# Stand-up comics who perform drunk or high? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220 "2004-03-14T10:41:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/1 "2004-03-14T10:41:46Z")
Have any of you ever seen a stand-up comedian in a club performing while obviously drunk or high on drugs? I’ve never been to a live comedy show, so I have no idea what kind of atmosphere you’re dealing with, especially at maybe some of the lower-rent places. But I would certainly imagine that most of the comedians on stage would be no strangers to substances. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/2 "2004-03-14T11:54:43Z")
It’s TV rather than standup, but [Reeves and Mortimer](http://www.vicandbob.net/) supposedly have never done a show sober. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/3 "2004-03-14T12:06:55Z")
There was an article in an Irish tabloid on Friday about Tommy Tiernan, that was along the lines of “My drugs hell” and “I took coke before every performance until 2 years ago”. He also said he tried performing on ecstacy, but ended up not knowing where he was. Still a funny bastard though. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/4 "2004-03-14T13:50:03Z")
Didn’t Robin Williams admit to being on coke for most of performances in the early days? ---
**Author:** ![grisham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@grisham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grisham)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/5 "2004-03-14T18:29:15Z")
Ron White drinks while on stage. Mitch Hedberg seems to be stoned but theres nothing for sure there. That is just my assumption and you know what assuming does. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/6 "2004-03-14T19:00:00Z")
I swear Willie Nelson was stoned out of his gourd at this year’s Superbowl half-time show. (Okay, I know he’s not technically a comedian, but I find him amusing.) ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/7 "2004-03-14T19:07:50Z")
> [@grisham](#): > > Ron White drinks while on stage. Mitch Hedberg seems to be stoned but theres nothing for sure there. That is just my assumption and you know what assuming does. Ron White always smokes too. And Mitch Hedberg does always seem stoned when he performs. Bloody funny though. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/8 "2004-03-14T19:09:19Z")
Went to see Margaret Cho in Fresno last year and she could barely speak or stand for the first half hour of her show. She pulled it together and put on a pretty good show, but she was very obviously impaired. I won’t go see her live again—just stick to her concert movies and CDs. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/9 "2004-03-14T19:12:27Z")
Didn’t mention: the Margaret Cho show was more of a concert thing, at the Saroyan theater, 45 dollars a ticket, open bar in the lobby—not a low-rent type of place. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/10 "2004-03-14T22:07:45Z")
I’ve seen Dave Chapelle (big surprise, eh?) perform a standup bit, and good golly, he was SOOOOOO high. Blitzed out of his mind the whole time. Still funny, though. And one of my favorite musicians, Stew, of _The Negro Problem_, performs while bakin’. Still great when he does. (And there’s this one guy, SPOOFE, a bit of an asshole, that has been known to do his Stage Managerial duties whilst enjoying the reefer. Did a show drunk, too… wit’out a hitch.) ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/11 "2004-03-14T22:24:53Z")
I’ve never seen his stage act, but I saw Scott Thompson on Conan. Apparently, he drinks two martinis a show and does two shows a night. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/12 "2004-03-15T00:02:41Z")
Saw Billy Connolly last night, on his “_Too old to die young_” tour - pure dead brilliant. Billy spent a good portion of the show telling tales of gigs he’d done in the early days of his career, in which certain substances played a part. God, he’s funny. Stomach’s sore this morning, from all the laughing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/13 "2004-03-15T00:26:53Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > It’s TV rather than standup, but [Reeves and Mortimer](http://www.vicandbob.net/) supposedly have never done a show sober. What is this! Scare Lobsang out of his skin day! First I hear someone walking up the stairs seconds after posting in a thread about hallucinations. then I see [this](http://www.iupload.net/022004/err0r-newsbitch.jpg) on another MB. then your link reminds me that my volume is way too high and set in ‘cathedral’ mode. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/14 "2004-03-15T00:29:02Z")
(whoops. no hotlinking. so cut the url from my link, paste it into your address bar. should work then. I give you advance warning) ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/15 "2004-03-15T00:40:12Z")
I saw Howie Mandell one time _years_ ago, back when people actually knew who he was. It was a television thing, I forget which show. If he wasn’t coked out of his mind, then I don’t know what his problem was. He was manic, sweaty, jittery and completely unfunny. (Of course, the unfunny part was normal.) He was literally just talking out of his ass, and made no sense whatsoever. I was embarrassed for him…it was pathetic just watching him. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/16 "2004-03-15T13:36:25Z")
Personally, I wouldn’t care. If they’re making me laugh, they’re doing their jobs. You can’t be a comedian for long if you’re not funny. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/17 "2004-03-15T15:11:27Z")
> [@Sylkyn](#): > > …He was literally just talking out of his ass… :eek: \*\*“Pthbbbt bthpt pfbbbbbbbbt! Fthttppbt ppppbbtht, btht bbbthtbbf pthbt…” \*\* Ok, sorry. Got a really bad mental picture of Howie on stage with his pants down… ---
**Author:** ![Gartog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/22d042/32.png) [@Gartog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gartog)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/18 "2004-03-15T15:17:25Z")
Saw a comedian a few weeks ago called Ian Cognito, [www.iancognito.com](http://www.iancognito.com), he’s published a book online recounting his early days as a comic, and admits to using drugs before going on, also when I saw him he was drinking throughout the show and admitted to having an alcohol problem, [plug]I reviewed the gig in my [blog](http://www.garethswebsite.net//2004_02_15_blog.shtml#107712733779090659) [/plug] ---
**Author:** ![CrazyMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee59a6/32.png) [@CrazyMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/19 "2004-03-15T15:55:03Z")
Back before the commercials and all, Carrot Top performed at my college, and the show was hilarious. He came back the following year, and was out of his mind. He kept getting lost, forgetting jokes, rambling on and on about nothing in particular. It was awful. ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220/20 "2004-03-15T18:05:48Z")
I’m not too sure about now anymore, but George Carlin used to smoke up before his performances. He tells a story about my home town,Toledo Ohio. How the DJ’s from FM 104 WIOT got him so high before a show here that it was the one and only time he was too stoned to perform. Hence, his next LP was titled “Toledo Windowbox” I’m so proud to be a Toledoan. I’ve seen a few tapes of Louis Amstrong that had red eye. It was obvious that man blew more than his horn that night. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-up-comics-who-perform-drunk-or-high/234220.md?page=2)