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.
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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98rosjon, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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A D Ward, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Brighton Argus
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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John Robins, Comedian
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Stuart, Chortle
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork