Well I’m enjoying this, I think. “That’s cause you’re a cunt”, was Stewart Lee’s response, as if reading my mind. The insults come thick and fast, but this only means we fall for him even more. His brand of satire, around culture, politics, popular TV shows, his life, your life, weaves in and out of his well-formulated stories. He keeps beating us over the heads and we love it.
Through his anecdotes, rants and hilarious repetition, it’s clear that he’s not like most stand-up comics, he is intellectually superior: “I am up here like a God, you’re down there like pigs in a Norfolk ditch”.
The theme of the show, which is touring, was originally meant to be based around the Caspar David Friedrich painting, Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog, symbolising an individual looking for a deeper meaning to life. But this becomes peripheral to Brexit and Trump, subjects he tackles from a liberal North London (where he lives) perspective. This suits most of the audience who seem to dress like they live in North London. I’m from there, so I should know.
His premise throughout a lot of the act is that it’s hard to write content when the goal posts keep shifting, how the hell did Trump get in? What the hell is he doing? And who the hell knows what the plan is with Brexit? In one of his astute ramblings, which goes on for a good few minutes, he proclaims: “I’m not sure whether to keep Eastern Europeans being kept out of the country in my act (one minute they’re allowed to stay, the next they’re not). It’s really affecting my work… I can’t help thinking it’s affecting people in other types of work too.”
By the end of the one hour and 45 minute show, which has provided few breaks in the laughter, he skilfully weaves us back to the painting… He condemns the under 40s for being vacuous: “I’m under 40, I’ve got no future, but I’ve got this phone,“ he roars as he bashes an invisible phone with his finger and his trousers fall down around his ankles. He keeps roaring: “Don’t eat toast like normal people…just keep drinking yoghurt from a pouch and wearing your Japanese cat-face satchel bags…“
Ultimately, Lee condemns the digital world for making us more inward looking and therefore making life less meaningful: whether that’s easy access to 1p comedy DVDS (though not his, which you have to buy for at least £3.67), or finding it easy to join a fetish club, which as he proclaims in his grandparents day would have required some real research and a lot of walking. And, how, ultimately, we have become self- and selfie-obsessed and the opposite of what the painting stands for: “What about the wider world?” an important question that he raises in this five star show, Content Provider.
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Rudeness, Youtube
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World Without End, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
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Idrie, Youtube
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian