Doug Stanhope: 'Everything Annoys Me Equally'

No comedian is as idiosyncratic and outspoken about their politics and their habits as Doug Stanhope, who dresses exclusively in Goodwill castoffs and has written irresistibly weird and readable books about everything from helping his terminally ill mother commit suicide to celebrating the on-the-road debauchery that ended in his getting happily married.

Stanhope has entertained audiences with his bad taste and unapologetically libertarian tirades for nearly 30 years. In the early 2000s, he co-hosted The Man Show with Joe Rogan, including an episode where he entered a boxing ring against disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding and took a bit of a beating.

Reason caught up with Stanhope at FreedomFest, an annual event held this year in Memphis, where he performed a characteristically uncensored set that had the audience alternately groaning and laughing. We talked about why he's dreading the presidential election season, how he survived COVID's effect on touring, what he likes about psychedelics, and why he prefers creative independence over mainstream acceptance.