Entertainment
Surprise Comedy Special Lets Raunchy Stand-Up Legend Go Loose, Streaming For Free
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Ever since the late 90s and early aughts marked the death of the monoculture, I’ve had a heck of a time keeping up with my favorite musicians, artists, and comedians because of their guerilla marketing campaigns, or, in some cases, their lack of marketing all together. The amount of times I’ve ended up pulling an all-nighter because I found out a new album had an unannounced midnight drop after years of radio silence is palpable, but ultimately worth it because that’s how I choose to enrich my life with media, and I’ll sleep when I’m dead. This is all to say that I had no clue that Doug Stanhope quietly released his latest stand-up special, Discount Meat, for free on YouTube on December 31, 2024.
Having just come out of a digital detox in the form of deactivating all of my social media accounts, I was equal parts surprised and thrilled to find out that Stanhope had a solid new hour and 18 minutes ready to be beamed into my eyeballs within an hour of getting back into my usual doom-scrolling.
The Comedian’s Anti-Comedian
Discount Meat starts out like many other Doug Stanhope specials in the sense that he shows up on stage half-in-the-bag, ready to go on the rant of a lifetime. Letting the audience know that there’s no opening act because it’s easier for him to just not be as funny as he normally is for the first 20 minutes of his set (which is basically the same thing as an opening act), he explains how he worked out most of the material heard in Discount Meat before the COVID lockdowns, and then started working on more material somewhat recently, and has no clue how to end his set because he has two different closers that are completely unrelated.
If you know anything about Doug Stanhope, he’s spent his entire career flying by the seat of his pants, showing up on stage wearing whatever thrift-store jacket he purchased the day before (without washing it), and approaches stand-up comedy with the same level of unpredictability that he approaches his personal hygiene.
Kicking off by debating which was funnier, COVID or 9/11, Stanhope wastes no time setting the tone in Discount Meat, and puts a unique spin on what would otherwise be a standard/hack kind of premise if it came from any other comedian’s mouth. After spending a considerable amount of time weighing out the pros and cons of both global catastrophes, he resolves that 9/11 had better conspiracy theories, which he doesn’t necessarily believe, but celebrates as a form of entertainment. In Stanhope’s mind, the conspiracy theories of yesteryear held more weight because even though he knew he was being lied to, the production values of documentaries like Loose Change came off as valid enough to actually fool a healthy amount of people.
Weighing on his conversations with Roseanne Barr about QAnon, lizard people, and how flat-Earth conspiracies don’t hold up under much scrutiny like somebody simply shrugging their shoulders, Stanhope pivots into the good stuff, like revisiting the time he helped euthanize his mother (which is spoken about in greater detail in Beer Hall Putsch), the ongoing suicide pact that he has with his wife, and letting his on-the-verge-of-death dog run into the Safeway with no leash for an epic last supper without a care in the world.
Not Just A Stage And Microphone
Discount Meat isn’t like any other stand-up special you’ve seen because it’s not presented as a guy on a stage with a microphone talking to the audience, but rather played through vintage TV screens on your screen as if somebody was watching Stanhope perform from the comfort of their own living room or study. At first I didn’t think I’d be into this kind of delivery, but once I got locked into his routine, I felt like I was quietly watching along with somebody else, which made for an intimate experience that I wasn’t expecting.
While I can’t say for certain why Stanhope approached Discount Meat in such an innovative way, the prevailing theory among his fans is that he wanted to “broadcast” his special in a way that mirrored how he grew up watching stand-up and working on material himself.
Proving that he’s still got it, Stanhope remains cynical, vulgar, insightful, and wickedly hilarious because his whole shtick is that he’s just riffing on half-baked ideas, hoping he finds his groove in real time even though it’s safe to say that a healthy portion of his act is, in fact, premeditated. Stumbling over his own words and messing up punchlines as expected in Discount Meat, Stanhope proves that no matter how prepared or unprepared he actually is, he knows how to command a crowd at the highest level, making him one of the greats.
If you’ve slept on Doug Stanhope’s Discount Meat like I did, there’s still time to wake up and head on over to YouTube and bust a gut laughing.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
Mashable Light Speed
The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
Topics
Social Good
Family & Parenting
Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
$299
Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
Mashable Deals
Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
$39.99
at Amazon
$79
Save $39.01
There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
It offers a portable blood oxygen saturation monitor, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and so much more. All of this data, including workout information, steps, and much more, can be synced across all your favorite fitness apps, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. There are 120 sports modes to choose from, GPS positioning, and even a 3D warm-up exercise guide to help get you on your feet each day.
Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
Braves put closer Raisel Iglesias on IL, Robert Suarez to close
Orlando City want attack to catch up to defense vs. Charlotte
