Behind the Dopey Red Hot Chili Peppers pt. 2 - Ben Feldman - Director of 'Rise of the Chili Peppers' Heroin, OD, Flea, Hillel

DOPEYWOOD TIX(ALMOST SOLD OUT!) showclix.com/event/dopeywood-2026

Patreon: www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast

Dave sits down with filmmaker Ben Feldman, director of The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel, for a deep, funny, and emotional conversation about music, addiction, and friendship.

They get into the origins of the Chili Peppers, the insane creative scene in 80s LA, and the bond between Flea, Anthony, and Hillel Slovak. Ben talks about making the film, interviewing Flea and Anthony, and how losing his own best friend to addiction shaped the project.

Dave connects it all to Dopey—losing Chris, losing Todd, and what it means to keep going after people die. There’s talk about sobriety actually being kind of fun, the loneliness of addiction, and the weird magic of finding connection.

Plus: listener emails about cocaine and the Chili Peppers, a wild Jamaica Queens dope bust story, Spotify comments, Ram Dass, running, and a banjo cover of “Good So Bad.”

It’s Dopey meets the Chili Peppers—with grief, laughter, and a lot of heart.

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