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Bad Trips: How I Went from VICE Reporter to International Drug Smuggler
The true story of a music editor at VICE who tried to become the coolest reporter the company had ever had ― by becoming an international drug smuggler.
In 2019, music reporter Slava P, an editor for VICE media, was sentenced to nine years in prison for recruiting friends into a scheme to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Australia. Five of them were already in jail. Immediately, Slava P was internationally infamous. Was he a victim of pressure to commit extreme acts for the sake of a good story? A product of a drug-obsessed work environment? Or a manipulator who pushed vulnerable young people into crime?
Here, Slava P tells his side of the what exactly happened and how the precarious, dog-eat-dog atmosphere of a media company can lead the young, the naive, and the ambitious into taking crazy risks.
Bad Trips is a story about drugs, hip-hop, influencers, and glamour, set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most influential news and entertainment sites, VICE. Its cast of beautiful young people and semi-famous rappers passes from the seediest apartments to the most elegant of private clubs. Slava P’s chronicling of his years at this famous hotbed of excess is a piercing insight into contemporary media culture.
All royalties from the sale of Bad Trips go to co-author Brian Whitney.
In 2019, music reporter Slava P, an editor for VICE media, was sentenced to nine years in prison for recruiting friends into a scheme to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Australia. Five of them were already in jail. Immediately, Slava P was internationally infamous. Was he a victim of pressure to commit extreme acts for the sake of a good story? A product of a drug-obsessed work environment? Or a manipulator who pushed vulnerable young people into crime?
Here, Slava P tells his side of the what exactly happened and how the precarious, dog-eat-dog atmosphere of a media company can lead the young, the naive, and the ambitious into taking crazy risks.
Bad Trips is a story about drugs, hip-hop, influencers, and glamour, set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most influential news and entertainment sites, VICE. Its cast of beautiful young people and semi-famous rappers passes from the seediest apartments to the most elegant of private clubs. Slava P’s chronicling of his years at this famous hotbed of excess is a piercing insight into contemporary media culture.
All royalties from the sale of Bad Trips go to co-author Brian Whitney.
248 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 31, 2022
Slava is a POS. Selfish. Self-absorbed. etc. I’m tempted to balance these facts by saying: but who of us weren’t also dumb young idiots at different points in our 20s?
There’s a part of me that really hates that young folks, esp young Black folks, got wrapped up in harebrained schemes trying to impress nobodies like this guy. I feel for the young Brother locked up abroad after knowing Slava, tho real talks, he was a fool too.
That being said… This story was engaging in the way a car crash is engaging.
As a Toronto-kid, former event-promoter, show-crawling, at one time record store girl… everything he described experiencing in the city when we used to have places to hang out and dance and there were shows and parties to attend — everything he discusses re: people trying to be seen, the madness creators go through in the city and the constant need for people to try and one-up each other and be where the party is — it all fits in with a culture that can be fun but is spiritually lonely and hides a lot, especially when you have got pull and everyone wants a piece of you. That feeling makes you crave adventure and do dumb shit.
On a level, there are the crazy types one actively tries to avoid.. Slava talks about who they are in this book as he is and has worked alongside them for years. These are typically the flannel shirt wearing, Trinity Bellwoods & Liberty Village types (if they got money) selling dimes on the side, framing music as a boys club, hip-hop heads living in Parkdale (if they ain’t got no money) surviving on white culture vulture mediocrity and red bull. The tea is that anyone dumb enough to listen to this dude and involve themselves with his shenanigans deserves to be wherever they are.
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book for free. This book comes out May 2022.
It was intriguing, and the end got me fighted! I appreciate him for speaking his truth, but I can’t really recommend this unless you’re also from the sixside, looking for something random to engage in.
There’s a part of me that really hates that young folks, esp young Black folks, got wrapped up in harebrained schemes trying to impress nobodies like this guy. I feel for the young Brother locked up abroad after knowing Slava, tho real talks, he was a fool too.
That being said… This story was engaging in the way a car crash is engaging.
As a Toronto-kid, former event-promoter, show-crawling, at one time record store girl… everything he described experiencing in the city when we used to have places to hang out and dance and there were shows and parties to attend — everything he discusses re: people trying to be seen, the madness creators go through in the city and the constant need for people to try and one-up each other and be where the party is — it all fits in with a culture that can be fun but is spiritually lonely and hides a lot, especially when you have got pull and everyone wants a piece of you. That feeling makes you crave adventure and do dumb shit.
On a level, there are the crazy types one actively tries to avoid.. Slava talks about who they are in this book as he is and has worked alongside them for years. These are typically the flannel shirt wearing, Trinity Bellwoods & Liberty Village types (if they got money) selling dimes on the side, framing music as a boys club, hip-hop heads living in Parkdale (if they ain’t got no money) surviving on white culture vulture mediocrity and red bull. The tea is that anyone dumb enough to listen to this dude and involve themselves with his shenanigans deserves to be wherever they are.
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book for free. This book comes out May 2022.
It was intriguing, and the end got me fighted! I appreciate him for speaking his truth, but I can’t really recommend this unless you’re also from the sixside, looking for something random to engage in.
December 18, 2021
This book was like a breath of fresh air, but air that’s tinged with the faint aroma of weed, seediness, and stale takeout. This is the ‘rise and fall’ of a VICE reporter told with a chaotic, drug-fuelled kind of energy that could only come from being in your 20s, living in a big city, and not valuing sleep. I enjoyed feeling exhausted with tales of bar hopping, Xanax-popping, and living in run-down apartments yet frequenting Members’ Only clubs in Toronto. Although it ultimately manifested in a crazy, irreversible set of circumstances of which they’re left to face hefty consequences. The writing has a raw, brutal honesty in the storytelling, which is what made it stand out for me. It’s like one big “yeah I fucked up but let me tell you the whole story.” And you will want to sit and listen to this. 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.
November 10, 2022
I didn't actually know this story (I had never heard of Slava P) before I picked up the book in a local bookstore. This was a captivating read made even more so when you realize these are real people who live in the same city you do. It was fascinating to read about all that transpired in a few short years in Slava's life and the people in his orbit that were affected — primarily Black and Brown folks. I get the criticism targeted at the author, but you can't say the book wasn't a page-turner. Like a train wreck, you see it coming but you can't look away. Near the end of the book, the author says, "This story was as Canadian as you can get," and I get that. But what a Canadian story it is. Highly recommended — not only for the story, but also for the debates it will spark.
August 20, 2024
I like this not really as a memoir about getting caught up in drug trafficking but mostly as a riveting look back at not only the mid 2010s Vice Canada and media culture but also of Toronto itself. You can see for yourself why it was the best of times but also can see the seeds of destruction planted in real time. Sitting here nostalgic about the early 2010s internet. Noisey wasn’t perfect but at least it was a website you know?
July 3, 2023
I'm doing an event with Slava on Thursday, so I read his book in anticipation.
I liked it. It's a page turner, for sure. It had a realism to it that I recognize as the real deal...not much has been altered, while still, I'm sure, hiding something else in a way I recognize all too well.
I also liked Slava's use of language and musicality at times, "knock off a flock with a rock," for instance. His writing style is fluid and well suited to story telling.
His battles with morality, too, are familiar. I don't think he's a bad person, just the product of his inputs and society sqeezing him, pouring out the other end of the story like ground beef out of a mincer, the same as me. Probably, actually, a potentially good person, were the circumstances different.
Would recommend for sure. Perfect complement to my book (shameless self-plug here), Babble On.
I liked it. It's a page turner, for sure. It had a realism to it that I recognize as the real deal...not much has been altered, while still, I'm sure, hiding something else in a way I recognize all too well.
I also liked Slava's use of language and musicality at times, "knock off a flock with a rock," for instance. His writing style is fluid and well suited to story telling.
His battles with morality, too, are familiar. I don't think he's a bad person, just the product of his inputs and society sqeezing him, pouring out the other end of the story like ground beef out of a mincer, the same as me. Probably, actually, a potentially good person, were the circumstances different.
Would recommend for sure. Perfect complement to my book (shameless self-plug here), Babble On.
July 30, 2022
I’d been curious to hear the full story ever since I read about this in the press, and this is certainly a very engaging and well written book. He does an excellent job of setting the scene and the locations and characters involved really jump off the page.
There is zero responsibility accepted at any time for the actions taken but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating for an outsider to hear what it would be like to find yourself in such extraordinary and terrifying circumstances.
There is zero responsibility accepted at any time for the actions taken but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating for an outsider to hear what it would be like to find yourself in such extraordinary and terrifying circumstances.
October 30, 2023
Slava Pastuk has an appealing psychopathy. While loathsomely narcissistic, he’s got the perpetual outsider’s eye for the levers of power in motion and an alacritous instinct to hop on coattails. He’s no toady although he is distinctly unpleasant. His eye for detail is yellow with distrust and envy, and you get the feeling it’s knives out when he’s disincentivized. He’s got Big Iago energy and he could really fuck some shit up in this mirror-balled charnel house we call the 21st century.
But after a few chapters of Pastuk climbing the ranks to Vice digital editor it’s his knack for self-sabotage that is the real surprise of his 2022 memoir. Slava Pastuk would be a formidable…well, something, if he didn’t fumble the knife Every Single Time.
Slava covered hip hop in the city for Vice’s Noisey blog (yes, blogs are involved). He was an influential media guy if you were looking to make hip hop in Canada, I guess? (Trust me, it’s a lot of twentysomething drama over some very small potatoes)
The background noise is Vice shimmying up the corporate grease pole; intoxicated investors valuing its digital magazine and handheld documentary production in the billions. There are execs hoovering $20,000 bottles of wine in the boardrooms while Slava, digital editor, sweats over a 24 hour content machine, and discovers you can’t make rent with cold hors d'oeuvres. He’s paid in access and offers young people exposure. There’s no money in this circle of hell; the product they are all buying and selling is hype. The only discipline is dream big, stay on message, make it true.
Long story short, he’s impressed by someone’s else’s Big Dream (to smuggle drugs consequence free!) and before you can say multilevel marketing, Pastuk’s got fragile hipsters to help him pull off the big payback. Pastuk’s dealing in dreams at Vice, and in vice. If it was a novel, you’d role your eyes at the neat symmetry.
Except it doesn’t work, everyone gets arrested. People go to jail. Reality bites. By the end of the memoir, he’s living in his mom’s house. He should be wallowing in shame! But for his final salvo, Pastuk maintains this is all Vice’s fault, for not paying him a real salary, which is the one-weird trick of his memoir. His self deception is genuinely interesting/troubling to watch unfurl and it’s the unresolved tension of that book that makes it a decent read. Is he just dumb, or is Slava Pastuk high on his own supply?
Regardless I wouldn’t count this guy out. I think there’s sustained growth in repressive regimes for guys like him. He could be wrecking lives for decades to come.
But after a few chapters of Pastuk climbing the ranks to Vice digital editor it’s his knack for self-sabotage that is the real surprise of his 2022 memoir. Slava Pastuk would be a formidable…well, something, if he didn’t fumble the knife Every Single Time.
Slava covered hip hop in the city for Vice’s Noisey blog (yes, blogs are involved). He was an influential media guy if you were looking to make hip hop in Canada, I guess? (Trust me, it’s a lot of twentysomething drama over some very small potatoes)
The background noise is Vice shimmying up the corporate grease pole; intoxicated investors valuing its digital magazine and handheld documentary production in the billions. There are execs hoovering $20,000 bottles of wine in the boardrooms while Slava, digital editor, sweats over a 24 hour content machine, and discovers you can’t make rent with cold hors d'oeuvres. He’s paid in access and offers young people exposure. There’s no money in this circle of hell; the product they are all buying and selling is hype. The only discipline is dream big, stay on message, make it true.
Long story short, he’s impressed by someone’s else’s Big Dream (to smuggle drugs consequence free!) and before you can say multilevel marketing, Pastuk’s got fragile hipsters to help him pull off the big payback. Pastuk’s dealing in dreams at Vice, and in vice. If it was a novel, you’d role your eyes at the neat symmetry.
Except it doesn’t work, everyone gets arrested. People go to jail. Reality bites. By the end of the memoir, he’s living in his mom’s house. He should be wallowing in shame! But for his final salvo, Pastuk maintains this is all Vice’s fault, for not paying him a real salary, which is the one-weird trick of his memoir. His self deception is genuinely interesting/troubling to watch unfurl and it’s the unresolved tension of that book that makes it a decent read. Is he just dumb, or is Slava Pastuk high on his own supply?
Regardless I wouldn’t count this guy out. I think there’s sustained growth in repressive regimes for guys like him. He could be wrecking lives for decades to come.
March 5, 2022
After listening to the podcast series Cool Mules from Canadaland, I knew I wanted to read this book to get Slava's point of view on the whole deal. In Bad Trips , Slava Pastuk tells the whole story about the drug trafficking from the VICE Toronto offices. He lays flat the culture in those offices that he felt influenced him to take the trip to Australia himself to research a story for the publication.
The 'tell-all' nature of this book is engaging, it feels a bit like a true crime story. Slava brings readers behind the scenes of this popular media company to show what happens behind closed doors.
