Word of Mouth

Doug Stanhope walks onto the stage half-drunk and proceeds to deliver a set of misanthropic barroom philosophy. He goes after American foreign policy, calling the country a “big bloated celebrity that thinks it doesn’t have to pay the cover charge”. The material leans heavily on self-destruction, anchored by extended tangents about his life being a shambles, frequenting smut shops, and hiring hookers.

Recorded in May 2002 at the Velveeta Room in Austin, Texas, the 84-minute release captures the comic just as his profile was rising. He was about to take over as a co-host on Comedy Central’s The Man Show and had recently won a critical award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Released independently by Sacred Cow Productions, the DVD found an audience largely through bootlegs and early internet comedy circles. It includes a bonus feature of Stanhope and a friend tripping on mushrooms in a hotel room.