The Doug Stanhope Interview

We here at halfguarded.com are big Doug Stanhope fans and were thrilled when his people reached out to us for an interview.  Doug recently wrote a book, Digging Up Mother, and is out promoting it and gave us a few minutes of his time.

 

The Doug Stanhope Interview

 

First off, thanks so much for your time!

No, thank YOU!  Press people get a bad wrap but I know you’re important.  It’s one of the reasons I’ve never shied away from interviews.

 

 

Why did you get into comedy?

I originally wanted to get into movies but they said I had a face for radio!

 

…

 

Get it?

 

At this point Doug takes a moment to compose himself. We then continue with the…

Doug Stanhope Interview

(Hi, Google!)

 

 

So, who is your comedy inspiration?

I would definitely say Bill Hicks.  I thought he was inspiring and really try to pattern my act after his.

 

 

And how do you write a joke?

First, I have to give a lot of credit to my team of writers: Chad, Ggreg, and Bingo.  Those are the main idea guys.  What we do is read the paper and look for the human interest pieces.  At one point, Jay Leno was the best inspiration for material!  Anyways, one of the three will then search through other comics material to see if they did a joke on that topic.  If they do, we all dissect it and maybe borrow a word or two.  Then, I’ll go one of my many joke books I keep and see how I can incorporate one of those into my act.

 

 

Isn’t that joke stealing?

Ha!Ha!  Not at all.  All I want to do is make people laugh and we comics have an understanding that seeing people smile is more important than who said something first.  I don’t like to get political but comedians are kind of like socialists in that way.  We all share jokes!

 

 

Do you have to tailor your act to different markets?  Is the Southeast different than Seattle?  Is America different than the UK?

For sure.  I usually have two or three hour-long sets ready to go and use the one that best fits that location.  The UK is great for this because it’s so small that the audiences are almost always the same.  My Scottish team is headed up by Brian Hennigan and he does fantastic work.  I fly over and when I land I know I’ll have great material specific to the Brits.

 

 

What’s your favorite part about comedy?

Meeting people.  I’m naturally just outgoing and enjoy talking to everyone.  I’m even embarrassed to say “fan” because they’re really just family at this point.  This is why I love giving out my address of 212 Van Dyke Street, Bisbee, AZ 85603: people will show up randomly and it’s always fun, especially on SuperBowl Sunday!  If you can make it out for that party, wow!, I’ll bet you’ll have a great time.  And if you can’t visit, make sure to hit me up on Facebook!

 

 

You’re known for stealing Bibles and selling them, are you worried about getting arrested?

HAHAHA!  That’s one of my favorite bits I do.  But, no, I’m not afraid.  In reality, we buy them in bulk and give them away after shows.  Just to spread the Good Word around, you know?  That’s why I did one of my specials in Salt Lake City.  I thought it would be great to perform in front of a bunch of believers for once.

 

 

Getting a little more personal, are you a morning person or a night person?

Morning, definitely.  Every day really is a blessing from God and nothing is better than the first moment you wake up and think, “YES!”  I will get in a good jog, have orange juice and a bagel, read the paper, and start working all before 7:00 a.m.!  People always marvel at how positive I am that early but that’s just me.

 

 

Do you jerk off animals because of your mother?

Absolutely.  It’s my little way of feeling connected to her.  I know I’ll see her again someday, God willing, but until then I carry on her work of helping out animals.

 

 

What’s your favorite drink?

Camomile tea for sure.  My voice is my life, you know?  I do everything I can to take care of it and myself.  I’ve seen too many of my friends make poor choices in life and I vowed to never go down that path. If I’m out with friends I might have a single glass of wine.

 

 

Any last words?

Don’t be like the sky, you know, sad.

 

 

Sad?

Because it’s blue!

 

 

And that was the …

DOUG STANHOPE INTERVIEW

 

For more about Doug, listen to his 100th podcast.  Doug also asked that all other media outlets please refer to this interview for background.