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