1.BASIC LEE ON DVD – DELUXE LIMITED EDITION

PRE-ORDER (from 30^th July 2026 Here:  https://shop.weirdwalk.co.uk/products/stewart-lee-basic-lee-live-at-the-lowry

RELEASED 4^th September 2016

Stewart Lee’s acclaimed post-pandemic stripped-back show BASIC LEE gets its first DVD release in a limited-edition format devised in collaboration with the cult folkloric rambling zine WEIRD WALK.

This two-disc limited edition brings together the complete filmed live performance (recorded at The Lowry in Salford) with a newly written 20-page essay and liner notes by Stewart Lee. The second disc, Basic Leads, is an 80-minute audio archive of work-in-progress, abandoned routines, early versions of key sections, political material lost to time and one-off exchanges that existed only in the room.

The deluxe double-disc edition, complete with 80 minutes of never-before-published audio extras, is the inaugural release of The Comedian Collection, a 13-release archival publishing series of deluxe double-disc hardback book-style packages, forming a complete library of Stewart’s live shows and Comedy Vehicle Television Series, plus work-in-progress material. Designed and art-directed by WEIRD WALK, The Comedian Collection will be an exclusive, cohesive assemblage of the finished shows, the hidden workings, and the material left behind: archived.

“The funniest man still drawing breath”  The Monocle
“This is peak Stewart Lee, so if you like him, you’ll love this.” Chortle
“The world’s greatest living stand-up comedian” The Times
“The world’s second best living stand-up comedian after Bo Burnham” Daily Telegraph
“Arguably the greatest ever stand-up comedian”  Daily Star
“The opposite of what really good comedy should be” Toby Young, Radio 4

BASIC LEE Live at the Lowry was originally recorded for Sky by Drum and Awkward Films and is a Sky Original.

2. THINGS PEOPLE GAVE ME

People have been very kindly giving me things on this tour – a superbly apposite Don Patterson book with an accompanying name I couldn’t read so could not thank, a spare Art Ensemble Of Chicago album, some Steve Lacy, 3 Australian grunge classics – and it is always so faffy in the queue at the end I can never thank people properly.
I am very grateful for these undeserved things. That is all. I just wanted to say that.

3. PEA GREEN BOAT AND BOOK TOUR

I will have a book out, illustrated by David Waywell, of my old live show Pea Green Boat in September. These book events sell out fast, but tickets are now on sale for Coventry.

FROM AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR STEWART LEE

Pea Green Boat
STEWART LEE

EBURY SPOTLIGHT | 3RD SEPTEMBER 2026 | £16.00 | ISBN: 9781529988604 | HARDBACK

Stewart Lee to release a brilliantly dark comedic retelling of Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat – alongside a UK book tour.

“I am having problems relating to my crew member, having never been a great fan of cats, nor they of birds. Why have we been press ganged into service together? What can they hope to achieve by sending this absurd duo out to sea? I am an owl. The Cat is a cat…”
In Pea Green Boat, Stewart Lee and David Waywell create a dark, grotesque retelling of The Owl and the Pussycat in which Edward Lear’s characters are revealed to be catastrophically poorly-equipped for maritime travel. Told through the increasingly deranged diary of the Owl, the real story is unmasked – he cannot open the honey jar due to his lack of opposable thumbs, he is terrified the cat will eat him in his sleep, and he struggles to play the guitar despite having no fingers. As hunger, exhaustion and poor navigation take their toll, it becomes clear that these two creatures should never have been put in a boat together.
Inspired by Stewart Lee’s cult 2001 stage piece, Pea Green Boat blends Lee’s fascination with Edward Lear with his own comedy. Now, with David’s gothic-comic illustrations, the story is brought vividly, hilariously and unsettlingly to life.

About the author:
Stewart Lee began performing stand-up in 1988 and won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 1990. He co-wrote the libretto for Jerry Springer: The Opera, which won four Olivier Awards, and is known for his BAFTA-winning BBC series Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. His major live shows include Carpet Remnant World, Much A Stew About Nothing, Snowflake/Tornado, Basic Lee and Stewart Lee vs The Man-Wulf.
He is also the bestselling author of How I Escaped My Certain Fate, Content Provider, and March of the Lemmings.

David Waywell (Illustrator)
David Waywell is a writer and illustrator based in the North West. He holds a PhD in Romantic Literature from the University of Liverpool and is the author of The Secret Lives of Monks and Second-Class Male (written as Stan Madeley)

4. Stewart Lee PLUS MUSICIANS PERFORM PEA GREEN BOAT

Stewart Lee performs his darkly comic tale based on Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl & The Pussy- cat’ with live improvised musical accompaniment. These live shows mark the publication of PEA GREEN BOAT by Stewart Lee and illustrated by David Waywell, and, at Leicester Square Theatre, every ticket includes a hardback copy (RRP £16.99 Ebury) to be collected at the performance. Copies will be available to buy at other venues. Suitable for age 16+.

‘It’s the Edward Lear / Stewart Lee Mash-Up that I’ve been waiting for!’ Harry Hill

Wed 9 Sept 2026, 7:30pm Liverpool Music Room, Royal Philharmonic with WILL SERGEANT (Echo & The Bunnymen) on ambient guitar (SOLD OUT)
Sun 11 Oct 2026, 3.30pm Coventry Belgrade Theatre With Coventry’s experimental dream pop prodigy Stone Anthem TICKETS
Thurs 22nd Oct 2026, Wilton’s Music Hall London. With Charlotte Keeffe (Trumpet & Flugelhorn ~ Charlotte Keeffe’s RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, Sound Brush, London Jazz Composers Orchestra), Thurston Moore (Guitar – Thurston Moore Band, Sonic Youth), and Mark Wastell (Drums – Derek Bailey’s Company, David Sylvian, Maggie Nicols). TICKETS
Tue 1 Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre
Wed 2 Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre
Thur 3rd Dec 2026, 7pm – London Leicester Square Theatre

More info at www.stewartlee.co.uk/pgb. Further dates and accompanying musicians to be announced.

5. STEWART LEE VS THE MAN-WULF

John Mackay & Sally Homer, in association with Debi Allen/Curtis Brown present
STEWART LEE vs THE MAN-WULF BRAND NEW SHOW

UK TOURING THROUGHOUT 2026

The tragedy of this show is that world events are advancing towards its core conceit at such a speed that it is sharpened daily, even as we as a civilisation head into HELL. But here’s the original blurb…

Lee shares his stage with a tough-talking werewolf comedian who hates humanity. The Man-Wulf lays down a ferocious comedy challenge to the culturally irrelevant and physically enfeebled Lee. Can the beast inside us all be silenced with the silver bullet of Lee’s unprecedentedly critically acclaimed style of stand-up.

The show will tour the UK throughout 2026.

I AM VERY PLEASED WITH HOW THIS SHOW IS SHAPING UP – PRESS IS COLLECTING HERE.

AND FINALLY THE LAST EVER CHANCE TO SEE THE WEREWOLF COMEDIAN. LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE. 4TH – 19TH DEC.

https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/stewart-lee-vs-the-man-wulf/

September 2026

Thursday 3rd September 2026 – King’s Theatre, Portsmouth – TICKETS
Friday 4th September 2026 – Pavillion, Weymouth – TICKETS
Saturday 5th September 2026 – Hall For Cornwall, Truro – TICKETS

Thursday 10th September 2026 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Friday 11th September 2026 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool – TICKETS
Saturday 12th September 2026 – William Aston Hall, Wrexham – TICKETS
Sunday 13th September 2026 – Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton – TICKETS
Wednesday 16th September 2026 – Marina Theatre, Lowestoft – TICKETS
Thursday 17th September 2026 – Marina Theatre, Lowestoft – TICKETS
Friday 18th September 2026 – Castle Theatre, Wellingborough – TICKETS
Saturday 19th September 2026 – The Central Theatre, Chatham – TICKETS
Thursday 24th September 2026 – Bristol Beacon, Bristol – TICKETS
Friday 25th September 2026 – Bristol Beacon, Bristol – TICKETS
Saturday 26th September 2026 – Bristol Beacon, Bristol – TICKETS
Tuesday 29th September 2026 – Truck Theatre, Hull – TICKETS
Wednesday 30th September 2026 – Truck Theatre, Hull – TICKETS

October 2026

Thursday 1st October 2026 – The Spa Centre, Scarborough – TICKETS
Friday 2nd October 2026 – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – TICKETS
Saturday 3rd October 2026 – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – TICKETS
Tuesday 6th October 2026 – Festival Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS
Wednesday 7th October 2026 – Festival Theatre, Malvern – TICKETS
Thursday 8th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Friday 9th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Saturday 10th October 2026 – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry – TICKETS
Monday 12th October 2026 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Tuesday 13th October 2026 – Playhouse, Nottingham – TICKETS
Saturday 17th October 2026 – Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury – TICKETS
Sunday 18th October 2026 – Hippodrome, Birmingham – TICKETS
Friday 23rd October 2026 – New Theatre, Peterborough – TICKETS
Saturday 24th October 2026 – Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Sunday 25th October 2026 – Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle Upon Tyne – TICKETS
Friday 30th October 2026 – Pavilion Theatre, Worthing – TICKETS
Saturday 31st October 2026 – Lighthouse, Poole – TICKETS

November 2026

Sunday 1st November 2026 – Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne – TICKETS
Thursday 5th November 2026 – City Hall, Salisbury – TICKETS
Friday 6th November 2026 – The Anvil, Basingstoke – TICKETS
Saturday 7th November 2026 – New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon – TICKETS
Monday 9th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Tuesday 10th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Wednesday 11th November 2026 – Playhouse, Oxford – TICKETS
Thursday 12th November 2026 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS
Friday 13th November 2026 – Chelmsford Theatre, Chelmsford – TICKETS

December 2026

Friday 4th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 5th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 5th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Tuesday 8th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Wednesday 9th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Thursday 10th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Friday 11th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 12th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Saturday 12th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Monday 14th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Tuesday 15th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Wednesday 16th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Thursday 17th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS
Friday 18th December 2026 – Leicester Square Theatre, London – TICKETS

6. FESTIVALS I will be doing short stand-up sets at the following festivals

Green Man, Brecon Beacons, 20th-23rd Aug https://www.greenman.net
Madra Salach, Mogwai, Charlotte Church’s End Times Pop Dungeon, Dry Cleaning, Boss Morris, Tamikrest, Motrik, Men An Tol, Wednesday

Krankenhaus, Muncaster Castle, Lake District, 28th-30th Aug https://krankenhausfestival.com
Sea Power, Smote, Stereolab, Charlotte Church’s End Times Pop Dungeon. Earthball, The Fallen Women, Trisytwch Y Fenywod, birds, walks, and talks. And me doing Pea Green Boat with Earthball and Laetitia Sadier respectively.

This is an impossibly great weekend and some tix still avail!!!

End Of The Road, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset, 3rd-6th September https://endoftheroadfestival.com
Bonnie Dobson, David Thomas Broughton, Brighde Chaimbeul, Gnod, Madra Salach, Mozart Estate

7. SAMHAIN RITUAL, EARTH, LONDON 29TH OCT

I am hosting, and maybe doing a collaborative turn, in Fire Records annual Halloween-tide acid-folk fest. Line up TBA £29.95. But it’s always a blast!
https://dice.fm/event/nv5ml5-weird-walk-presents-samhain-ritual-2026-29th-oct-earth-london-tickets

8. PODSCARFS AND ONLINERS

Strong Message Here – I am in lots of editions of Armando Iannucci’s podcast. There’s an extended version https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024cp6

Harry Hill Podcast – I did the first episode of this brilliant new thing https://harryhill.co.uk/podcast/

The Trawl Marina Purkiss and Gemma Forte had me on their unashamedly political podcast. They are twin national treasures. You can find it in the usual places.

Alexei Sayle Podcast I just done this again with the Podfather of Alternative Comedy. Usual outlets.

Gilles Peterson Podcast I did the groovy jazz guru’s outlet https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qc91

Albert Genower’s Conversations With https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeNnR_ygm5A

Always Be Comedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxwIXtrA9yc

Cats’ Protection League – Cat Got Your Tongue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB0oEiZtRYc

Lenny Bruce Q&A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWQiFMgknmc
Louis Theroux https://www.louistheroux.com/podcasts

Pod Save The UK https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-uk/

101 Part Time Jobs https://www.louistheroux.com/podcasts

Nick Saloman of The Bevis Frond https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/stewart-lee-the-bevis-frond-18th-april-2026
Stewart Lee talks to Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ePsQbNIxy6yNuY9nu2005

ALL PODSCARFS COLLECTING HERE

9. I ARROGANTLY RECOMMEND

The Angels of Mons Exhibition, Southport. A free exhibition opens at The Atkinson in Southport until 17th October.
Produced in partnership with Mons Memorial Museum, it explores one of the most enduring supernatural legends of the First World War — the belief that St George and ghostly archers appeared to protect British troops at the Battle of Mons in 1914, a legend sparked in part by Arthur Machen’s short storyThe Bowmen.
The exhibition examines how religion, propaganda and the need for hope shaped wartime belief, and why such stories took such a powerful hold on the public imagination.

