Doug Stanhope
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| Doug Stanhope | |
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| Born | March 25, 1967 Massachusetts USA |
Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian and 2008 presidential candidate.
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[edit] Career
Stanhope's career began in 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was the host of Comedy Central's The Man Show for its two final seasons and has appeared on ABC's The View. He has also produced and starred in "Invasion of the Hidden Cameras" (a project for the Fox Broadcasting network). Stanhope has made appearances at several major comedy festivals, including the Montreal Just For Laughs, US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, the Chicago Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, where he won the Strathmore Press Award in 2002. Stanhope was the winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition. He has released several CDs. He claims that his appearance on the BBC television show, "Live Floor Show," was fueled by "ecstasy". According to Stanhope “TV is just for the money; live performance is where it’s at.”
In 2005, frontally nude photos of Stanhope at a bachelor party were posted on the gay website Campfire Video. They were originally posted on Stanhope's own website.
He is currently working to establish a comic tour called The Unbookables featuring artists such as Andy Andrist, Sean Rouse, Brett Erickson, Travis Lipski, Brendon Walsh, and Norman Wilkerson. The Unbookables' first CD, "Morbid Obscenity", also featuring Andrist, Rouse, Lynn Shawcroft, Mr. Arthur Hinty and Banjo Randy, was released July 4, 2006, on Stand Up! Records.
Earlier this summer, he was booked to appear on several bills at the Kilkenny comedy festival in Ireland; he told his lairy, late-night crowd, that Irish men sleep with children, because - as the headline to the following day's Irish Daily Star put it (misreportedly) - "Irish women are too ugly to rape! Comic booed after shocking festival jibe." he managed to perform for just 10 minutes before having all his remaining slots cancelled. [1]
In August 2006 he appeared alongside Rouse at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, to rave 5 star reviews from the press. On his opening night he took what was believed to be an ecstasy tablet that was handed to him by a member of the audience. [2] [3]
Stanhope joined fellow Unbookable Norman Wilkerson and Mancuinan comedian Dave Bishop at the Manchester Comedy Festival in October along with a two week residency at the Soho Theatre in London.
In October, 2006, he self-published a book, "Fun With Pedophiles: The Best of Baiting," which includes several of his "baits" which had appeared on www.baiting.com. Baiting is the practice of setting up a false Internet instant messaging persona, say, that of an underage female, waiting for others to message you asking for sex, and then brutally abusing the "baitee" in a chat session that is logged to share with others.[1]
[edit] Material and criticisms
A self-confident drug user, libertarian and agnostic, Stanhope's humor can convey nihilism despite life-celebrating enthusiasm. His irate opposition to puritanical hysteria and superstition invites comparison with Bill Hicks. He frankly describes 'deviant' sexual activity and sometimes gruesome personal stories gleefully, blurring the lines between an "adventurous spirit" and full-blown "sicko". Stanhope violently opposes the gradual erosion of American civil liberties, particularly in his recent performances such as Deadbeat Hero.
Often subject to large-scale walk-outs by his American audiences, Stanhope admits "People will leave. I go on stage, it's like I'm leading you into battle -- you're not all going to be here at the end."
[edit] Presidential Campaign
Stanhope had announced on July 9, 2006 through his website that he would run for president in 2008 as a Libertarian. However, after consulting political advisors, he has stated on his website, "...officially - I am reconsidering my presidential run while my exploratory team looks into the viability of such an endeavor." [2] He explained that he made this statment due to campaign finance laws and other reasons. He later said on the same page that he is serious and "The presidential run is getting in order. You keep asking me if I'm serious. You have no idea. Let's have fun again."
[edit] Discography/Videography
- Great White Stanhope, CD, 1998
- Sicko, CD, 1999
- Something to Take the Edge Off, CD, 2000
- Die Laughing, CD, 2002
- Word of Mouth, DVD, 2003
- Deadbeat Hero, DVD/CD, 2004
- Morbid Obscenity, The Unbookables, CD 2006
To co-incide with Stanhope’s visit to the Edinburgh and Manchester Comedy Festival's Best Medicine (Ventura International’s new comedy imprint) release ‘Deadbeat Hero’ on DVD on the 21st August.
Dave Bishop has posted a link to The Austin Incident on his myspace page [3]. This is a bootleg that Stanhope himself keeps in circulation that features conspiracy theorist Alex Jones introducing Doug. The gig descends into chaos and twenty minutes in Stanhope can clearly be heard saying jokingly "you're never opening for me again" to Jones.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "If You're Offended, Then You're Not Listening," The Guardian , July 31, 2006 (accessed September 5, 2006).
- ^ "It'll Blow Your Mind," The Sunday Times , August 20, 2006 (accessed September 5, 2006).
- ^ "Boozy and Brilliant," The Independent , August 11, 2006 (accessed September 5, 2006).
[edit] External links
