zoom, monthly Patreon Zoom—moving it to Sunday because he and Linda are going to see Andrew Dice Clay). Does a quick Dice impression: “Jack and Jill went up the hill…” into “she needed the money.” Safe Spot plug for people wanting to get high without dying: 1-800-972-0590, Kimber and Steven. Customstickers.com ad: fast, high-quality stickers, 20% off for Dopey fans. Mike’s Amazing mustard and mayo shoutout as “very high quality products.” Rant about hating social media, sucking at it, Instagram being at risk again, and the Trey Anastasio thing; says it’s stressful and not rewarding. Reflects on sleep, Stranger Things putting him to sleep because Linda only allows watching late with lights off and no phone. Ends with a clear statement that recovery is the best thing that ever happened to him, followed by family, Dopey, and Katz’s (order adjusted depending on who’s listening), and a Steve Cropper RIP/Blues Brothers plug.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2025

Replay from June 2022 - Carolyn 'Mountain Girl' Garcia tells her story! From ibogaine in Palo Alto, to LSD with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Going on the road and starting a family with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Ultimately enduring a marriage with a total heroin and cocaine addict as husband and father of her children. This is a very, very special replay of an extra heady episode of the good old Dopey show! Big big shout out to Seth Ferrante for hooking it up!

Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2025

Wednesday Dose intro – Dave launches the mid-week “Wednesday Dose of Dopey,” rambling about post-Thanksgiving cheesecake obsession, dunking bakery cookies into cheesecake, and wrecking himself (and his pants) trying to run with his dog Winnie for the Dopey Fitness Challenge. Listener email – Haley (Mississippi) – Loves the Glenis and Billy Strings episodes, relates to losing both parents, shouts out Dave’s interrupting-but-perfect questions, and promises future stories from homelessness, prison, and IV meth. Dave begs for more emails and voicemails to [email protected] . Miles Davis heroin passage – Dave reads from the Miles Davis autobiography: sliding from snorting to shooting heroin, realizing he has a “habit,” and describing a four-year horror show of heroin/coke in NYC with Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Walter Bishop, etc. Guest: Naughty God (Dakota) – origin story – San Diego kid; sweet young mom, meth-addicted dad, split households. First high at 13 snorting mystery pain pills from a friend’s brother’s room, then full weed-identity kid (Snoop + pot-leaf MySpace). Band life with Jacob Nowell / LAW – Forms LAW with Jacob Nowell (Bradley Nowell’s son). Early years of weed, then coke and speed. Tries to draw a line (no speed for him, no opiates for Jacob), both eventually cross it. Dakota starts showing up high, Jacob gets sober and finally tells him he can’t come to the band anymore. Dakota pretends not to care, then goes home and cries. Orange County run: coke, blues, fetty, heroin – Moves to Dana Point, tight crew in San Clemente’s Triangle, dealing/using coke nightly. Adds Oxy 30 “blues”, then fentanyl pills and heroin. Lives in a two-year loop of dealing and using. Fentanyl deaths & getting help – In about two months, Dakota loses Robert (best friend), his cousin, and three other friends to fentanyl overdoses. Has a mental breakdown and heavy survivor’s guilt, calls his grandma, and checks into a San Diego hospital detox, gets put on 100mg methadone, then goes to a state-funded program and moves in with family. Methadone years & taper – Stays on 100mg methadone for 4–5 years, barely using anything else. With a therapist’s help, decides he can’t stay on it forever. Tapers over about a year from 100 to 4mg, then jumps. Says the taper fog and withdrawal were brutal and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Now about 1.5 years off methadone, occasionally smokes weed, and focuses on therapy, music, and content. Nods, fentanyl & Naughty God channel – Says nodding was “everything”; describes fentanyl nods as zombie-like and short (“no legs”). Builds the NaughtyGod brand by rating nods like a sports announcer, with phrases like “Horseshoe,” “Charm City Rainbow,” “Nodwalk Shuffle,” “Baltimore Street Yoga,” “Sheriff of Nottingham.” Talks about Instagram flags/bans and treating his content like a recurring show so people follow for each “episode.” Content, community & collab – Dave and Dakota realize they both started their stuff for fun/ego and it accidentally turned into something that helps addicts feel less alone. Dakota gives Dave ideas for recurring, themed Dopey clips; they agree to collab on a nod reel and cross-pollinate their audiences. Safe Spot & stickers – Dave plugs Safe Spot for people afraid they might OD while using: 1-800-972-0590. Tells listeners to go to meetings, shout outs Kimber, Steven, Jesse. Plugs customstickers.com with code DOPEY20 and asks listeners who think they’d be great guests to email/voicemail. Signs off: “Stay strong Dopey Nation and fucking toodles for Chris.”

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2025

Me, my dad and a special guest talk shit.

