Doug Stanhope and the art of telling stories

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Doug Stanhope is the kind of guy everyone hopes to grab a stool next to at the bar.

In only the rarest of occasions will you happen upon a conversationalist with the quick wit and dark sense of humor that Stanhope possesses, but if you do, you better hope you remember it.

Thatbs exactly what happened to one down-on-her-luck woman at the Hilton hotel bar at Boston Logan airport recently. bThis girl came up and was smoking, and we started a conversation as smokers always do,b Stanhope says.

The conversation led to splitting a sandwich, and an expose on the womanbs history with heroin. bI made some heroin joke and she goes byeah, Ibm a junkie,bb Stanhope says.

She explained that she was flying to meet her father for a cruise in Malta, under the notion that this would give her a break from the ecosystem in which she was using; however, she missed her connection, and was now planning to b& well you can put the rest together.

At the end of the night, Stanhope was saying his goodbyes, and asked if she was going up to her room. bNo,b she replied, bIbm not staying here. I just came to have a drink, Ibm sleeping in the airport.b

Feeling charitable, he said she could use the extra bed he had in his room. bJust donbt steal my stuff,b he asked of her, bI slept with my suit on and my money in my pocket.b

These types of events donbt happen to everyone, but good stories, it seems, happen to people who can tell them.

Stanhope has a lot of stories to tell. In a world where so much of the thinking manbs conscience is concerned with political correctness and whether or not a second Cold War is upon us, Stanhope remains unaffected in both subject matter and state of mind.

bI canbt imagine anything that would hurt my audience other than maybe me finding Christ or quitting drinking,b Stanhope says.

Though the Arizona-based comedian would probably correct anyone who refers to him as a thinking man, he most assuredly is a thinking man. When speaking of politics, he doesnbt concoct a half-baked policy critique, but simply takes down that notion that itbs even worth discussing. bItbs just so boring,b he says. bThe news is telling you one thing and then itbs 45 minutes of people arguing about something you donbt give a fuck about.b

This isnbt an act of dismissiveness, itbs a belief that the news webre being fed is the equivalent of pink slime chicken nuggets. Stanhope doesnbt like pink-slime, he prefers a vodka soda with a splash of grapefruit. bI used to use Bukowski as a barometer of how lazy I could be,b he says. bI would say well Bukowski didnbt write anything until he was 44 years old, Ibm only 36 I can still fuck up.b

Stanhope has many similarities to the great literary writers that were either a part of or were influenced by the beat generation. He speaks of Bukowski and Hunter S. Thompson as people whom hebs read, but never necessarily saw as direct influences.

Much like the two writers, Stanhope truly lives life on his own terms. Simply put, hebs the kind of guy you want to live like, but you probably wouldnbt last through Sunday.

Stanhope plays two nights in Atlanta: The Punchline Comedy Club on Mon., April 24B and Smithbs Olde Bar on Tues., April 25. Do yourself a favor and go listen to some stories worth hearing.