SBC proudly welcomed comedian Doug Stanhope to, of all places, the Phoenix Underground on Sunday night. The show, a last minute addition to Stanhope’s Last Gasp tour, drew in a crowd of nearly one hundred people, some having traveled all the way from Austin, Texas. A monumental moment for some, it was especially exciting for local comedian Glenn Stuart, who was given the opportunity to open and close the show.

Stuart has been making waves in the comedy circuit for almost two years now, in that short time performing all over Northwest Louisiana and Los Angeles, and in 2013 he took home the title of “Funniest Comic in Shreveport” in a competition held by Voodoo Café: an art bar.

At 6′ 3,” Stuart has a commanding presence, and if that weren’t enough, he’s got a personality that could fill the Superdome. He’s a great comedian and an all-around good guy, so I wanted to ask to him what it’s like to be a comic in SBC. 

CG: Who influences you the most?
GS: Probably my family. I come from really, really, really funny people. I mean, in comedians, I have such an eclectic taste in comedy. A lot of my humor comes from my mom and dad. We were very poor people, and the great thing is that you get really great humor out of it. I am the product of a truck driver and a lovely alcoholic. Functioning. Mom was good. Birthdays were always magical. Still to this day, and I’m twenty-eight, she’ll call you at 6:30 in the morning to sing you Happy Birthday. I’ll tell you right now, she’s my biggest supporter.

CG: Where do you get your material? Do you have a routine?
GS: Real life, unfortunately. I refuse to tell the same joke to an audience twice. I am a writing machine. At least that way, the audience will say, Glenn always has new material, let’s go see whether he […] up or not.  I’d rather you see me bomb in a blaze of glory.

CG: Are the audiences in Shreveport receptive to your style of comedy?
GS: Being received well is all about reading your audience. You’re putting yourself out there on display, and they’re either going to love you or hate you. There’s no, meh… You might give a review like, it was ok, but in your heart of hearts, you hated the comedian. And you have to be careful of what you say around here, because the Bible Belt is very strong. But on the other end, there’s always that one guy that wants to turn a comedy show into conversation. “Oh, I agree with you.” Well… Shut up. The shows are normally on Wednesdays, and at $5, it’s a great deal. And, if you’re a single lady, you know. You get free alcohol. No, like, literally. It’s ladies night there.

CG: How do you think Shreveport has influenced your comedy?
GS: Small, crappy audiences have made it to where when you get in front of a big crowd, it’s not hard. Shreveport has the potential to be so much better. I believe Shreveport has [potential]… because, there was a time when we were a big deal. The Louisiana Hayride, Elvis got his start here, George Carlin got his start, it could still be here. There are so many beautifully talented, wonderful people here. We have to support that. But in January, I will be departing this fine town. I’m headed to L.A. to take the world by storm.

CG: So, what was it like to open for Stanhope?
GS: Stanhope’s an awesome guy, like, I thought he was gonna be a […]. But you can’t judge a comic by his comedy. He was a very nice, very kind human. Very approachable. I mean, it’s intimidating because its Stanhope. He told me I should probably invest in some day-drinking, and I told him that was a party that started in Shreveport long before he showed up. But it was cool, you know. I asked him can I have a picture with you, and the one he gave me was of him tweaking my nipple. I figured it was classy. I mean, it’s only appropriate. I’m like a foot and a half taller than him, and I outweigh him by a good 200 pounds. Like, you gotta make me seem cute and cuddly, too. But in this picture I’m really, really happy about it. I mean, not about the nipple tweaking.

Information on Stuart’s upcoming shows can be found on his Facebook.

Stuart would like to thank his mother, his father, his little brother Wesley, Bubbs Harris, Caroline Picard, Mattie Catania, Doug Stanhope, Kristen Becker, David Allen, Sarah Spooner, Chris Washburn, Lee Marvin Adams, Tony Alford, and GMD Entertainment.