Doug Benson – Back in Sacramento

Comedian Doug Benson smokes pot. That fact is well documented in his stand-up routine and his 2007 documentary “Super High Me.”

In the movie, Benson eagerly offers himself up as a test subject to document the effects of smoking massive amounts of marijuana for 30 days. In his stand-up act, it appears that his experiment is still unofficially continuing.

Playing mid-week to a full house at the Sacramento Punchline, Benson began his set with his eyes half closed and a stoner grin. He immediately showed the audience his notes that he claimed to need so he didn’t meander through his material.

However, as the evening wore on, you began to wonder if the “stoner” persona was just a well-played brand. Whether just branding, real or both, the audience loved the mellow comic and his drug-related jokes.

When not making silly pot jokes, his material included McDonald’s McGriddle breakfast, farting in an airplane and vocalizing “Internet speak” such as J/K (just kidding) and WTF (what the f___?). Somehow, these references all became silly pot jokes as well.

Eventually, he spoke about one of the things he enjoys that doesn’t directly relate to marijuana. Movies. Benson hosts a very popular podcast on iTunes called simply, “Doug Loves Movies.”

Benson, 46, has been a comedian and actor since the early ‘80s and admits to taking normal things in life and adding pot references.

“I took the documentary ‘Super Size Me’ and made it ‘Super High Me.’ I took ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and made it ‘The Marijuana-Logues’ on Broadway.”

The show was hosted by Los Angeles comedian Rob F. Martinez, who did an amazing job in warming up the audience. A responsibility of a host is to try to quell any loud or obnoxious hecklers in the audience before the other acts begin. This night included a drunk group of birthday celebrants with a harmonica, and Martinez handled the group with diplomacy and professionalism. The group was later removed at Benson’s request to a loud ovation by the audience but the harmonica served as a funny “call back” many times for Benson.

The feature act, Graham Elwood, who appeard in “Super High Me,” tours consistently with Benson. Elwood claims he doesn’t get high other than the “contact” high from being so close to Benson on tour.

His portion of the show was high-energy and very funny. At the end of his set however, all of his best punchlines were being sold on the back of T-shirts after the show in the lobby. This leads to the question: “What came first, the joke or the merchandise?

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