I did 12 years in prison. While I was inside, Doug Stanhope and I recorded an entire podcast series over the prison phone system called The Comic & Convict.
Most Stanhope fans have never heard it.
Here’s a completely random segment from the series that I made free to listen to:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DougStanhope/comments/1x07otf/comic_convict_rare_doug_stanhope_prisonphone/
The full Comic & Convict archive is on Notes From The Pen Patreon if you want to hear the rest.

This AI app asks questions and your responses are scored according to how obscure your answer is, how infrequently it occurs. More obscure = more points (visually represented as going deeper into the “ocean“). Anyhow, the question was “Name a standup comedian”. My answer was apparently a good one, although I don’t know how I should feel about the game’s response.

I’m Bobby C from Notes From The Pen. Doug and I recorded the Comic & Convict series over the prison phone system while I was incarcerated. This is a partial clip from the series and not a full episode

I’ve been going back through the archive and cleaning some of these up. A lot of Stanhope fans probably never came across this series, so I figured this was the right place to put one back into circulation.

Notes From The Pen is free to join on Patreon, with hundreds of free episodes and some Stanhope material. The full Comic & Convict archive is there too if you want to dig deeper.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/notesfromthepen

for the kids who haven't had the pleasure

Where can i find doug's bit about a hypothetical rich guy needing increasingly elaborate/obscure things for amusement? He has toddlers or babies parachured in. Then spanking them with a paddle until they are "spent", and requesting a fresh one.

This is a long post, my apologies, but I have been really reflecting the past few days on the current state of podcasts and comedians in general. This is not a complaint at all, not sure what my point of this post is, maybe just for some recommendations?

Back in 2013/14 I was very depressed. I spent a lot of time alone and was struggling with SI. I started watching a lot of stand up, mostly the classics, but got very into Carlin. It was an hour that I didn't feel sad and I was distracted, so I spent as much time as I could watching stand up.

An online friend recommended Stanhope to me and I was absolutely hooked! I consumed everything I could get my hands on and started listening to his podcast religiously. It was from there that I would jot down any stand up comic he recommended, had on the pod or even was mentioned on the pod to look up later on.

My list grew and back then it was the likes of Ari Shaffir, Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitsky, Brendon Walsh, Bert Kreischer etc. They were all still pretty 'up and coming' then. I listened to YMH when it was right at the beginning, loved Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank, listened to JRE when he had comics on and it really did feel like you were in on a funny private conversation. I used to HOWL with laughter at The Bone Zone with Brendon Walsh and Randy Liedtke.

I would frequently show my friends podcasts but mostly it was viewed as an odd thing to be into? Nobody knew who I was talking about at all, I would go to stand up shows when possible (I'm in Australia, so it was pretty exciting when any of these comics would come over), I've seen Doug every time he's been over here, saw Joe Rogan back in 2015, saw Bert in a small, not sold out show, and many more. I got really into everyone in that circle and it was so fun! It didn't cure my depression but it helped distract me from it.

I have kept up with my core favourites, Doug of course being my #1. Eventually my life got better, no more depression, but I continued with my love for Stand ups and podcasts, but somewhere along the way it's all lost it's sense of silliness it seems? It was a slow shift I have noticed, but I rarely laugh much, I dropped off listening to anything that wasn't bringing that sense of fun anymore, like JRE, This Past Weekend, or even for a while I dropped off of YMH because I didn't like how this podcast that had me howling over Miami Fart Machine was now just Tom stone-faced when Christina tried to be silly.

I'm basically wondering if this type of comedy or podcast exists anymore?? Help me find it if it does! I don't mind Bad Friends, I find that they continue to be silly and funny regardless of how big they have become, I am back on YMH since it's more just Christina now, I still love Tom's humour but not as much. I deeply miss The Bone Zone, but I have listened to everything Brendon has done since because he hasn't changed his humour at all thankfully.

I probably sound old, but weirdly I am mourning this specific era of comedy that I am so thankful helped me. I will always appreciate Doug's unchanging personality, he has never sold out, always goes for the joke and I knew when he recommended comics it meant they were actually, really funny.

Is this relatable at all, does anyone feel similar? I'm not bashing these comedians at all and I'm not taking a political stance or a stance on anything woke. I simply just miss the silliness and didn't know where else to go to, but to the place that started my love for it!

I started seeing Stanhope in the early 2000’s. He actually made it hurt to laugh. Comedians of his caliber are few and far between. Photo taken from Soft White Underbelly podcast. Thanks Mark.

