Despite his BBC show being re-commissioned for a further two series until 2015, a clutch of recent awards and tonight’s performance, his biggest audience in a quarter-century of solo gigs, Stewart Lee, stand-up’s éminence grise maintains a desire to retreat back into cult obscurity. Or at least to the humbler Citizens Theatre across the Clyde.
He bemoans his belated fame, first for the Jimmy Carr crowd and friends of fans it’s attracted, later for the online vitriol and Twitter surveillance culture it’s brought him. He maintains he has nothing to say, a middle-aged man whose time is taken up watching endless Scooby Doo cartoons with his young son and travelling to gigs, desperately hoping random retail outlet names will provoke material. This is a patchwork show, a weave of carpet remnants, with themes Lee has covered before in terms of the famous lookalikes he’s confused with, abuse directed at him and from him towards his fellow comics, and his ongoing meta-commentary and routine deconstruction as the show develops.
But it’s also a sublime validation of stand-up as art, pushing the limits of what it aspires to, playing with the expectations of a comedy literate crowd and ultimately drawing the disparate strands together. Trying on different stand-up styles for size – Thatcherism-bashing through Scooby satire; mocking sad, confessional comedy then drawing it into his narrative – he has the skill to toy with pace and mood, withholding easy laughs for greater pay-offs later. Sadly for him, he seems set to attract more fans yet.
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Meninblack, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter