• No Encore for the Donkey

  • By: Doug Stanhope
  • Narrated by: Doug Stanhope
  • Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,186 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
No Encore for the Donkey  By  cover art

No Encore for the Donkey

By: Doug Stanhope
Narrated by: Doug Stanhope
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $29.90

Buy for $29.90

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Misanthrope. Iconoclast. Apostate. Drunk. Many words have been used to describe Doug Stanhope, but rarely has “hopeful” been one of them. However, heading into 2016, Stanhope peered through the apocalyptic fog and saw a forecast that was more rainbows than acid rain: His first book was set for release, his new stand-up special was in the can, and he was about to film a television pilot with his friend and confidant Johnny Depp. The sharks of Hollywood were circling, and Stanhope’s pockets were filled with chum. The only thing that could stop Doug was himself, and that’s exactly what he did.

First came the booze, then came the pills, then came the stripper, and then, Doug came. A tryst aboard a cruise ship leaves him literally and figuratively adrift when his scorned wife, Bingo, reveals she is in love with another man: a jug-sippin’, guitar-pickin’ hobo. A simple, black-out fling turns out to be a pebble tossed into the lake of you-know-what named 2016, and in No Encore for the Donkey, Stanhope traces the resulting rings.

Written and performed by Stanhope, his third memoir follows the veteran comedian on a quest to save his marriage, his wife, and eventually his wife’s life. Our hero's journey finds Stanhope cuddling with Johnny Depp in his Los Angeles mansion, receiving some much-needed TLC from Marilyn Manson, and - most daunting - building a new hour of comedy in the rusted-out hellscapes of post-industrial America.

Equal parts love letter, road romp, and harrowing condemnation of the failures of America’s mental health care system, No Encore for the Donkey is a hilarious and heartbreaking account of a man balancing on the edge of damnation. With Bingo in a coma and Trump about to be elected, Stanhope sifts through the ruins of his own personal cataclysm in order to answer the big questions: What does it mean to love someone when you can’t love yourself? What is the point of success if you have no one to share it with? And is the end of the world BYOB?  

- Sam Tallent, August 2020 

©2020 Doug Stanhope (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Our favorite moments from No Encore for the Donkey

The year nothing could go wrong...
-0.00
Sudden snowfall
-0.00
A day of bad choices
-0.00
  • No Encore for the Donkey
  • The year nothing could go wrong...
  • No Encore for the Donkey
  • Sudden snowfall
  • No Encore for the Donkey
  • A day of bad choices

About the Creator and Performer

Doug Stanhope is a veteran of over thirty years of stand-up comedy who has successfully dodged mainstream fame using his uncompromising brand of humor to build a cult-like following around the world. He tours extensively and has recorded over a dozen comedy specials. His books include Digging Up Mother and This is Fame. Stanhope resides in the US border town of Bisbee, Arizona, in an absurd relationship with his gal pal Bingo.

What listeners say about No Encore for the Donkey

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,049
  • 4 Stars
    83
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    13
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    983
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    942
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Command Performance!

This true life yarn of such a tumultuous year in the life of one of the last true comedians really pulls you in from the first sentence, makes you run through the gambit of emotions, and tugs at your heart and rapes your funny bone... at the same time. Hearing Doug tell his story in his own voice draws you in deep and leaves you happily melancholic at the end and wanting more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Killing the Brand

Douglas is without question the great American mind of the 21st century. And much like American, he is drinking himself into an early unmarked grave. Hemingway, Bukowski, & your God, what do these have in common with Stanhope tiny erect penis to a cross made of popsicle sticks, with their dribble. Doug Stanhope's No Encore For The Donkey is his best written work yet and that's hard to do when you start matricide. He also made this audio only which is fan service considering we Killer Termites where helmets and lick windows on our best days.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

if you love Doug Stanhope you'll love this.

I love Doug Stanhope and truly enjoy his outlook on life. He doesn't care about getting cancelled or how you feel about anything. He simply states the things the way he sees them and let's you decide how to take what he says. He also has no problems defending his friends and colleagues no matter how you or the media feels about them. I will definitely be listening to this again along with his other audiobooks. Only buy this book if you want a no nonsense look at the year in the life of Doug Stanhope. If you're really offended or easily angered or take life too seriously this book is not for you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Doug Hits Another Homerun

Though a bit short by traditional standards, this is probably just as personal, if not more so, than Digging Up Mother. Excellently crafted with just the right amount of detail, this story about he and Bingo’s commitment to each other is heart warming; but unlike most love stories you know this one is honest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Message to the crazies.

Loved it. Thanks for the ear pleasure and the best seven, always look up son.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Doug’s Audiobooks are the best!!

This was my 3rd audiobook by Doug and every one was a fantastic ride full of zany, off the wall and heartfelt memories and experiences! Maybe it’s just me but I think there’s a large part, a missing hole in many of us that yearns for a ‘life lived to it’s fullest.’ Maybe it’s too late for many of us but I can at least enjoy the ride vicariously.
Thanks Doug!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Funny, but more depth than you might be used to

The genuineness of Doug comes through on this audiobook. He might be a verbal arsonist, but he is still more brilliant than most people realize. Some people might question how much more he could’ve accomplished if sober, but they are missing the point. People with this level of brilliance will blow their brains out if they don’t have a way to dull the voices in their head. He is an American treasure in the same vein as Hunter S. Thompson, just with less firearms and explosives.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the best from the best. the last living legend

good book funny honest and brutal from the living hunter s thompson in his own words.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No Encore For The Donkey is a must read (listen)

Thank you for sharing this story!! I loved this book. I laughed and cried. The level of love and community for Doug and Bingo is what life should be for everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heartfelt and honest

Doug is always raw in the stories he tells on stage. They can be brutally unflattering, tough to hear- but I love him. This book deals a lot with when Bingo was in a coma, and he is so humbled and vulnerable in the way he describes what happened.
I’ve met him in person, and he is basically what you would expect. This book, along with his stand up, is not just for show, it’s real.
Of course, don’t listen to this around young kids, but the book is great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!