TV’s Frankie Boyle has declared that no-one over 40 should do stand-up, as the old comedians lose their edge and their anger. Stewart Lee is 42 and Frankie’s heartless Scottish words have made him wonder if it’s worth carrying on.
Undaunted, the furiously baffled comedian tries to win round the legendarily harsh Glasgow audience with a crowd-pleasing Mcintyre-style routine about coffee shops, but is distracted by scores of imaginary pirates; he tries to talk about every day middle aged men’s concerns, but is drawn into a forty minute rant against Top Gear and all it stands for; he attempts to find some common ground with happy childhood memories that he and the audience can share, but is instead consumed with loathing and despair as a result of a Magners’ Cider advertising campaign.
He screams from the balconies, stumbles in the aisles, and ends with a country and western song. If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One is a vast and all-consuming epic of stand-up comedy, exploring the absolute formal limits of the art form.
There are also some jokes.
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Brighton Argus
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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John Robins, Comedian
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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World Without End, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Stuart, Chortle
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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FBC, finalgear.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Bosco239, youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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XPIJONpsY, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com