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