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On this episode of The Future of Comedy Show we are back at BJ's Event Center with comedy legend Doug Stanhope featuring Andy Andrist and special guests Mike Ball and Junior Stopka. Please remember that doors open at 7pm and show begins at 8pm. ABOUT DOUG STANHOPE- “Once you do standup, it spoils you for everything else,” says Doug Stanhope. “There’re no censors, no sponsors to offend, no standards and practices. It’s just you, and it’s immediate gratification.”Stanhope’s confrontational, unfiltered comedy—twice named “Best Stand-Up Show” by Time Out New York—blends caustic social commentary, outlandish personal narratives, and graphic humor. Fueled by anger, outrage, and alcohol, he rails against Western civilization’s decline with fearless wit, always on the edge of implosion but in full control. The Guardian calls him “a visionary douchebag” with “aggressive intelligence,” and The San Antonio Current dubs him “Charles Bukowski with dick jokes, drunkenly fueled by Thomas Paine.”
Unlike many comics, Stanhope has built a loyal fanbase without mainstream media. He sells out theaters in the U.S. and abroad, recording his Oslo: Burning the Bridge to Nowhere special in Norway. The Denver Post hails him as “a truth-teller and astute (if messy) social critic.” His fans, ranging from doctors to troublemakers, are fiercely devoted—once driving an internet plagiarist offline and even bartering medical procedures with him.
Born in Worcester, MA, Stanhope started stand-up in 1990 while working a dead-end telemarketing job. Initially a self-described “dick-joke guy with a mullet,” he found his voice in the mid-’90s, crafting real stories into sharp, meaningful routines. His talent earned him wins at the 1995 San Francisco Comedy Competition (beating Dane Cook) and the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Strathmore Press Award. He’s performed at Just for Laughs, the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, and made infamous appearances, including a BBC set while on ecstasy.
Stanhope’s raw, no-holds-barred comedy brought him to The Howard Stern Show, Comedy Central Presents, and Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe. He briefly co-hosted The Man Show and had an infamous stint on Girls Gone Wild, both of which he regrets. However, his performance as a suicidal comic on Louie was widely praised.Rejecting Hollywood’s pull, Stanhope left L.A. for Bisbee, Arizona, prioritizing creative freedom over industry cash. “I never had a goal—everything I’ve done has been an accident. I just play to me, and if I can amuse myself, I consider it a victory.”
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
BJ's Catering & Event Center, 990 N Center Ave,Gaylord, Michigan, United States
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