There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way though. I found him to be lacking self awareness when it came to his role at VICE and the influence that might have had on the people he recruited for the trip. As an editor for this influential publication, he had the social capital to make musical and journalistic careers, so I found the lack of recognition of this fact to be glaring. I also found the criticism of his ex's art, her career and the decisions she took to protect her career to be a bit bitter. It came across as lacking empathy and understanding for her perspective. I found his equating of the meaninglessness of their work to be especially bitter.
.
In all, it was an interesting read. Folks who like true crime might like this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.
The 'tell-all' nature of this book is engaging, it feels a bit like a true crime story. Slava brings readers behind the scenes of this popular media company to show what happens behind closed doors.
There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way though. I found him to be lacking self awareness when it came to his role at VICE and the influence that might have had on the people he recruited for the trip. As an editor for this influential publication, he had the social capital to make musical and journalistic careers, so I found the lack of recognition of this fact to be glaring. I also found the criticism of his ex's art, her career and the decisions she took to protect her career to be a bit bitter. It came across as lacking empathy and understanding for her perspective. I found his equating of the meaninglessness of their work to be especially bitter.
.
In all, it was an interesting read. Folks who like true crime might like this book.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.
January 5, 2022
Bad Trips is a true account of how a journalist for VICE ended up getting caught for smuggling drugs into Australia. Slava Pastuk gives us an honest, unapologetic look at his ambitions to write for VICE and to live the risky lifestyle that goes along with it. In the end, neither the reader nor the author is surprised at where he ends up, but it’s interesting to see how someone with so much opportunity continually makes bad decisions. We get a glimpse into a hipster world where living your life as a Brand and working for the “CNN for Millennial” are the most important things. Slava lived a full life living downtown Toronto writing about Canada’s rap scene. We get insights into VICE, celebrities, parties and how Slava basically allowed himself to fall into dealing drugs to maintain his lifestyle. This was a fun read.
June 2, 2022
This drew me in like watching a bad movie does: I wanted to see the ending knowing the middle would be an absolute mess. I was proven correct; this book was an absolute mess.
Pastuk presents the adventure of a lifetime. He explains how the culture of VICE led him to feeling the pressure of involving himself. You see his rise, his arrogance, and his crash. We're shown the truth of his journey and his raw feelings towards his life.
I wanted to like this more than I did. He just came off as self-absorbed and it made the tone of the book less appealing to me. Seeing that he gave himself a 2 star writing along with the word "yikes" I feel he understands the struggles of this book.
I appreciated the ARC from NetGalley, but I'm not sure I'd suggest this to be read by anyone.
Pastuk presents the adventure of a lifetime. He explains how the culture of VICE led him to feeling the pressure of involving himself. You see his rise, his arrogance, and his crash. We're shown the truth of his journey and his raw feelings towards his life.
I wanted to like this more than I did. He just came off as self-absorbed and it made the tone of the book less appealing to me. Seeing that he gave himself a 2 star writing along with the word "yikes" I feel he understands the struggles of this book.
I appreciated the ARC from NetGalley, but I'm not sure I'd suggest this to be read by anyone.
September 29, 2022
Having watched the show, Vice, I was curious to hear Slava's side of the story. His arrest was publicized, so I had an interest to know the details.
He sure didn't spare any. To the point, the middle of the book is a little boring. We didn't need every little detail I guess. Okay though.
It was very interesting to learn of the connection to El Chapo. Though I wasn't surprised since it was a Columbian drug cartel that he dealt with.
As far as stories about true crime in the way of drug smuggling, this one is intriguing. Using the people and resources you have to be greedy, let's face it, that's always what it is. Greed.
Do I think he is sitting in jail after writing this a changed man? No. Doubtful. When he does get out who knows what will happen....
He sure didn't spare any. To the point, the middle of the book is a little boring. We didn't need every little detail I guess. Okay though.
It was very interesting to learn of the connection to El Chapo. Though I wasn't surprised since it was a Columbian drug cartel that he dealt with.
As far as stories about true crime in the way of drug smuggling, this one is intriguing. Using the people and resources you have to be greedy, let's face it, that's always what it is. Greed.
Do I think he is sitting in jail after writing this a changed man? No. Doubtful. When he does get out who knows what will happen....
September 10, 2023
If you understand the idea of Toronto hip-hop culture, the bustling work environment in the city alongside the formation of online media becoming a major factor of how we see content, then you'll definitely enjoy this book as it details how this environment at the time leads people to do things to at least say that they've made it financially, emotionally, and mentally, and that's where Slava's story comes. The highly-conveyed storytelling with the accurate portrayal of Toronto culture pre-2018 is formulated well as it tells Slava's story from his birth until his trial and it's definitely soemthing to read and get to know more of.
