Stewart Lee makes stand-up and almost moral pursuit., predicting an audience’s reaction (or lack of it), to his material in a way that makes the usual (and more popular) stand-ups seem crude and obvious. He’s fearless, undeterred by an audience’s failure to respond, even welcoming it so he can analyse it, tracking down the missing laugh until the audience laughs at itself. Erving Goffman (1) would have liked Stewart Lee, though the more accessible material put out by other (and more vapid) stand-ups derives in part from Goffman’s observation of small behaviour. Stewart Lee is the J.L. Austin (2) of what is now a rather sloppy profession
1. Erving Goffman (11 June 1922 – 19 November 1982) was a Canadian-American sociologist, social psychologist, and writer, considered by some “the most influential American sociologist of the twentieth century”. In 2007 he was listed by The Times Higher Education Guide as the sixth most-cited author in the humanities and social sciences, behind Anthony Giddens, Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, and ahead of Jürgen Habermas.
2.John Langshaw Austin (26 March 1911 – 8 February 1960) was a British philosopher of language and leading proponent of ordinary language philosophy, perhaps best known for developing the theory of speech acts. Austin pointed out that we use language to do things as well as to assert things, and that the utterance of a statement like “I promise to do so-and-so” is best understood as doing something — making a promise — rather than making an assertion about anything. Hence the name of one of his best-known works How to Do Things with Words. Austin, in providing his theory of speech acts, makes a significant challenge to the philosophy of language, far beyond merely elucidating a class of morphological sentence forms that function to do what they name. Austin’s work ultimately suggests that all speech and all utterance is the doing of something with words and signs, challenging a metaphysics of language that would posit denotative, propositional assertion as the essence of language and meaning.
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Jamespearse, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Danazawa, Youtube
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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World Without End, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter