Thanks muchly to the latest pledgers. Here’s a post on one of my favourite comedians and why he’s analogous to my favourite literary form.
Last March I navigated Devon’s gloaming, bucolic lanes to watch comedy’s version of the short story: Stewart Lee. Why the facetious analogy? Perhaps because both enjoy a cult, minority status, one where irony, intellect and a playful contempt predominate. In short: they are both a bit difficult. Not for everyone. Too clever for their own good. They are slippery, alienating creatures, but ones with which you have a heightened, almost religious relationship. Certainly in both cases the audience/reader must do a fair share of the work themselves: there is no free ride, no light entertainment here. Lee, as the short story is to badly-written genre fiction, is the antidote to the legions of vapid, mainstream onanists, who spoon-feed you their inane one-liners, a boys’ (for it almost always is) club of panel-show self-congratulists.
As if to further align himself with literature’s most demanding form, Lee played that night in a village hall to around 150 people (presumably he owed a favour to a friend on the parish council, having already toured all the iconic gig venues in the UK). The intimacy might have overwhelmed a more egoistic sleb; for Lee it was the chance to amplify his faux-mocking style: ‘Come on, Lustleigh – raise your game,’ he scorned, as we responded with nervous laughter to subjects no doubt chosen to elicit our discomfort. As with the short story, much of Lee’s act is found in its silences and spaces, in the repeating motifs and subtexts, which embed themselves subliminally, stirring you a few nights or weeks later.
Perhaps Lee’s politics – or at least those adorning his ‘act’ (think Jez not Dave) – seduce me, muddying my judgement of his comedic aesthetic. Certainly the two are inextricably bound, though never in a crass (and as it turned out, specious) Ben Elton-esque way. Lee’s skill, as with the short story, is in turning the mirror on his audience, luring them into a sense of comfort, only to gloriously betray this trust, playing mischievously with the line between character and self, between author and reader. A truly unreliable narrator.
There’s a routine (easily found via all good search engines) in which Lee is flippant (and worse) about Top Gear’s Richard Hammond and his near-fatal car crash. It is both brutal and shocking, until you realise Lee is pastiching the programme’s own cynical insensitivity and bigotry to parody it, at which point it becomes hilarious. His routine on political correctness is also gloriously original.
Lee is often touted the comedians’ comedian, as it is often said only writers of short stories read them. A well-kept secret. But with both, it’s becoming a secret harder to keep. Lee would be high on my list of best-dinner-party-guests-if-you-could-have-anyone, right up to the point he turned the mirror on me.
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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World Without End, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube