Dope Stories artwork

Dope Stories

29 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 9 years ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratings

A rational discussion about drug use with Shane and Pauly.

Philosophy Society & Culture crack drugs alcohol cigarettes cocaine ecstasy gambling marijuana poker pot
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Episodes

Dope Stories 028 - Reunion

February 10, 2015 17:16 - 47 minutes - 27.2 MB

The reunion show! Shane shares stories from a recent trip to Jamaica. Pauly and Shane discuss the George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic) memoir. Shane has a new-found respect for Phish after attending a show at the L.A. Forum. Pauly describes an intense psychedelic experience in Las Vegas over Halloween. Finally, Pauly explains the new direction of his upcoming novel, Fried Peaches.

Dope Stories 027 - This Is The End

July 31, 2014 08:11 - 53 minutes - 30.9 MB

Description: Shane explains how he arrived at the difficult decision to end Dope Stories after 27 episodes. Shane and Pauly reminisce about their favorite moments from the show, and they also briefly discuss the New York Times op-ed series supporting the legalization of marijuana. Pauly shares a Las Vegas story about dropping LSD at the World Series of Poker on the day Phil Hellmuth made a grandiose entrance dressed as Julius Caesar. Dope Media includes Drunk History, WTF Podcast with The Am...

Dope Stories 026 - Phish Tour

July 24, 2014 04:00 - 51 minutes - 29.6 MB

Pauly returns from two weeks on the road following Phish and Shane asks him about his travels in New York, Detroit, and Chicago. Other topics include: sleep as a drug, the nitrous mafia, Phish as a religion and what is a wook? Dope Media includes Down the Rabbit Hole (a novel by Juan Pablo Villalobos) and Michael Walker's book on Laurel Canyon. http://dopestories.com

Dope Stories 025 - Turbo: Mexicali Blues

July 17, 2014 09:49 - 20 minutes - 12 MB

In this special "Turbo" vacation episode, Pauly asks Shane about living in Mexico as an online poker exile. Shane answers the popular question "Is Mexico dangerous?" and he describes his weekly routine commuting from Santa Monica to Rosarito Beach, Mexico.

Dope Stories 024 - Turbo: Sean Azzariti

July 10, 2014 13:54 - 20 minutes - 12 MB

In this special "Turbo" episode, Pauly interviews marijuana activist and veterans advocate Sean Azzariti. Sean talks about the controversial dismissal of medicinal marijuana researcher, Dr. Sue Sisley. Sean updates us on his recent work with Grow4Vets, which offers free cannabis for military veterans. Sean also explains how medicinal marijuana helps him and other Iraq War vets deal with PTSD. http://dopestories.com

Dope Stories 023 - Degens of Summer

July 03, 2014 04:00 - 49 minutes - 28.5 MB

Shane returns from Vegas, where he played poker with Michael Borovetz, a degenerate gambler most known for scamming people at airports. Shane and Pauly discuss heroin experimentation, while Pauly explains how he's too busy with work to be a full-blown junkie. Dope Media selections include Kid Cannabis film and 112 Weddings documentary. http://dopestories.com

Dopes Stories 022 - Jordan Morgan

June 26, 2014 12:33 - 1 hour - 38.2 MB

Shane is on the road in Las Vegas and calls Pauly in the studio. They interview professional poker player Jordan Morgan moments after he won a tournament and his first World Series of Poker bracelet. Morgan was recently prescribed Adderall and he explains how the cognitive enhancer drug turned his life around. Shane and Pauly discuss Electric Daisy Carnival, Shane's worst festival experience, and Pauly's worst Phish show in Vermont. Shane also asks Pauly about his writing methods and inspira...

Dope Stories 021 - Dope Economies

June 19, 2014 10:42 - 40 minutes - 23.3 MB

Shane returned from a long weekend in Vegas and asks Pauly about an article in The Believer about the future of marijuana growers in the Northern California's Emerald Triangle. Pauly explains how wholesale weed prices dropped dramatically over the last 10 years. Shane and Pauly discuss the documentary Crackhouse USA, in which narcotics police in Rockford, Illinois set up surveillance inside a stash house. Pauly remarks on the 44th anniversary of Dock Ellis pitching a no-hitter while under th...

Dope Stories 020 - Dr. Shuglin, MDMA, and the New Reefer Madness

June 12, 2014 07:18 - 48 minutes - 27.9 MB

The passing of chemist Dr. Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin, a.k.a. the Godfather of Psychedelics, inspired a discussion on MDMA. Dr. Shuglin perfected MDMA in the 1970s and authored two books about his psychedelic discoveries like 2C-B and DOM. Pauly reminds us about Dr. Shulgin's philosophy on self-experimentation and his message about psychedelics: "Use them with care." Shane and Pauly warn listeners about the wave of severe depression that accompanies heavy usage of MDMA. Shane reveals an affin...

Dope Stories 019 - Lost Vegas

June 05, 2014 04:00 - 49 minutes - 28.4 MB

The theme this week is "Las Vegas as a drug" and the nonstop temptations of Sin City. Pauly explains how he chats up strippers and other elements of the dark side of Las Vegas. Shane shares a couple of classic Vegas sex stories including the Glove Scam and he gives tips on how not to get rolled by a hooker. Shane started reading Pauly's book "Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker" and asks Pauly about the book's origins an...

Dope Stories 018 - We Are So High

May 29, 2014 04:00 - 52 minutes - 30.3 MB

Shane and Pauly sound off on a recent episode of This American Life "I Was So High." Shane has issues with Ira Glass' Us vs. Them theme and Alex Blumberg's segment about his pothead father. Pauly claims he can spot which chefs on Top Chef are high. Shane touches upon recent articles about Harm Reduction in the Guardian and Buzzfeed's Buzzreads, which brought attention to different programs to help heroin users in NYC and cocaine users in the U.K. Dope Media includes Howard Stern's interviewi...

Dope Stories 017 - I Get High With A Lil Help From Strangers

May 22, 2014 17:37 - 55 minutes - 31.8 MB

Shane and Pauly swap different dope stories involving strangers. Shane's stories include his first crack experience, getting stoned with his friend Dee Dee and two German tourists, and meeting a Dutch traveler who helped shape his mind about traveling. Pauly's stories include hanging out with spies in Amsterdam hash bars, gambling on basketball with British ex-pats in Jamaica, and following Phish in Japan and meeting local hippies.

Dope Stories 016 - Guests "High Maintenance"

May 15, 2014 10:08 - 48 minutes - 28 MB

Shane and Pauly interview Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, the co-creators of High Maintenance, which is a critically acclaimed web series about a weed delivery guy in NYC who encounters an eclectic pastiche of customers and characters. This interview was conducted at Thank You for Coming in Atwater Village.

Dope Stories 015 - Acid Test, Part 2: Furthur

May 08, 2014 07:08 - 54 minutes - 31.4 MB

Description: Shane gifts Pauly a vinyl copy of Europe '72 by the Grateful Dead. John Lennon reminds us to thank the CIA and U.S. Army for LSD. Shane reviews the Magic Trip documentary and explains why he wouldn't want to travel on the Furthur bus with the Merry Pranksters. Shane and Pauly discuss Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and why Kesey's problems with the film version of his novel. Other stories include Shane's trip on a Green Tortoise adventure tour, teenaged Pauly "adopte...

Dope Stories 014 - The Acid Test

May 01, 2014 13:22 - 56 minutes - 32.5 MB

Pauly read Acid Dreams (book by Martin A. Lee) and shared his notes with Shane that includes Timothy Leary at Millbrook, the CIA buying 100 million hits of LSD from Sandoz labs in Switzerland, Ken Kesey & the Merry Pranksters, Neal Cassady driving the Furthur bus, the history of the Acid Tests, the Grateful Dead dosing Playboy bunnies, and the time Allen Ginsberg gave Psilocybin to Theolnious Monk. Shane re-examines his initial experimentation with psychedelics (including a DMT experience on...

Dope Stories 013 - The 4/20 Show

April 24, 2014 13:25 - 49 minutes - 28.1 MB

Special episode to commemorate 420 Day. Half-baked festivities included sampling pre-rolled joints, vaping "Brown Sugar" shatter, and setting off the smoke detector in Pauly's office. Shane and Pauly had a brief discussion about Gimme Shelter, the documentary on the Rolling Stones and Altamont. Shane told a story about losing an ounce of weed and drinking shroom tea on Easter and tripping at Roseland Ballroom. Dope Media included Dave Chappelle/Neal Brennan, What You Want Is in the Limo by M...

Dope Stories 012 - International Dope

April 17, 2014 04:00 - 57 minutes - 33.2 MB

Pauly's girlfriend shares a lost in translation story from London. Shane tells a couple crazy tales about trying to score in Europe and in the Bahamas (including a night involving a character named Mack Daddy). Pauly talks about his first visit to the Christiania "green-light district" in Copenhagen, along with the time he was accused of being a CIA agent in Uruguay. Pauly also tells of the time he met Kate Hudson backstage at Big Day Out music festival in Australia. Dope Media includes book...

Dope Stories 011 - Sean Azzariti, Medicinal Marijuana Activist

April 10, 2014 10:40 - 1 hour - 37.3 MB

Shane and Pauly interview medicinal marijuana activist and Iraq War veteran Sean Azzariti, who uses marijuana to treat his PTSD. Sean is best-known for being the first person to ever buy legal weed in Denver, Colorado on Jan 1, 2014. Sean explains how he got tapped to be the first recreational buyer and how he's working on a bill to get PTSD listed as one of the approved conditions for medicinal marijuana in Colorado. Sean sheds a little insight into his two tours in Iraq with the Marines, i...

Dope Stories 010 - Ridin' Dirty

April 03, 2014 15:21 - 1 hour - 35.6 MB

Shane roadtripped to New Mexico and calls into the Dope Stories studios to chat with Pauly. Shane tells his infamous Amtrak story involving a near bust. Pauly tells a few stories about using a Jedi mind trick with a security guard, an encounter with a drug dog checkpoint on a Kansas freeway, and the time he randomly met Bill Murray in NYC. This week's Dope Media included: High Maintenance, Gil Scott-Heron, Mistaken for Strangers (documentary film), A.K.A. Tommy Chong (documentary), Murder Ci...

BROKE STORIES

April 01, 2014 12:16 - 56 minutes - 32.1 MB

Shane and Pauly created a new podcast about going broke. Pauly's broke stories include shoplifting CDs in the East Village, meeting a weed dealer at a country club in Atlanta, selling his hair in Seattle, losing a $6,000 bet on a March Madness basketball game, blowing his poker winnings on Phish tour, and getting stiffed by a Costa Rican bookie. Shane's broke stories include winning his first prop bet inside a Bronx diner, panhandling for 25 cents to take a crosstown bus, betting/losing on t...

Dope Stories 009 - Media Dope

March 27, 2014 12:01 - 41 minutes - 23.6 MB

Shane shares some lyrical insight he grokked from Dead Prez and Wu-Tang Clan. Shane and Pauly discuss the Gus Van Sant film Drugstore Cowboy. Pauly's Dope Media suggestions include a biography on David Foster Wallace and podcasts with Duncan Tressell, Amber Lyon, and Dean Delray. Shane watched Drugs, Inc.: Jamaica. Also, Shane explains his recent run in a poker tournament and how $151,000 is not really what it seems. http://dopestories.com

Dope Stories 008 - Dr. Carl Hart, author of High Price

March 20, 2014 11:29 - 1 hour - 40 MB

Shane and Pauly interview Dr. Carl Hart, Columbia University professor of neuroscience and the author of High Price. Dr. Hart shares the straight dope on certain drug myths. He spoke on numerous topics including his experiments on behavior in crack users, how there's no scientific evidence for addictive personalities, the importance of clever campaigns explaining the real effects of drugs, the dangers of mixing drugs with alcohol and other drugs, a letter he wrote to his son about how to use...

Dope Stories 007 - World Series of Poker champion Greg Merson

March 13, 2014 07:18 - 57 minutes - 33 MB

Shane and Pauly interview 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Greg Merson. During their discussion, Merson reveals how poker was both his downfall and savior while he battled an addiction to cocaine and prescription opiates. Within a year of getting clean, Merson won the WSOP Main Event. Merson currently travels the international circuit and playing in high roller tournaments and the biggest stakes cash games, yet he knows that a potential relapse is lurking around every corner. ...

Dope Stories 006 - Tripping in the House I Live In

March 06, 2014 05:00 - 51 minutes - 29.3 MB

Description: Shane's crack article in Slate, 50 Cent documentary, Eugene Jarecki's drug war documentary "House I Live In", Shane's bad trips, Pauly's turbulent trip at Phish, Ken Kesey testing LSD for the CIA, Shane's friend busted for weed, web series High Maintenance, and Shane's experiences working for a marijuana delivery service in NYC. http://dopestories.com

Dope Stories 005 - The Oxy Years

February 27, 2014 09:43 - 46 minutes - 26.5 MB

Shane and Pauly discuss their origins in the NYC underground poker scene and how Pauly got hired to become a poker writer and reporter in Las Vegas. Pauly explains how a car accident in Vegas altered his life and quickly led to an addiction to prescription painkillers. The accident triggered two tumultuous years of soul searching while battling an addiction to OxyContin. http://dopestories.com

Dope Stories 004 - Talkin' About Base: Crack 101

February 20, 2014 05:00 - 51 minutes - 29.4 MB

Shane buys scratch off lottery tickets, Pauly discusses his chronic insomnia, and Shane reveals his experiences with crack cocaine. Also, Pauly has a theory that George Clinton is an alien.   http://www.dopestories.com

Dope Stories 003 - Start Up Dot Weed: The 2014 L.A. Cannabis Cup

February 13, 2014 21:19 - 53 minutes - 30.7 MB

An overzealous landlord denies Shane new housing because of his affiliation with Dope Stories. Shane tells Pauly about what he missed at the L.A. Cannabis Cup. Dope Stories welcomes its first guest, DJ Trent, who shares his thoughts on the heavy tech influence and innovations on the burgeoning marijuana industry. http://www.dopestories.com

Dope Stories 002 - The Uncool: Philip Seymour Hoffman Remembered

February 11, 2014 06:30 - 47 minutes - 27.3 MB

Special episode in response to the OD death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Shane and Pauly are impressed with Hoffman's haunting performance as compulsive gambler in Owning Mahowny. They also discuss the 90s heroin chic scene in NYC. Pauly shares a few OD stories (DMT, heroin, and the Seattle grunge scene). Shane recalls a James Brown heroin PSA.

Dope Stories 001 - A rational discussion about drug use.

February 05, 2014 04:06 - 46 minutes - 26.7 MB

A rational discussion about drug use. In this episode: The first time Shane got high in the West Village. The origins of Chemdog and the Kind Bud scene, via the Grateful Dead. Marijuana, opiates, and the NFL. How to get busted in Giuliani's NYC. http://www.dopestories.com