EPISODE · Apr 8, 2026 · 1H 23M
Behind the Dopey Red Hot Chili Peppers pt. 2 - Ben Feldman - Director of 'Rise of the Chili Peppers' Heroin, OD, Flea, Hillel
from Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction · host Dave & Chris
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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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What this episode covers
TIMESTAMP NOTES 00:00 – Dopey Wednesday theme 00:40 – Dave intro + Chili Peppers episode setup 01:30 – Listener email: coke, Under the Bridge, Chili Peppers connection 05:20 – Spotify comments + Flea, B. Getz, Behind the Dopey talk 07:30 – Voicemail: Jamaica Queens heroin bust, neck shots, dodging cops 12:10 – More Spotify comments + music talk (Alice in Chains, Lanigan, etc.) 19:15 – Intro to Ben Feldman interview 21:00 – Ben Feldman enters: making the Chili Peppers documentary 23:30 – Wham doc inspiration + Hillel journals origin story 26:00 – How Ben got access to Flea & Anthony 30:00 – Ben’s recovery + losing his best friend Jeremy 33:00 – Addiction, relapse, and not knowing how to help someone 37:30 – LA punk scene + Chili Peppers origin energy 40:00 – Flea, Hillel, and how the band actually formed 42:00 – Flea emotional interview + impact of Hillel’s death 47:00 – Brotherhood, art, and Bohemian LA culture 49:30 – Addiction vs connection + isolation themes 51:30 – Dave on losing Chris + how it changed Dopey 54:00 – Sobriety being “kind of fun” + early recovery feeling 58:00 – Music scene: Fairfax High, Slash, Pearl Jam crossover 1:03:00 – Hillel’s family, Holocaust history, and legacy 1:08:00 – Guilt, relapse, and not being able to save people 1:12:00 – Chris, Todd, and death in Dopey history 1:15:00 – Why the film works: love, loss, and carrying on 1:17:00 – Future projects + Dopey collab tease 1:19:00 – Outro + listener banjo song “Good So Bad”
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Behind the Dopey Red Hot Chili Peppers pt. 2 - Ben Feldman - Director of 'Rise of the Chili Peppers' Heroin, OD, Flea, Hillel
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