Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction

Super sweet talk with Anders Beck! Say it with an 'ah-nders' not 'and-ers'. Anders tells us jis whole musical/drug/alcohol story! Nothing left out - including the crazy intervention and playing with phil lesh! May he rest in peace! PLUS sick email from Montana in prison! (thanks Nicole!) An amazing dildo filled voicemail from Daniel G! A nice mention from Steve from New Hampshire and so much more more more!PLUS Ander's beautiful song 'Born Again' performed by Greensky Bluegrass, Anders' bonus dobro playing, Damon's 'Dopey World' and Jake from West Virginia's classic version of 'Good...

listen without ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey's Greatest Hits!This replay episode features host David Manheim reflecting on personal chaos, gratitude amid frustration, powerful listener emails/stories (including a harrowing crack/coke seizure tale from Minnesota Matt), and a full classic interview with his partner Linda. They share their raw, unfiltered relationship story—from meeting via mutual friend Todd, early partying (coke, Ativan, drinking), pregnancy amid hidden heroin relapse, family destruction during active addiction, separation, supervised visitations, Dave's bottoming out, eventual sobriety, reconciliation, and rebuilding a family with two kids. In...

This Week on The Wednesday Dose of Dopey!Dave kicks off this Wednesday Dose solo from his dad's house, riffing on nostalgic broke-addict snacks (Little Debbie oatmeal pies as cheap highs) and weird fridge finds, before diving into fan Spotify comments praising last week's emotional Erin Khar episode. He shares wild Miles Davis coke-paranoia excerpts from the autobiography (Ferrari abandonment, trash-room hiding, dealer tricks), and recommending Kind of Blue and In a Silent Way as sick sick records!Then we welcome Sandra Vergara (Selling Sunset star, Sofia Vergara's cousin/sister-figure). Sandra opens up about a...

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE SHOW at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on the teaser! We record a raw, outdoor teaser for Dopey Tuesday with returning guest Heart Attack Doug. They eulogize Dave’s high-mileage Subaru (hand-me-down from his dad), recount a hilarious pajama-clad mechanic confrontation that scored a full refund, share voicemails of Doug trash-talking show stats, joke about Dopey Zoom "polls" favoring Doug, read positive Spotify comments, detail Dave’s easy lasagna recipe, discuss Step 12 sponsorship styles, reflect on gratitude, spirituality (Dave’s non-traditional "God = universe/reality" view), quote the Big Book’s powerful closing lines, a...

Listen without ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on the Monday Complete Dopey Replay! Dave kicks off the brand-new weekly series reliving the classic early episodes with Chris (starting from the beginning after lost tapes 6, 8, 10 & 12), reflecting on 10 years since Dopey launched in 2016, the frozen-in-time joy of hearing Chris’s voice again, and how the show was born from two rehab friends laughing over insane drug stories. He’s still riding the emotional wave from Linda’s father Tony’s beautiful celebration of life, got his $1,100 car repair money back after a pajama-rage showdown, and begs for any...

Listen Ad Free! at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey! Dave powers through a music-heavy, emotional episode amid ongoing family grief (Tony’s celebration of life tomorrow), delivering sober birthday shoutouts (Jennifer Jimenez 20 years, Janine Coulter 11 years), sponsor love, listener stories, and a historic, in-depth interview with James Frey—his first-ever detailed on-record discussion of pre-sobriety life. Dave opens with a raw acoustic snippet (“Trying to score from the plug today…”), reflects on fame/pressure, plugs sponsors (Oro Recovery, Mountainside, Link Diagnostics, Recovery Unplugged, Orchard on the Brazos), and shares powerful listener submissions: Taylor’s 7-OH update...

LISTEN WITHOUT ADS AT www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on the CLASSIC Thursday REPLAY!Dave opens with life updates amid heavy grief: prepping for the celebration of life for his father-in-law (Linda’s dad), the car overheating again (mechanic drama continues), and a heartfelt decision to replay a classic “Al-Anon-ic Dopey in the family” episode with his mother-in-law, Sue—the one he calls one of the greatest ever recorded. He reflects on how addiction stories feel triumphant for the addict but painful for the “casualties” (family), shares listener comments on recent replays (including wild rehab tales from Florida...

This week on the Wednesday Dose of Dopey! Dave kicks off an intensely emotional episode amid personal chaos—grieving Linda's dad's death, a bizarre Verizon outage conspiracy vibe, a $1,100 car repair scam, and a half-hearted gratitude meditation to stay grounded. He reads glowing listener comments on the recent Sid Vicious/Ned Van Zandt heroin epic, plugs stickers for Spotify/iTunes reviews, and shares a powerful email from Sarah E. about her ongoing brutal struggle with 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine) dependence after accidents and kratom escalation, highlighting deception, severe withdrawals, and the "master of deception" label despite a strong sober community....

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis Week on Dopey Tuesday! Dave opens with a raw, heartfelt intro reflecting on grief after Linda’s dad Tony’s recent passing — how it hits the whole family in unpredictable ways, amps up his worry, and pushes him to double down on recovery (morning meditation, Step 12 with his sponsor, and gratitude work). He shares a beautiful listener email from Kyle, a former heroin/crack/meth addict who found spiritual connection through a wild shroom + heroin beach trip, years of struggle, and a sober Grateful Dead moment listening to “Br...

ad free at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis Week on Dopey! Dave opens with a deeply personal and emotional tribute to Linda’s father, Tony, who recently passed after a long battle with Lewy body dementia, and other ailments. He shares heartfelt memories of Tony’s exceptional character—his strength, kindness, love of family, rock ’n’ roll roots, teaching career, and unwavering positivity—reflecting on how Tony’s compassion and support played a huge role in Dave’s own recovery and relationship with Linda. The episode also touches on recent losses (Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and actor James...

This Week on Dopey! Dave kicks off the Friday episode by celebrating Dopey OG Leah Lumberg’s 17 years of sobriety, sharing heartfelt Spotify listener comments (with spirited debates over Breaking Bad characters and more love for the recent Cosmo Lumbino interview), and playing a raw voicemail from Lane opening up about self-medicating with crushed stimulants, kratom, and weed amid depression and a breakup—reminding everyone Dopey welcomes voices from all sides of the struggle. The heart of the show is a deep, hilarious, and profoundly honest conversation with returning guest Hank Azaria, who gets real about his teenage battles with...

inserted ad free episodes at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastSend emails and voicemails to dopeypodcast@gmail.com - get socks or stickers if we read on the show! Leave reviews on iTunes and Comments on Spotify!This week on the REPLAY! We replay of  episodes 3 and 4 (originally recorded in one marathon session), we reflece on the raw, chaotic magic of the show's beginnings with his late co-host Chris. The intro features classic Dopey elements—voicemails from Heart Attack Doug complaining about his absence from the Tuesday Patreon teasers, listener Spotify comments praising past gues...

listen without inserted ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastsend emails and voicemails to dopeypodcast@gmail.comOn this Dopey Wednesday!  We get super spiritual about fear, gratitude and love! We read spotify comments which were super sweet. And then we dive deep with legendary actor and recovering addict Ned Van Zandt. Ned takes us from snorting heroin with Andy Warhol superstars in 1978, to living at the Chelsea Hotel the exact week Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen moved in, to fronting Sid heroin and eating at Burger King with him the day after N...

listen to the full show at:www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on the Tuesday Teaser!  Dave and a special guest open the show only to realize they just lost an entire hour-long recording — a full tribute episode to Mark F. is gone forever. Instead of forcing it, they pivot and talk about fear, frustration, and what it feels like when things fall apart at the beginning of a new year.Dave shares a very real New Year’s Eve story: driving his daughter Susan to Riverhead in a 200,000-mile Subaru while the tempe...

No inserted ads: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast The episode opens with your intro, then the bulk of the show is Hairy Tongue Will’s massive, chaotic, detailed telling of his addiction, near-death runs, arrests, relapse cycles, dead friends, and eventual recovery.Will describes the early Long Island chaos with Richie, Mike, and Lenny—everyone strung out on heroin, crack, coke, and whatever they could get. He recalls the first serious turn: showing up to a house where Lenny was passed out after a three-day crack run, realizing “the demons are taking over.” Mike and Richie spiral de...

Listen without ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey! Dave rings in the first Friday of 2026 with multimedia superstar and Queen of Melrose, Cosmo Lombino—fresh off Soft White Underbelly fame—spilling a wild Harlem-to-Hollywood saga of mob-adjacent glamour (Godfather shoots at grandma's apartment, fur coats from car trunks), early gay defiance against Jehovah's Witnesses, freebase-fueled club chaos, near-misses with Michael Jackson pasta invites, MacArthur Park crack binges, cardboard-box homelessness, and finally sustained sobriety (8+ years strong) through rigorous daily step-writing, meditation, and Tarzana redemption. Dave raves about Avatar: The Last Airbender bonding with his kid...

Listen without inserted ads at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcastThis week on Dopey! We kick off 2026 with a Thursday replay of one of his all-time favorites—the legendary Steve Poltz's epic first appearance from 2023, packed with altar boy wine thefts, Rugburns stage-wrecking chaos (56 stitches included), mushroom-fueled job quits, co-writing "You Were Meant for Me" with Jewel in Baja Mexico, Ramones opener mayhem, cocaine/crack spirals, a best friend's tragic murder, and ultimate rehab surrender. Dave reflects on Poltz as a true "blessing" to the show and his life, debates sticking with Five Days of Dopey, reads wild li...

Without inserted ads go to: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-show-at-a-time-a-yellow-balloon-experience/id1690094890This week on Dopey! Dave rings in New Year’s Eve with a raw, reflective Wednesday dose amid a “rough fucking week” on the home front, admitting family struggles (including Linda’s dad’s health) have him questioning whether to keep the grueling Five Days of Dopey schedule into 2026 while teasing resolutions like restarting the infamous Dopey Fitness Challenge, daily writing, and maybe even Tai Chi to save his creaky joints. He reads a heartfelt email from old-ti...

Listen to the Whole Tuesday Episode at A special guest joins us for the teaser!  (echoes of COVID-era recordings). The duo catches up casually — We recall recording in the attic back in the day, Dave mentions Linda guesting once and shares a wild memory of a bum flicking a cigarette that hit him in the mouth outside CVS.Spotify Comments Segment Dave reads listener comments from the previous Tuesday episode (Ray & Alan guest-hosted):A new listener (another Ray) appreciates the Nick Reiner discussions and hopes for more old interviews.Mucho Gringo teases Zoe’s Patreo...

AD FREE DOPEY at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast This week on Dopey! We start wrapping up 2025 with a candid check-in: feeling under the weather amid a family stomach virus, craving a Sopranos binge, and doubting plans for "Five Days of Dopey" in January (Wednesday/Thursday shows likely intermittent—send opinions to dopeypodcast@gmail.com). We share the ultimate post-Christmas blues remedy: a trip to Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Sag Harbor, NY, where chickadees, titmice, and woodpeckers eat seeds straight from your hand in the snowy quiet—described as magical, healing, and the true "opposite of ad...