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2025

• Matcha, early Christmas talk, Billy’s son (00:00–02:30)Light open: matcha review, Starbucks froth, early Christmas gifts, his son’s second Christmas. • Why Billy came on Dopey (02:30–04:00)Wants to speak honestly about addiction, truth, and helping people. Recently lost his mom. • Addiction shaping his entire life (04:00–07:00)Growing up with secrecy, shame, house raided, can’t talk about things in school. Learns addiction is sickness only after his mom dies. • Childhood: music, parents, culture (07:00–12:00)Dad teaching bluegrass; mom spinning Beatles backwards (“turn me on dead man”), Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath. Early homes in Kentucky, then Michigan. • New York Street crack house memories (12:00–13:20)Mom smoking crack, sister teased, house shot up. • Portland trailer park → Muir (13:20–16:00)First real memories: food in cupboards, park life, music, fishing, Bush Light, doobies. Then meth arrives and destroys everything. • Meth in the park, raids, Dustin the Baggie origin (15:00–17:00)Brad Lascaux meth mess, labs in campers. • Losing the trailer, moving to 420 Railroad St. (17:00–21:00)Grandma calls the house “demonic.” Billy finds pipe in glove box. Mom’s art covering walls. No rules. • Teen years: weed at 8, metal bands, drinking, couch-surfing (21:00–24:00)Finding metal, dropping out, skateboarding, proto-hippie ideas. • Birthday morning meth revelation (24:00–26:00)Walks in on parents smoking meth with “Booger.” Leaves home at 13. • Couch surfing, trying coke, trying meth, guilt trip fails (26:00–28:00)Moves in with Brad Kenyon. Tries coke at 14. First meth at 16. • First meth use with mom (28:00–31:30)Handyman tweaker; mom makes a lightbulb pipe; Billy plays guitar for 48 hours. • Why he hid this for years (31:00–32:00)Didn’t want to make parents look bad. • School chaos, couch surfing, survival (32:00–33:30)Doesn’t know where he’s sleeping; algebra irrelevant. • More meth years at parents’ house (33:30–40:00)Marathon runs, labs, four-day runs, mom and dad gluing things to walls, parties with minors. Angry Man. Tweakers everywhere. • Getting out: Benji’s family saves him (40:00–42:00)Fed him, gave him a home on condition he goes to school. • Parents’ meth fizzles out (42:00–44:00)Law cracking down, pseudoephedrine changes, move to aunt’s house, church. • Touring, parents broke, asking for money (44:00–46:00)Heartbreaking calls; hustling on the road. • Dust in a Baggie timeline (46:00–47:30)Already years of gigs before the video surfaced. • “Billy Strings” name origin (47:30–49:30)Friend Mandy; cancer; bridge jump; dies shortly later. • Being recognized as a prodigy (49:30–50:30)Adults praising him since childhood. • Hard drugs, heroin story (50:30–56:30)Nods out, pukes repeatedly, sinks into darkness, sees “Grim Reaper,” swears it off forever. • Biological dad’s jail letter (56:30–58:30)Finds it only after mom dies. First time hearing “I love my boys.” • Poverty, trauma, survival (58:30–1:01:00)Fleas, freezing rooms, stove going out, tweakers, Piano Fingers. • Crack stories (1:41:00–1:45:00)Full body hit, instant addiction, dreams, smell memories. • Career growth, touring, panic attacks, therapy (1:01:00–1:08:00)Confronts childhood molestation in therapy. • Mom relapsing, buying her a house, fan rumors (1:08:00–1:12:00)Wants her safe garden life; learns she relapsed. Doesn’t blame fans. • Billy’s dad’s health crisis (1:12:00–1:14:00)Heart at 13%, fluid, pills, hospital time. • Mother’s death (1:14:00–1:21:00)Billy finds out in Lexington. Plays shows after crying onstage. Returns home; dad hospitalized. • Death certificate arrives (Australia) (1:21:00–1:22:00)Meth intoxication. Learns father was using too. • Going through poems & writings (1:22:00–1:24:00)Plans to turn poems into songs. Reads excerpts. • Carlas murder (1:23:00–1:25:00)Mom’s early trauma. • Billy today: grief, guilt, letting go (1:25:00–1:33:00)Letting go of control, learning acceptance. • Weed, sobriety, fatherhood, life on the bus (1:33:00–1:36:00)Thinking about quitting weed; enjoys fatherhood on tour. • Crack dreams, meth stories, danger memories (1:36:00–1:45:00)Puking while hitting crack, pregnant woman smoking, unsafe houses. • Trey & Al-Anon (1:45:00–1:48:30)Trey sends meeting links; Billy listens in. • Helping others (1:48:30–end)Wants to help kids & families like his; considers a rehab someday.

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2025

NOTES: Jimmy Cliff tribute Billy Strings episode reviews Charlotte McKinney Interview 45 days sober, nervous about committing Comedy as a private escape Heavy past weed use; quitting cold turkey Partying with men as an excuse to use Realizing she was returning to “darkness” from high school Craziest drug moments: taking LSD and going to family dinners / holiday events completely high Codependency, intimacy issues, celibacy experiment Dave shares his own early AA story and obsession with his ex Sponsor talk, boundaries, women’s meetings Rapid-fire game: mushrooms, Prince, heroin vs meth, Pilates vs ketamine Steve Poltz Segment Backstage hotboxed with Todd Snider & Evan Dando Going onstage at the Ryman baked on contact high Todd’s decline, pneumonia, sepsis, frustration, confusion, death Memories of touring, chaos, funny and heartbreaking moments Gratitude Messages Messages from John Bukaty, Aurora, Jake, Anders from Greensky Bluegrass, Ray, Margaret Cho, Tuan, Katie B, Papa Smurf, Suki Jones, Heart Attack Doug, Selby Dave encourages holiday voicemails for Christmas/New Year’s Linda Segment Chicken meatballs from Uncle Giuseppe’s Thanksgiving dessert Dave “not letting her on the show” Thanksgiving family chaos

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2025

Purpose of the teaser is to push people to Patreon. Mentions: Wednesday Dopey Patreon Zoom Recovery Zoom Saturday Zoom Extra videos + shows. Joke: No one questioned last week’s Zoom announcement because they assume you won’t show up. Billy Strings Aftermath Biggest episode ever. Covered by: Rolling Stone People Magazine Yahoo News Country outlets 75 Spotify comments, a record. You read several: Praise for your interviewing. People crying. People relating to losing mothers. Jokes about your Soft White Underbelly appearance. A listener calling the episode description “cinematic,” which you suspect was written by AI. Listener Present at Katz’s: Saul & Jake Package delivered at Katz’s from German listeners. Note from Saul: Jake listened to Dopey while working in vineyards. They think you’d love the spelt/dinkle cookies. Ask for a shout-out to Ira & Phil. Ask for hope for their friend Maddie. Ask for ska recommendations for NYC. Mention Meta deleting her Instagram—something “you have in common.” Doug refuses to eat the cookie. You mock him for the tiny bite he takes. You accuse him of: “You hate gays and gluten.” Cutaway to Tank Sinatra Story Doug doesn’t know him. You explain: Meme guy 10 million followers Shark Tank contestant Sobriety Recorded in your garage Got a flat tire in your driveway He refused to share the episode → you unfollowed (“petty motherfucker”). AI Debate Teaser Read Kevin Sherry’s email: Calls AI “repulsive,” “morally bankrupt,” “stealing,” and says using it is “relapsing.” Says you have an “autistic flair.” You and Doug debate AI: Doug jokes about AI hospital beds and Costco chickens. You show him the AI mantis graphic. Doug talks about how synthesizers, MIDI, sampling were originally hated. You argue AI feels different but still interesting to experiment with. Closing You finish the German cookies. Apologize to Tank Sinatra again. Announce that your eyes are “fucked up” and you now need glasses. Promote Patreon one more time.

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2025

Billy (mother fucking) Strings! - BILLY STRINGS STARTS AROUND 27 MINUTES IN... Dopey Meditation! Spotify Reviews! Premature ejaculation! Fentanyl! Dave introduces Billy Strings and jokes about being “professional” with matcha, lights, and cameras Billy talks about early Christmas, gifts, his 15-year-old daughter reviewing matcha Why he came on Dopey: addiction shaped his life; wants to help people by telling his story Talks about losing his mom recently and wanting to live in truth Growing up with addiction: dad died of heroin overdose when Billy was two Parents smoked crack; house shot up; meth enters the park scene in Michigan Living in trailer parks, food insecurity, powdered milk, church food boxes House becoming chaotic: glued art to walls, “collage house,” people coming in and out Started smoking weed at 8; acid and mushrooms with mom; first time doing acid—mom tested it first First time meth: smoked it with mom and a handyman using a modified lightbulb Four-day awake binges, playing guitar nonstop Being a teenager, couch surfing, leaving home at 13, dropping out of school First time smoking crack; immediate compulsive craving; dreams about crack Stories about pregnant woman smoking crack, meth labs, people going to prison Parents' addiction cycles, “skirting the truth,” shielding family from shame When his parents got clean then slipped back Billy buying his parents a house; heartbreak when he learned they were using again Mom died from methamphetamine intoxication; Billy didn’t know she was using Dad admits he was using too while heart is functioning at ~13% Processing grief, anger, acceptance, reading mom’s poems, spirituality Al-Anon via Trey Anastasio; hearing others talk about losing loved ones Talks about his son, wanting to break generational cycle Talks about doing heroin once, puking all night, feeling "the Grim Reaper saw me" Quit drinking ~9 years ago after throwing up and missing gigs Smoking weed constantly; thinking about quitting Touring, panic attacks, therapy, being molested as a child Playing arenas, trying to enjoy success, still driven by fear of losing it Wanting to help others: maybe opening a rehab someday Talks about music influences, parents' music, Beatles backwards records, bluegrass saving him Origin Story behind the name “Billy Strings”! Reads and discusses his mom’s poetry; wants to turn them into songs Talks Sopranos, The Wire, Doc Watson, Dead shows, Trey, bluegrass festivals Closes with reflection on joy, grief, and living “freakishly” like his mom

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2025

Dave records alone at home, loving the peace and warmth. Sitting at the dining table with gear everywhere. Next to Susan the snake’s terrarium. Talks mic problems, fake meditation idea, and why he likes holding microphones. 🚗 Patreon Teaser Preview (Me & Doug in the Honda Pilot) Dave sneezes nonstop during recording. No tissues → uses his sock as a handkerchief. “This is not necessarily a teaser where you're dying to listen to me blow my nose into my sock.” 📅 New Potential Daily Dopey Schedule Mon: standalone interview from the week before Tue: teaser Wed: Secret Dopey (short interviews or backup guests) Thu: archive or mailbag Fri: main Dopey 💻 Patreon Zoom Announcement Dave tries to commit to a 9pm Patreon Zoom that night. 📧 Listener Email From Dave Listener recognizes his sponsor as the Firecracker rapper. Firecracker unintentionally started a rap battle in the Dopey Nation. Listener is 18 months sober. Big gratitude for the show. 🎵 Firecracker Rap Playback Dave plays the full Firecracker rap. Calls it one of his all-time favorite Dopey music pieces. Loves the Artie Lange line. Calls it “white recovery hip hop” but says he loves it. Encourages all rappers (“black, white, or Haitian”) to send verses. 🚗 Doug Section (Tuesday Patreon Audio) Dave and Doug sit “on the beautiful Great South Bay.” Doug busts Dave’s balls about blowing his nose into socks and being a “homeless person.” Dave claims he has four homes. Doug brings up Mark Laita / Soft White Underbelly. Doug critiques Dave’s Soft White Underbelly appearance and his second Rich Roll interview. Round 1 vs Rich Roll: Dave “won” Round 2 vs Rich Roll: Dave was “needy” and Rich “was on fire” Chat about meditations, voices, headphones, and Doug’s surgery plans. Dave jokes about replacing Doug with Johnny Mac or Surfer Brian. Plugs Surfer Brian’s ukulele “Good So Bad.”

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2025

NOTES: Dave opens the show with his usual Dopey ramble, talking about meditation apps, gratitude, and reading a mountain of Spotify comments — some sweet, some insane, some hostile. He riffs on Dopey Nation characters and gives reactions to listener feedback. Voicemails and emails roll in, including Taylor discussing kratom and 7-OH, plus various listener stories Dave comments on. Dave moves through multiple sponsor transitions and personal anecdotes before introducing the guest: Glynis Frantz. Glynis Interview — Part 1 Glynis describes wanting to be “a nice girl” — a good daughter, sister, aunt — but feeling pulled by a “magnet” toward using. She explains her deep resentment toward her mother; abandonment issues that spilled into relationships; her belief she was unlovable; and recreating rejection in every relationship. Talks about falling into addiction as the only relief she ever knew. Early years of crack, heroin, Oxy, running from DYS, juvenile detention, being arrested, and eventually a pattern of heroin dealing and using as a teenager. Stripping in Providence; OCs and crack with older men; trauma piling up. Boston → Texas → Early Meth She reunites with a “normal” boyfriend in Texas, tries to stay clean, fails. Describes being cold, homeless, couch-to-couch in Boston, occasionally sleeping outside. Returns to Texas, tries bartending, gets introduced to “ice” (crystal meth). Enters meth culture — 4-day runs, disappearing with the car, compulsively reorganizing the trunk for six hours. Her boyfriend tries to help but becomes a hostage to the chaos. Game Rooms, GHB, & Meth Culture Glynis explains underground “game rooms” in Texas — illegal casino rooms tied to meth culture. Meth → crack binges → GHB to come down → more meth. She describes tweakers, matches, pushing buttons on illegal slot machines, and disappearing for days. Eventually begins mixing meth and heroin again (shooting tar for the first time). The Robberies & Falling Apart Cars stolen multiple times. A woman she met in jail robs her boyfriend’s entire house — “not a charger left in the socket.” Police involvement, panic, and the boyfriend finally ending the relationship after trying to help for too long. Strip Clubs → Money Mike → Pimp/Hoe Life Glynis returns to dancing and meets Money Mike, a career pimp freshly out of federal prison for pimping/pandering. She breaks down pimp culture: Bottom bitch / golden goose / ducks No eye contact with certain men Recruiting “fresh turnouts” Rules: never fall asleep, never give away free time, never “simp” Glynis talks about the psychological grip — incremental loss of autonomy, fear tactics, and the twisted family dynamic. She details abscesses, ICU stays, neck shots, and disconnecting from her body emotionally. Renegade Mode & Meth Psychosis Glynis eventually escapes, steals back her own life, becomes a “renegade” (independent escort). Meth psychosis intensifies — hypervigilance, believing she’s being hunted by pimps, calling police on herself multiple times. A horrifying stretch of paranoia, hallucinations, and fleeing state to state. L.A., Skid Row, Gang Members, & Fentanyl Moves to L.A., loses phone/ID, ends up staying in a trap motel with a homeless meth user named Naji. Starts buying drugs in MacArthur Park and Skid Row. Gets absorbed into gang environments: stolen cars, guns, indictments, being handcuffed to a sink. Moves to Vegas briefly to escape. Returns to L.A. and begins buying ounces, then pounds of fentanyl. Human Smuggling Across the Border Gets recruited by a cartel-adjacent crew to drive undocumented people across the border from Mexico into the U.S. Describes the process: Hotel meet-ups Bluetooth instructions Losing cell service near the pickup People running out of bushes into her trunk Driving through checkpoints Usually 2–3 people per run; $1,500 per head if local drop, more if delivered to L.A. Eventually makes the mistake of putting someone in the passenger seat. Bust → Federal Prison → Cross-Eyed Withdrawal Border checkpoint sends her to secondary. She is arrested and taken to Pine Valley Border Patrol Station. Withdraws violently from fentanyl in custody. Falls from top bunk, hits her head, has a seizure, becomes cross-eyed for months. Hospitalized two weeks under U.S. Marshals while they rule out neurological disease. Moves through multiple federal facilities (MCC, Otay Mesa, Santa Ana, Pahrump). Makes pruno, sees drugs smuggled into prison, survives COVID lockdown. Early Release → Recovery COVID triggers major prison movement shutdowns, then early release for nonviolent offenders. Placed in a chaotic men’s sober living where only one person is actually sober: Jimmy the Poet. Exhausted, scared, with the first desire for freedom she’s ever had, she recognizes that drinking would send her straight back to prison. Asks for help. Connects with a sober woman; begins attending 12-step meetings; starts the process of building an actual life. Outro Glynis reflects on believing she was irreparably broken, unlovable, and incapable of a real life. She talks about becoming a sober woman with a career, meaningful relationships, sponsees, and a husband. Dave praises her as a chameleon who survived countless worlds and now uses the same adaptability for good. Both joke about “Boston” as a street name, and Dave thanks her for the rawest storytelling.

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2025

Me and Doug talking shit by the bay!

Transcribed - Published: 11 November 2025

Dave gives sponsor shoutouts and plugs Soft White Underbelly and his upcoming Rise for Recovery talk in Philly. Talks about Dopey’s Instagram being deleted by Meta. Reads a few Spotify comments about the Rich Roll episode — psychedelics, Ozempic, and hypnosis talk. Reads a listener email from Bakersfield about a meth-smuggling disaster involving a “baby daddy” hiding drugs inside his body. Plays a voicemail from Kirby J. about “How do you know if you’re an addict?” Promotes Patreon and invites listeners to send more voicemails. Guest: Roddy Bottum (Faith No More, Imperial Teen) Dave introduces Roddy Bottum and his book The Royal We. Roddy says he listened to Johnny Mac’s Dopey episode before coming on and got it immediately. Talks about growing up gay and secretive in LA, moving to San Francisco, and finding the punk scene. Explains how Faith No More began as a rotating art-punk group before gaining structure. Describes Courtney Love’s short stint in the band, her chaotic stage energy, and their friendship and drug use together. Shares stories about Chuck Mosley, Mike Patton, and early tours with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Recalls being arrested for smoking weed on the road in a paper suit. Talks about heroin use starting in the late ’80s, opium with Courtney, and being drawn to downers. Discusses the “heroin chic” culture and addiction as a form of secret identity. Reflects on his boyfriend Jim’s death, mental illness in the scene, and watching friends self-destruct. Opens up about the loss of his father to cancer, his friend Cliff’s overdose, and Kurt Cobain’s death soon after he got sober. Explains how those losses grounded his recovery and changed his relationship with music. Closing Dave thanks Roddy for coming on and connects his story to Dopey’s themes of addiction, loss, and survival. Episode closes with music and gratitude to the Dopey Natio

Transcribed - Published: 7 November 2025

🔥 Al-Anon x Raytreon returns — and this one’s got everything: dark energy, chopped liver, family drama, and a debate about whether Dave’s dad taught him how to steal. 🗣️ Dave kicks it off late on a Monday night with: Knicks talk 🏀 A British fan letter about Katz’s and chopped liver 🇬🇧🥪 Shadow people 👻 “Hot takes” (The Bear? Overrated. Foo Fighters? World’s most successful bar band. Kids shouldn’t play with their parents at playgrounds.) Then comes the main event: Dave, his dad Alan, and Ray dive into family tension, truth vs exaggeration, and whether comedy goes too far when it hits close to home. Alan calls Dave a liar, Dave defends himself, and Ray plays peacekeeper.

Transcribed - Published: 4 November 2025

Guest: Rich Roll — bestselling author, endurance athlete, and host of The Rich Roll Podcast Topics Covered: Dave’s intro: Katz’s Deli, Jeff Ross, Marcus Aurelius, parenting chaos Listener comments and Dopey Nation correspondence Sponsors: Oro Recovery, Mountainside, Recovery Unplugged Tom’s Vietnam dope story voicemail Bailey’s Chicago recovery email Rich Roll returns: psychedelics, ego, trauma, identity, and surrender Psilocybin + MDMA therapy and confronting fear Childhood wounds and transactional love Time, relapse shame, and identity in recovery Authenticity in podcasting and media Music talk: R.E.M., Radiohead, The Smiths Connection, gratitude, and the importance of showing up Quotes: “Are there coincidences, or aren’t there coincidences?” “Pain is the universe knocking.” “Love was something I thought I had to earn.” “Every obstacle is an opportunity — if you can stand still long enough to see it.” “I’m not someone who walks around grateful naturally — I’m a crabby self-obsessed motherfucker.” “I’m in it for the relationships.” Identity loss and transformation after injury Spinal fusion surgery and learning to sit still Attachment, ego, and the fear of irrelevance Emotional eating and food as addiction Plant-based pitfalls and vulnerability in body image Ozempic, habits, and shortcuts vs real change Finding joy and gratitude in success Sacred mornings and creative process Writing discipline and not talking about unfinished work Dopey Nation art, DopeyWood, and DopeyCon reflections Harm reduction, drug use stigma, and community inclusion Voicemails, listener love, and fan cover of “Good So Bad” Highlights: “Pain is always asking us to ask ourselves questions.” “Every obstacle is an opportunity — if you can stand still long enough to see it.” “I should be enjoying my life more than I do. That’s the real work.” “Food is like any other drug — a way to regulate emotion.” “Don’t talk about the book. Just write it.” Outro: Voicemail from a harm reductionist listener Shoutouts to Dopey admins, Facebook group, Zoom hosts, and Dopey Nation Tribute to Dave’s dad, “Papa Smurf,” and the late Dopey fans remembered through art Banjo cover of “Good So Bad” by Jake from West Virginia 🎧 Title Ideas Rich Roll on Pain, Purpose, and Letting Go The Contrary Action: Stillness, Sobriety, and Spinal Fusion with Rich Roll Rich Roll: Running, Recovery, and the Addiction to Achievement From Endurance to Surrender — A Conversation with Rich Roll Pain, Presence, and Plant-Based Life: Rich Roll Returns to Dopey 🔍 Searchable SEO Keywords Rich Roll, David Manheim, Dopey Podcast, Dopey Nation, addiction recovery, sobriety, emotional eating, food addiction, spinal fusion, identity crisis, veganism, plant-based diet, endurance athlete, podcast authenticity, Ozempic addiction, recovery podcast, service in recovery, contrary action, stillness, meditation, gratitude, harm reduction, relapse, mental health, banjo cover, DopeyCon, DopeyWood, James Frey, Brandon Novak, Dopey Medal of Freedom, drug use stigma, community recovery

Transcribed - Published: 31 October 2025

-Sick Kid -Kids Movies -Dental Surgery -Oz -Nitrous -Ben and Jerry's -Montana on Prison -Joey Ramone

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2025

Sick intro, dental-implant fear, Knicks talk. Listener shoutouts and Dopey Nation engagement. Miles Davis story → “acceptance is the key.” Poop-DMT email → classic disgusting Dopey moment. RJ interview: from straight-edge nerd to stoner dealer to expelled rebel to recovery founder. Key stories: first high, paintball theft, fake tutoring scheme, school expulsion, pencil stabbing, girlfriend overdose.

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2025

-📝 Show Notes Dave introduces the Tuesday Patreon teaser and teases a full episode featuring Mr. Brown and his dad. Talks about dental implant anxiety, burnout, and “cultivating illness” to rest. Discusses Martin Scorsese’s career and dream of having him on Dopey. Reads a funny Spotify listener comment about pork ads and anti-Semitism. Introduces new segment: Miles Davis on Dopey — reading wild stories from Miles: The Autobiography. Plays a voicemail from Selby about sneaking THC gummies through TSA. Shares personal TSA story involving his harmonica being mistaken for a weapon. Transitions to full Patreon preview: political discussion with his dad and Ray about empathy, kindness, and America’s divisions. Ends with a comedic apology and the song “I Wanna Be Good So Bad.”

Transcribed - Published: 21 October 2025

Dopey Notes: DopeyCon feedback, Spotify vs. iTunes reviews, dad monitoring iTunes. Sponsors & allies mentioned: Oro Recovery, Mountainside (title sponsor), Recovery.com, Recovery Unplugged; contact shout to John Jones at Mountainside. Listener corner: Archie (Lexington, KY): salvia → beach-ball hallucination → sprinting outside in underwear. David Dixon: shrooms, rock salt, and the day Jerry died. “Chip” from ep. 136: then-denial vs. now-sober (methadone). Dave’s social-media compulsion & unity riff; Heart Attack Doug voicemail (“discipline” and belly abuse). Guest: Brace Belden (Truenon) 11 years sober; meetings vs. chips; sponsoring a couple guys. Phone/text boundaries; “walk and talk.” Therapy vs. analysis; dream talk (Tom Cruise baby; Sabrina Carpenter at a sewer table); trazodone nights; hypnosis tapes for insomnia/anxiety. Drugs & sex honesty hour: DMT in the West Village; meth IV (“butt pulsation” observation); “galaxy gas” nitrous vs. old-school Whippets and the cracker; poppers lore; vague Quaalude memories. Boofing Suboxone film (“didn’t get it far enough”); coke on genitals (“numbing—kind of defeats the point”); coke dick; the “Wamo Jamo” speedball myth. Memory & molestation chat: what counts as memory, implanted/false memories, Dave’s family-friend story and camp counselor thread, Brace’s 14-year-old runaway incident with a knife and $40. Meetings + politics: Trumpy rooms, why “politics has no place in recovery,” being non-partisan on-air, and the difference between having beliefs vs. beating people with them. Charlie Kirk assassination video: why it hits hard; “good shot” discourse; lone-actor vs. “they”; rhetoric hypocrisy across sides. Hypotheticals & relapse pathways: weed→benzos→opiate slide vs. “new RC” curiosity; the last heroin highs (too high/sick vs. not enough); fentanyl vs. heroin now. Cro-Mags détente attempt (Harley Flanagan / John Joseph) and whether to air interviews when friends object. Rapid “this or that”: Trump vs. Kirk (prefers Trump), Pete Townshend vs. Roger Daltrey (Roger), RFK vs. Elon (RFK), MLK vs. Malcolm (Malcolm), Che vs. Fidel (Che), LSD vs. Ecstasy (LSD), X vs. Fang (X), methadone vs. Suboxone (Suboxone), EMDR vs. talk therapy (talk). Truenon live shows; schedule, workflow; invite to attend. Wrap-up: graffiti wall on Houston/First Street (Optimo & PVC Gray); request for someone to film the wall; Patreon; “Stay strong, Dopey Nation — toodles for Chris.”

Transcribed - Published: 17 October 2025

Block Blast DopeyCon? Stephen? Dentistry!

Transcribed - Published: 14 October 2025

DOPEYCON 2025! -First Dave reads Spotify Comments -Kratom Voicemail -How can you tell if you Are you an addict? Write us at [email protected] -Run of Show: DOPEYCON 6 Run Of Show - currently runs at 1:41 As of 10/4/25 Dave’s Welcome [4 minutes] Adam David Free Fallin Poetry with IDGAF Food STASHWORD Round 1 - Brandon Novak/Kari Nautique Brace Belden/Handsome Evan Reading by Roddy Bottum Shane Enholm Sings! Linda Speech IN MEMORIAM Video - NOTE - We just play the song in the podcast DOPEY MEDAL OF FREEDOM -NOVAK AWARD Honoring James Frey Ray Brown sings Dopeycon 2 STASHWORD Round 2 Fentanyl Jay/Hank Azaria Lenny From The Beach/Carl Radke SAM MILLER ASK ERIN with Hank Azaria, Brace Belden, Erin Khar, Sam Miller, Carl Radke Alan Speech STASHWORD FINALE GOOD SO BAD Singalong (Dave & Heart Attack Doug)

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2025

-Dopeycon Recap (spoiler alert) -Dr. Giles Comment -FACEBOOK TOOK US DOWN -FIGHT THE POWER -DOUG FAT SHAMES ME HARDCORE

Transcribed - Published: 7 October 2025

Dopey 551! Dopeycon Updates! A Kratom Tragedy Ben Croxton VM Amanda Petrusich! Overcoming Grief PHISH Metallica Bob Dylan Bob Dylan Play Post Script Crap!

Transcribed - Published: 3 October 2025

Emails Special Guest Keith Jerry Shout out to Ben from Philly!

Transcribed - Published: 30 September 2025

Dopey Nation Emails and Voicemails! Dopeycon News! Dopeycon themesong challenge! Santa Monica/Culver City; father a quart-a-day gin drinker; mother deeply codependent; father later sober ~35 years but “dry/angry.” Teen: ska/mod (Specials, Selecter, Untouchables, Madness), Vespa rides, alcohol/weed/amphetamines. Berkeley & Free Clinic Chose Berkeley (also accepted to MIT); Berkeley Free Clinic mentorship; lineage to Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic (David Smith; bands funded care). Purpose & “hero’s journey” framing; service as “primary purpose.” Anesthesia / pain medicine Charmed by physiology-in-real-time and the human connection (esp. parents in pediatric cases). Basics: take away pain & anxiety/memory (e.g., fentanyl, Versed); use relaxants; manage airway/complications. Favorite contrast: from tiny trigger-finger release to replacing the aortic arch. Fentanyl descent (1999) Diverted via paper logs; carried 2 mL for a month before first sterile IV use; loved the warm/relief/confidence. Waited ~6 weeks, used again; escalated to “after work only,” leading to daytime withdrawal and concealment (long gown to hide arms/weight/sweat). Experimented separately with other drawer drugs (e.g., propofol, pentothal; hates ketamine → “crumpled cellophane” feel). Sufentanil even more potent but dangerously narrow window. Intervention & recovery Chairman’s page about missing fentanyl; offered help, not punishment; referenced prior resident death. Bathtub cold-turkey detox; called a sober doctor; went to an AA meeting of doctors; felt less alone; kept going; “ultimate challenge is handling success.” Treatment feedback groups taught honest feeling-language and service; newfound congruence. Finished residency (board made it 2 years), married, child, then shift to treatment medicine in Malibu; “fish met water.” Substances & side topics Adrenaline/epinephrine: synthetic now; shooting it feels “weird/anxious.” Hitler: amphetamines + opiates (references Blitzed); late-stage junkie logic/psychosis frame. Halsted: cocaine mapping nerves → heroin maintenance, long IM use with periodic retreats; even “stable” heroin isn’t smooth. Crowley: “infinite supply” idea discussed; brain adapts—no stable bliss. Benzos vs. opiates Opiate withdrawal: nausea/diarrhea/sweats/chills/aches/runny nose/goosebumps unique to opiates. Benzo withdrawal: anxiety/fear, same feeling benzos treat → especially hard; seizures risk (Dave shares lived seizures). Memory / benzos / awareness Benzos disrupt hippocampal consolidation, but recall can still occur (e.g., intraoperative awareness with strong stimuli). Kratom Opiate-like activity; ~1/3 minimal withdrawal, ~1/3 rough as fentanyl, rest in-between (his experience). Often uses Suboxone to transition; prefers to wait/see which group before MOUD. Suboxone vs. abstinence MOUD prevents death/harms; some should stay indefinitely; for most: “cast/training wheels” until life is rebuilt + real recovery connections in place. Fentanyl now Overall OD deaths have ticked down recently from the peak, but fentanyl involvement is sky-high; he says he’s seen fentanyl in other drugs, counterfeit Percocet common; heroin is rare now. Economics: opium supply changes; fentanyl is cheap; heroin cachet remains among some.

Transcribed - Published: 26 September 2025

-Drunk -sex -1980's -Music -Dad

Transcribed - Published: 23 September 2025

-DOPEYCON IS COMING! -SKYFLY IN PA! -LOOSEY ON SALVIA! -BENZO'S in the UK -JOHNNY MAC NOTES: 🎙️ Recorded on a porch overlooking the “Great Lake Patchogue” (complete with swans and menthols). 🚬 Cigarettes, Tahitian Treats, and the first six-pack—Johnny’s entry into addiction. 💉 First heroin bag at 16, injected by a stranger while tripping on psilocybin. 🗽 Growing up Irish Catholic in Woodside—“You can rob, but not in the neighborhood.” 🍔 Donovan’s Pub cheeseburgers and junkie codes. 🧠 Half the high is copping; puking was part of the ritual. 🌌 Spirituality as the real drug—“The only thing I know about God is there is one and I’m not it.” 🎭 Scamming cops during a raid by dropping fake names. 📿 “Mother jumpin’ prayers” every morning: “Thank you, I love you, I need you.” 🌊 La Perla in Puerto Rico, hookers at the Pan Am Games, and spritzed cocaine mist. 🎶 70s acid-dealing days—Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, BB King in Central Park, selling beers on the bus. ⚡ OD stories, Narcan rage, and copping the next day anyway. 🔧 “Mongo”—stealing copper wire to fund the habit. 📰 Port Authority newsstand hustles. 🤝 Dealers and friends like T—“I feel like a marshmallow in hot chocolate.” 🪦 Cigarettes for a dying friend with AIDS in Elmhurst Hospital. ✈️ Bundles on planes to Puerto Rico, acid to Ecuador, coke sprayed with perfume mist. ⛪ From Veritas Villa to AA: surrender, sing-song sayings, and “stupid enough not to drink.” 🙏 God doesn’t come in a booming voice—He comes in small shifts, if you keep showing up. 😂 Jemokes, mongo, bullshit, and spiritual banisters. -

Transcribed - Published: 19 September 2025

-AKA CHARLIE SHEEN ON NETFLIX -CHARLIE SMOKES CRACK AND 'COMBOS IT' WITH BLOW JOB -DOPEYCON -UC ZARRATO - ID: Marathon2sobriety

Transcribed - Published: 16 September 2025

Life Story & Background Grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina; now lives just on Kentucky side of Cincinnati. Teen pregnancy: became pregnant at 13; relationship with an older boyfriend (16/17) before the birth; isolated from peers; involvement in church/family tension; switched to homeschooling. Parents helped significantly; raised a child very young while also managing education. Early Substance Use & Escalation First got high with weed at 12, just before pregnancy. Also used “Triple C’s” (cough & cold medicine) in middle school. Alcohol became a major issue around 16, particularly after heartbreaks and loss of self-worth. Partied, drank heavily, had hospital stays (alcohol poisoning). Experimented with other substances (cocaine, pills, etc.) afterwards. Military / Army Period Joined Army at 17; motive was financial stability and ability to provide for her son. Trained: basic + advanced training; worked as a diesel mechanic. Saw military culture of drinking, party atmosphere; acid was used by people around her because it often didn’t show up in drug tests. Legal Issues, Crises, & Turning Points Several arrests, notably Vegas (2021) and Nashville (2024); incidents involving fighting with police, extreme intoxication, blackouts, waking in jail, etc. Bipolar disorder: suspected earlier, diagnosed at 21; used various medications but has since been unmedicated. Recognizes highs (mania) and lows (depression) and the danger of living in extremes. Social Media, Business & Life as an Influencer TikTok fame started during COVID (2020-21); posting daily life moments, mom burnout, relatable mental breakdowns. Viral moments like joking about giving baby vodka, telling her teen-pregnancy story. Run a tie-dye business called Dicey Dice, opened in 2022. Closed the store temporarily after a breakdown and sobriety; now runs pop-ups. Huge demand; sometimes long wait times. Sobriety & Recovery Had wake-up moment September 20, 2024: invited by Rachel to a sober podcast meeting (Against All Odds) unexpectedly, which triggered realization she needed to stop. After that, she has not smoked or drank. Intense physical withdrawal with weed: “couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, sweating, stomach hurt,” etc. Quitting weed harder than quitting booze in some respects. Support system: Sober Girls group chat, accountability groups, some online meetings, family help. She notes that she’s “healing, not healed.” Personal Philosophy & Who She Is Now Boundary setting: trying to say no more, protect her time, stop doing things just because people expect it of her. Honesty & vulnerability: very unfiltered person; does not hide her mess, her shame; uses that in content. Ambition for short-term goals: master her schedule, keep consistency, stay true to self over what others want. Memorable Quotes (verbatim from transcript) Here are quotes exactly as she said them (from your transcript): “I was a huge stoner … that was my whole brand for a long time.” “I have a TikTok following. And it’s like, dude, I am just like you, like stop making this weird.” “I didn’t think I had a problem until I went to jail for the second time, like March of 2024.” “I’ve been completely absent on everything since that day, September 20th, 2024.” “Quitting weed was so much harder … if I didn’t smoke every morning, I would be sick to my stomach.” “I’m healing, I’m not healed.”

Transcribed - Published: 12 September 2025

Tv Suggestions Gay Sex The Last Dopeycon Katz's

Transcribed - Published: 9 September 2025

THIS WEEK ON DOPEY: Tzvi identifies as a "pragmatic Jew", balancing cultural appreciation with skepticism towards organized religion. Loss of his father at a young age led to deep resentment towards God and spirituality. Tzv's journey through addiction was marked by a sense of entitlement and rebellion. Basketball served as a crucial outlet for Tzvi's emotions and taught him valuable life lessons. Community support is essential in recovery, as it fosters connection and accountability. David's experiences highlight the complexities of navigating identity and spirituality in recovery. The conversation emphasizes the importance of turning negative experiences into positive growth opportunities. Tzvi's early experiences with drugs began with casual use, evolving into a serious addiction. The role of mentorship and guidance in Tzvi's life was significant, especially in recovery. Tzvi's story illustrates the challenges of addiction and the importance of seeking help. Tzvi's fear was primarily about the smell of drugs, not the consequences. The transition from OxyContin to fentanyl has made addiction more dangerous. Detox can be a terrifying experience, especially when witnessing others' struggles. Family support plays a crucial role in the recovery journey. The therapeutic community can be both intimidating and transformative. Parenthood can bring about a profound sense of responsibility and guilt for those struggling with addiction. The shift to heroin often stems from the need to find a new dealer after losing access to pills. Hitting rock bottom can lead to a desperate search for help and recovery. Finding faith and community is essential for long-term sobriety. Humor and a personal understanding of a higher power can aid in the recovery process.

Transcribed - Published: 5 September 2025

Emails - TV Shows - Evan - DopeyCon https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thedopeyfoundation/1765668

Transcribed - Published: 2 September 2025

Spotify comments reacting to IDGAF Foods episode Personal story: Dave teaches Susan to ride a bike → recovery metaphor Listener letter: Montana, writing from prison, dodges cops with dope hidden in his ass Listener voicemail: “Gay for Crack” hustling story in Baltimore Interview with Anders Osborne & Bill Taylor Meeting during Hurricane Katrina’s chaos Drugs, lawlessness, survival, community, music in flooded New Orleans Anders’ bug-collecting coke dealer & BMX bike mission Bill’s alcoholism bottom, vodka mornings, and Anders guiding him to recovery Recovery spirituality → fear, asking for help, service Anders’ Red Rocks moment with Jerry Garcia’s guitar Creation of “Send Me a Friend” to support sober musicians High Sierra story → Anders dosed unknowingly, morphine, coke, LSD, ecstasy, stripping naked, running as a butterfly Connection to his mother’s passing and butterfly symbolism Closing with Howard Beach Buxbaum hijinks, Lux/AI music, Othello cookies!

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2025

Alan Returns and Talks Shit About Fentanyl Jay on The Billy Jensen Teaser! Addiction Recovery! And Billy Jensen talks shit about Babar! And more!

Transcribed - Published: 26 August 2025

Happy 1 Year to Heather! Happy 1 Year to Jen S. If you want your anniversary read on the show send in an email or voicemail to [email protected] DOPEYCON 2025 TICKETS: https://buytickets.at/thedopeyfoundation/1765668 Recorded in Park City, Utah with IDGAF Foods. Early years: depression at 5, sitting in closets listening to sad piano records. Smoked crack at 15 in Manchester, CT; identity formed instantly around drugs. Early hustle: fake Adidas hat re-sewn to say “Acid.” Buckets of Molly + shards of ketamine cooked in Pyrex from “Kahlua bottles.” First rehab: snorted Suboxone → precipitated withdrawal. Florida halfway house: wanted to be a junkie, left after 4 months → straight to Berkfest (moe., Deep Banana Blackout). Shit stories: swallowing balloons of dope, digging through shit for crack, OCD washing. Scam hustles: told people cops pulled him over so he “threw the drugs out the window”; pocketed their money. Lucky streak: claims he walked out of a house during a raid untouched. Never arrested. $500/day habit in Utah: black tar heroin, 30s, crack. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a huge inspiration in recovery. Quit cold turkey 2012 with small methadone taper + psych med detox. Quit cigs too. Art saves him: digital psychedelic covers, NFT side hustle, album covers for Disco Biscuits, Dean DeLeo, Juanes & Alessia Cara (held up by Jimmy Fallon). Birth of IDGAF Foods: stopped obsessing over “food shamers,” used OCD to create viral bits (7-Eleven hot dog twinkle, oat milk, raw bacon sashimi). Oatly threatened him legally; he responded, “Sounds like you said thank you incorrectly.” Now: refuses to monetize account. Messages from addicts are the real currency.

Transcribed - Published: 22 August 2025

-Park City Song Summit -Upstate -DopeyCon! -The Return of Fentanyl Jay

Transcribed - Published: 19 August 2025

This week on Dopey! It's beginning to look a lot like ChrisMiss - AGAIN! It is a Dopey Day episode to remember Chris and get some Dopes into the act!!! I am currently at the Park City Song Summit with tons of cool folk and am doing a lab tomorrow with Anders Osborne, Anders Beck, and Matt Warren. DopeyCon 2025 is coming! The lineup includes: Brace Belden Ian Fidance, Sam Miller, Jake from WV, Aaron Carr, Ray Brown, Dave’s dad, Linda, Brandon Novak, Hank Azaria and maybeJason Biggs. Join Patreon, buy DopeyCon tickets, and observe Dopey Day by putting the Dopey logo over their eyes to honor those who’ve died. It's seven years since Chris’s death and we plays voicemails and emails from fans remembering Chris and sharing updates. I got 10 years in recovery, celebrates Madeline’s discovery of an old Chris story, and we read a note from Rick in Baltimore about learning of Chris’s passing while in rehab. Next, Chris’s ex‑partner Annie calls in. Now a surgeon, married, living in California with a son (and pregnant with another), she reflects on her life since losing Chris, his legendary kindness and humor, the difficulty of relapse in a fentanyl‑laced world, and the importance of caring for yourself and others. They trade memories—including the infamous story of expressing their dog Sammy’s anal glands—and discuss grief, guilt, and healing. Dave then shares updates on Fentanyl Jay (alive and in treatment thanks to Justin Cambria and Sunrise Detox), plays greetings from listeners like Jake (63 days sober), Erin Khar, Ishmael, Ray, and several celeb shout‑outs (Margaret Cho, Aurora, Hank Azaria, Mick, Katie B), and plugs MountainSide, Oro Recovery, Recovery Unplugged, SafeSpot (1‑800‑972‑0590), and custom stickers. Listener Kelly calls in with a wild early‑recovery story: she bought a ball of Molly, meth, and heroin, used toilet water to shoot up in a motel bathroom, passed out, was revived, and got busted on multiple charges—including “defrauding a motel.” Dave thanks her and sends socks. In a nostalgic twist, Dave plays a clip from Dopey 104 with Chris: they read a tragic email from Troy—who later overdosed—and discuss how dangerous relapse can be, especially with fentanyl and carfentanil. They swap drug‑test tricks (bleach, Tide with Bleach Alternative, rubber ducks tied to your privates) and laugh over memories of shooting meth in a Bakersfield brain‑injury clinic while trying to hide clean urine. The show wraps with Dave’s reflections on grief, his favorite Dumbledore quote (“Help will always be given to those who ask for it”), and a reminder that recovery works if you do it.

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2025

This week on the teaser! Dave’s day takes a darkly funny turn when his septic tank explodes into the shower. Between wrangling plumbers and hanging at the family beach club, he plugs the upcoming Park City Song Summit, where he’ll talk songwriting in and out of addiction with Anders Osborne, Anders Beck, and Matt Warren. He also drops big names for DopeyCon 6 (Ian Fidance, Sam Miller, Jake from West Virginia, Aaron Carr, Ray Brown, Dave’s dad, Linda, Brandon Novak, Hank Azaria, Jason Biggs, and more) and reminds everyone to grab tickets on Patreon. After reading a few pointed Spotify comments (“teasers are bullshit, Dave — we have to buy our heroin!”), he urges us to put the Dopey logo over our eyes on Dopey Day (Aug. 16) to honour Chris and all who’ve died. Then he teases his chat with Heart Attack Doug: they riff on being a Dopey legend, finger-picking vs. finger-banging, Doug’s cowboy persona and love of cop shirts, and a list of topics from Leonardo da Vinci to gender fluidity. The full conversation (with all the juicy bits) is on Patreon. www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast

Transcribed - Published: 12 August 2025

This week on Dopey! We remember our friend and super special Dope, Annie Ellie on the one‑year anniversary of her death. We play some old messages to keep her still with us! Then we celebrate Travis's 9 years and read his disturbing codependent email! Then we are joined by the great Rachel Elizabeth Slocum dto talk about relapsing, volunteering at Texas flood sites, waking up with depression and guilt, discovering disturbingly skinny PhotoBucket pics from her oxy days, and why she hates being called an “influencer.” We talk about Instagram suspensions, old people vaping weed at concerts, and the addictive charm of the game “Grow a Garden” on Roblox. Dave even invites her to try stand‑up at DopeyCon. Then Doug Bopst — felon‑turned‑fitness‑trainer — enters the ring to debate weed vs. Ozempic, reminisce about Billy Joel’s dark documentary, and reboot the Dopey Fitness Challenge with protein, push‑ups, and warnings about vaping. Dave tests Doug’s knowledge of Elton vs. Billy vs. Zeppelin, and even argues that fatherhood is better than any high. All that and more on a super fun and funny new episode of the good ol' dopey show.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2025

This wee on the Tuesday teaser,! Dave shares on the upcoming DopeyCon 6, crash keto diets, and getting mistaken for Ted Cruz at the Outlaw Music Festival show at Jones Beach. We get updates on recovery, Dopey Day (August 16th — Chris’s birthday), and a Patreon-only conversation with returning guest Erin Khar, aka the “strung out author.” Erin talks about winning an election, public stigma, her recovery, and what it’s like to be gotcha’d in NYC politics. Plus, Dave reviews the Outlaw Music Fest (Wilco ruled, Dylan sucked, and Willie was old but lovable), vents about smelly sandwiches and weed vapes, and throws out a call for another great woman guest at DopeyCon.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

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.

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2025

This week on the Tuesday Patreon teaser: Aurora’s back! Fresh off the island (literally — Fiji), we catch up on her work producing Love Island, Nora’s hilarious obsession with the show, and whether or not the crew is secretly hooking up behind the scenes. We also talk about DopeyCon (aka DopeyCon 6, but maybe just DopeyCon from now on), the Meta takedown backlash, missing voicemails, and what this whole Dopey thing even means. The full episode on Patreon gets deeper — breakup trauma, sponsor resentment, North Carolina AA weirdness, and yes, cake rejection shame. But for now, enjoy this sweet little Tuesday teaser and sign up to hear the rest.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

Dave explains why the Dopey Instagram was deleted and reinstated Shoutouts to Justin Cambria, Sour Linus, Ian Geller, Margaret Cho, and Amy Dresner Quaker Oats Squares email and UK “pink” drug report (coke/ketamine/ecstasy mix) Listener Jake story: paid $400 for “hash oil” that was actually honey; resold as cookies Dave debates karma of reselling bunk drugs DopeyCon 6 and Dopey Day updates — send in art, music, videos Will De Los Santos full interview: Childhood: statutory rape birth, fireman stepdad’s failed suicide Lived with coach in high school, discovered real father was entertainer "Tiki Santos" First drugs: freebasing coke with half-brothers, then crank Found crank while making UCLA film reel — led to Spun Crank gave him creative focus; he taught himself guitar on it Real-life meth cooks inspired Spun characters Got high during meetings, lit up in Schwartzman’s trailer Bob Dylan story: lit Will’s cigarette outside a café he secretly owned Spun cast notes: Brittany Murphy delivered lines exactly, Mena Suvari was original pick Arrogance, chaos, and instability in Hollywood fueled by meth Relapsed during COVID after 8 years sober Relationship with Weiwei unraveled; lied, isolated, used Jay Mohr helped him get into Oro → then Betty Ford New script Spaghetti written during relapse, now his redemption project Currently 8 months sober (Nov 22, 2024), working the steps, going to meetings daily

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

Dave returns from vacation, which was planned by Linda and included national parks, wildlife, and family time. Don “DJ” Rentz passed away the first day of the trip. Dave reflects on their friendship and the impact Don had on the show and the community. Ozzy Osbourne passed away just days after his farewell concert. Dave reflects on his cultural impact and the timing of his death. Meta permanently deleted the original Dopey Instagram account after repeated community guidelines violations. The appeal was denied. Dave reads the harsh takedown message and reflects on what the page meant. A new account is up: @thedopeypodcast DopeyCon 6 announced: October 4, 2025, in NYC. Celebrating 10 years of Dopey. Tickets available via Patreon first. The full Patreon episode features: More on Don’s death and legacy Vacation stories and fan encounter in Yellowstone Selby’s one-time black tar heroin experience Billy Joel documentary discussion DopeyCon planning and behind-the-scenes chaos Kimber’s episode controversy mid-trip

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

This week on Dopey! It's ChrisMiss Time Again - and we remember Chris and think about what we've lost in our latest ChrisMiss episode. We are joined by Ted and Colin—two of Chris’s closest friends—for a long, emotional, laugh filled but ultimately tragic journey through grief, memory, relapse, recovery and death. They recount wild and deeply human stories of Chris: his powerful magnetism, his “whatevs” persona, and the time he hugged a drunk driver who had just killed someone. Then, we go deep into Chris’s relapse, the shame that may have surrounded it, and the fear of losing connection. From Mountainside to Katz’s Deli, from a poetry slam to the drunk tank, from legacy to myth to bionic legs traded for heroin—this episode is everything that made Chris unforgettable. PLUS: a classic Dopey voicemail from Tim in Philly involving coke, Cookie, and crackhouse head, and a replay of Episode 71 with Chris. It all ends with the classic version of “Bad Card” and a full-circle Dave and Chris musical outro. Stay strong Dopey Nation, and fucking toodles for Chris.

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2025