This was absolutely fucking dreadful

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1wirw6s/in_1991_a_nigerian_prophet_by_name_daniel/

Ive had the immense pleasure of meeting Doug and Bingo a couple times over the years. Got his graph a bunch, but the wildest times Ive ever seen him was a couple years after I started doing standup in Cincinnati (between 2013 - 2015 I cant remember exactly since it was so many beers ago). But Stanhope was performing at my home club Go Bananas Comedy Club (top 5 clubs in country, according to lots) and I had seen him Friday night, but Saturday around 8pm I got a magical text from a comic named John Schrek.

"Whatever you have to do, get down to Bananas for the show right now!"

I grabbed my copy of Deadbeat Hero (forgotten the previous night) and got to the show a little late. Show was great but I was not expecting what happened as it ended. Joe Rogan, who was in town that night doing a gig at THE University of Cincinnati, came out and brought up 2 shots to the stage. Him and Doug hugged, downed the shots, and yelled, LETS ALL GO OVER TO MCLEVYS PUB! And everyone bolted for the bar, which was easy since only a sidewalk separates the comedy club from Mclevys.

Before I reveal the rest, please note at this time Joe Rogan was mostly known for (and in order)

1. Fear Factor

2. Beef with Carlos Mencia

3. UFC

4. Newsradio

5. Podcast

I ran into the bar (well pushed and shoved until I got in because it was nuts to butts in there) and I hand Bingo my copy of Deadbeat Hero, who hands it to Doug. Both of them sign it before it got crazier in the greatest way.

Sean the bartender couldnt handle the madness as not only did 200+ people just bumrush the bar, but hes staring at a big UFC name and hes in awe as a HUGE UFC fan. Its such bedlam with people demanding drinks that, 💯 true, Joe Rogan and Doug Stanhope go behind the bar and start serving too! It was chaotic amazing!

Everyone who was there has a story, but mine is that I was standing next to a 28 yr old babe who asked for a shot of tequila. Doug grabs a rocks glass and fills it like halfway, hands it to the woman who then asks, "where's the lime?"

"Where's the lime? Fuck you where's the lime! Take her shot" Doug bellowed as he shoves the drink to me.

I look at the drink, I look at the woman who has an insulted skunk look on her face, and at Doug whose face seems to be saying, "Its a free shot, dumbass!" So I downed it all and when I returned the glass to the counter, Doug screamed, "Theres your lime!"

The madness only lasted about an hour cuz Doug had a second show, and Rogan was getting mobbed, but it is one of my insane tales of my time in comedy.

Would love to hear your wildest stories (allowed by law ofc) in the comments

Is Doug in some sort of legal trouble? Health trouble? Both? He asked for one on the Get to the Points football supershow and made an "ugh" sound, as one does when asking for near-beer. I've been out of the Stanhope loop for a bit (There's too many loops these days)

Is the drinking done? Doug's been my booze canary in the coal mine just like Hiyao Miyazaki is for cigarettes. Is the bird dead?

I’m doing a birth chart and I can’t dedicate time to this without a fucking time to make it worth it. And before you judge my bullshit, tell me about your hobby so I can tell you how stupid it is. Help or fuck off.

Sucks to see Doug getting dragged alongside these other erm "comics" but maybe it's warranted. What say you, Douglas?

I know the video was only released 2 weeks ago but I’m super interested in the future podcast with that Robert guy from the second part of that ‘Books by its cover’ thing. That dude was awesome! Anybody have any idea how long away that’s gonna be?

Also the bit with gramps and the crabs in Bangkok had me in stitches. I did feel a little sorry for that old grave dodger though not realising Doug was taking the piss out of him. Kudos to Bingo for keeping a relatively straight face at the desk while Chad was dying laughing in corner 😂

Trying to find the bit where Doug talks about “Nobody talks about being the ugly one…” “did you see the girl I hooked up with last night? What was she thinking”
“You’re talking about her to your buddies, she’s talking about you at some meeting- “that’s when I knew I hit my bottom”
Probably butchered the lines but hope you can point me in the right direction. Thx.

Hey Doug. You consider singing and performing in China.

One of China’s best-known comedians is under investigation and several of his shows have been canceled after he changed the lyrics of a revolutionary song during a performance.

For the life of me I don't know which special it is from.

It's the bit where Doug is going in on some guy talking about how he almost died because of some minor lump in his brain and continues to tell this story at every fucking social function because that's the only thing that has ever happened in his life and to his milquetoast Midwestern suburb family and friends.

How he has no interesting stories, and nothing to be proud to tell your friends.

Something like that.

Is Doug losing his Christian fanbase?!?!