Doug Stanhope: Beer Hall Putsch | A Review

Besides Beer Hall Putsch, Doug has plenty of other albums to delve into during cubicle time. Find them on Spotify or torrent them for maximum enjoyment.

• The Great White Stanhope 1998
• Sicko 1999
• Something to Take the Edge Off 2000
• ACID Bootleg 2001
• Die Laughing 2002
• Word of Mouth 2003
• Deadbeat Hero 2004
• Morbid Obscenity 2006
• No Refunds 2007
• From Across the Street 2009
• Oslo: Burning the Bridge to Nowhere 2011
• Before Turning the Gun on Himself 2012
• Beer Hall Putsch 2013

Doug Stanhope fans are the least of likely people to be perusing articles, deciding on whether or not to torrent this new album, but I figure I might as well try to sway some newcomers who haven't heard what many regard as the best comedy since Bill Hicks.

Says Deadtide.com of the comedian, "Doug Stanhope is a gritty comic that mixes atrociously profane gutter humor with acerbic social commentary that would likely get him killed if he weren't so damned funny. If there any one thing about Stanhope that's telling of his talent, it's that his material bears repeated listening. Unlike so many of his contemporaries and influences, you can listen to the same Stanhope CD over and over and always get something new out of it."

You might be asking, "What does any of that mean?" And to this I say to minimize your Facebook page, close out of your Poppit game on Pogo.com, and listen to this album. You can find it on Spotify, The Pirate Bay, and according to his website, for free on Netflix.

Doug Stanhope's gravely voice, paired with the occasional gulp of booze, graces the microphone as he touches on the subjects he is most passionate about, like over-population, "supporting" breast cancer, and saying 'goodbye' to his mother. He graphically details raping a pro-football player to explain why he doesn't want to be reminded of breast cancer during a football game, and he peppers in a Terry Schiavo reference for good measure as his subtle choice of words gives way to a cacophony of choked, unparalleled laughter.

Douglas Gene "Doug" Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and author known for his abrasive and controversial comedy style (Wikipedia). He is black and blue comedy at its finest. He's been featured on Opie and Anthony's radio show, did a show in a maximum security prison, published a book, and performed on a myriad of other shows, including television and radio.

You can find him in the documentary movie The Aristocrats alongside George Carlin, Eddie Izzard, Lewis Black, and pretty much any comedian you can think of, in which he tells a caustic joke to a baby. He also hosted the Man Show briefly with Joe Rogan. Currently he does a podcast with friends that can be found on his website.

Doug got his start in Las Vegas, where he lived out of his car while he did 'jack-off jokes for free drinks." Said of him, "Doug is vulgar, opinionated, brutally honest and shockingly uninhibited and is certainly not for everybody" (Doug's Bio). Brutal honesty is certainly his trademark, and he is never one to sugar-coat his thoughts, which are peppered with seemingly perfectly-placed vulgarities and descriptions.

"See him very soon, because he describes his own intake of drink and drugs as staggering. "Jesus died for your sins," he reminds us. "I'm doing it for your mere entertainment." Well, he isn't Jesus. But at his peak only a literal miracle could produce better, more challenging comedy." - EdinburghGuide.com

Likely you are already a fan, but if you aren't and you need convincing, you should listen to this comedy album because there are things in this world greater than being offended by phrases like "truncated rectums." If you don't let yourself hear words that ruffle your feathers or even turn your stomach, like listening to a man vividly describing hitting a woman (which can be found specifically on the album Burning the Bridge to Nowhere on the track entitled "Drambuie") or blowing his mother up in a Subway restaurant (Deadbeat Hero, "Subway Breakfast"), how will you ever know the limits of comedy?

Doug Stanhope's comedy takes you to a place you may have never been before. He opens up your mind to new ideas with compelling verbiage and gives you new ways to think about things you might not have even considered. If you haven't, listen to him. Any album will do. Just go. Listen.