MILLIONS OF DEAD COPS Hardcore originators. New Cross Inn, London August 10^th

THE BATS Reliably heartbreaking NZ veterans make a rare UK tour
AUGUST 12th/13th Lexington London, 14th Leeds Brudenell, 16th Newcastle Cluny, 19th B’ham Hare & Hounds

SLY & THE FAMILY DRONE do what they say on the tin, twice.
28th August – White Hotel, Salford w/Part Chimp
29th August – King Alfred Phoenix Theatre, London w/E The Artist, Falling Car Problem & more!

BOOTHBY GRAFFOE & ANTONI0 FORCIONE – WOT ITALIAN. Boothby and Antonio are reviving this solid classic slice of virtuoso music and comedy. A must see. All over UK from 30^th Aug – 14^th Nov. Dates here

https://wotitalian.com

PRAM Indefatigable Birmingham retro-futurists on the road. SEPT 4th St Leonards Piper, 5th Corsham Pound Arts Cent, 9th Newport Le Pub, 10th Todmorden Golden Lion, 11th Hexham Allendale Village Hall, 12th Nottingham Billy Bootleggers

SEANN WALSH These days Walsh deals in a kind of kinetic and exasperated bafflement that gets laughs from the everyday at new angles.
SEPT 5th Barnstaple Queens, 12th Stockton-On-Tees Arc.
OCT 15th Kettering Lighthouse,
31st Plymouth Quad.
JAN 30th Salisbury Playhouse.
FEB 4th Newport Medina,
5th Swanage Mowlem,
7th Guildford Yvonne Arnaud,
14th Canterbury Gulbenkian,
18th Maidenhead Norden Farm,
19th Worcester Huntingdon Hall,
26th Whitehaven Rosehill,
27th Alnwick Playhouse.
MARCH 4th Mold Clwyd,
5th Market Drayton Festival Centre,
6th Holmfirth Civic Hall,
7th Peterborough Key,
11th Norwich Playhouse,
12th Doncaster Cast,
17th Inverness An Seomar,
18th Crieff Strathearn Arts,
19th Dundee Rep,
20th Striling Tolbooth,
21st Glasgow Oran Mor,
24th Dublin Whelans,
25th Belfast MAC.
APRIL 1st Bangor Pontio,
2nd Lichfield Garrick,
3rd Melton Mowbray Theatre,
8th Launceston Town Hall,
9th Penzance Ritz,
10th Tiverton Community Arts,
24th Scarborough Stephen Joseph,
15th Durham Gala,
16th Buxton Pavillion,
17th Bedford Quarry,
22nd Guernsey St James,
23rd Jersey Opera House.

DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON I saw this cult figure’s cult figure live and solo once and it was great. He has a new album out too.
06/09 End of the Road Festival
09/09 Dublin, Ireland – Venue TBC – solo
11/09 Oslo, Norway – Venue TBC – solo
12/09 Bergen, Norway (info) – solo /with Rob Noyes
13/09 Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe – TICKETS /support from Aurora Engine
14/09 Lubber Fiend, Newcastle – TICKETS /support from Faith Eliott & Viking Moses
15/09 Pianodrome, Edinburgh – TICKETS /support from Faith Eliott
16/09 Rum Shack, Glasgow – TICKETS /support from Faith Eliott & Howie Reeve
17/09 Bookshop On The Square, Otley – LIMITED SPACE – solo
18/09 Bishop’s House, Sheffield [sold out] – solo
20/09 The Tree House, Frome – TICKETS /support from Sylvie Grey
22/09 Foyle’s Lounge, London – LIMITED TICKETS /support from Gentle Stranger

THE ROOM Bunnymen/Teardrops-adjacent 80s Liverpool psychedelic survivors return in dishevelled majesty. SEPT 11^TH Future Yard Birkenhead album launch. November 13^that Dublin Castle London with St Vitus Dance & Vernons Future.

CARLTON MELTON The psychedelic warlords manifest in physical form.

SEPT 17^th Hastings Tough Love, 19^th London Strongroom, 19^th Glastonbury King Arthur, 20^th Brighton Daltons, 22^nd Cardiff Fuel, 23^rd N’hampton Lab, 24^th Liverpool Lost Are Skate Shop, 25^th Todmorden Golden Lion w Cosmic Dead, 26^{th MATINEE} Todmorden Golden Lion w Cosmic Dead, 27^th Margate Bar Nothing

LEMONHEADS Melodic hardcore countryfied punk cherub soldiers on
30 Sep: Electric, Sheffield, UK
01 Oct: De La Warr, Bexhill, UK
02 Oct:Troxy, London, UK
03 Oct: UEA, Norwich, UK
05 Oct: Boiler Shop, Newcastle, UK
06 Oct: SWG3, Glasgow, UK
07 Oct: Albert Hall, Manchester, UK
09 Oct: Electric, Bristol, UK
10 Oct: O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK
11 Oct: Rock City, Nottingham, UK

ANTON BARBEAU Psychedelically-skewed American singer-songwriter plugs new album w rare UK dates
OCT 1st Swindon Beehive, 2nd Oxford TBC, 4th London Betsey Trotwood.

DELINES Cinematic symphonic country rock sophisticates. OCTOBER 2^nd Glasgow GUU, 3^rd Gosforth Civic, 4^th Leeds City Varieties

BUFFALO TOM Former hardcore types mellowed into folkish indie power trio. OCT 6^th Belfast Limelight, 7^th Edinburgh La Belle Angelle, 9^th M’cr Band On The Wall, 10^TH London Village Underground

THE LONG RYDERS Another go-round for the indefatigable alt country pioneers, now one of the world’s greatest live bands
OCT 6th Liverpool Caverm
7th Newcastle Cluny,
8th Kendal Brewery,
10th Leeds Old Woolen,
13th Nottingham Metronome,
15th London Electric Ballroom,
16th St Leonards Piper,
17th Canterbury Gulbenkian

BORIS Brain melting Japanese heavy-psyche legends return.
OCT 10th Bristol Strange Brew, 11th Newcastle Digital, 12th Glasgow Oran Moor, 13th Leeds Brudenell, 14th M’cr Gorilla, 15th London Brixton Electric, 16th Brighton Concorde 2

BOTTLE ROCKETS Alt-country initiators in rare UK jaunt OCT 16^th North Shields Three Tanners, 20^th Bristol Lanes, 21^st London Lexington

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Eco-conscious doom metal.

08/11 Manchester, UK @ Damnation Festival
09/11 London, UK @ 02 Academy Islington

MY NEW BAND BELIEVE Lithe Black Midi spin-out
22nd Oct – Newcastle, UK – Cluny 2
23rd Oct – Edinburgh, UK – Cabaret Voltaire
26th Oct – Liverpool, UK – District
27th Oct – Cardiff, UK- The Globe
28th Oct – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2

DAMNED/SAINTS (73-78) TOUR

The original Damned line-up, minus Brian James but with Rat Scabies back on drums, were amazing when I saw their 50^th anniversary show earlier this year. And they are supported by an authenticated version of Australian punk pioneers The Saints with original co-frontman Ed Kuepper present, but the late Chris Bailey’s guitar and vocal duties covered by the dream team of The Birthday Party’s Mick Harvey and super-saints fan Mark Arm of Mudhoney respectively, understandably favours the group’s early thrash sound rather than Bailey’s more songwriterly work. But what a pairing! NOV 25^TH Brighton Dome, 27^th London British Airways Arc (?), 28^th Bristol Beacon, 30^th M’cr Academy, Dec 1^st N’castle City Hall, Dec 2^nd Derby Valiant, Dec 5^th B’ham Academy

GOAT Ersatz Scandinavian mystics take their festival field filling ritual rock all the way to the Royal Albert Hall in 2027

April 25th Glasgow SWG3,
26th Cambridge Junction,
28th London RAH,
29th Bristol Prospect,
30th M’cr Victoria Warehouse.

I think this will be especially amazing at the RAH, despite its bouncy acoustics.

10. IN OUR LAMENTATIONS 2026

Gunter Schickert (G.A.M guitar man, 1949)
Amos Poe (He squashed a banana in the street, 1949)
Sly Dunbar (definitive dub drummer, 1952)
Sal Buscema (Marvel mastercraftsman, 1936)
Catherine O’Hara (Fucking hilarious, I wish we’d met, 1954)
Philippe Gaulier (Our clown enemy, our clown king, 1943)
Pete Frame (Master music-mapper, 1942)
Kenny Morris (Banshee basher, 1957)
Fred Smith (Low end televisionary, 1948)
Mark Kennedy (Australia’s premier prog-psyche percussionist, 1951)
Eliane Radigue (electro-francais, 1932)
John Hammond (Blues believer, 1942)
Walter Martino (The Goblin groover, 1952)
Country Joe McDonald (The psychedelic fishman, 1942)
Augie Myers (The pseudonymous Sir Douglas himself, 1940)
Phil Campbell (Motorheadbanger, 1961)
Dolores Keane (De voice of De Dannan and dat, 1953)
John Dee Graham (Skunks originator and US punk facilitator, 1959)
Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (Black Midi founder, 2000)
Bob Weir (Now dead deadman, 1947)
TK Carter (The Chef in The Thing, 1956)
Chip Taylor (The Wild Thing, 1940)
Ben Keaton (Father Austin Purcell, 1956)
Terry Cox (He drove the impossible folk-jazz fusion, 1937)
Sam Keith (Quirky comics guy, 1963)
Pete Dello (He could not let Maggie go, 1942)
Andrew Bodnar (He loved the sound of breaking glass, 1954)
Terry Sullivan (Dry Ice drummer, 1938)
Sheila Burnette (That funny woman from all those things, 1931)
Diana Green (Omaha The Cat Dancer, 1954)
Alex Pretti (Nurse, 1998)
Greg Elmore (He was a miracle worker, 1946)
Mike Westbrook (Blakean British jazzman, 1936)
Patrick Campbell-Lyons (Psychedelic Nirvana, 1943)
David Wiffen (He lost his driving wheel, 1942)
Bill Leader (British folk magnate, 1929)
Beverley Martin (Auntie aviator, 1947)
Sonny Rollins (my jazz gateway jazzman finally crosses the Bridge, 1930)
Marjane Satrapi (Actual graphic novelist, 1969)
Dave Greenslade (Gangsters theme genius, 1943)
Roy Hattersley (He looked at me in a lamplit library, 1932)
Stranger Cole (Bangarangaman, 1942)
David Hockney (He admired legs, 1937)
Steve Barrow (The Rough Guide To Reggae, 1945)
Matthew Biggs (A lovely gardener who was kind to me, 1960)
Michael Pennington (My first Hamlet, 1943)
Michael Keating (Villa!, 1947)
JH Prynne (Poetic licensee, 1936)
Desmond Morris (Birmingham surrealist, 1928)
Dave Mason (He had a hole in his shoe, 1946)
Andy Kershaw (He opened our ears to the world, 1956)
Mike Westbrook (Solid Gold Cadillac, 1936)
Glen Baxter (Surreal draftsman, 1944)
The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest (Mythic tree, c 1000)
Paul Sneddon (A very nice man indeed and crucial comedy cog, 1955)
Penelope Keith (Her complex and alluring negotiation with the English class system has ended, 1940)
Victor Edward-Willis (Village People’s self-serving Trump facilitator, 1951)
Sterling Betancourt (Steel pan pioneer, 1930)
Brian Potter (Rhinestone songwriting genius, 1939)
Bill Oddie (Comedian! Musician! Ornithologist! Polymath! 1941)
Jennifer Finch (L7 bassist not longer needs to pretend, 1966)
Magnús Þór Jónsson (Witness the last of the god men, 1945)
Ronnie Le Drew (Zippy’s mouth, 1947)

11. BILL ODDIE

So sorry to hear of the death of Bill Oddie, a towering polymath who could have been a great jazz musician, but settled for being a brilliant comedian.
The brutality of some of the Goodies’ skewering and surreal social satire makes some episodes of their innovative and inspirational TV shows all but unbroadcastable today, and there, always chugging away in the underlay, are Bill’s brilliant jazzy funky scores. A superb musical parodist – his pastiche of Joe Cocker singing the folk song On Ilkley Moor B’ah Tat is pin sharp and hilarious and joyously absurd – he is also responsible for one of the great British funk singles, Funky Gibbon.

Often described as ‘spikey’ by the public, I suspect Bill was in fact a sensitive man who sometimes found the endless presidential air he was required to sustain by members of the public approaching him a hard act to keep up all the time. Bill, in whatever context, was never anything else but himself.

He will be much missed. My condolences to his family and friends.
It is a great honour to have met him and corresponded with him.