February 20, 2022
This reads like an episode of Locked Up Abroad. Slavs was a journalist, tired I guess of the everyday normal life. He wants the hotter juicer scoops. So he begins smuggling drugs. From there it’s a downward spiral for him.
September 8, 2021
Fascinating expose of what working for VICE in the early 2000s was like -- low pay, lots of drugs and booze, immense pressure to commit extreme acts in the name of getting a good story.
April 29, 2022
i loved reading about Toronto and its landmarks and celebrities.
Such an eye opening book about VICE and its corporate culture.
I still dont think the author takes responsibility for his actions.
Such an eye opening book about VICE and its corporate culture.
I still dont think the author takes responsibility for his actions.
January 8, 2022
This book was a raw, unapologetic journey on how a series of ballsy choices can land you in a shitty situation. This story follows music enthusiast Slava Pastuk, on how he lands his dream job, and ultimately, how this job leads to his own demise. The author not only outlines their own narrative, but illustrates the strange rise of the notorious VICE media, with it's over the top parties, endless drugs, and questionable moral code. The author is brutally honest, sharing their mistakes without shame that makes you (the reader) cringe. However, it's the author's unashamed storytelling that makes you want to stay along for this wild ride. Overall, Bad Trips is a good trip for those reading it.
October 5, 2023
A biography that reads like a true crimes novel. In his own words, Slava Pastuk writes, “I wouldn’t believe the story was true if he hadn’t lived it myself”.
Summary:
Slava sets up the first half of the book setting the scene of cocaine and beer-driven VICE culture, and the coping mechanisms he developed as a result of being an underpaid VICE journalist in Toronto. Quoting VICE “was cheap to a point of parody”
The coping methods included alcoholism to numb the pain and dealing drugs to supplement the less-than-living wage he made in his full-time position. Ironically creating a portfolio of the vices he creates for himself in his early career.
The second half of the book covers the actual cocaine smuggling, cartel involvement, and eventual recruitment of others to act as drug mules to transport millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Las Vegas to Australia… and he doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. Closing with the repercussions and defamation that ended this chapter of his life, but also, his growth away from being “that VICE guy”.
Review:
Similar to how Slava attributes VICE gaining popularity for articles covering the “testing purity of drugs found at raves” or “how to increase productivity microdosing” this biography finds its strength telling you things you feel like you shouldn’t be allowed to know.
Great way to venture on the topic of drugs and addiction, when it comes from a well-seasoned source the taboo is removed and it’s simply the facts and the adventure. No glorifications but also no forced morality shoved down your throat.
The biography is also, what many aren’t, that is fun! It’s an enthralling read of money, drugs, strippers, international travel, the struggle of building a career in a big city with lots of competition. Great way to feel like you’re maybe doing all right with life after all.
Slava does a great job at describing his friends, coworkers, and girlfriend in extremely entertaining ways. I would love to see their reactions to how they were depicted.
Summary:
Slava sets up the first half of the book setting the scene of cocaine and beer-driven VICE culture, and the coping mechanisms he developed as a result of being an underpaid VICE journalist in Toronto. Quoting VICE “was cheap to a point of parody”
The coping methods included alcoholism to numb the pain and dealing drugs to supplement the less-than-living wage he made in his full-time position. Ironically creating a portfolio of the vices he creates for himself in his early career.
The second half of the book covers the actual cocaine smuggling, cartel involvement, and eventual recruitment of others to act as drug mules to transport millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Las Vegas to Australia… and he doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. Closing with the repercussions and defamation that ended this chapter of his life, but also, his growth away from being “that VICE guy”.
Review:
Similar to how Slava attributes VICE gaining popularity for articles covering the “testing purity of drugs found at raves” or “how to increase productivity microdosing” this biography finds its strength telling you things you feel like you shouldn’t be allowed to know.
Great way to venture on the topic of drugs and addiction, when it comes from a well-seasoned source the taboo is removed and it’s simply the facts and the adventure. No glorifications but also no forced morality shoved down your throat.
The biography is also, what many aren’t, that is fun! It’s an enthralling read of money, drugs, strippers, international travel, the struggle of building a career in a big city with lots of competition. Great way to feel like you’re maybe doing all right with life after all.
Slava does a great job at describing his friends, coworkers, and girlfriend in extremely entertaining ways. I would love to see their reactions to how they were depicted.
July 20, 2022
After actually reading this for the first time in its edited version, I think it's pretty good. Everyone who disagrees with that is a hater, and I'm sorry to say your opinion is wrong. But thanks so much for reading this everyone!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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