Two Doses of TRIPS, One Unforgettable Night at District House with Shane Mauss
Some nights at District House just hit different. Last week was one of them. We packed the house for a double feature screening of Shane Mauss's brand new comedy special TRIPS, and if you were there, you already know. If you weren't, here's what you missed.
A Double Feature Nobody Wanted to End
We screened both Dose 1 and Dose 2 back to back, with one very important detail: Dose 2 doesn't come out until late May. The rest of the world is still waiting. We watched it last week in Santa Barbara with the man himself in the room. No big deal.
Dose 1 is sharp, surprising, and genuinely funny in ways that sneak up on you. Dose 2 somehow goes even further. Watching them together in one sitting, with a room full of people who live and breathe this culture, made both specials land harder than they would on a couch alone. That's the thing about the right room with the right crowd.
Shane Mauss and Michael Strauss Stayed for All of It
After the screening, Shane and director Michael Strauss took the stage for a Q&A, and the audience did not hold back. Shane has spent years interviewing scientists on his podcast Here We Are, turning psychedelic experience into comedy for Comedy Central's Tales From The Trip, and documenting the whole strange journey in Psychonautics: A Comic's Exploration of Psychedelics. He came to District House ready to talk, and the crowd came ready to ask.
The questions went places. Someone wanted to know what happens when two people touch big toes and smoke DMT together. Shane took it seriously. Then he didn't. Then he kind of did again. That's the thing about Shane: the comedy and the curiosity are genuinely the same thing in him, and watching that play out live is its own kind of trip.
What Makes TRIPS Different
TRIPS was made with 20 psychedelic visual artists who collaborated with Shane to bring his stories to life visually. The result is something that works for people who have never touched a psychedelic and for seasoned psychonauts who will recognize everything he's describing. It's accessible without being watered down, and funny without punching anywhere it shouldn't.
Watching it in community, with laughter bouncing around the room and people leaning over to whisper "that happened to me too," is exactly the kind of shared experience District House was built for.
Go Watch It. Then Come Back and Talk About It.
TRIPS Dose 1 is out now. Dose 2 drops late May. Watch Dose 1 and sit with it. Then when Dose 2 arrives, you'll be ready.
And if you want to be in the room next time something like this happens, you know where to find us. 🍄💜
