From Across the Street

2009 release. Doug Stanhope's mother let him and his brother read things like Hustler Magazine when he was younger. The tasteless cartoons in there are among some of Doug's early influences. In 1990, while working as a telemarketer, Stanhope began performing stand-up, attending open mikes at the Escape Lounge II. Stanhope's material is marked by an almost unflinching honesty, touching upon his own drug habits and sexual habits. His social and political views are contrarian, but always sincere. The twisted things he says are what he believes, he's come to them using his own dark logic. His belief in what he says - it's not just 'material' - is probably why sometimes he gets visceral responses from audiences, often inducing walkouts 'not ready for the truth', as Stanhope sees it.