In early August, we let you know about comedian Doug Stanhope’s plans to perform stand-up at a prison in Iceland. Well,the deed has been done and by Stanhope’s account, it was an amazing journey, despite his performance, which “sucked shit” – his words, not mine. As he’s quick to point out, however, this was the first show he’s been sober for in many years; he also adds that the “30 of 40” inmates who served as audience members for the show, didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with the set he delivered.
In a new post on his official site – which you should read in its entirety – be details the facilities at Litla-Hraun, the maximum security prison in Reykjavik, the nation’s capital. “The Litla-Hraun prison only houses 80 prisoners, out in the middle of some endless, rolling lava-tundra and seems more like a summer camp for underprivileged teens,” he writes. “Some of the gates that were opened for us couldn’t hold my dog Henry if she saw a rabbit on the other side.”
Stanhope also recounts his adventures outside the priseon; he stopped mayor Jon Gnarr’s place – the mayor is also a comedian and helped facilitate Stanhope’s prison show – how he was given what he thought were hallucinegetic mushrooms as a gift and much more. “I’d like to make it my second home” Stanhope says. “I’d really love duel-citizenship there. And did I mention gay marriage is legal in Iceland?”
