Nick Larson
Pot and comedy go together like, uh, pot and comedy. Did I say that already? Whoa, mannn.
Marijuana is a hot topic these days. Heck, a few states have already legalized the stuff. Crazy, right? Comedian Doug Benson was way ahead of the curve, leading the charge on pot-based media years before it was mainstream. You may remember Super High Me, his documentary about — what else? — smoking weed.
Doug does much more than get baked, however. He appeared on Comedy Central’s game show @Midnight, he’s got multiple comedy specials under his belt, and he currently hosts Getting Doug With High on YouTube.
His longest-running property is a podcast called Doug Loves Movies. Doug and his friends have talked about hundreds of films over the years. They continually enrich their roster of in-jokes and unique phraseology, and reinvigorate audiences with new movie-based games such as Now Buscemi, Now You Don’t, Last Man Stanton, and most famously, The Leonard Maltin Game. He’s coming to The Comedy Club on State on May 25 (at 4:20 p.m., get it?) for a live recording of that show, games and all.
Isthmus chatted with Doug about his breakfast, his wildly successful niche comedy and, well, various ways of imbibing THC.
Doug, how are you today? Did you have a nice breakfast?
I'm doing good, thanks. I was in Boise, Idaho, this morning so I had a free hotel breakfast. Which may sound like a bad thing, but it was delicious. They had tortillas and scrambled eggs and bacon, so I made a breakfast taco.
Do you remember the last time you were in Madison? I believe it was 2015, so it’s been a while.
It's been too long! I love playing Comedy on State. It's kind of a joke but I say it with love: It's the best comedy club under a bank in the world!
Do you have any special Madison or Midwestern memories, hazy or otherwise?
Oh, man, one time I did a performance of The Marijuana-logues at a theater in Madison, and it was like 40 degrees below zero, so the turnout was not great. All of my Comedy on State memories are good ones, though.
Gotta ask, since Wisconsin: What is your favorite type of cheese?
I like most cheeses. But since you asked, for “best,” I'll go with gruyere.
Do you think there is a difference between “pot comedy” and “high comedy?”
Yeah, I’m more of the second one. I'm high when I do it, but other topics get into the show.
Is there a show or film you wished you had had a chance to cameo in? Like I think having you as Badger in Breaking Bad would have been a funny stoney nod.
But the dude who played him was so good! His name is Matt Jones, and he's been on my weed podcast, Getting Doug With High, a few times. To answer the question, though, there are MANY movies and shows I wish I was in. Pretty happy that I got to play myself on You're The Worst and Trailer Park Boys, and looking forward to whatever comes up next.
Are you into dabs at all, or do you stick to the herb?
Dabs hit me way harder than herb, so I’m just an occasional dabber at this point. I love dabs but they make me sleepy. I’m building up my tolerance by doing dabs every week on my YouTube show, Getting Doug With High. There’s usually a big fat nap in my future after the tapings.
Family Video, one of our last remaining video rental stores in the area, recently got into the CBD business and sells it alongside five-day rentals. What’s your take on that? Do you think it could lead to a doobie-and-DVD service? You wanna help me corner that market when it emerges?
I love this! As much as I enjoy Netflix, I miss going to the rental store and holding physical copies of the movies. The only downside I could see to this operation is that five days is a long time to forget that you rented a movie and then not bring it back. But I guess late fees are a great way to make more money.
If you weren’t a comedian-actor-producer-writer-podcaster, what would you be?
I'd be in advertising, I think. Which is very similar to stand-up comedy, because they both involve convincing people to give you money for something they don't necessarily need. Plus I’m really good at coming up with slogans.
What’s a dumb weed trend you’ve noticed? Like, for example, people were obsessed with cross joints after Pineapple Express came out 50 years ago.
Ha, ha. A dude I met in Texas invented a “wallet caddy,” which is a fake stack of credit cards you could hide some little joints in. But then he put cute gags like the number 420 on the credit card, just to help the authorities know there was weed inside.
I think you’ve always been one of the more authentic comedians out there, and you are, indeed, the highest comedian around. Do you think smoking helps you connect with audiences?
Well, first of all. I'm glad you find me authentic. I feel like sometimes people assume I’m less of a stoner in real life than on the stage. I definitely think I've connected with people over the years because there can be a lot of shame in being a pothead, and seeing me out there being so open about it, and being with other people in the audience who enjoy cannabis, makes people feel better about it. Many people who come to my shows want to smoke with me after, and in a lot of cases they succeed!
