ON DVD
Although there are three Stanhope DVDs in circulation, only two are widely available:
Doug Stanhope — No Refunds (2007) No subject is taboo in this, Stanhope's most recent Showtime special. Available direct through his website and Amazon.com, No Refunds is Stanhope's best material to date.
Doug Stanhope — Deadbeat Hero (2004) This was the second live performance DVD released by Stanhope. In addition to the usual irreverent humor (sample chapter names: "Steal shit and quit," "Two-headed baby," "Priest molestation"), you get vintage Stanhope performance clips grouped by what type of mullet Doug had at the time.
ONLINE
Stanhope maintains both a personal website (dougstanhope.com) and a MySpace page (myspace.com/dougstanhope). There's also a wealth of clips on YouTube and Google video, including many excerpts from No Refunds and Deadbeat Hero. Here's some other quality finds, all of which can be accessed as clickable links within this story on tampa.creativeloafing.com.
Stanhope live in Austin, Texas on Aug. 13, 2004
Filmed by a fan sitting in the front row, this is raw footage of Stanhope dealing with an unruly crowd. The show opens with a 10-minute rant by talk-show host/911 Truth provocateur Alex Jones that ends with heckling and Stanhope emerging to calm the crowd. Twenty minutes later, the show breaks down again for good. Wikipedia claims the comic personally keeps this clip in circulation, and it's the best available example of Stanhope's brand of train-wreck comedy. An added bonus: This is one of the rare clips found online that runs more than a few minutes (it's about an hour).
Stanhope doing The Aristocrats joke for a baby
The baby is adorable. Stanhope's version of the supposed filthiest joke ever told is a classic. The whole thing is very funny — and very wrong.
Stanhope on When Hidden Cameras Attack
Clips of several failed Stanhope TV series can be found online. Our favorite: this clip from When Hidden Cameras Attack, in which Stanhope tries to get a vet to give a dog a sex-change operation.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2007.