The Carnival

From his DVD, No Refunds

More Doug Stanhope videos

Stanhope says he was living off fraud telemarketing and the kindness of strippers in Las Vegas, when he first ventured onto the stage of an open mic comedy night at a seedy bar called the Escape Lounge II.

When all the strippers left for band guys, Doug traipsed down to Phoenix on the tail of a woman and landed a gig as a house MC at the Comedy Cove, a club as doomed to failure as the relationship. The girl left him nine months later for the lighting guy from Cheap Trick . The club shut down around the same time, but not before Doug had enough contacts to start a life on the road.

In December of 1992, Doug packed his few belongings in a 1981 Dodge Omni and spent the next three years living on the road like a pig, getting drunk, chasing women and spewing "dick jokes" across America like a crop duster until his break at the 1995 San Francisco comedy festival enabled him to move to Los Angeles.

CV

Doug Stanhope in London
Live Review
Leicester Square Theatre

Ever insightful, Doug Stanhope knows the impotence of his trademark fury better than most. He’s come to accept that his big, if hugely controversial, ideas to solve all the world’s ills fall on the deaf ears of the drunkards and wastrels he considers his natural audience.

He also admits this all-too brief London run coincides with his annual crisis of confidence, when he becomes listless with his own material and convinced he’s not, nor never has been, funny. He’s hardly motivated by the news, feeling there aren’t too many ha-has in sub-prime mortgage lending, so what he really needs is a ‘better 9/11’ to inspire him anew

This – plus the fact he’s noticeably under the weather – doesn’t auger well for an hilarious 80 minutes. But thankfully, despite his protests, there’s no drought of ideas in what turns out to be another powerfully opinionated show. If global issues aren’t his concern, he is still left to focus his omnipresent frustrated rage in two opposing directions: outwards to the minutiae of existence, and inwards to his own numerous failings of a human being.

In a coruscating early routine about stand-up itself; he contrasts his attempts at observational comedy with the benign wit of Jerry Seinfeld. Both may comment upon the inadequacies of airline food – but where Seinfeld simply points it out, Stanhope wants to punch someone in the head for it. Comedy is all the funnier when it has anger management issues, and Stanhope brings plenty of those to the table.

When it comes to himself, he’s not so much angry as disappointed, especially at the state of his aging body, which he doesn’t even feel he can inflict upon comedy groupies any more. But he can still get laid: ‘I got hooker money,’ he declares.

It’s a line that is perfectly believable, coming from Stanhope. You know his debauched tales of drunken, drug-fuelled excess, of watching porn, and generally being on the fringes of society – although never the core thread of his act – are entirely authentic. That you know he’s the real deal gives added credence that the views he espouses are genuinely held beliefs, not concocted for the sake of a glib joke.

So even on the rare occasions when routines don’t really work – a muddled if well-intentioned derision of the Monarchy or some nonsense about humans being the result of aliens breeding with apes – you still want to listen to hear what he has to say.

Aside from the closing material about the relative lack of intimacy in sex, which Stanhope performed at his last UK visit, his most impressive routine considers the discrimination against the ugly as heinous as any other prejudice. This tessellates neatly with both his take on Barack Obama and racism, and his inspired thoughts on Susan Boyle, brutally spearing those who expected her to be unable to sing simply because she was aesthetically imperfect.

Elsewhere, Stanhope beautifully offensive take on why abortion is the environmentally sensible choice, and a thoughtfully logical, if comedically underpowered, manifesto makes a great case for how the state should have no power over what you do to your own body – from drugs to abortion to euthanasia.

Hang on, aren’t we back on to the big issues Stanhope said he wouldn’t tackle. But for a drunk wreck of a man with a tendency to rub people up the wrong way, he doesn’t half make some good points – and funny ones too.

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3

Just a note from America: Doug Stanhope is the funniest and most intelligent person on the planet. Period. Hicks, Bruce, Carlin, and Kinison are all great, but Doug is totally original. And he very rarely has to make things up. See him at all costs.

Namgar, January 2020

Definitely not one for the casual comedy-goer. We saw him at the Pimms Summerfest, where some of the more sensitive of the audience left (presumably in disgust at his more extreme material). His set was truly filthy/disgraceful in places, but with elements of gut-wrenchingly funny, insightful comedy.

Jo Phelan, August 2008

I saw Doug a the Kilkenny Cat Laughs too...but I was there exclusively to see him and I have to say it was without doubt the funniest show I've ever seen, a lot of people were clearly shocked because the more beers he had the more obscene he became, but I thought it was hilarious, the man's a genius. Keep it up Doug.

karen walsh, January 2007

He is wonderful as a has been.

American fan, November 2006

This is how a stand-up comic should be. Bill Hicks once said 'I want my rock stars dead' - well I want my stand-up comedians stinking pissed and heavily irate by the time they get on-stage (carrying three bottles of lager and a full shotglass). Not for the faint hearted but definitely for the open minded, Doug Stanhope controlled the room with various well placed rants . I've not seen much stand up comedy but I know I've seen one of the most important comics ever. See this guy, you won't be disappointed. amen.

danny, October 2006

just saw Doug Stanhope on Howard Stern. Having never heard of Doug before, or his q-ball girlfriend, I was truely impressed. I like Doug's approach to his audience and respect his "open window" of a life as the source of his comedy. He's the guy the married men cant hang around but want to (if their wives would let them!). I will be looking for more of Doug Stanhope while I'm sitting at this corperation pretending to work; wondering why I didnt take his roaddd in Blackpool when I was 7 years old, and now, many years later, he is still one of my favourite comedians. I even have an autograph! Fun for the whole family, each person will get a different part of the same joke.Fantastic

Vicki Fell, September 2006

Just returned from seeing Stanhope in Edinburgh and loved his show. He appeals to the dark side of our personalities, the evil monkey on our shoulder, he celebrates it and I implore him to continue doing so! It's so fantastic to see an act, who makes you leave the building thinking about things in a different way.

Katie Bonna, August 2006

Doug Stanhope is the funniest comedian I've ever heard. Thru all the dark, demented and crazy shit he has to say, I have to say I can't argue with him on any points. Everyone has opinions and mine is that Stanhope is the funniest mofo in comedy.

JoJo The Monkey Boy, July 2006

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3