C O M EDY
BY ALEX NOTMAN
MORGAN SPURLOCK’S SHADOW
Eugene’s honorary stoner, comedian Doug Benson, returns to our green valley
A
pril 21 may as well be the new 4/20, as far as
Eugene and comedian Doug Benson are
concerned. The seminal stoner and star of Super
High Me returns to WOW Hall for his 3rd annual
celebration of giggling and giggle weed, hot off
releasing his on-the-road documentary The Greatest Movie
Ever Rolled — to continue in the vein of pot variations on
a Morgan Spurlock theme — on Chill.com. Also the host
of the Doug Loves Movies podcast, Benson sounds off on
his favorite and most despised films of 2013, smoking
with the stars and legalizing marijuana.
EW recently spoke with Maria Bamford, who also
released her comedy special through Chill.com. Now
you’ve released The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled. Is this
the new big thing for comics? How is it working for you?
Louis C.K. got the DIY ball rolling when it comes to
comedy specials. Maria’s is great because it’s not a typical
stand-up special. It’s her doing her act for her parents! So
I liked what they are doing at Chill.com and thought that
would be a good place to put my new movie for people to
see. So far it’s working out great — no one has complained
to me about having to spend $8 on it, anyway.
This is like your umpteenth time in Eugene. Why do
you keep coming back?
I did a show on April 21st a few years back and had
such a great time I decided to make it an annual thing.
The concept is a movie about raising funds for a movie
— that’s so meta. Where did you come up with the
idea and why did you want to make it?
I came up with the idea because my first documentary,
Super High Me, was a rip-off of Morgan Spurlock’s Super
Size Me. So when I decided I wanted to make a follow-up
to Super High Me, I thought, why not continue to steal
Morgan’s ideas? He made a movie called The Greatest
Movie Ever Sold, which was him using product placement
in a movie to raise money to make and release that movie.
So that’s where I came up with my title and premise.
Would keep ripping Spurlock off, but his next movie is
about a boy band and I don’t wanna touch that.
Are you sure it’s not the weed?
Oh, yeah, and the weed. Thanks for reminding me.
The Pew Research Center recently released a poll that
shows for the first time in over 40 years of polling, the
majority of Americans support legalizing pot. Were
you surprised by this news?
Not surprised at all. Only old people who don’t smoke
think it should be illegal. And they are all dying.
Has this change in mainstream opinion affected your
act at all? Why or why not?
Hasn’t changed my act one bit. Weed will always be a
fun thing to talk about. And to use!
so far this year has been Spring Breakers. It’s really
disturbing and yet kind of hypnotic. And all the other guys
watching it alone in a theater agree.
What’s your least favorite movie of 2013 and why?
I really hated the latest Die Hard movie because it
seemed like they didn’t even try to make it good.
Is there any movie star or director you’d really like to
get high with?
Most of them! I love it when I meet an actor or director
I admire and they wanna get high. I won’t name names but
I’ve smoked with some pretty awesome ones. Even
Academy Award nominees!
Who really makes you laugh right now?
Sarah Silverman, Graham Elwood, Paul F Tompkins,
Rory Scovel, DC Pierson,
David Huntsberger, I
could go on and on.
I’ll try to bring
one of ‘em with
me for my show
on 4/21. ■
You’re a movie buff. You do the Doug Loves
Movies podcast. Besides The Greatest
Movie Ever Rolled, what’s your favorite
movie of 2013 and why?
I’m sad to say my favorite movie
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eugeneweekly.com • A pril 18, 2013
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