<p>THESE ARE NOTES ON THE EPISODE - NOT THE TEASER!</p><h3>📝 <strong>Show Notes:</strong></h3><p>🧠 <strong>Childhood Chaos</strong></p><p>Born in NYC, nearly died of a staph infection</p><p>Fell off a table and cracked his skull at 8 months old</p><p>Walked home <i>alone</i> at 3 years old 💥</p><p>Deep TV addiction starts young (shoutout to MTV, Different Strokes & Give Me a Break)</p><p>🎭 <strong>Early Identity Stuff</strong></p><p>Shirt chewing, sugar binging, and fake depression for attention</p><p>Didn’t want a bar mitzvah: “It’s not your party, it’s my party.”</p><p>Too insecure to get lifted in the chair at his own bar mitzvah 😬</p><p>Played harmonica in a ska band called <i>The Percolators</i></p><p>🍹 <strong>First Drug Stories</strong></p><p>First drunk = 16 screwdrivers at summer camp → blackout, vomit, shame</p><p>Never got into booze, but took acid at a Dead show before ever trying weed</p><p>Eventually... heroin, methadone, weed, and the long road home</p><p>🎨 <strong>Art, Fear & Flow</strong></p><p>MTV intern in high school, obsessed with music and creativity</p><p>Paralyzed by fear, self-doubt, and a deep need to be authentic</p><p>Big art nerd: Kandinsky, Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Bob Dylan, Richard Pousette-Dart 🎨</p><p>🌞 <strong>Spirituality, Recovery & the Dopey DNA</strong></p><p>Wanted spirituality before he had it</p><p>“The Sunlight of the Spirit” and the resentment trap</p><p>Early recovery = <i>doing it because he had to</i></p><p>Found real connection through service, comedy, and storytelling</p><p>🎙️ <strong>The Real Dopey</strong></p><p>It’s not just about drugs — it’s <i>love</i>, dumb shit, and keeping people company</p><p>Letting your freak flag fly, creating community, and making people laugh</p><p>Dave’s dream: Dopey TV show, doc series, global recovery adventures, Keith Richards in a chair at DopeyCon 🤘</p><p>“I just want to make something worth putting in your ears.”</p><p>💔 <strong>Final Thoughts</strong></p><p>On grief, fatherhood, fear, flow, and evolution</p><p>Bukaty calls Dave out on blind spots</p><p>Dave: “I like the idea of displacing my father and taking over the apartment.” 😂</p><p>Tribute to Annie Ellie and the Dopey Nation: “It feeds the show. It <i>is</i> the show.”</p><p>💌 Got thoughts? Send 'em: <strong>[email protected]</strong><br>👕 Rep the show: <a href="https://www.dopeypodcast.com/">dopeypodcast.com</a><br>📞 Leave a voicemail, join a Zoom, get involved<br>🧸 <strong>Stay Strong Dopey Nation</strong><br>💀 And fucking toodles for Chris</p><p> </p>