One thing that I don’t get to do enough lately is to watch other comics. I got into comedy because I was a fan of the art form, and it’s very inspirational to me to see a great stand up comic perform. It always makes me want to go home and write. Most of the time when I do stand up on the road, it’s just me and my friends, and although they’re very funny and they inspire me as well, there’s always something extra exciting about seeing someone else perform, especially when you’ve got the night off and can really enjoy it.
Thursday night we went to see one of my favorite humans on the planet: my pal, The Great Doug Stanhope. I really love what Doug is doing, not just onstage (which, if you haven’t seen him and you’re a fan of comedy, you’re really fucking yourself over) but even the way he’s promoting and handling himself.
Doug has pulled himself completely off the standard comedy grid, and is now out on the road living by his own promotion and his personal connection to his fans. No more big comedy clubs chains that most comics require to keep their books filled – Doug does mostly rock clubs. He makes a deal with the venue, sends out an email to the freaks on his mailing list, and Thursday night at King King in Hollywood there was a fucking line out the door to get in.
No politics, no house MC, no 3 shows a night – just a calendar, Doug, his crazy girlfriend, and a fucking unstoppable wave of sold out shows, jaeger bombs, beer, mushroom trips and coke dick.
He’s not pretending to be some connect the dots rebel, or pushing some carefully constructed image, he’s just being 100% Doug Stanhope.
He’s out there like a fucking comedy life raft shredding his liver and blowing out his consciousness – deconstructing the world, over and over again in the name of entertainment. It’s the purest form of Gonzo comedy out there right now.
I appreciate the fuck out of what he’s doing, and Thursday night I watched him stutter, spit and bellow out some of the best fucking comedy being put out today.
He’s not spreading himself thin with any dopey sitcom he’s trying to produce, he’s just out there doing his stand up. He’s completely free of any part of the Hollywood system, only putting out shit that resonates with the way he’s living and seeing the world. I’ve been doing comedy for over 20 years, and I can’t tell you how fucking rare that approach is.
That’s what it’s all about, people. That’s the real shit. He’s out there untethered to the machine, and he’s never done better.
Go out there and support him. Go see him while he’s alive, because when he’s gone you’re gonna miss him. I sure as fuck know I will.
RIGHT ON, yea stanhope is where its at right now. As a young aspiring (someone on the board said ass pirating) comedian, I can really dig what he is doing. In my mind, with the internet, this really is the way to go. So many comedy clubs fake the funk and are really only about the $$ rather than the message. I think part of stanhope’s underlying message is that $$ is bullshit, which is why he’s receiving so much acclaim during this “tough economy”.
Onto comedy clubs: Improv in particularly irks me because in no way, shape, or form will a successful stand-up set have considerable amounts of improvisation. Yea you use it to tag and deal with hecklers, but wtf?! Its like calling a Bakery a Deli, you’re slicing stuff up for people, but with totally different material. (Bad analogy)
I like how you mention rock venues. I think one venue that NEEDS to be tapped by comedians are music festivals. There’s so much down time and it would be the perfect place with someone like stanhope’s message to thrive. Most of the audiences are forgiving as they are already use to less than stellar music sets. The only problem seems to be the intimacy factor and the fact that it might be during the day. Lots of comedians have problems with comedy being a ‘night thing’. Fuck it, change that. TankThink
Over and out
And the fucker’s prolific. I saw him before No Refunds and about 6 months after, and he had nearly an hour of new, killer material.
I have seen doug stanhope live, 2wice, couldnt agree more with what was said!
Doug was always a hit at the edinburgh fringe festival, something i think Joe should make an appreance at!