Peer pressure, though often ninny-pooed by parents, counselors, coaches, and other conventional role models, can be positive. Stand-up comedian Doug Benson is living proof. It's how he got on his way to becoming the sixth funniest person in the world.

"I started stand-up on a dare," Benson said. "A couple buddies of mine we're like, ‘You're so funny, you should do stand-up comedy.' And I was like, ‘You guys should do it too.' So the three of us made a pact to sign up on potluck night. One of them showed up too late to sign up and the other didn't show up at all. I went on and got some laughs. Now I'm a professional comedian and one of them is homeless. The other is a meter maid. Had a sex change. So who won? I think I did. Yeah, I think I did."

Originally, Benson wanted to be in show biz, but not as a comedian. He dreamed of writing or starring in a sitcom, and his hometown of San Diego made for an easy move to Los Angeles. Now, after 25 years of extracting laughs onstage, Benson has been able to return to some of those adolescent dreams.

"I usually visit one to three towns over the weekend performing stand-up, then jet back to L.A. for a few days, where I do my podcast on Tuesday night," says Benson. "It's the rock-star lifestyle without the roadies."

In addition to hosting a comedy podcast via iTunes called Doug Loves Movies, Benson produces a weekly series for Comedy Central called "The Benson Interruption", set to air next October. A stage show for three years already, "The Benson Interruption" is a hybrid stand-up/talk-show that invites high-profile comedians onstage only to throw them for a loop. Benson hosts, although rudely, by repeatedly disrupting his guests' routines in order to force them down hilarious rabbit trails and improvise on the spot.

Doug Benson Dr. Grins Comedy Club, Grand Rapids Aug. 26-28 8 p.m., 9 p.m. (on Thursday) 10:30 p.m. $10 Thursday; $15 Friday; $20 Saturday thebob.com, (616) 356-2000

Benson's past projects include two spoof-masterpieces, The Marijuana-Logues, an off-Broadway riff on The Vagina Monologues, and Super High Me, a twist on the concept of Super Size Me, where director Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. Benson pledged a similar faithfulness to medicinal marijuana, filming his experience - whenever he could remember. For his tireless advocacy of medicinal marijuana, High Times magazine named Benson "The Stoner of the Year" in 2006, his second-best feat to date.

"It was quite an honor," recalls Benson. "My parents were thrilled."

His best feat to date? Benson finished sixth in the 2007 season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing", eliminated by the smallest margin in the contest's history, though many thought Benson deserved to be the show's namesake.

When he takes stage at Dr. Grins near the end of August, you can expect him to educate the crowd on his three favorite things: "Alcohol, drugs, and sex."

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