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.
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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John Robins, Comedian
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.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
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian